Minelabs are great but warnings are out.

[goldentruth]

I went on ebay, I found an authorized seller sayin beware of GPX 4000 & GPX 5000 models selling cheeper.
A rash of "Knock offs" are being sold: MADE IN CHINA ! Australlia's Minelab Company are getting bad reports about the knock offs with fake Electronics & bogus Serial Numbers. The High Quality Minelab top of the line models are getting hit hard and the customer lose! Minelab has set up a toll free number for you to call and check the serial number before you buy so you don't get stuck with a counterfit piece of junk and loss of $$$.

 

[Sandman]

A giant reason to buy from a block and mortar dealer or a reputable place like Kellyco or Big Boys Hobbies. You buy from Ebay your going to get stuck 9 times out of ten unless you do your homework.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Here is all the info.

http://www.minelab.com/usa/consumer/where-to-buy/buyer-beware

Anyone feel free to call me with questions or for a great deal!

 

[Jason in Enid]

Anyone who thinks they are going to get a real Minelab GPX for a fraction of the retail price deserve the piece of crap detector that arrives on thier doorstep!

 

[kgunn]

not really jason, what ppl do 'deserve' is a break from price gouging n the rich getn richer n the poor getn poorer... not bein rip-off by jerks...

kgunn

 

[TORRERO]

not really Jason, what ppl do 'deserve' is a break from price gouging n the rich getn richer n the poor getn poorer... not bein rip-off by jerks...

kgunn

I tend to agree with this, Most of the top of the line machines cost around $1000 and up.
That's a lot of cash for most people and you probably will have the machine for 2-3 years of constant
hunting before you recoup that kind of investment.... (a gold ring valued at $3000 is nice if you find one, but has no cash value if not sold and therefore you can not count it toward out of pocket expense)
But these Machines, the ones that are being bootlegged are costing 4 and 5 times as much
$4000 or $5000 dollars.
People who have that kind of money to drop on a machine don't need to worry about finding the jackpot to cover that cost.....
I for one will never have that kind of cash in my lifetime to drop on a machine that probably cost them
a few pennies on the dollar to make.
And let me tell you, once a mold is made, it's just simple math, and machines to make more...
Yes just like my hospital charging me $3200 for 2 hours in the emergency room, these people also can
charge what they want.... and as long as there is someone out there willing to pay, then they will
continue to sell these at a huge markup.
And someone in China will continue to try to capitalize on Minelabs greed.

 

[The-Bone]

not really Jason, what ppl do 'deserve' is a break from price gouging n the rich getn richer n the poor getn poorer... not bein rip-off by jerks...

kgunn

I tend to agree with this, Most of the top of the line machines cost around $1000 and up.
That's a lot of cash for most people and you probably will have the machine for 2-3 years of constant
hunting before you recoup that kind of investment.... (a gold ring valued at $3000 is nice if you find one, but has no cash value if not sold and therefore you can not count it toward out of pocket expense)
But these Machines, the ones that are being bootlegged are costing 4 and 5 times as much
$4000 or $5000 dollars.
People who have that kind of money to drop on a machine don't need to worry about finding the jackpot to cover that cost.....
I for one will never have that kind of cash in my lifetime to drop on a machine that probably cost them
a few pennies on the dollar to make.
And let me tell you, once a mold is made, it's just simple math, and machines to make more...
Yes just like my hospital charging me $3200 for 2 hours in the emergency room, these people also can
charge what they want.... and as long as there is someone out there willing to pay, then they will
continue to sell these at a huge markup.
And someone in China will continue to try to capitalize on Minelabs greed.

There's more than just a 'mold to make'...for the high end machines(or any machine really) there is R&D costs, line setup costs, marketting costs, warranty/repair costs, patent costs, legal costs, material costs and employee costs. They simply cannot charge 'what they want' in a free market system or the competition will underprice them and put them out of business. Please also remember the metal detectors are not necessities like vehicles, furniture and food. They are somewhat of a boutique item that has a limited target audience. When something goes awry with a new model it can cost a company millions of $$$...ask Fisher about the initial troubles it had with it's F2 going to market or Garrett with their ATPRO fiasco.

 

[kgunn]

Really Bones?
ok just look at John Deere, agricultural thats a necessity, however u do a price comparison, hp for hp, bell for bell, whistle for whistle, tractor for tractor n low n behold ur payn more just 4 the 'green paint' after all that bein said, we dont deserve 2 b price gouged or ripped-off by jerks...we all earn our dollar. o n i think that 'golden' is just tryn 2 lookout for fellow MDers, not 2 get ripped-off by jerks mis-leading info 2 get our hard earned $$$...
kgunn

 

[TORRERO]

There's more than just a 'mold to make'...for the high end machines(or any machine really) there is R&D costs, line setup costs, marketting costs, warranty/repair costs, patent costs, legal costs, material costs and employee costs. They simply cannot charge 'what they want' in a free market system or the competition will underprice them and put them out of business. Please also remember the metal detectors are not necessities like vehicles, furniture and food. They are somewhat of a boutique item that has a limited target audience. When something goes awry with a new model it can cost a company millions of $$$...ask Fisher about the initial troubles it had with it's F2 going to market or Garrett with their ATPRO fiasco.

Well you say a lot there...
But All the other Manufactureres seem to make out OK with their $1000 machines....
But Minelab decided they needed a $5000 dollar machine...
Maybe they will go Bankrupt if they stop selling these expensive machines
But Tesoro has been making top of the line detectors with LIFETIME Warranties since they were
founded and their not bankrupt yet.... and none of their machines cost $1000 dollars..
I don't know....
there is something to be said about Kmart and Walmart and Target all charging similar prices for
similar items even though they carry different names....
or American Airlines matches prices with Southwest or Delta for similar flights over similar routes...
It's how this country works...
But of course if I tell you my shoes are made with gold instead of Walmart's shoes being made of lead
then maybe I can sell my shoes for 5x more... if your willing to pay the price there will always be people or companies willing to sell it to you.

 

[Ism]

What I don't get is the Chinese make great knockoffs but can't seem to wrap their minds around detector technology.
It could be that the Minelab microcontroller programming isn't on US govt. top secret computers and therefore safe from Chinese hackers.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I am shocked that people seem to think that the leading edge of metal detecting technology just falls from the sky and costs a few bucks to produce. Is it that or is it sour grapes towards equipment you can't afford?

 

[kgunn]

i wonder if we were 2 take all MD n open m up, would the components b the same? i bet so, but yet mr jason has a point, u want the better mouse trap, pay 4 it! however what it comes rite down 2 is its operator, not the machine. u could give me the latest n greatest MD against an old head w a detector that 1st came out back in the day, n he'd kick my rss all day long w findings...
'''cant afford or refuse 2 pay that'''

kgunn

 

[okdiggermark]

Here is all the info.

http://www.minelab.com/usa/consumer/where-to-buy/buyer-beware

Anyone feel free to call me with questions or for a great deal!

I will. Count on it Bart!!!

 

[Jason in Enid]

If you take the "latest and greatest" detector, and spend the time to learn how to really use it, nobody can out-detect you with a detector from "back in the day". If those old horses could still pull, they would still be in the field today.

 

[rjw4law]

Seems there should be a way to get the scammers.

 

[Jersey Hunter]

I just saw that the Teknetics T2 is also being counter-fitted. Be careful and buy from a reputable dealer.

 

[extractor]

I only buy from a reputable dealer that I can talk to on the phone.

 

[kgunn]

Jason,
'old head' is not age, its experienced... so let me get this straight, u have the latest n greatest MD out there, n u have it all figured out, ur not gonna listen 2 wisdom thats carryn an antique MD ur just gonna trust that new MD...


kgunn

 

[kgunn]

i totally agree rjw, there should b i wonder if the better business assoc. can help on that

kgunn

 

[Jason in Enid]

Jason,
'old head' is not age, its experienced... so let me get this straight, u have the latest n greatest MD out there, n u have it all figured out, ur not gonna listen 2 wisdom thats carryn an antique MD ur just gonna trust that new MD...


kgunn

?What the hell are you babbling about? You made a comment about detectors, I replied to that comment. What exactly are you trying to change it to? Age of the detectorist? I've been doing this for about 30 years now, I think I got that covered. Thanks.