Things You Should Know Before Buying Solar Equipment Online

Six Things to Keep in Mind When Shopping for Solar Gear

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1) Customer Support Matters

When you’re buying a big-ticket item, like a high-capacity battery backup system or high-output solar inverter, customer support isn’t optional, it should be seen as an essential part of the purchase.

What Good Support Looks Like:

• A reachable North American phone number that is picked up by people (not a voicemail loop or customer service robot).
• Salespeople who actually ask you what problem you’re trying to solve: Do you need backup power? Are you just looking to reduce electricity bills? Do you want to go fully off-grid? These are the types of questions they should be asking.
• Staff who walk you through the real numbers and solar terminology: wattages, runtime estimates, charge times, and how the system will work for your specific applications
• Clear answers about the warranty, returns, and post-purchase help.

Red Flags to Avoid:

• They don't have a phone number that you can actually reach, or their phone number seems to be based in a foreign country
• Sales reps who only talk price and don’t ask about relevant information, like the load you'll be running and other use cases.
• “UL Pending” as an explanation for safety claims (more on UL listings below).

Why This Stuff Matters:

Selling you a bunch of expensive solar gear and shipping it to your house is the easy part, getting help when something goes wrong is where vendors really prove themselves worthy of your hard-earned money.

Plus, having legitimate customer support is a testament to the company’s belief in their own products. If all they want to do is make a quick sale, they probably don’t stand by what they’re selling. In reality, they probably just view you as a potential sale, rather than a real person with real needs.

Whether you’re buying a portable power station or a full solar power system for whole home backup power, you should buy from a company that puts effort and money into supporting their customers.

2) Are Reputable Local Installers Using the Gear?

If local solar installer companies and electricians actually use products from a brand you’re considering, that’s a strong signal that brand's products are real and serviceable.

Why This Matters:

• Installers avoid products that cause warranty headaches, as it’s probably going to fall on them to fix problems if something goes wrong the stuff they have installed.
• Local installers often do onsite warranty and repair work themselves, so they only want to work with equipment that was designed to last. They also want equipment that is easy to fix, adjust, and install.
• A product that’s used by pro installers usually has the certifications and documentation it should have, which is all important when you are looking to purchase solar power system equipment that will actually stand the test of time.

Pro Tip: When you’re on the phone with a retailer, ask for a list of regional installers who work with the product you are looking to buy. If they can provide you with this information, call an installer and ask about their experience with the product.

3) Check for Real Safety Certifications and Compliance (UL / IEC / ETL)

Don’t be dazzled by glossy marketing terms and phrases. Look for a UL listing (or equivalent IEC/ETL marks) on batteries, inverters, and other critical solar and backup power components.

Why This Matters:

• UL testing checks for fire risks, electrical shock issues, and potential failure points and dangers.
• Companies invest a lot of money and R&D effort into making sure that their products will actually pass UL tests and earn an authentic UL listing. Sketchy companies skip all of this. Genuine UL listing shows the manufacturer invested in safety testing.
• Products that are listed as being “UL Pending” often stay pending. It’s basically just a marketing term to fool buyers into thinking the product is on its way to earning a UL listing, but you should treat it skeptically.

What to Look For:

• Battery packs and inverters should list the specific UL standard (e.g., UL 9540 for battery systems). Again, this shows the product is safe and designed to perform as advertised.
• If a product can’t show certification paperwork, walk away.

You don’t have to be an expert installer to understand this stuff. Simply ask about product certifications and safety information when you are buying solar equipment. If they can’t provide you with anything, or the certification looks sketchy and overly foreign in nature, it’s not a good sign.

Trust your gut. If they can’t be bothered to apply for proper certification for their products, why should you trust them?

4) Look for Independent Proof of Quality (Reviews, Tests, and Videos)

A brand that invests in good documentation and actually gets third-party reviews of their products tends to be more trustworthy than those who do not.

Good Signs to Look For:

• Detailed teardown and testing videos from impartial reviewers (look for real charge and discharge tests, as well as other relevant performance tests).
• Multiple independent reviews (not just sponsored one-offs from people who rarely touch solar gear).
• Transparent specs sheets and real-world performance numbers.

Be Cautious Of the Following:

• Channels or sites that only publish glowing reviews for a single brand, as that's almost always sponsored content.
• Reviews with no real data, just hype.
• Reviews from a YouTube channel or website that rarely reviews other solar components (you’re probably watching a one-off paid ad).

There are plenty of reviewers out there, but we personally try to make all of our tests and opinions public because we want to sort through marketing jargon to show real-world performance.

You’ll also notice certain reviewers specialize in hardcore DIY setups, where they build everything from scratch. Sure, this can be a way to save some money, and it can be a pretty interesting way to build a solar power system, but you could also create a massive headache for yourself.

When you go this route, each and every component will have a different warranty, so no only are there are way more failure points, it's going to be a pain tracking down different companies if something goes wrong. Plus, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to make a costly mistake.

These types of reviews and videos are useful for hobbyists, but a plug-and-play, pre-built component is going to be the better route for 99% of people who are getting into solar power and off-grid systems.

5) Beware of Too-Good-to-Be-True Pricing

If a battery or portable power station costs a fraction of the price of comparable products, there’s probably a reason why. Some brands, like Pecron, actually do sell cheaper-than-average equipment that works well, but brands that sell things aggressively cheaper than their competitors are usually selling junk.

Risks of Suspiciously Low Pricing:

• Counterfeit or grey-market products (no legitimate warranty in your country).
• Skipped safety certifications or subpar components (cheaper battery cells, no built-in BMS).
• Companies that could vanish after a short time, leaving you without support.

Something to Keep in Mind:

Compare watt-hours per dollar with well-known brands. If it’s dramatically cheaper, dig deeper. Again, ask for test reports and proof of origin.

You should also make sure that people are actually reviewing this product online and demonstrating that it works. Some cheap brands will just display fake photographs and 3D renders of their product, rather than actually publishing videos showing that it works.

6) Know Where the Company is Actually Based

A common trick is when a brand will list a nice U.S. office on their website, but their headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and support team is actually based elsewhere, like China.

Why Location Matters:

• Warranty and returns are much simpler if the company has North American distribution and support.
• You know that the product is actually legally allowed to be in the country. Tariffs, import legality, and product compatibility (e.g., NEMA/plug types) are fairly easy to verify.
• Longevity: companies that have been around longer are more likely to honor the long-term warranties they advertise.

Here’s What You Should Look For:

• Official company HQ and distribution center addresses (look them up to make sure they actually exist).
• How long the company has existed and whether their warranty terms are backed by a local entity.
• Read online reviews and look for testimonies about the company honoring their warranties.
• Whether the vendor will ship a replacement part or require you to send it overseas if something breaks.

Quick Solar Equipment Buying Checklist:

To keep things simple, ask yourself the following questions before you purchase an expensive piece of solar equipment:

• Does the seller pick up the phone? 

• Are local installers using the product?

• Are components UL/ETL/IEC listed? 

• Is there independent testing or impartial reviews on the product available? 

• Is the price roughly in line with market prices for that type of product? 

• Is the company truly based (or supported) in North America?

If the product you're looking at or the company that you’re looking to buy from passes all of these, you’re in good shape.

Why We Recommend Specific Solar Retailers

We don’t recommend solar brands or retailers lightly. With that said, two vendors we regularly point to are Shop Solar and Signature Solar, and there are practical reasons why we trust these online stores:

They're North American Based and Offer Real Support:

Both have U.S.-based teams and reachable after-purchase phone support. We’ve mystery-shopped both Shop Solar and Signature Solar, and confirmed they answer questions (before and after purchase). Plus, they also offer genuine advice and actually try to help you find products that will fit your needs.

That post-sale support is critical for solar panel arrays, battery backup installs, and getting to the bottom of countless troubleshooting issues.

Vetted Products from Reputable Solar Brands:

Both retailers tend to carry brands that meet relevant certifications and installer requirements. That means the gear you buy is more likely to include genuine manufacturer warranties and the documentation a local installer would need.

Since they also have such a strong focus on after-purchase support, it’s in their best interest to avoid selling low-quality products that will fail shortly after they’ve been ordered.

Because they invest in vetting products, knowledgable staff, and returns, buying from these online solar retailers reduces the risk that you’ll be left holding a non-certified product from a company that disappears. It’s also why we recommend them to our viewers and readers so often.

There are other reputable companies out there, but we know from first-hand experience that these two are trustworthy.

Final Thoughts: Buy Confidently, Not Cheaply

Solar gear has matured fast, and there are now plenty of excellent options at a huge range of price points. But because the gear should last for decades and safety matters, the lowest price shouldn’t be the main decision factor when you’re shopping.

To make sure that the products you buy are actually going to perform as advertised, prioritize safety (UL/ETL), real support, use by real installers, and look for documented testing.

If you want to save time: start with retailers who pass the six checks above (Shop Solar and Signature Solar are two we’ve verified through hands-on mystery shopping). They help remove a lot of the guesswork and give you a reliable path for post-purchase support.

As you probably know, we also have plenty of honest and impartial reviews on power stations, solar batteries, power inverters, and pretty much any other piece of solar equipment you can think of. Check these honest reviews out if there is a specific product you’re interested in.

🛒 Solar Retailers We Trust:

Signature Solar (Solar Batteries, Panels, Inverters, and More):

www.SignatureSolar.com

Shop Solar (Complete Solar Kits and Power Station Bundles):

www.ShopSolarKits.com

Pecron (Affordable Power Stations):

www.Pecron.com

EcoFlow (High-Quality Power Stations):

www.EcoFlow.com