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Discovering aliexpress was pretty awesome I'm sure that you got lucky. My first experience with them was terrible. I ordered a phone (it was a dual-SIM andr

by 0xmohit 10y ago

Discovering aliexpress was pretty awesome I'm sure that you got lucky. My first experience with them was terrible. I ordered a phone (it was a dual-SIM android device) which wouldn't work for either voice calls or text messages. Tried SIM cards from different carriers, but nothing would work. You could connect it to the WiFi, though. Reporting the matter to AliExpress was terrible, those guys would insist that they're concerned, would look into it, but nothing happened. though admittedly haven't used/tested a lot of it I'd recommend doing it.

patrickk 10y ago
More complex electronics like phones is where I'd draw the line. I've ordered things like a dirt cheap soldering iron, a multimeter, a bluetooth mini keyboard for controlling the laptop when watching TV, USB charging cables, PCIe cables, LED strips, flawless, high quality knockoff sunglasses, etc and never had any issues. If you sort by most orders you normally filter out the worst of the crap.
- DanBC 10y ago
  > I've ordered things like a dirt cheap soldering iron Some of the manufacturers have interesting ideas around mains safety. I'd be wary of dirt cheap soldering irons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w
  - patrickk 10y ago
    Thanks for the heads up. FWIW I've used mine (occasionally) for several years without problems.
bkor 10y ago
AliExpress is similar to Ebay. You're not dealing with AliExpress that much, you're buying from many different sellers. As such, investigate! If you buy something more expensive, look for feedback from others. Don't assume it'll be ok. It might be something that only works for China. I have bought loads from AliExpress. Pretty much comparable experience to a cheap store. Meaning: quality is sometimes poor, but similar experience to going to a shop. Most of the sellers are very concerned with their star rating btw.
- 0xmohit 10y ago
  I suspect that AliExpress helps sellers manipulate ratings, else the sellers wouldn't turn a deaf ear to any queries. Moreover, I'm not even sure how does the rating system on AliExpress work. I wasn't even given an option to rate the seller. The official support is terrible; they'd act as if they're very concerned but they wouldn't do anything even if the seller doesn't respond to any of your messages.
whamlastxmas 10y ago
As others have said, I'd never buy anything expensive from AliExpress. Maybe like 30-40 dollars max. Especially if it's something as commonly faked as a phone.

by 0xmohit 10y ago

patrickk 10y ago

More complex electronics like phones is where I'd draw the line. I've ordered things like a dirt cheap soldering iron, a multimeter, a bluetooth mini keyboard for controlling the laptop when watching TV, USB charging cables, PCIe cables, LED strips, flawless, high quality knockoff sunglasses, etc and never had any issues. If you sort by most orders you normally filter out the worst of the crap.

DanBC 10y ago
> I've ordered things like a dirt cheap soldering iron Some of the manufacturers have interesting ideas around mains safety. I'd be wary of dirt cheap soldering irons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w
- patrickk 10y ago
  Thanks for the heads up. FWIW I've used mine (occasionally) for several years without problems.

bkor 10y ago

AliExpress is similar to Ebay. You're not dealing with AliExpress that much, you're buying from many different sellers. As such, investigate! If you buy something more expensive, look for feedback from others. Don't assume it'll be ok. It might be something that only works for China. I have bought loads from AliExpress. Pretty much comparable experience to a cheap store. Meaning: quality is sometimes poor, but similar experience to going to a shop. Most of the sellers are very concerned with their star rating btw.

0xmohit 10y ago
I suspect that AliExpress helps sellers manipulate ratings, else the sellers wouldn't turn a deaf ear to any queries. Moreover, I'm not even sure how does the rating system on AliExpress work. I wasn't even given an option to rate the seller. The official support is terrible; they'd act as if they're very concerned but they wouldn't do anything even if the seller doesn't respond to any of your messages.

whamlastxmas 10y ago

As others have said, I'd never buy anything expensive from AliExpress. Maybe like 30-40 dollars max. Especially if it's something as commonly faked as a phone.