Caveat Emptor

[7zero]

It was one of those DOH! Moments. Apologies in advance for a long post.

Greetings all. Thank you for a great and informative site kman.

Being a South Florida native and having worked in local media (Television), I have always known the value of preparing for the eventual hurricane. As an adult and survivor of Hurricane Andrew, every year, I have always purchased the standard hurricane supplies, cans of food and bottles of water and snacks. This method has always served me well. This year, after running through all of my stash the past couple of years, I decided to try something different.

For Hurricane Season 2006, I decided to buy MREs as my standard hurricane/emergency food supply. I did what I thought was thorough research on the Web and quizzing of my friends in uniform and decided to buy some MREs locally and not to chance it on ebay. I guess I missed this site’s page on Where/ How to Buy MREs.

Locally, cases of “12-Full Meal” MREs are going for $75 - $80 a case and after checking ebay late last week, I figured buying a random case from a far away seller wasn’t as good as buying a case from a well known, local and reputable shop. I called the shop, asked if they sold MREs and headed down there with a grin. The boxes looked legit and I brought them home to a suspicious fiancé.

Upon opening them both, at home, I discovered that they weren’t authentic MREs. In fact, I had been sold a bunch of “custom made” MREs with parts and pieces from various other MRE packages. According to the date codes on the main entrée (which is all I received, no beverage, no desert, but I did get two energy bars, a packet of accessories, a spoon and crackers with a jelly packet similar to the kind kids get at school), they are all made in late 2005 or early 2006.

I called the shop and was told that since I opened the boxes (though not the individual clear plastic bags), there were no refunds or credits. First because it was considered a storm supply (they don’t refund those) and second, because I had opened the boxes. Fine I thought, now I have pseudo-MREs to snack on, but they’re not the real deal.

I have since learned my lesson and have become a true fan of this Website. I am now searching ebay for two more cases as I’d like to have enough food on hand for at least 6-days of food for myself and my wife to be in case of another major storm. Perhaps we can start a list of eBay sellers that have sold items to those in this group? It would help enormously, as it will allow us to check the quality of a seller quickly…just an idea.

Many thanks everyone for your insight and to kman for a Website that I think will become more popular in the coming months. MREs are a smart, efficient and cost effective way to prepare for emergencies. Now, all I need are my 48 gallons of water and I’ll be set.

In the end, the buyer beware, but this site has done a wonderful job of educating me on what to look for in the future so I can avoid the doh! feeling. Hopefully, this will prevent someone else from making my mistake.

Cheers!
-George

[HK47]

I seem to recall some posts on this site that indicated cajunangel-62 was a good seller on e-bay...though I have not yet taken the opportunity to do business with her.

Have you considered buying components and building your own kits? Not only can you tailor your purchases to the foods you prefer, you can also choose the caloric intake. And, too, one can add some of the luxuries - say, cheese filled pretzels, or peanut butter & chocolate spread. The various items have nutrition information available.

Just a thought....

[BigMark]

I'm not sure if he still sells, but scyros or something similar is repacks. dannyj11-88 is selling legit MRE's for a real good price, but you have to catch him when he's selling, they go quick. Uhm.. I just bought from cobb728, but he doesn't seem to sell MREs exclusively. That's all I've got for sure. Also don't buy any of those new a-packs, they seem okay, but no side dish, and the water isn't drinkable, it's for the heater. Just make sure it's a sealed case, and shipping shouldn't be more than $20.

[7zero]

Hi guys. Many thanks for your responses. I have indeed thought about filling out the two cases with some of the extra components I can purchase on eBay.

I've just purchased two cases (Inspection Date, 12/2008) from "greenb98". They have 99.8% positive feedback and I asked a bunch of questions. They also had photos, which is nice. I'll know more when they arrive Friday or Monday.

Here's a link to their current auctions. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgreenb98QQhtZ-1

I bought two at 39.99 with $21 shipping.

I'll report here the quality and condition.

[HK47]

Actually, even though components can be purchased on e-bay, I prefer to buy mine through a variety of vendors:

http://www.longlifefood.com/
http://beprepared.com/
http://www.theepicenter.com/mre_militar ... o_eat.html
http://www.mrefoods.com/Default.asp

I've bought COMPONENTS (not the full meal offerings) through each of these vendors, and have been pleased with every one of them.

I've just recently done business with dverkamp (a member of these forums) from mrefoods (listed above) and was very happy with the transaction.

So, if I may suggest, you have a universe of good eating ahead of you!

[7zero]

...So, if I may suggest, you have a universe of good eating ahead of you!

Hi HK.

Suggest away. That's what makes this site so good. There are plenty of folks on here who know tons about MRE's and the more people know the better off we all are.

Thanks for the links too. I'll start checking them out in the morning.

[Bil4444]

***dannyj11-88 is selling legit MRE's for a real good price****

I second that.............. Have bought 4 cases from him and is always a fast shipper with current (2005) mre's. Don't let the private feedback scare you off.