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[Technology] AliExpress



clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
26,156
Anyone taken the risk of ordering from this Chinese giant ?

I ordered two items recently (thought I'd dip in) and both have gone missing in transit :)

Currently fighting for my money back.
 




Flounce

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 15, 2006
4,973
I have bought a couple of cheap chatty car accessories, both have arrived reasonably quickly and been pretty good quality
 


Dec 29, 2011
8,221
It's a case of "spend what you can afford to lose". My last purchase was a £20 full socket set. Too good to be true, you may think? Well, it was. What turned up was a single clothes door hook and the seller was already gone by the time I tried to contact them.

I have lodged a complaint to get my money back, and if that fails I'll do a chargeback on my card. But it seems like a bit of a wild west and I'd only purchase things that have no urgency and aren't more than £30.
 


autopsyturvey

Active member
Feb 24, 2018
124
Anyone taken the risk of ordering from this Chinese giant ?

I ordered two items recently (thought I'd dip in) and both have gone missing in transit :)

Currently fighting for my money back.
I've bought stuff from them before and it's turned up, but a controller I bought before Xmas hasn't arrived and I've pretty much given up on it. Their line is "You haven't provided proof that the item hasn't arrived".

What do they want? A photograph of the empty spot on the carpet just outside my front door?

Unfortunately, Evri were tasked with the delivery and trying to get them to admit their error is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

Luckily, only £9 lost. Won't use them again.
 






Creaky

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 26, 2013
3,865
Hookwood - Nr Horley
Bought a number of "Lego" kits for the grand kids at ridiculously low prices, (less than 10% of genuine Lego prices).

All have turned up promptly and have been of remarkably good quality.
 


Badger

NOT the Honey Badger
NSC Patron
May 8, 2007
13,254
Toronto
I've ordered a few small things from AliExpress over the years. Nothing has gone missing but it's a bit of a lottery over how long it takes to arrive.
My most recent order was for three different retro video game accessories. One thing turned up within a week. Another took about 3 weeks. The last item took over 2 months with a big gap between updates from the tracking site.
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
37,988
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
If you’re buying anything serious from these chaps or Shein you deserve everything you get. They’re literally laughing at you. It will either be snide, not turn up or be manufactured by slave labour.

If it’s a cheap, ironic football flag for an away day carry on though.
 




Nitram

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2013
2,341
Used them a few times in the past, delivery times varied. A bit of a lottery in finding good sellers on the site, but same could be said of Amazon, read reviews before ordering then cross fingers and hope for the best. It’s more trouble than it’s worth IMO.
 


portlock seagull

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
18,074
Sorry, I’m another “you got what you deserved” (but hope you learn from)

Have been checking and trying to avoid anything made in China for several years now. Why empower an enemy state using slave labour?
 


sir_gullahad

Well-known member
Dec 20, 2013
275
Cheltenhamshire
I dipped my toe in the water a few months ago and ordered some parts for a CD Player (remember those?). Under a fiver so no great risk.

Took a while to turn up, but did eventually. Will probably confine my purchases to low-key things for now.
 




clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
26,156
If you’re buying anything serious from these chaps or Shein you deserve everything you get. They’re literally laughing at you. It will either be snide, not turn up or be manufactured by slave labour.

If it’s a cheap, ironic football flag for an away day carry on though.
Fair point, but I doubt these goods are. I've got a radio addiction and was adding to my collection. These are quite difficult to get in the UK.

Quite readily available in the US. I checked the brands on some nerdy site.

I've learnt my lesson though, I won't be using it again and will stick to that wholesome local Amazon thing.
 




Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
19,421
Worthing
I've bought some stuff from AliExpress, nothing too expensive. I then got an Alibaba account and purchased 24 Lifepo4 CATL cells and 3xBMS to build my garage and Campervan solar batteries. Was very good. Arrived on time from China and the cells all tested as advertised.

I've had garage solar setup running for 2 years now and my 280ah 12v battery in my campervan is working perfectly.
 






BadFish

Huge Member
Oct 19, 2003
18,657
I wonder what the environmental impact of these kinds of sites are?

I try to used them as little as possible but still do occasionally id I can't afford proper stuff.
 




B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,811
Shoreham Beaaaach
I started a sideline business about 3-4 months ago and ordered items off Ali-Ex. Mostly electrical.

I probably ordered the best part of 200 individual items in about 25-30 different orders and every single one arrived ok. Each item cost between £0.15p and maybe £10 max, mostly about £3-5 each.
I think one order was about a week later than the published time, apart from that it was all ok. I did buy a couple of things for Xmas from there but wasn't a lot.

Whilst I agree with the sentiment of not buying Chinese or propping up cheap labour regime, it's impossible not to. For example if I went to Screwfix and bought a box of Wago connectors they'd set me back £20 and they're still made in China. Getting them from Ali-Ex would set me back less than half that.

And when you're spending a few hundred squids, it all adds up at, literally, half the cost, especially on a new business that you don't know if it'll take off or not.
 




bhafc99

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2003
7,500
Dubai


maresfield seagull

Well-known member
May 23, 2006
2,332
I started a sideline business about 3-4 months ago and ordered items off Ali-Ex. Mostly electrical.

I probably ordered the best part of 200 individual items in about 25-30 different orders and every single one arrived ok. Each item cost between £0.15p and maybe £10 max, mostly about £3-5 each.
I think one order was about a week later than the published time, apart from that it was all ok. I did buy a couple of things for Xmas from there but wasn't a lot.

Whilst I agree with the sentiment of not buying Chinese or propping up cheap labour regime, it's impossible not to. For example if I went to Screwfix and bought a box of Wago connectors they'd set me back £20 and they're still made in China. Getting them from Ali-Ex would set me back less than half that.

And when you're spending a few hundred squids, it all adds up at, literally, half the cost, especially on a new business that you don't know if it'll take off or not.
Be careful with those cheap faux wago s ,they fail the tug test 😉
 


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