The iPad isn’t a cheap device. It costs anything from £429 to £699, so you will want to keep it protected! However if your on a budget and have been saving up for the iPad the last thing you really want to do is spend £30 on a case for it. However you do want to protect your £429+ investment. I decided to have a look on eBay and see if I could spot any cheap cases that do a good job. There is a huge selection on eBay but what puts most people off is, 1. The fear of been scammed, 2. The fear of getting a poor quality item. Well thats why I did this, I took the risk for you!

Firstly I want to add, to make sure eBay doesn’t come knocking at my door or inbox, on the majority of purchases you are fully protected if a seller doesn’t send you the item or its faulty etc. However if you say buy a case from china thats cost a few quid, decide its rubbish and want to return it you may have to pay more to return it that it cost so this can also be a put off.

I spotted 2 cases that looked kinda nice, the first being a silicone case, with a hole around the Apple logo on the back and a nice spot effect on the back, and the second being a zip up sleeve in black with what appeared to be a bit of a dodgy Apple logo. They both came in reasonable time, both from China/Hong Kong and here is the review…

TPU Silicone Case Skin Cover Black – £2 inc P&P

This case was advertised as a silicone case, ultra thin, attractive design, access to all controls, in the colour black.

The case arrived and I unboxed it on camera (see below), it wasn’t in any specific packaging at all but had no scratches or blemishes on it all. Personally I wouldn’t call it a “Black” case and the picture on the eBay site looks much blacker than it actually is. The colour is more of a smoke grey to brown colour but still looks really nice. The spots add a cool effect to the back as well and if you want to show that Apple logo off you can due to the whole in the back. The silicone feels great and really tough even though its pretty thin. The dock, jack and rotation lock are uncovered and even the speakers have been precisely cut out individually leaving 3 neat holes, which even many of the £30 cases don’t achieve! The volume control and sleep/wake button are fully protected. The case fits snugly, I was using a invisible shield which caused a couple of issues squeezing it on but then it was fine. Overall really impressed with it worth £10 at least brilliant buy. The seller I got it from had no feedback at the time but I had no problems. This is a link to the sellers page as the listings go after a while, just search for TPU Silicone Case Skin iPad!

Sleeve Foam Case Apple iPad – £3.20 ($4.96) inc P&P

This case was advertised as a memory foam case with anti-shock, lightweight foam. Simple and stylish.

I ordered this case several weeks ago and it arrived pretty quickly but I didn’t do an unboxing but you can see the case in the video review below. The case seems pretty well made and the foam is soft but hard enough to take an impact. Its not designed exclusively for the iPad but with the fake Apple logo on it, it is obvious who it is targeted for. The case has 2 zipps that can pull around to the back hinge giving you full access to the iPad, or you can just open one side for quick access. The case is ideal for transporting the iPad around and I have used it on a few occasions, but as soon as you take it out of that case, which is needed to use it you do loose all protection. However if the iPad is wearing a case like the silicone one above it fits in fine. This is a link to the sellers page.

So overall for around £5 you can get 2 cases, 1 for attaching to your iPad to give protection when using it and another for transporting it! Not bad really for the money! Just a quick note these sellers were fine with my purchases but I have not been asked to review the cases or mention them specifically. I have added links to them just to give you the direct link to where I got mine but remember check eBay there may be a better bargain! Also if you do have any problems make sure you pay with PayPal and eBay will help you out!