# Ever buy anything off Alibaba?



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I started looking through their site and found a couple of things that I could use, and fell within my budget and needs (not going to buy anything that requires a minimum order of 100 pieces). But I've never dealt with this site before, and a lot of it is disorienting, relative to some sites I'm more familiar with.

Have any of you ever bought anything through them, and if so, is there anything I need to be aware of, or re-interpret in some significant way?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I used to use Ali Express until I got ripped of by a seller. Ali Express did nothing. Bought an item which showed with with 10% of the advertised features. Complained and was given a 5 dollar refund... I have bought 10 or 15 things from them, that was my only complaint. But I do like using them because all packages are tracked by them. they send email updates when package arrives in Canada and when it is delivered. But the fact that they refused to help me get a refund sticks in my craw


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

This one is interesting basically a K&K pickup

Best Quality Tune Professional 3 Sensors Homeland Guitar Pickup - Buy Homeland Guitar Pickup,Professional Pickup Sensor,3 Sensors Pickup Product on Alibaba.com


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

I bought a few small things from them and the biggest problem I found was the long time it took to get from China to here. Especially when you take into consideration the week and a half they sat in customs in Richmond B.C. and the 10 days it took to go from Calgary to Red Deer by mail. All in all it took almost 2 months so be prepared to wait.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

knight_yyz said:


> I used to use Ali Express until I got ripped of by a seller. Ali Express did nothing. Bought an item which showed with with 10% of the advertised features. Complained and was given a 5 dollar refund... I have bought 10 or 15 things from them, that was my only complaint. But I do like using them because all packages are tracked by them. they send email updates when package arrives in Canada and when it is delivered. But the fact that they refused to help me get a refund sticks in my craw


If you pay by credit card, you can go to the credit card company and get a refund. They want your business and will go to bat for you. If you are totally honest with the transaction, they will do all right for you.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

US $10.89 20% OFF|Homeland Black 3 Sensor Transducer Piezo Contact Microphone Pickup Single Track 6.35mm Jack For Acoustic Guitar Ukulele -in Guitar Parts & Accessories from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

You can choose your shipping method with these guys. I always choose the ali express shipping and you'll wait about 2 or 3 weeks. And you don;t have to buy quantity. you can buy just 1


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Steadfastly said:


> If you pay by credit card, you can go to the credit card company and get a refund. They want your business and will go to bat for you. If you are totally honest with the transaction, they will do all right for you.


It wasn't the money. It was the principle. I bought this item with these features, and not one of them is as advertised. I wanted a full refund. I sent photos taken with the camera. They were pure shite. I was just pissed that they let people away with selling 4k camers that have 640x480 resolution.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Mixed experience. Sunglasses, came with no pin holding the arm in, seller replaced no questions asked. Bike GPS, no issues whatsoever. Bike handlebars - ordered in November, got a tracking number but never received had to go through Aliexpress dispute process which took 30 days from the time limit to receive, 90days total from order to refund. Eventually got refunded. Re-ordered new bars, got a tracking number but it's never updated, although I read on Reddit that Aliexpress "standard shipping" isn't tracked outside of China.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i bought a magic lamp, and no fucking genie. i'm pretty pissed. i thought i was going to get barbara eden.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

you get what you pay for


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I've bought some cycling gear from Ali Express. Most transactions were smooth. Some just take a while to get to you, but they make that clear up-front.

One sale nearly went South, but seller was prompt on communicating and despite a language barrier, we were able to resolve things and I got my product - it just took a LONG time.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I have bought several things from China and Malaysia, not from Alibaba but have had no problem except for a long delivery for a couple of guitar hangers. They actually refunded me and when they came I let them know and paid them for the items.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

The got a pretty nice bass neck that I am more than happy with for what I paid. It's not flawless, but I was having problems even finding the neck I wanted never mind in a price range I could remotely afford. 

As others have said, be prepared to almost forget you bought something by the time it arrives though.

Another interesting company I ordered from was banggood (I know, great name) . The stock isn't as cheap but the shipping time was a fraction. From what I can tell it seems they import the products and have North American warehouses. So they carry as much stuff. I got a sweet neck from them too. I was surprised, it's got a killer satin finish.


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## Guest (Feb 26, 2019)

cheezyridr said:


> i bought a magic lamp, and no fucking genie. i'm pretty pissed. i thought i was going to get barbara eden.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

laristotle said:


>


i woulda phrased that differently, but the results would have been much worse


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Wholesale – Buy China Wholesale Products on DHgate.com

I've used this site from China. Yes it takes longer to get it but most of the stuff over here comes from China anyway. Never had a problem.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Guitar101 said:


> Wholesale – Buy China Wholesale Products on DHgate.com
> 
> I've used this site from China. Yes it takes longer to get it but most of the stuff over here comes from China anyway. Never had a problem.


I've wondered about this site. Glad you posted this as I was thinking about ordering something from them.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I ordered a Bluetooth receiver from Ali Express about 6-8 months ago. Still waiting.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I've bought these rechargeable BT receivers from Ebay (China) for around $8 and they work well ($2US from DHgate) but these Logitech ones are much better as you don't have to keep them charged. I have 2 of these and they are the way to go IMO.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Whether you use alibaba or ali express, they all have their own shipping system. When you check out don't pick the default shipping rate. click on the rates and pick ali express standard shipping, or alibaba shipping, and your item will be tracked to your front door. You will get an email when it arrives in Canada and another when it arrives at your door. I got them all the time with ali express. Then they will ask you to rate the transaction. You can even pay extra and use DHL.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> i bought a magic lamp, and no fucking genie. i'm pretty pissed. i thought i was going to get barbara eden.


I heard that, with the various facelifts she had over the years, she can't do that thing with her nose anymore. Besides, she's 87 now. She's allowed to wear clothes that cover her navel. You didn't miss much. Just be glad they didn't ship it to you with Bill Daily's body.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I received my shipment of 3PDT stompswitches from Banggood yesterday, about a month and a bit after ordering. Decent price, decent switches. If Alibaba is comparable, I'm fine with that. I can wait.

Thanks for the feedback, folks.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I have ordered several laptop batteries and power supplies. They all arrived within 8 weeks or so. One problem is returns. I still have a laptop battery that was dead on arrival. It would have cost triple what I paid for it to return it to China. They said they would gladly accept a return but I would have to pay for shipping.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Kerry Brown said:


> I have ordered several laptop batteries and power supplies. They all arrived within 8 weeks or so. One problem is returns. I still have a laptop battery that was dead on arrival. It would have cost triple what I paid for it to return it to China. They said they would gladly accept a return but I would have to pay for shipping.


Yes, that is the problem. They can ship cheaply because their government rebates their shipping rates but going back, we don't have that system. Again, if you use your credit card, you can raise the issue with them and they will refund the cost.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Flanger FA-80 Utility Guitar Strap for Folk & Classical Guitar


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Steadfastly said:


> Yes, that is the problem. They can ship cheaply because their government rebates their shipping rates but going back, we don't have that system. Again, if you use your credit card, you can raise the issue with them and they will refund the cost.


Have you ever tried this? I was told I would have to provide some proof of fraud. It was only 29.99 so I just chalked it up to a bad experience.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Well, Kerry, for that amount, it may not be worth your bother except for the principle of it. I have had a credit card company issue a refund simply because I cancelled an order and it got shipped out anyway and this was done on my say-so.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Steadfastly said:


> Yes, that is the problem. They can ship cheaply because their government rebates their shipping rates but going back, we don't have that system. Again, if you use your credit card, you can raise the issue with them and they will refund the cost.


It may not matter to some, but I understand but getting a credit card reversal instead of going through their process will likely get your account dropped from Aliexpress


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

ZeroGravity said:


> It may not matter to some, but I understand but getting a credit card reversal instead of going through their process will likely get your account dropped from Aliexpress


..., and just be an overall douchey move


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

vadsy said:


> ..., and just be an overall douchey move


I can see why someone would turn to it. The dispute process is frustrating even when it seems like it should be pretty straightforward. You get automated bot response usually telling you to wait and in some cases a claim just gets closed with no recourse. Mine was pretty clear, tracking number not found in shipper's system, well past the guaranteed delivery date, posted screen shots of all of it and I kept getting and automated response "Reason Invalid - In transit, wait ten days". Three cycles of that before they finally refunded me.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Guitar101 said:


> Wholesale – Buy China Wholesale Products on DHgate.com
> 
> I've used this site from China. Yes it takes longer to get it but most of the stuff over here comes from China anyway. Never had a problem.


Never used them, but some of my friends have an they had positive experiences.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

hollowbody said:


> Never used them, but some of my friends have an they had positive experiences.


I usually try Ebay first and then compare prices on DHgate. If prices are comparable, I'll buy through Ebay.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

mhammer said:


> I heard that, with the various facelifts she had over the years, she can't do that thing with her nose anymore. Besides, she's 87 now. She's allowed to wear clothes that cover her navel. You didn't miss much. Just be glad they didn't ship it to you with Bill Daily's body.


? Barbara Eden acted as Jinny (nodding her head over crossed arms) while Elisabeth Montgomery (nose swings) acted as Samantha Stevens, no ?

I do not always remember actors/actresses names, but I am inclined toward sorcerers... ;-)


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I ordered an iPad soft cover from China on eB in October. 
Did not come in yet. It may have disappear in the Canada Post backlog...

Never had any problem with goods from China in the past.

By the way, Canada Post costs are high compared to USA, UK, Europe and anywhere else I bought from in the past.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

mawmow said:


> ? Barbara Eden acted as Jinny (nodding her head over crossed arms) while Elisabeth Montgomery (nose swings) acted as Samantha Stevens, no ?
> 
> I do not always remember actors/actresses names, but I am inclined toward sorcerers... ;-)


By gum, you're right. Got my two forms of magic confused.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

mawmow said:


> ? Barbara Eden acted as Jinny (nodding her head over crossed arms) while Elisabeth Montgomery (nose swings) acted as Samantha Stevens, no ?
> 
> I do not always remember actors/actresses names, but I am inclined toward sorcerers... ;-)


They were both magic and could have turned me into a motel with a nod of the head or a twitch of the nose when they were younger.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2019)




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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

laristotle said:


>


Giddy up oom poppa omm poppa mow mow


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

So it looks like order #4 that seemed to be stuck in shipping neverland has gone from the inbound sorting centre to accepted by the airline after sitting with no movement for 11days so it looks like this one will make its way to me. I conditionally update my score to 3 out of 4.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I've bought cloths and pedal parts (caps mostly) from AliExpress. They take forever to come (and clothes are about 2 sizes smaller), but they get here.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

Ignoring the counterfeit sellers, it seems there are actually some nice looking and well spec’d guitars available on there.

















I cringe at all the excessive abalone on most their guitars, maybe they think that’s what Americans want...but apparently you can custom order easily. Might give it a try after more research.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

But why


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

Jared Dines wannabe. Novelty.


I have bought things off ali express. Generally pretty cheap stuff and prices cheaper than cheap stuff here. Good for some stuff, don't expect anything there to compete with high end stuff.

I still buy cycling jerseys there. Decent quality for $10 or $15 a piece vs. $50 for the cheap ones in a bike shop.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

mike_oxbig said:


> Ignoring the counterfeit sellers, it seems there are actually some nice looking and well spec’d guitars available on there.
> 
> View attachment 244498
> View attachment 244500
> ...


It's pretty (if not a little gaudy) and I'm sure it's got a great spec sheet. And to some people, that's all a guitar really needs.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

mike_oxbig said:


> But why
> 
> View attachment 244502


Funny that it is clearly something one could ONLY play sitting down, vertically, like Stanley Jordan, but it would be built as if it's hanging by a strap from your shoulder, with cutaways so that, you know, "reach those high frets".

I guess the other question would be: how often do you change strings on that?


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