Sanwizard
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2021
- Messages
- 2,669
So for you sir, spend your money on commercial batteries. A little under $1000 per KW for BYD and others. You sound like an attorney, so you probably have the money to burn. For simple broke folks like me, I like taking the gamble, and spend around $2000 per 10KW using these cells. Even the crappy ones should last years.I would say you can gamble on ebay and amazon, but do it in 30 days or less and be ready to Hit the return button. It is worth paying the extra price. Sorry but I wouldn't even trust Luyuan at this point. Not worth the wait or hassle.
NOTE: Last year at this time I would have said something different, but back then we were getting 280s shipped to our door for under 430.00 That is not the case any more, now its like 650, and anyone selling the 450 is basically selling junk.
I think what we need to learn here is that ALibaba / Aliexpress = YOUR ON YOUR OWN. There is no returns, the sellers have perfected the bait & switch. Here is why:
1) They know majority of the people that buy these won't know the difference, they don't have testing equipment.
2) Even if they do find a problem Alibaba & Aliexpress will always side with the seller, the only time they will side with you is if the shipment is lost.
3) Remember you should always pay with credit card, but federal law only requires card holders to provide 60 days to file a dispute, any longer and its up to the card issuer to decide. NOTE: You keep filling charge backs and your credit card company will come a point where they aren't going to agree with you as its costing them too much to have you as a customer so they will start denying your claims. You will have to get a new card.
4) Lastly, Lastly even with a successful credit card charge back, the seller is going to require you to send them the items back, this is where you are gonna feel the pain. REAL PAIN. Now you have to find out a carrier that is going to send the cells back, you also have to mark them as UN3481 the hazmat, wait to you find the price. HA more than what you paid for the cells!
NOTE: Not only this, be prepared to have the seller demand you PAY import tariffs into China, makes NO FLIPPING SENSE at all! The damn cells were made in CHINA??!!
Finally all said and done, you may have won, but you really lost.
5) BONUS PAIN: This is a good one, really is.... Ok so now you bought from eBay or Amazon or Aliexpress/Baba from a USA seller that ships from a USA warehouse, paid the higher price. You get the cells but they are bad cells! So you are thinking OK, I'll file a return... Then you get told, you have to send the item BACK TO CHINA! HAHAHA and if you don't NO REFUND! You see, just because you there were sent from a USA warehouse doesn't mean you get to return them back to the USA.
With all of this knowledge, Chinese sellers are in the perfect position to plunder, SURE SURE they will sell to a view youtubers, and initial buyers to get the word out they have legit stuff. But as soon as the mass orders start coming in its party time, send them every piece of crap we have in new fresh blue wrapping.
NOT FREAKING WORHT IT! Stick with battleborns, or if you are going to buy Raw Cells BUY THEM FROM WITH IN THE USA, WITH A USA RETURN ADDRESS.
I have been reading these forums for a year. I HAVE NEVER READ A STORY WHERE someone was able to return cells to China and get a refund it has always been, you take a discount and shut up.
I am very happy with the cells I have received so far from Alibaba merchants. I would not shop express though.
In a perfect world, the US government would make it easy for battery startups, but even Tesla is now buying from CATL, as there are no US suppliers who can compete. Our government
let China eat our lunch for decades, and we are now reaping those rewards.
We have Lithium out in Utah, but the environmentalists will not let anyone get at it. Too many lawyers means much less freedom.