Has anyone ordered anything form the antec web site classified as "B stock"? THey say that its external blemishes on the cases. They say that products are fully functional. What is their definition of "fully functional"?

The other thing that worries me is the 90 warrranty, with the recent batches of bad power supplies.

Interesting that you ask, as I am considering purchasing a P150 case from their B stock.

So I ordered my P150 case, and it was flawless. If there was something wrong with it I couldn't find it.

I'm not saying that everybodys case will be perfect, maybe I just got real luck.

But if you think about it, it may have a few scratches which is no big deal. For most of you it will just sit under your desk anyway.

Quielb, do you know if the power supply retains its normal warranty, or if it is limited to the 90 day B stock warranty?


edit: I just called Antec's customer service number. The power supply only gets a 90 day warranty.

edit edit: This isn't making any sense to me. Why wouldn't the power supply keep its own 3 year warranty? All cases in the B-stock are dropped 60% from their original value, regardless of whether it comes with a PSU. You have to figure that the warranty on the PSU carries a premium in the original price of the case. It doesn't seem to me that the drop from the original 3 year warranty on the PSU to the 3 MONTH warranty due to it coming with a b-stock case is being taken into account in the price of the case. I'm going to try to plead my case to their customer service, we'll see what happens. Someone please point out to me whether my logic is flawed.

The only flaw I can see in your logic is, why is it b-stock?
Maybe it has been dropped etc.
Personally I think their policy is fair, if you get a good enough dicount.
Imho a psu usually craps out in the first days/weeks of use anyway so I think your risk is minimal.
If you want it, buy it and bugger the consequences.

For me it sounds like a clear and fair deal. If you want warranty, you buy regular items, if you want to save, you can buy B stock and then you pay 40% less but part of the risk goes to you.

There is a reason why price is lower..

If you paid full price for the PSU and deducted for the case, then I'd understand your position.

I just got my P150 from B-stock and I can't find anything wrong with it.

It took them forever to ship it to me but it did arrive and in mint condition.

Very happy with it.

I just got a P150 from b-stock and it is near perfect. I found a very minor ding on one of the back edges of the case and on the front aluminum a very minor dimple ... which even my wife couldn't see until I pointed it out! So even with shipping costs, I saved over $50 compared to buying from Newegg.

Coming to this thread about 7 months later, but still. . .

I bought a Minuet case as B-stock and since Antec is within driving distance, I opted for picking it up at will-call rather than paying more to have them ship it.

The actual location where they keep and ship the B-stock is a different building than their main office, but it's only a few blocks away. I showed up at their main office and they directed me to their warehouse.

I can find nothing wrong with the Minuet case at all. Maybe a light scratch, but after a month or two of ownership in my house, it has scratches now. Because the piano-black finish just plain scratches. But it doesn't matter to me, I bought it for the form factor and size.

As for the 3 month warranty, -that's the deal. You can take it, or yo u can pay full price for a 3 year warranty. That's pretty common throughout the industry.

B-Stock is generally stuff that was already sold once. Not always, sometimes it's stuff that got damaged before it was sold. Consumer protection laws make it illegal to sell something as "new" that was previously sold, opened and returned. This doesn't mean it has to be discounted. Some stores just put a sticker on B-stock that acknowledges the item was previously returned, and that they have inspected it and guarantee it to be complete and functional. More ethical companies will give you a discount on it. When I worked for an electronics shop we'd get tons of A/V equipment that had been returned to stores right after the holidays. People hook stereos up wrong and blow the amplifiers, or they break a knob, or a forklift shoves its forks straight through a pallete of televisions, or drops a pallete. . . All of these things go through repair to be refurbished -often BETTER than new. All of these eventually get sold as B-stock.

Antec might get cases returned for bad power supplies, or a bad power switch, or a scratch, or a dent. There are many reasons why they may have a bunch of B-stock to sell off. Generally, B-stock is a good value. Having a human inspect something is usually an extra level of testing that most mass-manufactured goods don't get. So you get a discount, and they get their equipment sold, and they don't have to warrant it the same. It's a trade-off. If you aren't comfortable with the terms of the trade-off, don't do it!

I like my B-stock Minuet case, and would go B-stock again if I want another Antec case.

I have purchased several b-stock cases and haven't had a problem with any. The only scratches I've noticed are on the inside as a result of the parts not being packed as well as originally.