Not many of us have all the time in the world to set aside a Sunday afternoon to search for our next mobile device. While buying a device physically is still something we highly recommend since the truth is that we live in a country full of cons and there’s almost always someone scheming to get your money for free, the reality of e-commerce is too strong to ignore.
Locally, buying a mobile device online can be a tricky affair. Issues range from the usual dishonesty that is so hard to ignore to limitations in how to pay, if one opts for an overseas e-commerce platform or online retailer.
These five outlets are, at this time, a great help to many a Kenyan who wants the convenience of online shopping and quick delivery of their purchase. Depending on various set terms which vary per platform and item, they may or may not offer payment on delivery so it is worth reaching out to each individually or going through their terms of service, where possible, to make sure they’re a good fit for whichever your preferences are.
1. Jumia
Jumia is unlike anything else on this list. It is easily the most convenient for everyone, having invested heavily in its online platforms with a fully functional website and mobile app, a well-defined fulfilment network (there’s a pickup outlet just up the road from my place and I live pretty much in the middle of nowhere) as well as the one platform on this list that can turn out to be the most frustrating to deal with.
The latter is due to the fact that Jumia doesn’t hold inventory. Sure, it may have fulfilment centres that accelerate the delivery of certain items just like Amazon does but, what it does is it runs a marketplace where various merchants come to trade their wares. When you’re making a purchase, say of a smartphone, you’re likely to be buying from some dealer in downtown Nairobi who is not associated with Jumia in any other way except being listed on its platform. Should anything go wrong with your purchase, Jumia is likely to leave you at the mercy of this dealer to hash out things. The resulting back and forth may leave a sour taste in your mouth.
That is not all. Operating this way means that Jumia is at the mercy of the merchants on its platform as far as quality control goes. You’ll encounter fakes on the platform if you’re keen enough. You may end up buying fakes if you are not keen enough. I have been there and done that. Luckily for me, they were gracious with the refunds and handled the whole thing so well that the world only got to know about it recently – after 5 years! Whichever the outcome, we are not to blame for that, we let you know beforehand what kind of jungle to expect. Your saving grace will be your due diligence.
To be fair to Jumia, this is a problem you are bound to encounter on just about any other e-commerce platform that runs things in a similar manner. Like Amazon for instance. Or Ali Express.
This weakness of the platform can be turned into its strength if you stick with known quality merchants. Heck, if you are keen enough, most major device makers already have online storefronts on the platform, making it easier to buy directly from them online while also assured of the same after-sales service that you’d get from a physical retail shop under their brand or some other established offline retail channel.
Jumia, for example, is my preferred channel for purchasing Xiaomi smartphones. I have done it severally myself for devices I get to review on this site as well as for devices that I buy for others.
Jumia also frequently has deals on various devices. While a good number of those deals are just hot air (they create the illusion of a deal while they’re basically offering you nothing), there are some quality ones every once in a while. Just be sure to know to separate the real grain from the chaff.
2. Masoko
The Masoko of today is what remains of the Masoko of yesteryears.
The Safaricom-owned platform once used to be like Jumia above but, well, it went the way of the sunset. Now, whatever remains is a shell of its former self. Thankfully for us, that shell still serves our purpose: Masoko is now wholly dedicated to being an online arm of Safaricom’s retail stores, offering smartphones, tablets, wearables and other accessories to buyers.
By being owned by Safaricom and being an extension of its shops, what you get on Masoko is what you get in those shops as well. Sure, there are some occasional online-only discounts but that’s about it, really. That means that you will run into issues like Safaricom being hesitant to offer dual-SIM devices. Need a dual-SIM phone? Masoko may not be the platform for you. You’ll find some there when the device maker doesn’t offer single-SIM variants but, mostly, you’ll find single-SIM devices – which don’t make sense, to be honest. Safaricom is known to even get special variants of mainstream devices just to enforce this.
While the single-SIM issue may put you off, as it does to me, what’s likely to drive you away from Masoko is the pricing. In most cases, unless it is one of those days when Safaricom is having its Open Day sales, the same device will be a little cheaper elsewhere.
However, Masoko’s biggest upside is that you’re unlikely to encounter fakes and, of all the platforms on this list, no one offers customer service that is comparable to that offered by Kenya’s biggest mobile network operator. If things go wrong, you can be sure that someone has your back.
3. Avechi
Avechi is one of those third-party independent online retail platforms that have withstood the test of time. It has been around since my college days and keeps going. Given the volatility of the local retail market, that is something to be proud of, at the very least. To a buyer, it also shows some seriousness on their end and allows for some sort of confidence.
For the longest time, Avechi used to be the go-to place for some rare brands that weren’t officially available in the Kenyan market like OnePlus and Xiaomi (yes, there was a time it was such a headache getting Xiaomi devices locally). Avechi would even go above and beyond and offer after-sales service as well. The after-sales service wasn’t the most convincing (it was outright trash, to be honest) the last time I needed to and indeed got to use it but it is there. Most sellers of its kind would just throw you under the bus as their concern is just making a sale.
While Avechi has since diversified into offering other consumer electronics and home appliances, it remains a great platform to find what you’re looking for as far as mobile tech goes. Their prices are also in line with what we expect from the market.
4. Phone Place
Phone Place Kenya has been around for a few years now and we have observed it grow from strength to strength. Just the other day, we were surprised to see the platform listed as the go-to place to purchase a new Nokia device in the country. That’s just how far they have come. If you Google the device you want to buy before either heading out to a physical store or ending up on some online platform, you’re sure that they’ll pop up on your search results page and they will be one of the many sellers that you will be considering.
Now, why would you go to Phone Place when you can just walk into a Samsung brand store and get what you want? Or visit the Samsung online Brandcart store?
Well, for starters, Samsung will only sell you the devices it officially offers in our market. That is to say its Galaxy S, Galaxy A and Galaxy Fold and Flip series smartphones. Just those. However, in other markets, especially those in Asia, Samsung releases a bunch of other device series as well. We have the Galaxy F and M series which are what Samsung offers in overseas Asian markets and whose local equivalents can often be found in the wider Galaxy A series locally. While most Kenyans won’t care about the nitty gritty as we do here, they do care about the cost savings and, offering those overseas options here usually comes with its own share of deals.
Oh, and these are some of the people that will get you a Google Pixel smartphone here since Google doesn’t officially offer the device in Kenya and, beyond self-importation or sending someone abroad, your options are pretty limited.
There is also the bit where, in my observation, they manage to undercut official retail sources in pricing. A good number of times, Phone Place has had the same device a few hundred or thousand shillings cheaper which, in our current economic outlook, goes a long way.
Also, like Avechi and Masoko (Safaricom shops), they do have a physical retail presence just in case you need to put a face to the people behind the brand and/or, understandably, have trust issues with this whole online shopping shebang.
5. Amaya
Amaya is where you can buy Huawei smartphones, tablets, wearables and accessories.
It is an e-commerce store that solely exists to serve the Chinese device maker’s interests. It is their direct-to-consumer sales platform.
What that means for you is that you can trust them when you order a Huawei device of whatever nature. That the pricing will be right. That the device will be genuine and that you will get the same warranty terms and after-sales service that Huawei assures all its customers they will get should they run into any issues.
Since being forced by circumstances to abandon Google’s Android and starting its own thing, Huawei’s popularity in the local market has tanked and we don’t outrightly recommend their smartphones and tablets, for instance, but the brand is still very much around and keen on working its way to the top once again. So, if you’re one of those fans that still very much believe in them then Amaya is the place to go to reconnect and get the latest from them. Huawei has always offered quality devices and that hasn’t changed.
