Ali Express - What the 'eck is it?

Baldbloke · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:30

Never used it.
Seen it mentioned quite a few times. Had a google. I've seen the site. What's the deal with Ali Express? Is it legit, full of scammers, fake goods, genuine?

drakulton · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:32

They have a large selection of adult toys…… apparently.

cheesyboy · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:32

I've bought a few bits from there, always comes as described.

It's basically a portal for buying directly from Chinese suppliers. Some of the stuff seems to end up being sold by third party suppliers through Amazon or eBay, at much higher prices.

Dyson · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:34

Spent many an hour browsing the site, bought a few bits over the years which have always come on time.

Baldbloke · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:34

drakulton said:
They have a large selection of adult toys…… apparently.

Ditty boy. Ditty, ditty boy

cheesyboy · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:34

drakulton said:
They have a large selection of adult toys…… apparently.

Aye, fair bit of that on there.

It's also good for buying some sexy lingerie for your Mrs at a fraction of the cost of high street stores. The quality isn't quite the same, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. So to speak.

darael · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:36

drakulton said:
They have a large selection of adult toys…… apparently.

Wait until you discover Banggood.

Grim5 · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:37

Ali express is the Chinese version of Amazon

darael · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:39

An example of AliExpress goods:

Pawnless Endgame · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:50

I wondered that it was as well. It comes up sometimes on Google searches but it never occurred to me as online retail. It reminds me of image searches using Google Images and a result sometimes takes me to another image search engine that I've never heard of, and there are dozens of them. Then there is Pinterest and Googles seems to be in bed with them.

G-MAN2004 · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:51

It's pretty much Amazon, but cheaper.

I've bought quite a few things from there and the items are always as described, and I've never encountered anything dodgy. The most recent was a £300 Android head unit for my car which works perfectly. The same type/spec on Amazon or eBay was around £150 more.

robfosters · 26 Aug 2023 at 12:53

cheesyboy said:
Aye, fair bit of that on there.

It's also good for buying some sexy lingerie for your Mrs at a fraction of the cost of high street stores. The quality isn't quite the same, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. So to speak.

I haven’t got a Mrs, so I might get some for myself

new boy · 26 Aug 2023 at 13:48

I've bought stuff on there, never had an issue. I would say you should only buy if your willing to accept that if it has a fault your probably not going to get your money back and there's a high chance the item will be crap.

Edit - and obviously absolutely everything with a non Chinese brand is fake

Raymond Lin · 26 Aug 2023 at 13:52

It’s Amazon market place minus the Amazon part.

just remember that if the product is not a Chinese brand then it’s likely a fake. At best it’s a copy, but there are real bargains, just need to do your research and be cautious and always pay with a credit card. however for Chinese “original” stuff then it’s cheaper than Amazon market place or eBay or Etsy. It’s more “direct” when bought on Aliexpress and usually cheaper.

Silenced · 26 Aug 2023 at 14:19

I think AliExpress is great but I only ever really buy simple things on there that are unlikely to have issues - e.g. non electronics. Some Chinese brands do have official store however but returns get complicated.

For example, small metal fixing blocks for making acrylic display cases are 50p each Vs £1.50 each from UK sellers. A new wiper arm for an excavator, £90 for a genuine one, £7 for this one and £40 for anywhere in the UK as a pattern part. You'd assume delivery would be slow but in my experience it's quicker than you'd think, week and a half at most for me.

Raymond Lin · 26 Aug 2023 at 14:21

Silenced said:
I think AliExpress is great but I only ever really buy simple things on there that are unlikely to have issues - e.g. non electronics. Some Chinese brands do have official store however but returns get complicated.

For example, small metal fixing blocks for making acrylic display cases are 50p each Vs £1.50 each from UK sellers. A new wiper arm for an excavator, £90 for a genuine one, £7 for this one and £40 for anywhere in the UK as a pattern part. You'd assume delivery would be slow but in my experience it's quicker than you'd think, week and a half at most for me.

Yup, pretty much get things that you know it is simple and if it goes wrong, you are happy to stomach the loss.

The max amount i spent on there is like £50 (Miyoo Mini from the store), but nothing more.

Mr Jack · 26 Aug 2023 at 15:58

Raymond Lin said:
just remember that if the product is not a Chinese brand then it’s likely a fake. At best it’s a copy, but there are real bargains, just need to do your research and be cautious and always pay with a credit card.

So.... it's Amazon, basically?

Raymond Lin · 26 Aug 2023 at 16:02

Mr Jack said:
So.... it's Amazon, basically?

It's more like the Market Place, because I don't think Aliexpress actually holds the stock, each seller posts their items from their own origin inside China. Rather than a central warehouse. So each item has different shipping cost and time.

Malevolence · 26 Aug 2023 at 16:14

It's horrendous. The website is a nightmare to navigate. Nothing seems to be real. And good luck getting your money back when your items fail to materialise.

Longbow · 26 Aug 2023 at 16:21

Malevolence said:
And good luck getting your money back when your items fail to materialise.

What did you buy that didn't turn up?