Is Plug Tech a SCAM? I bought EVERY Mystery Box

[@warlock257]

Mystery boxes are just a way to get rid of overstocked items nobody wants.

[@Cringetopia]

better than throwing it out

[@justinvilleneuve4666]

​@Cringetopia true but do you really think that people who get a mystery box of only chargers would not throw some of those out?

[@KevinEF]

Imagine getting lightning chargers and not having a single lightning port in your home. You'd just throw them out and you wasted extra gas shipping it

[@freedustin]

@@Cringetopia e-waste is e-waste, it doesn't matter who it gets pawned off to, its goin' in the trash.

[@-_JayR_-]

As someone who used to buy, fix, flip devices on eBay, mystery boxes are kind of profiting on a special type of buyer. It's the kind of buyers who like taking risks, or gambling. Except you never actually win as the buyer. You might feel that way at times, but typically every box is balanced in such a way the company comes out on top. No company/seller is going to give anything of value away for less, it's just not how the world works, nor will it probably ever.

[@__tars__]

that box with 3 chargers is not okay...

[@acrazyr]

i have a feeling they put the watch and airpods in the same box, and the chargers in a separate box, but each was supposed to be in its own box with a charger

[@ChristopherMaier.]

It's your fault if you trust a company like this.

[@MisterMustardIsDumb]

​@@ChristopherMaier.I don't think this company is bad tho.

[@dylanlindsay1993]

ya! totally NOT OK!

[@sabs666ify]

Yeah its the worst

[@alexgravitos]

"How is every item i get from a company that sells nothing but chargers DEAD?!" got me.

[@dieseldragon6756]

From the poor performance of otherwise seemingly good-quality goods, I'm going to assume that Plug,tech is a British overstock company. 😉

[@Dillixx]

They're not british, and I'm not sure what makes you assume that?@@dieseldragon6756

[@kamelfakih8340]

they sold all the chargers

[@KoldKetchup]

Yo that got me too 😂

[@Fire-Manz]

They literally gave him a mountain of them to ...

[@REH86]

These guys must have a hell of an advertising budget. I used to get ads for them like 30 times a day on TikTok. I still see them probably at least a couple times daily.

[@nathanmiller3105]

I literally have never saw 1...

[@yeetyahh950]

ads track u so u see one youll see hella

[@dvnmnd5020]

I mean u on tik tok

[@peterphilippi8655]

Eco-friendly is what Amazon uses to describe their Refurbished stuff as well...

[@theliamcooke]

Well it is eco-friendly to buy refurb/second hand but they're just trolling here

[@smug_cat1]

​@@theliamcookeI bought refurbished headphones twice one pair sounded like a can The other ones smelled likes they were drowned in cheap gas station perfume and had a short They were neck bands

[@zora_tech]

I haven't seen the "eco-friendly" on used or refurbished from Amazon and the lowest I have seen is "acceptable" now I am curious if different regions have different variations for this option.

[@zarkeven]

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound stupid

[@Random_4400]

It's a way to get people to unknowingly buy items in bad condition as not everybody checks to see what the names mean.

[@parker73724]

Mystery boxes are so dumb. If a seller has an option of what to put in a box of course they're going to put the worst garbage they can find all the time.

[@Olterior]

Its a balancing game for the seller. Lose on a few boxes, make profit on most. Defo basically a legal scam.

[@parker73724]

@@Olterior I wouldn't even call it a balancing game. They can literally just ship a single box with the nice item to make their listing essentially true and then make the rest the awful item. I feel like they should be required to post odds and keep within a certain range of those odds.

[@devilmikey00]

@@parker73724 They don't even need to do that. It's not like anyone is ever going to check or be able to check. They could just ship out all the worst stuff and if you complain they can just say you got unlucky.

[@MLSNYC88]

I think it only really works when it comes to like clothing. For example; I love soccer and a few jersey companies do it. They will let you state your team and a few teams you don't want. From there you pay £30-50 and get a shirt for a team you've never heard of. You know it might be cheaper but the surprise is who you get.

[@mabey8048]

@@parker73724 yeah hopefully this gets cracked down on but I doubt it ever will. Either way, just avoid any mystery box.

[@Rigel_Chiokis]

Spending money to get a box with three identical chargers = I won't order from that company.

[@ghostlydada]

I once bought an "unlocked" google Pixel 6, and it came locked to Verizon. They wouldn't let me return it, and Verizon wouldn't let me unlock it. Will never buy from them again.

[@nOtHiSiSpAtRiCk715]

I had sprint pull this stunt on me. I had free time then as a teenager so I'd go stand outside their post and deter anyone who wanted to look 😂

[@mattjax16]

That’s actually fraud by them hope you did a charge back and filed with your bank

[@Ballistarius-nx4dw]

Thats illegal, as unfit for purpose.

[@Horatio1741]

I would have split the order on different accounts and to different addresses. An order like this would scream at me that this is probably some influencer or test buyer and I would be a bit more selective with the items I would send.

[@milkshaketm1200]

If this is what they give an influencer or test buyer I don't even wanna know what they'd give a normal customer💀💀

[@Horatio1741]

@@milkshaketm1200 Maybe they don't care or Austin did this and put all of the items in one box for the show.

[@acegear]

or order the item in different weeks the result would clearly different , them giving away was like free ads publicity for cheapest price only 1k+ investment, this was not a good example for how scummy mystery boxes are

[@janegoodall1837]

That's why whenever I order something I make the name on the order " Marques Brownlee", or "Linus Sebastian". Gotta make sure it's the good stuff.

[@MandoOutdoors]

Holy shit that is high IQ! Lmaooo ​@@janegoodall1837

[@teamofone1219]

Smells like DKOldies is venturing from video game tech to regular tech.

[@cliff9887]

oh you jumped in the hate bandwagon too?

[@teamofone1219]

@@cliff9887 There is legitimate reason to hate them bro not just hating to hate.

[@thekell]

You grt what u order at least at dkoldies

[@momobobo5430]

@@cliff9887and you’re jumping on the glazing bandwagon?

[@Luckysury333]

bro ordered mystery boxes so what else do you expect?. Also he got exactly what he wanted with the Macbook. @@thekell

[@michaelgariti8008]

My nephew used to order Mystery Boxes all the time. He was trying to get the rest of the family to, also. Then I asked how many times he got more value than he paid for. He said, "I usually get ALMOST what I paid for." 😂. That's when my sister rescinded her credit card info.

[@Gillury353]

Lol

[@rws91942]

If you're running a business and you want people to trust you don't sell mystery boxes... Just sell the worn out and damaged tech at a significant discount...

[@alanw737]

I would hate to be at Plug Tech's morning meeting today.

[@inyoface5170]

they are done after this video :D

[@ceddy7972]

Right😭 stocks prolly plummeting

[@AdApT3Rx]

😂😂😂

[@Castawot.]

@@inyoface5170 the mystery boxes are gone on their site

[@phoenixwhiler943]

@@ceddy7972what stock?

[@Three60Mafia]

"Saving a planet" *literally ships overpriced e-waste in cardboard*

[@bobyjeans1452]

To see Austin's soul die a little when he opened the box of chargers was hilarious!

[@notkyloren]

If the S21 is SIM unlocked, it'll switch carrier firmwares to match your SIM card. Alternatively, you can simply flash the US Unlocked firmware (same model number, but ending in "U1" instead of "U"). It won't SIM unlock your phone in and of itself, but it'll get rid of all the carrier BS. Also, AT&T firmware prevents Android updates unless you have an AT&T SIM inserted (which should be illegal; it's a security risk).

[@SzymonPmc]

"If the S21 is SIM unlocked, it'll switch carrier firmwares to match your SIM card." he literally said that he didn't test it cause he didn't have a spare sim card

[@notkyloren]

@@SzymonPmc I'm confirming it

[@QUASAR_XIII]

I think that's why my s21 won't update to 14

[@bigjohnson989]

I'm actually really happy you reviewed these guys cause I considered buying something from them

[@powerfulshammy]

Austin did not Pray to the RNGods he might have gotten something good 😂

[@TechGenshi]

Back Market is better

[@ayeejefftv5229]

I bought an iPad they are a good company

[@powerfulshammy]

@@ayeejefftv5229 what you have good RNG 👀

[@stevegonzales527]

@@TechGenshi its not that great

[@adiedobson]

With all those fast chargers and pop sockets you could make your own company that does mystery boxes and put these in…. Oh wait seems someone’s already done that 😂😂😂😂

[@ayylien]

Typically mystery box services are just "unload the garbage in the back of the warehouse" schemes. I also wonder if they are wiping the devices properly. I think their is regulations in regards to that if you want to be an authorized refurbisher. I remember Louis Rossmann talking about it recently.

[@asrr62]

I think they buy asurion refurbished products. They just take the device out of the original asurion box and Into a plug box cause they are cool and edgy.

[@user-jx1cu5hw6w]

You must know that the plug dude has an obsession with 10$ fast charger bundles

[@BobaPhettamine]

fkin eco-friendly has me rolling 🤣🤣

[@cliff9887]

say something original

[@BobaPhettamine]

what do you mean you pleb @@cliff9887 🤣

[@teamofone1219]

@@cliff9887 “Say something original” like that hasn’t been said a million times to.

[@skydivenext]

Idk why didn't look up at battery life Those are probably at 20% lifetime lol lol loo And million cy les on the mac

[@Dogappel]

Box has all that save the planet stuff on it 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀😂😂😂😂

[@CarpeNoctum95]

What is it with these companies and thinking used Airpods are worth so much? As soon as they're used, they're worth about $3. And realistically, you can pretty much just go for a long walk and find some these days.

[@JerameatC]

Apple fanboyism. Thats it.

[@Tubeyou2343hhsg]

@@JerameatCwhy spend 120 on used air pods when beats are 80

[@Tubeyou2343hhsg]

Studio buds not the other ones

[@TheOneZoot]

@@Tubeyou2343hhsg Why spend $80 on beats when Jlabs cost $30

[@joeeveryman2935]

​@@Tubeyou2343hhsg or Anker Soundcore or Sony or a half dozen other companies

[@DJTagz09]

Nearly dropped a 25lbs dumbbell on my foot at that 3 charger mystery box, that's so wild I'm actually pissed for Austin in that! 😂

[@avoidthevo1d]

No way you agree with the "Excellent" condition of the Macbook when there is a huge scratch on the logo

[@hermitgreenn]

Considering what eBay sellers consider "good", yes this is excellent. Just put a skin on it. You're buying a used device.

[@skilledsins]

Did you need a charger Austin? You don't need to lie to us 😂😂

[@J002]

Ok that charger box was a big troll on them

[@Adam1llion]

I had to cover my mouth when Austin revealed 3 charger sets lolol

[@FusionKush]

Me too bro 🤣☠️

[@Juice5522]

I have not laughed so hard at any of Austin’s videos as I did for this one. 😅

[@LelandHasGames]

I saw one of their videos and, it seemed VERY sus. Mystery Boxes are such a terrible business practice. I never trust a business that does stuff like that.

[@zedorda1337]

I know 2 people that bought Plug Tech boxes both had their devices burn up from the cheap charger that was included.

[@MrMega200]

Yeah. I doubt that the chargers were any good. Their cost was probably 50 cents to a dollar per charger from a wholesaler with their logo put on it and with the earpods, they likely got overstock from some retailer.

[@rodan92]

Plug tech: we do a bit of trolling😈

[@Cool-Spot]

I died laughing with you when that box had 3 chargers in it😂

[@ethandabassman]

Nah, that’s the Authy logo on dem headphones 😂

[@Quade-]

Eco-friendly, means it was in the trash and they are letting you toss is in 6 months 😂

[@stevegonzales527]

18:00 pop socket for your beats 🤣

[@keturahwilliams8027]

So what we’ve learned today boss and girls is that…. You’ll get your fill of chargers from this company AND none of the accessories comes charged…not even a little bit😂

[@gabrielramosr]

Love to see that community suggestions get taken seriously. Great video as always

[@fathertatimus]

The items are dead because they gave you all of their chargers

[@garethbale2927]

Finally I really wanted you to review this, apart from the mystery boxes the actual stuff you purchased turned out pretty well.

[@Alectrode]

Does anybody else get spongebob vibes from austin? Like genuinely, I feel like he gives off spongebob energy

[@Alex-yj9xl]

Sigh

[@CadgerChristmasLightShow]

The whole "dirty case scratching the phone" thing is very true. I do landscaping for work with my s21 FE and galaxy watch 4 always on me. If i dont clean the phone and case every week, dirt, dust, and grass gets lodged in there and scuffs up the sides of the phone the most. And with work like i do, its almost better to not have a watch case, i prefer regular bands with a screen protector so its easy to rinse off. Also its crazy how cheap the s21 line of phones is already, i got my s21 FE brand new in mid 2022 for 500 bucks and it still doesnt feel outdated other than the 128gb of storage.

[@swe872]

s21 FE is crazy cheap and even more renewed in 2024

[@marsrover001]

Typing this on my s20fe. You can take my sd card slot from my cold dead hands.

[@dbrao-wq6dn]

S21fe is lit

[@jakobn2913]

I used my S20FE for not even two years, I don't work in dirty environments and cleaned it every 1-2 weeks and used it in a case. It still got scratches on the back. My Watch 4 has a perfect condition screen, but the rest is kinda scratched and dirty all the time.

[@MrMega200]

@@jakobn2913 Seems like the metal casing is more prone to scratching than the glass. Similar thing that happened to my OnePlus 11. My glass back is in near mint condition( the felt coating in my case seems to help) but the metal bottom is scratched up from debris. No idea on my front screen as I have kept the factory plastic protector on as I got finger nails that are prone to scratching up phone glass quickly.

[@brosephmcjoseph]

Austin always makes me laugh and smile 😂

[@keturahwilliams8027]

When he opened the second mystery box 😂😂😂

[@evilpattysoc]

IM CRYING 😂😂😂😂

[@ironwarriorlehero1315]

This man call every company a scam but the fact is that Plug Tech is a company that take used electronic and reuse them. It’s normal if it have some scratch or a little dirty it’s because they were used by someone before and wanted to sell it. It doesn’t mean that their products are guaranteed or in a good state it’s because it was reused. They make sure that it was clean and fixed so it will be in a good state.

[@mappol]

The mystery box with the 3 fresh packs of chargers really killed me 😂

[@BoneLone]

The thing with them is that mystery boxes in general are just bad deals. And the items they sell are slightly higher than eBay prices, it isn’t a terrible deal in my opinion. Yeah it isn’t good and if you are looking for the best deal then move on, but if you wanted to buy a device, this wouldn’t be the worse option.

[@e-ric3052]

Well, now we know what happened to all those chargers you didn't get with your iPhone.

[@ghostlydada]

No WAY bro had mistaken the s21 for the s20, they look NOTHING alike😭

[@kevinly5491]

Womp Womp

[@bostonrailfan2427]

he fakes a lot of crap, he’s not as stupid as he pretends to be

[@Cplayz08]

I'm not sure how I feel about a 2016 macbook 12" costing $310. I got a 2017 13" macbook pro with a core i5, 16gb of ram, and a 500gb ssd for $400 (not including sales tax) from a local computer store recently.

[@flamingkillermc2806]

Yeah plug tech is not good, last time I saw in one of their tiktoks videos was they were using a tooth brush with like a soapy liquid and brushing heavily on the keyboard. Sure you'll get a clean keyboard in the expensive of liquid dripping through the keyboard and damaging the motherboard.

[@Legitti]

Free advertising for lootbox scam I wouldn't otherwise know about lol

[@pianissimo_yt]

“i’m dead inside, but this shirt covers up my feelings” - austin evans, 2024

[@ItzEmu]

Honestly its about what i expected from seeing their shorts before. Ecofriendly items, as silly as it sounds look decent in their videos, and is a better name than e-recycled tbh. Though i thought they could have been switching them out for nicer ones while recording, and most of the mystery box shorts are returns with a "I mean you get what you get" premise so this seems about how they present themselves.

[@quantrananh7202]

that box with three chargers makes me laugh my ass off

[@MicknKids]

I literally busted out laughing when you opened that box with the 3 chargers.

[@ThisUploaded]

They can't charge any of the devices because they packed all their charges in mystery boxes already 😭

[@PR0WN3D]

7:20. wtf? why tf is "snickers" spelt that way in subtitles. (after he says "Go to box number three")

[@AlexAsked]

wait why does it say the n word???

[@the_homun_system]

it is a synonym/alternate version for snicker but not one that people really use and this is why lmao. definitely a real word you can find in the dictionary but yeah... odd choice

[@Thaddeus49]

The look when he had 3 chargers in the mystery box was so great! Lmao

[@pi70s]

20:25 the most plug tech thing ever

[@Saxophone_King]

Also, that one USB port on the 12" MacBook is prone to failure. It will just give up and then you have a 12" paperweight. Take it from a repair tech, they're never worth the money.

[@Joeyjammer15]

So I recently ordered a MacBook Air m1 2020 bundle on Black Friday. I received the package, but the device wasn’t in the box. Talking to their customer service has been hell. The email to contact ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE was not a real working email. They finally agreed to send a “one time replacement” however the order has the same order number and has no info on it, no tracking, nothing. I can go into details if need be but that’s the jist of it and I’m still out almost $800 with no device

[@musiccentral3767]

At least with ordering used tech on eBay and Amazon, they have buyer protection in case of scams, and they are cheaper in most cases. So plug tech isn’t worth it. They’ve always seemed sketchy with there free iPhone giveaways so I’m kinda glad Austin finally reviewed them.

[@Joeyjammer15]

So at the beginning of march I did in fact receive the device after 4 MONTHS of hounding them. The device was in working order, a little dirty but nothing bad. The company isn’t a scam but I still wouldn’t recommend buying from them. Idk how their customer support can be this way with them being a part of the BBB.

[@garageink74]

Everyone on the crew getting a charger and pop socket at the Christmas party.

[@JakobRD]

OKAY this is ridiculous- I’m commenting 11 days after this video posted, and the iPhone 11 Pro on plugs website is 319. NOT $380. For a website to buy from, it’d say the $40 difference from eBay is not a hard pill to swallow at all

[@mrbroom6030]

I bought a macbook pro 256 GB on there for somewhere in neighborhood of like $500 and it came with a a glitchy screen and basically what it did was half of the screen wouldn't work for like 12 minutes but after those 12 minutes everything worked perfectly, so I returned it back to them and they gave me a brand new one with upgraded storage (512 GB) and it worked like a charm. I dont think plug is a bad place to shop at especially for your broke college student like me but As long you stay way from those mystery boxes and get a product in Good condition or better you'll be fine.

[@PeteringYT]

A ton of issues could also be from how they ship things. It's loose in the box so it can easily get damaged in transit.

[@jobbybaps]

He needs to leave a low star rating on their site to ruin all those 5 star ratings 😁

[@johnhernandez190]

The end got me with all those 3 charger cables if I was u would had hit the wall with one 😂 😂😂 it ok I have 5 more

[@leom.9068]

Mystery boxes, yeah, terrible idea. But honestly, buying what you need exactly it actually pretty good. I have purchased 3 different things from them, and I have been VERY happy with the quality.

[@zacharyeversole]

Having the ability to silk screen, and having a big business are not the same thing. Silk screening gives the illusion of having a big organization.

[@ItsAlce]

you look like finland's new president

[@imagiofrancis7289]

380 for a iPhone 11 is robbery

[@mrgregc14]

What did you expect for $100?

[@dasavage8138]

I bought a 2015 mac book from them for a decent price and actually got upgraded to a better condition than I bought I’ve been using it for photography and homework however for how old it is the price was a little steep but it came with a properly sized case thing and a charger so it wasn’t terrible! I don’t recommend it if you are using it for more demanding softwares like photoshop or some kind of rendering application

[@jhudson_tiedye]

you can get what they sell for cheaper anyone reading this definitely steer clear

[@SoftyBun]

Austin's veins make me queasy

[@Polinize]

That mystery box of just chargers killed me.

[@YoBoyAG769]

It's been awhile since I've laughed at a YT video. The mystery charger box got me rolling!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@CaptainRex332]

Dk oldies has a new challenger

[@lordsheldor]

So nothing was actually worth it 😂

[@mrmangolele8574]

Apart from the like 1 mystery box, sure, buying the products directly seems like the way to go.

[@R3AL-AIM]

$300 for an S21? This is DK oldies for basic tech lol

[@soukkhanhsila134]

"Its that plug walk, i dont even know how mutha**ckin' plug talk" - Rich the kid.

[@aether7159]

I ordered a MacBook from Plug tech in excellent condition and the screen had a huge bubble underneath but I was able to send it back and a replacement should be coming later this week hopefully. So far from what I have experienced their customer support is on it when it comes to product replacements / refunds.

[@aether7159]

Update on this since I forgot: I got my replacement in another color but everything is working great!

[@sxx2691]

Thank you for the update

[@PlugBetterTech]

Hey Austin, thank you for your feedback and constructive criticism, it’s sparked an internal conversation on how we can produce a better mystery box experience. We’re honored to be featured in your content.

[@R1ftCre3per]

Dang it’s the company

[@nnasosss]

ITS THEM

[@harryroesser3916]

Welp

[@anonymousdogg1559]

To be fair those beats new are pretty good, they usually go for $160 if you just wait for best buys once a month “3 day sale” $200 msrp is unrealistic.

[@shadedproductions4956]

Don't we have companies that will just slap your logo on generic items like mugs and t shirts? Im sure they can just do that with generic chargers and bulk order them right?

[@tsu177]

the s20 and s21 dont really look the same at all from the back

[@DelRico2x]

I honestly had no problem with them. I ordered 2 iPhone 12s and an iPhone 7 from them all good with good battery life. My mother recently bought something from there too but I forgot what. Mystery boxes I would never order from anywhere tho lol

[@PlugBetterTech]

Thank you for shopping with us! We appreciate your support! 🔌

[@themadmoderator8465]

@@PlugBetterTech 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AllAroundAntics]

Same.

[@nnasosss]

@@PlugBetterTech💀😭 Yall insanely good at trolling icl

[@RAMBLINGSMANJMB]

20:42 thanks, that proper made my pants day.. proper laughed out loud across an empty office late at night in the uk.. Power Brick Man here to save the day 🤣🤣

[@michelle3730]

4:08 these headphones are actually really good Had some older models back in the days when I worked for a smartphone-shop here in Germany

[@ziionjsn]

I’ve bought 3 Phone within the past 2 years from them. Yall always tryna bring them down when they are better than Back market. All 3 of my phones had over 85% battery health and 1 was in eco friendly. Fun Fact: Eco-Friendly isn’t even that bad at all, it’s practically good condition most of the time.

[@petie027]

3 phones in 2 years is kinda a bad sign lmao

[@ziionjsn]

@@petie027 i didn’t buy them bc they broke after i bought them for separate purposes and they’re all fine rn

[@krypticsz4154]

​@@petie027 LOL this. I've owned one phone in the last 5 years.

[@petie027]

@@krypticsz4154 that’s a hell of a phone right there lol. I’m on year 3 of mine but imma upgrade soon

[@jonboy3865]

the reason most of your items are dead is because its safest to ship lithium ion batteries with no charge in them so they dont run the risk of exploding/catching on fire while in the shipping process

[@Eric_Wolfe-Schulte]

This is incorrect. Lipos are safest to ship at a storage charge. The longer a lipo is at zero charge, the worse it is for the long term health of the battery.

[@sealclap_plays]

That second to last box almost killed me, dude

[@BossReacts9906]

I have a 21+ so I'd say that's pretty cool that they gave you that

[@KingJojoB]

Raise your hand if you watch Austin everyday🤚🏽

[@Dynamicdrifting]

🙋‍♂️

[@JEMA333]

🍖. RIDAAAAAAAAAs in the chat

[@Carsnow2011]

✋

[@cmac6136]

Dang, most people have families and jobs. Can be sitting on KZbin all day making other people money.

[@LLJYT_EDITSZ]

🙋‍♂️

[@memeculture4]

Right off the bat you had criticism before buying, your review seems disingenuous

[@fisharefwends]

I liked the MacBook 12in but I did regret buying it over the Pro. I used it as my daily driver for probably 3 or 4 years before I replaced it

[@ManevichDmitriy]

Bro can’t even tell that his “s20” is actually violet s21

[@shivanshsaini186]

S20 and S21 don't look the same 🙄

[@carltonleboss]

100% legitimate, nothing to see here

[@DerangedScout]

Why do they refer to Samsung phones as androids? “Oh wow iOS’ have such good cameras” Like it makes no sense 😂😂😂

[@nomic655]

Making overpriced mystery boxes with old, unwanted hardware is a scam. However, mystery boxes are supposed to be methods of reusing old, unwanted hardware instead of sending them to landfills. How exactly do they get away with an "eco friendly" practice while sending everything in mass produced branded boxes, with mass produced branded chargers, pop sockets and 17$ earbuds? How did they even become known in the first place?

[@jazzmike_]

ngl, v disappointed in this video. i’ve bought a number of phones from Plug and they offer an extremely cost-effective and, yes, eco-friendly way to source very usable phones for friends and family at exceptional prices. really a shame to see a tech channel dunking repeatedly on a tech refurbisher that is giving new life to devices at a super reasonable cost, even though their mystery boxes may not be particularly compelling.

[@AtomicPiston]

this is a review of what is, not what is theoretically possible. They are clearly more about marketing then actually being eco-friendly or they wouldn't be making branded e-waste and wasting ink and packaging materials just to stick their brand on them. They are just another electronics reseller with better branding. They are not doing it for the planet, they are doing it for profit like all the other resellers. Plenty of places to buy the same goods in better condition, for less.

[@jazzmike_]

@@AtomicPiston here's what "is" that was radically downplayed in this video: the core business of Plug is to buy used phones from carrier auctions, refurbish them and sell them at very affordable prices. They do very well at this in my experience, and even in Austin's estimation in this video. However, the entire video is spent complaining about extras included in mystery boxes, which nobody who is actually cost-conscious will ever purchase if they're in the market for a cheap refurb phone. They are a solid refurbisher providing solid value and saving thousands of devices a year from landfills, and that should be commended, regardless of their mystery box offerings.