What does OEM mean to you?

[FJ40 CRUZR]

So, I'm building a new to me AR. I am looking for parts, stocks, bolt carrier, etc etc ...

I search and find an ad and they have a decent deal on a part that I want, I read and the ad states it's an OEM part, in its original packaging. I order and pay, received the part today and it was just wrapped in bubble wrap. I was like, huh?

I emailed the company and they said OEM means "bulk" packaging, I call BS.

Am I wrong to think that OEM means the way one could walk into a store and purchase it?

What say you?

[audiophil2]

You are wrong.

[dc2allday]

Original equipment manufacturer

[FromTheGrave]

Your description is "retail packaged".

[FJ40 CRUZR]

Original equipment manufacturer

Correct, in its original packaging. Right?

[Bigtwin]

In my line of work OEM is original equipment manufactured. Nothing more nothing less. Packaging means nothing.

[olddirtygerm]

OEM packaging is not the same as retail packaging. Bulk packaging would be correct for this.

[FJ40 CRUZR]

Your description is "retail packaged".

Hmmm, I thought OEM meant the way I should get it from the manufacturer.

[vintagearms]

Oem can be had in bulk packaging or retail packaging. It's the same item.

[FJ40 CRUZR]

OEM packaging is not the same as retail packaging. Bulk packaging would be correct for this.

If it said this on the website, I would have known. It says OEM in original manufacturers packaging. Maybe I'm old and expect too much.

[FromTheGrave]

IIRC

OEM usually means it's made by the Original Equipment Manufacturer for the subject.

As in you buy OEM handguards and put your labeling and your own retail packaging and sell to your customers.

The lack of retail packaging in turn makes the product cost less.

[boopiejones]

oem just means that the item is original equipment manufactured for the specific product. for example, the mirror of a brand new honda civic might be made by a company called acme mirrors. so that specific model of acme mirror is the oem part for a honda civic.

"oem" has nothing to do with the packaging. in fact, i'd argue that since the original equipment was likely purchased in bulk (honda doesn't purchase mirrors in retail packaging, unwrap them and install on new cars), the term "oem" almost implies bulk packaging.

[Peter.Steele]

So, I'm building a new to me AR. I am looking for parts, stocks, bolt carrier, etc etc ...

I search and find an ad and they have a decent deal on a part that I want, I read and the ad states it's an OEM part, in its original packaging. I order and pay, received the part today and it was just wrapped in bubble wrap. I was like, huh?

I emailed the company and they said OEM means "bulk" packaging, I call BS.

Am I wrong to think that OEM means the way one could walk into a store and purchase it?

What say you?

If it said this on the website, I would have known. It says OEM in original manufacturers packaging. Maybe I'm old and expect too much.

It's not that you're expecting too much ... you're just expecting the wrong thing in the wrong place.

OEM - as has already been noted - means "Original Equipment Manufacturer."

All that means is that the part that you bought is the correct part, made by the same company that made the original part installed in your gun.

Retail packaging is expensive, and is intended for a customer's enjoyment. Bulk packaging is cheap, and not intended for your visual pleasure, because chances are that you won't ever see it. Do you really think that, when Ford buys fuel injectors from Bosch, that they want the assembly line guy to waste time opening every package? Do you think they want to spend the money on the packaging?

Nope.

You're getting your terminology mixed up, and expecting OEM to mean something that it doesn't.

[pronstar]

To me, generally OEM means the part is provided to a manufacturer of a larger "thing" that's comprised of many different parts.

An OEM headlamp compared to a knock-off, for example.

So while someone may make a compatible replacement part, if it's not used by the original manufacturer of a larger "thing" then I don't see it as an OEM part.

But my profession deals with the auto industry, so that's my point of reference.




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[bender152]

As I see it (and I could be wrong), an "OEM" item is something usually sold to another company and not directly to the end user. Since it's not being sold directly to the end user, it doesn't need any fancy packaging.

When I was into cars, OEM meant it was a factory replacement to a part on the car. It didn't come retail packaged, at most it came in a plain cardboard box, sometimes it just came bubble-wrapped.