I use SD cards for many different purposes - some personal and some business - and mostly for photography. I want to make sure that I am using the real thing not a knockoff. There are so many fakes out there that it's a real risk and that's especially true if the cards are cheaper than you'd expect. Buying direct from the source gives me peace of mind that my cards are genuine and will not let me down. The cards are indeed reliable and live up to the specs that accompany them. I have never had a genuine SanDisk card fail on me. They have always done what I have asked of them. Highly recommended for anyone who needs SD cards.