Newegg Giving Away Free Face Masks With US Orders

Newegg Mask Deal
(Image credit: Newegg)

After securing a shipment of protective masks for its employees, Newegg is now making some of those masks available to customers in the US at checkout, free of charge. For those looking to spend money, it is also selling larger quantities of masks with prices as low as $29 for 50 masks.

Last week, we interviewed Newegg CEO Anthony Chow about the company’s supply chains, the products it’s currently able to offer and the shipping customers can expect in these unexpected times. Departing from more general sellers like Amazon, he largely promised business as usual, asserting that the company is working to keep its warehouses open while maintaining the health of its employees by offering protective equipment to its workers. While checking out a Newegg order this week, we discovered that Newegg is offering protective masks to customers, as well. 

Newegg face mask deal

(Image credit: Newegg)

During the purchase of an Intel i7 Comet Lake CPU, I was personally given an offer at checkout to add single-use protective face masks to my order, with a choice between a pack of 5 face masks for $5.00 and a box of 50 masks for $50.00. Both offers came with rebates, a $15.00 one for the box of 50 and a $5.00 one for the pack of 5. This, essentially, makes the pack of 5 free.

With hospitals now facing mask shortages and Amazon restricting the sale of certain masks to all non-medical staff buyers, we decided to reach out to Newegg CEO Anthony Chow for comment.

“We secured a shipment of single-use face masks that we’re distributing to employees and we’re making 5-packs available to our customers for free,” Chow told us. “They simply need to apply the discount once they add a mask 5-pack to their purchase and the masks are theirs for free.”

After checking earlier today, I noticed that the box of 50 masks was no longer available, so the free option does seem to be Newegg’s approach at this time.

Newegg Mask Deal

(Image credit: Newegg)

Still, being able to get masks at all, let alone for free, is enough of an endeavor right now. When we asked if the deal would be available for all items or customers, or only at certain special times, Chow explained “This is a short-term distribution limited to stock on hand. Every U.S. customer shopping Newegg.com will receive the pop-up offer at check-out unless they take the offer, opt out of future notifications, or our supply is depleted.” So, it seems like everyone has an equal opportunity to add free masks to their purchases, though the deal will only last as long as supply lasts. Chow also told us that customers can only obtain one pack each, to limit hoarding.

As for the type of masks on sale, and if they could see better use in hospitals, Chow reassured us that “It’s important to point out that the masks pertaining to this promotion are not N95 or surgical-grade,” which is the type of mask Amazon is currently restricting. Instead, Chow says “these general-use masks are particularly well-suited to everyday use by the general public, especially relevant given how health authorities in the U.S. are starting to acknowledge the benefits of mask usage by the broader population.”

This echoes announcements last week from both the CDC and Trump Administration urging citizens to wear masks when going outside, as well as some recent laws mandating mask usage.

Given these reasons, Chow tells us “We’re not yet limiting mask sales to government and healthcare organizations.”

Aside from the add-on mask deal, Newegg also sells face masks directly on its site through third-party vendors. When we asked if these were readily available, Chow told us “Inventory levels on our site are adjusted in real-time, so items should be in stock and ready to ship if that’s what the customer sees on the site. It’s also important to note that many of our third-party sellers are making disclaimers about increased shipping times, especially for items shipped internationally.” As of time of writing, Tom’s Hardware is noticing a number of face mask offers on Newegg’s site, with prices ranging from $30 to $170.

Newegg’s own masks come from BYD, an auto manufacturer in China that claims to have become the world’s largest face mask maker after switching its production line to face masks early on in the coronavirus outbreak.

With Newegg’s box mask deal being pulled in the time we were reaching out to Chow, we can’t speak for how long its free masks will be available at checkout. But as governments continue to urge us to wear masks, it might be a good idea to get some now.

Michelle Ehrhardt

Michelle Ehrhardt is an editor at Tom's Hardware. She's been following tech since her family got a Gateway running Windows 95, and is now on her third custom-built system. Her work has been published in publications like Paste, The Atlantic, and Kill Screen, just to name a few. She also holds a master's degree in game design from NYU.

  • Toco
    Just remember that regular medical masks only provide partial protection against droplets of the size that can transmit Coronavirus. Better than nothing, but still be careful.

    "Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%. "
    "Masks used in the study were locally manufactured medical (three layer, made of non-woven material) or cloth masks (two layer, made of cotton) commonly used in Vietnamese hospitals. "
    They were testing for particles large enough to transmit respiratory viruses.

    Here is the study:
    https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577
    Also remember, the most important part of a mask is getting a tight seal around the face.
    Be safe everyone.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    That's pretty clever. Reminds me of the local pizza joint that was giving out a roll of TP with every pizza (these are very large pizzas to be fair).
    Reply
  • DougyD19
    That's pretty stupid. Companies don't need to be stocking up on medical supplies that are in urgent need and in short supply around the country. If other companies do this, it just makes the situation even worse. I sure won't be buying from Newegg now due to this practice. Worst idea ever and only causes harm to medical workers on the front lines that are having to reuse or go without proper PPE.
    Reply
  • Tigerhawk30
    Funny...when it popped up yesterday on the checkout while buying a new case fan, I was unable to make the Add to Cart button work. The refusal button worked just fine tho...
    Reply
  • NightHawkRMX
    Yea i saw that when i went to buy something the other day. But the issue is that it said out of stock and wouldnt let me add.
    Reply
  • nofanneeded
    These Masks wont protect you against anything , They will just make you breath harder...

    the real Masks are N95 and N99 masks , these are designed to block Viruses , the normal pictured mask is just for dust particles.
    Reply
  • WildCard999
    nofanneeded said:
    These Masks wont protect you against anything , They will just make you breath harder...

    the real Masks are N95 and N99 masks , these are designed to block Viruses , the normal pictured mask is just for dust particles.
    True however if your COVID positive (asymptomatic) and sneeze I'd rather have you be wearing the mask and covering the sneeze then nothing at all.

    While I think this is fine those should be donated to hospitals for staff as N95's are only given to those who have direct contact with COVID patients. The rest of us are using standard surgical mask with a fabric mask over it and still work near COVID areas.
    Reply
  • King_V
    alextheblue said:
    That's pretty clever. Reminds me of the local pizza joint that was giving out a roll of TP with every pizza (these are very large pizzas to be fair).

    This makes me angry... because I didn't think of it first.

    Also, I don't run a pizza place, but that's not the point!
    Reply
  • Giroro
    ~$30 for 50 disposable paper masks of this type is gouging to a ridiculous degree.
    These masks usually cost pennies.
    Plus the more newegg "secures" and sells, the fewer go to hospitals.
    Reply