Advice for Shopping on AliExpress Please

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Can anyone experienced with AliExpress please give me some advice. I'm really not sure how it works. I've read that the sellers on there aren't allowed to sell name brands like Nike, gucci, rolex, Sony, etc.

Is that true for every product category?

What if it's a brand with a good reputation in a somewhat esoteric category? Would that fall under the radar just because it's not as well known as say, Rolex?

For example, I've been considering investing in a thermal monocular. On aliexpress there are a lot of "no name" brands, but then I also saw a lot of listings for Pulsar, which is one of the thermal brands with the best reputation. The prices seem pretty close to what one would expect for Pulsar, but this whole topic has got me scratching my head and thinking I should just buy the cheapest no-name unit I can find that would get the job done. I'd hate to pay a couple thousand dollars and end up with some junk that's dressed in a Pulsar shell. Any way to tell for real if things are legitimate on there?

Can the reviews even be trusted?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Can anyone experienced with AliExpress please give me some advice. I'm really not sure how it works. I've read that the sellers on there aren't allowed to sell name brands like Nike, gucci, rolex, Sony, etc.

Is that true for every product category?

It's true for most alibaba/aliexpress offerings unless you've seen testimony of someone you trust, such as a regular user of this forum.

What if it's a brand with a good reputation in a somewhat esoteric category? Would that fall under the radar just because it's not as well known as say, Rolex?

Likely a forgery or outright fraud.

For example, I've been considering investing in a thermal monocular. On aliexpress there are a lot of "no name" brands, but then I also saw a lot of listings for Pulsar, which is one of the thermal brands with the best reputation. The prices seem pretty close to what one would expect for Pulsar, but this whole topic has got me scratching my head and thinking I should just buy the cheapest no-name unit I can find that would get the job done. I'd hate to pay a couple thousand dollars and end up with some junk that's dressed in a Pulsar shell. Any way to tell for real if things are legitimate on there?

Only if a legit manufacturer points to Alixexpress as their outlet.

Can the reviews even be trusted?

Never.

 

[Justing Good]

Buying in these places is like gambling.

 

[RV10flyer]

They used to have much better prices than Amazon. Now, not so much. Many sellers are con artists. Do lots of google searches on the sellers first.

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Geeze, pretty harsh words here. "gambling." "con artists" I'm sure there are plenty of them, but can't you trust the review system on aliexpress in particular?

You have to keep in mind that in other parts of the world Aliexpress is one of the main go-to online retailers for people.

I don't know enough about Alibaba, but my wife has done lots of shopping on Aliexpress. Only verified buyers are allowed to review, and it shows you the country each reviewer is from. Most of the reviews have pretty poor English, because most buyers are from countries where Amazon does not have a presence, so that's not really a red flag (maybe it would be on Amazon). You can view the rating of the store and how long it's been active. You can also see how many orders have been made on that store for a specific item, as well as the average rating buyers have given that particular item bought from that particular store.

There are also some Chinese companies that will direct you to their official aliexpress storefront.

I'm currently considering purchasing an item in the 1000USD range. The official aliexpress storefront for the brand sells the item for $1000 including free DHL shipping.

There are five other storefronts (resellers or perhaps fakes) that sell the same item. A couple stores sell the item for $900. One store sells for $840, and another store has a flash deal for $834.

I'll give the store rating, units sold and average item rating; plus the cost of DHL shipping to me:

The store with the $834 deal:
-In operation since Apr. 2019
-95.8% positive feedback
-21 orders of the item with 16 reviews, 5 star rating
-DHL two-week shipping $104; Aliexpress 30 day shipping $10
-50 units available

The store with the $840 price (the price was lowered two days ago from $924):
-In operation since Apr. 2020
-98.9% positive feedback
-24 orders of the item with 24 reviews, 5 star rating
-DHL two-week shipping $41; Aliexpress 30 day shipping $8
-129 units available

The other three sellers sell the item for $900. The first two of those sellers say there is only 1 unit left. "Only 1 unit left" is actually a bit of a red flag for me. I start imagining that it's a bad unit that was sent back to them or something like that. The third seller only has 9 units left, and they have only sold 1 unit and there are no reviews for the product. Also one of those listings says there are 31 orders with 43 reviews! How is it possible to have more reviews than orders?

So, that means I'm going to choose between one of the above two sellers for $840 or $834 or the official storefront and pay an even $1000.

If I go with one of the $834/840 sellers, I could get the unit delivered at the same time as the official storefront for $120 dollars less, or I could wait a couple more weeks and get the unit for up to $156 less.

The official storefront would give me a bit more peace of mind, that it's going to be a legitimate unopened product. Also, I assume the official storefront has a better return policy or warranty policy of some sort, but still, how much does it cost to ship an item back to China?

Decisions. Decisions.

 

[houseofancients]

Geeze, pretty harsh words here. "gambling." "con artists" I'm sure there are plenty of them, but can't you trust the review system on aliexpress in particular?

You have to keep in mind that in other parts of the world Aliexpress is one of the main go-to online retailers for people.

I don't know enough about Alibaba, but my wife has done lots of shopping on Aliexpress. Only verified buyers are allowed to review, and it shows you the country each reviewer is from. Most of the reviews have pretty poor English, because most buyers are from countries where Amazon does not have a presence, so that's not really a red flag (maybe it would be on Amazon). You can view the rating of the store and how long it's been active. You can also see how many orders have been made on that store for a specific item, as well as the average rating buyers have given that particular item bought from that particular store.

There are also some Chinese companies that will direct you to their official aliexpress storefront.

I'm currently considering purchasing an item in the 1000USD range. The official aliexpress storefront for the brand sells the item for $1000 including free DHL shipping.

There are five other storefronts (resellers or perhaps fakes) that sell the same item. A couple stores sell the item for $900. One store sells for $840, and another store has a flash deal for $834.

I'll give the store rating, units sold and average item rating; plus the cost of DHL shipping to me:

The store with the $834 deal:
-In operation since Apr. 2019
-95.8% positive feedback
-21 orders of the item with 16 reviews, 5 star rating
-DHL two-week shipping $104; Aliexpress 30 day shipping $10
-50 units available

The store with the $840 price (the price was lowered two days ago from $924):
-In operation since Apr. 2020
-98.9% positive feedback
-24 orders of the item with 24 reviews, 5 star rating
-DHL two-week shipping $41; Aliexpress 30 day shipping $8
-129 units available

The other three sellers sell the item for $900. The first two of those sellers say there is only 1 unit left. "Only 1 unit left" is actually a bit of a red flag for me. I start imagining that it's a bad unit that was sent back to them or something like that. The third seller only has 9 units left, and they have only sold 1 unit and there are no reviews for the product. Also one of those listings says there are 31 orders with 43 reviews! How is it possible to have more reviews than orders?

So, that means I'm going to choose between one of the above two sellers for $840 or $834 or the official storefront and pay an even $1000.

If I go with one of the $834/840 sellers, I could get the unit delivered at the same time as the official storefront for $120 dollars less, or I could wait a couple more weeks and get the unit for up to $156 less.

The official storefront would give me a bit more peace of mind, that it's going to be a legitimate unopened product. Also, I assume the official storefront has a better return policy or warranty policy of some sort, but still, how much does it cost to ship an item back to China?

Decisions. Decisions.

yeah the very best tip i can give on aliexpress and cells..
just dont unless you're a gambling man

go to alibaba ( NOT THE SAME AS ALIEXPRESS! )

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

just thought I'd add that i visited the official seller's alibaba page, and they only discount to $969 per unit when ordered in quantity on alibaba, so it doesn't make much sense how a reseller could afford to sell units for $840 each.

The same official seller has their listing on alibaba and aliexpress. You can google the name of the company/manufacturer and visit their website. In this case, the company is headquartered in China, and their website has links to their official storefronts on aliexpress, amazon and alibaba.

Personally, I'm leaning towards just spending the extra money to buy from the official store, and avoiding "resellers". I've had experience on other platforms where it seems the platform deletes negative comments. Not saying this is the case with aliexpress, but I've seen it with other websites before.

 

[Al D]

just thought I'd add that i visited the official seller's alibaba page, and they only discount to $969 per unit when ordered in quantity on alibaba, so it doesn't make much sense how a reseller could afford to sell units for $840 each.

The same official seller has their listing on alibaba and aliexpress. You can google the name of the company/manufacturer and visit their website. In this case, the company is headquartered in China, and their website has links to their official storefronts on aliexpress, amazon and alibaba.

Personally, I'm leaning towards just spending the extra money to buy from the official store, and avoiding "resellers". I've had experience on other platforms where it seems the platform deletes negative comments. Not saying this is the case with aliexpress, but I've seen it with other websites before.

So what did you end up doing?

Also, it's not "extra money" if the lower prices aren't legitimate. It's just the price ?

 

[SpongeboB Sinewave]

I use Aliexpress and have very good luck. Not quite 100% though. IF a deal looks too good to be true, then don't go for it or look deeper.

The only issue that I had with them was recently when I ordered a Raspberry Pi, the price was $49 which seemed too good to be true because rPis are rare these days. I should have known better. The tracking came in my email and it was finally delivered... To the wrong state ! Went back to their page and it was gone.

HOWEVER, I opened a dispute with Aliexpress and in just a day or two, I got my money back into my account. So it's not Aliexpress themselves I don't think... They evidently have some shady people on there in places. Also, I seem to remember the outfit I was buying that rPi from said they had like, 340 THOUSAND+ rPis in stock. TOO good to be true.

But otherwise, Aliexpress great for lots of things IMO. and they seem to stand by their store. Not sure if it is any different than Alibaba ?

boB

 

[Risky Rob]

For me, the absolute fraud going on there is a deal breaker. There may be some legitimate stores but looking for one is like stepping in a minefield.

 

[No Idea]

A few years ago I happily bought inflatable boats, 5kw trolling motors, IR monoculars but NOT brand names (unless you count PARD as a luxury brand) but since covid hit their revenues their business ethics have changed drastically and even small value purchases are a minefield. Their dispute process is also different with the choice of dispute reasons preventing you from entering the most common scam I have experienced which is creating a false tracking number to pretend the seller has shipped when they have not. Even paying extra for a known shipper is pointless as the sellers first use an internal fake tracking number and say they are doing that to ship overland to Hong Kong where it will then go by the courier you paid extra for. All lies.

 

[Al D]

For me, the absolute fraud going on there is a deal breaker. There may be some legitimate stores but looking for one is like stepping in a minefield.

Just so you know, most all facilitating websites like this will have fraudulent sellers. I have even encountered scams on Amazon. It's important that you trust the platform to resolve the problem in your favor rather than abstain from the platform due to worrying about some shady sellers. Of course, do your part and stay away from deals that sound too good to be true. Real businesses don't have the inclination to just sell things for 80%, or less, of the items value. Either it's a scam or a defective/lower quality product (baring special circumstances like open box items, national holiday sales, etc).

 

[Mattb4]

I have had decent results buying off Aliexpress. Sometimes things take for ever to arrive but I have yet to not get something I ordered. I have gotten things that are misdescribed or of lower quality than I would like. Take for instance I bought a leather belt. it was advertised as genuine leather (there is all kinds of less than real leather or semi leather materials) it was not leather but some vinyl plastic material. Never buy from merchant that's name is simply a string of numbers!

Now Ebay is a terrible place for getting scammed if you are not careful and even when you are. I am presently at the final day of waiting for a battery i ordered to not show up. Thanks to Sri lanka scammers there was a ton of items offered for sale that nothing is ever shipped or a fake shipping address is used. Ebay knows they are operating but does nothing to stop them. However they will not start the refund process until the last delivery date has passed.

It is not only buyer beware at places that sell Chinese goods. It is a bit of casino time. You might win but it is a gamble.

 

[Mattb4]

Happy to report Ebay, after the first computer generated response to my "Did not receive it" of waiting 6 days before they would step in, sent me a email an hour later that they looked into it, and the tracking number was not valid, my refund is being processed.

As the Ref says to the Boxers before the match starts, "Protect yourself at all times".

 

[MarkTwels]

While they're strict about not selling big brand names, it can vary in smaller niches. For your thermal monocular, I'd lean toward listings with detailed info, seller ratings, and reviews – they give a solid vibe. Reviews are a mixed bag, some honest, some not so much. Look for ones with photos or videos for more authenticity. Also, I suggest you consider alternatives, like temu clothes, if something goes wrong. Good luck!

 

[MattiFin]

While they're strict about not selling big brand names, it can vary in smaller niches. For your thermal monocular, I'd lean toward listings with detailed info, seller ratings, and reviews – they give a solid vibe. Reviews are a mixed bag, some honest, some not so much. Look for ones with photos or videos for more authenticity. Also, I suggest you consider alternatives, like temu clothes, if something goes wrong. Good luck!

What are you talking about?
I'd count Sony & Canon for example as a big brand, aliexpress selection starts from 10 grand mirrorless DSLR cameras:

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-sony.html?SearchText=sony&catId=0&g=y&initiative_id=SB_20230812083013&sortType=price_desc&spm=a2g0o.home.1000002.0&trafficChannel=main

I have 100+ orders from Aliexpress with maybe 1 or 2 deal gone totally sour and couple of refunded cases that actually showed up months later.
But it is truly wild west saloon combined with turkish bazaar.

Some things that need extreme scrutiny: SSD drives and memory cards, "number shops" and too good to be true deals.
Aliexpress is totally flooded with SD cards at 1% of going market price. 2 terabyte SD card for 2 dollars when real price is more like 200 dollars.
"number shops" are bot generated shops with names like "Shop1102929050 Store". 99% of the "number shops" are scams.
Above mentioned 2 dollar 2 terabyte SD card serves as an example to too good to be true deal.

"plus" checkbox seems to weed out most outright scammers pretty well. I get zero results for 2tb sd card if I select the "plus" tickbox.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

I use Aliexpress for small things I need, but don't need right away, or some things that look interesting but might or might not be good (like for example the Telecom rectifier discussed here, which turned out really good. Also for some stores I know from the past, that have an Aliexpress presence (Hankzor, MUST, etc.).

I would not buy cells from Aliexpress, nor would I buy anything that would be critical/an issue if it didn't arrive and wouldn't be with money I can afford to lose. Alibaba is a very different thing. I've got a platinum account there since I also buy large quantities of components from Chinese suppliers for my company through them. Alibaba is more of a networking site for large suppliers and buyers, which is why many companies on there won't sell a single unit of something to individuals.