Misleading eBay Solar Panel Ratings

Rob-4x4 on 24/11/2022 - 10:55
Last edited 25/11/2022 - 10:07

I made the mistake of buying two "250 Watt" rated folding solar panels off a well known ebay seller to charge my caravan when camping off grid.
I felt the panels were not charging at the rated capacity, so I got a solar panel tester…

These the are results of the test, on a sunny day in full sun.

82 Watts
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8RCnb21rBdKEJCGw9

112 Watts
https://photos.app.goo.gl/n4Lm38Y6BSqVdAK77

This is what the panels look like
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wz4EoNnBgZbCbnSo9

You would not expect to get the full 250 Watts.. however in full sun on a sunny day you would expect to get a value at least somewhat close to the rated amount. I did a quick test on the same day with an old around 150 watt folding panel I had from a reputable seller and it was giving around 120 watts….

When I questioned the seller I purchased the panels from I got the usual stuff that things like the angle of the panel will affect the output etc.. All true, but not to the extent I observed when testing the panels.

There are discussions on these solar panel scams were the panels true output is nothing like the rated output in a number of forums that i have seen, so it seems to be a wide spread problem.

So.. a warning to ozbarginers when buying solar panels .. be careful about the rated outputs of solar panels you see being sold on ebay.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • avoidfullprice on 24/11/2022 - 11:19

    What time if the day, what day of the year, what temperature and what is the orientation of the panel relative to the sun, you got the result? I assume the tester uses MPPT?

    I’m not questioning the claims the seller make. I’m curious at your test conditions

    • AndyC1 on 24/11/2022 - 11:25
      +2

      The 150w panel prodcued more power than the 250w panels, so the tests show the panels are not correctly rated or faulty.

      • avoidfullprice on 24/11/2022 - 13:05

        You can also said OP gets the angle of stuff question from the seller. However a spot test with 150W good panel is not good enough proof, especially against a dodgy seller. Citing a wide spread problem on forums across different “sellers” won’t be good enough to tackle the problem as well. That’s why i said i am not questioning the claims the seller made, curious of the test conditions.

        the link provided under “ This is what the panels look like” is copied paste from the 112W photo, so that doesnt give the details i asked

        • Rob-4x4 on 25/11/2022 - 10:23

          I agree with your comment about the spot test and testing at an angle. I am hoping when I eventually get some fine weather were I live to do further testing .. (I fixed the link I got wrong for the photo)

          But from previous usage of the panels I do have subjective evidence they do not produce the rated power (ie amps into van displayed via Redarc controller).. put I agree that to get a refund from questionable sellers it will be near to impossible unless the panel itself was not working at all.

          That is also why I am not naming the seller nor the brand of panel, but more as a general comment to be careful

    • Rob-4x4 on 25/11/2022 - 10:16

      Test conditions are not perfect, however they were in full sun (A rare sunny day were I am). Hence my comment about not expecting the rated 250 watts. But the test was more of an "Order of magnitude" test, and also a comparative test with my existing panels.

      But the post is all about setting expectations of rated power vs actual power in realistic user conditions …

      As noted, the panels certainly work, just nowhere near as as advertised .

      In my case I purchased the panels looking for a significant upgrade on my existing panels, based on the advertised rated outputs. However, as shown that is not what I received …

      The solar panel tester I used does indeed calculate the MPPT

  • AndyC1 on 24/11/2022 - 11:24
    +1

    I would ask the seller for a refund as it produces less than a 150w panel you have and as such they are faulty. If the seller does not agree or takes too long to agree (give then 2 working days) then raise an issue with ebay for goods not as described and give proof.

  • Drakesy on 24/11/2022 - 11:28

    Whats the dimensions of the panel?

    Generally efficiency gains are only getting marginally better so it'll come down to the size. if its approx 1.6-1.7m2 in area then there should be potential for the generation, if it's not reaching this there may be a few failed modules/faulty.

    If it's any smaller there's no way.

    And classic ebay sellers doing the dodgy, i'd follow it up if they knowingly mislead you.

  • Ocker on 24/11/2022 - 11:39

    Reading the feedback for a few sellers on the 250w panels there are several that claim the output is nowhere near the 250w claimed.
    Also the sellers appear to be Chinese based with an Aussie drop-shipping address.
    Moral of the story is to steer clear of just about anything coming out of China on eBay - will either be counterfeit or grossly over rated/stated.

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 24/11/2022 - 11:40

    eBay sellers typically rate everything over and above what the reality is… I have had awful results when buying electronics such as batteries that are rated much higher than they could possibly be for the weight and size…

    You sound like you are making a correct diagnosis, and most people just wouldn't go to the hassle of having to return these because of the cost, time and frustration involved…

    A tip I would give is to pay via PayPal so you can take advantage of the postal re-reimbursement of $45 per return via PalPal.
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/709557

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 24/11/2022 - 11:49
    +5

    chinese watts mate, up there with china MaH ratings and lumen ratings.

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 24/11/2022 - 11:50
      +1

      Yes, who doesn't love those 6000 lumen projectors for $49!

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 24/11/2022 - 11:52
        +1

        i have to really laugh at some of the advertising, it's literally the wild west in China hey. absolutely anything goes (as long as you're pro ccp).

  • djsweet on 24/11/2022 - 12:08
    -1

    btw you might have doxed yourself with those Google Photos links

    • Rob-4x4 on 25/11/2022 - 10:17

      Yea.. but short on ideas how to share the pics.

  • Rob-4x4 on 25/11/2022 - 10:07

    Fixed the link of what the panels look like

  • harshbdmmaster718 on 25/11/2022 - 17:16

    Hey mate same experience with eBay in general. Lots of misleading descriptions/advertisement and even the private sellers are dishonest in my opinion.
    I barely shop there anymore because it's basically scam central. Oh and most of those listings saying their location is in Australia are false by the way.

    My elderly mother bought some replacement rangehood filters. The description said they would fit in the rangehood model she had, but surprise surprise when they arrived and I attempted to replace them for her, they don't fit at all. They are completely the wrong size.
    After that I told her to claim a refund but she seemed to think she could find a use for them and put them away in the garage. I told her she could do a paypal chargeback and left that up to her.
    On the spot I did a quick search and was able to source the correct sized filters from Appliancesonline AU and installed them promptly. The worst part of it all? The eBay filters were double the price.

    Another private seller story. I was searching for a movie that couldn't be found on streaming services. Found a few people selling the DVD locally, some were second hand good condition some were brand new asking for a higher price. I paid more for the "brand new" description listing because I wanted to be safe. It disk arrived properly lodged in the case but was scratched to shit, meaning the seller knew it was in this terrible condition before selling it. Could not watch the movie without it freezing every 10 mins and having to fast forward using the remote which would sometimes work to skip the frozen part.
    Tried to repair the disk with a kit and same result.
    I am done with eBay. On a rare occasion you might encounter a good seller. But there aren't many left on eBay.

    • Rob-4x4 on 26/11/2022 - 05:52

      I agree with you . ebay has really lost the plot these days.
      These days if I want cheap stuff I buy of aliexpress .. I find many aliexpress sellers are faster at getting stuff to Australia than ebay sellers .. For higher priced stuff I use Amazon ..
      I have been looking around for better quality solar panels and the cheapest place I found to buy a "name brand" , in this case renogy, is actually an electronics store about 20 minutes drive from were I live ….Cheaper than both ebay and amazon ..

      • harshbdmmaster718 on 26/11/2022 - 15:07

        "These days if I want cheap stuff I buy of aliexpress .."

        Yeah I used to do so myself. Recently however I have been shopping at AliE less as well. I found the overall prices to have gone up during covid and not come back down like they used to, at least for the items I am looking at.

        "For higher priced stuff I use Amazon .."
        Yeah and I also remember a few times finding the same items that were on Aliexpress being sold and Fulfilled by Amazon under a different name at a very similar price. It just takes a lot of digging, I rely mostly on the similarities in product images. Maybe $2 to $3 extra but I would pay that much to purchase it locally and be covered by Amazon after sales. So Amazon is where I have been shopping mostly as well.

        Regarding eBay. I will share just one ideal transaction which I had. It was a cheap camera dolly which I needed quickly and is just a simple tiny cart with rollerblade wheels. Aliexpress was overpriced ($20 - should have been cheaper in my opinion) and Amazon had them even more overpriced ($35 to $40).
        Found an eBay seller had them a few dollars more ($24) than Aliexpress prices except seller claimed to be in the same city. I took the risk to save some money, and to my surprise the items tracking showed it was being sent from within my city. Arrived promptly before delivery estimate and I was satisfied because in this case I knew all 3 sources were selling the exact same item.
        Can't buy on eBay with confidence though it's a gamble with every purchase.

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