Posted 3 days ago

Buying from AliExpress. Worth it or not?

What are peoples thoughts on buying from AliExpress?
I find that more and more products are good and no different to that which is on Amazon but for a fraction of the cost.

With the prices so cheap is it worth the gamble if 1 in 4 products are terrible.
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  1. bozo007's avatar
    I have had zero problems buying from AliExpress apart from occasionally long delivery times (but none that was not known when placing the order). While the 20% VAT was a tax evasion loophole that was finally plugged after many years, the implementation of it is stupid thanks to the way the regulations were created - it is applicable on products up to £135 but not mandatory above that with the consumer being liable to pay at that threshold. In reality, I have ordered tablets and smartwatches above that threshold without the VAT being collected and was lucky that none of the shipments was caught in Customs.
    harrythefish's avatar
    The 20% VAT is the same as would be charged on retail goods in the UK so not a deal-breaker for me. The savings vs Amazon or eBay can easily eclipse that VAT. But also the astonishing range of items, if you stick to those brands likely to be genuine. Tuya would be one example.
  2. Wolfgang's avatar
    It's hit and miss but if you follow the surprisingly honest reviews you really can't go wrong. A lot of similar stuff is on Amazon, I think many of the cheapo Amazon sellers get a lot of stuff from places like Ali anyway and then do a massive mark-up.
    Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    I love the honest reviews. Some of them are so funny especially when written in broken English.
  3. freakstyler's avatar
    I pretty much stopped using Ali when the new VAT rules kicked in unless its something I absolutely cannot buy anywhere else I'll use them but in most cases, for the stuff I buy I can usually find it for about the same FBA on Amazon here next day. Prime has spoilt me, even more so since joining Vine and getting all my tat and the odd useful item for nothing. If I were looking for something I cannot find on the likes of Amazon or Ebay I would always try Temu first, assuming its not a fragile item as their deliveries tend to arrive crushed. That being said, their returns are painless and you often get a refund no questions asked instantly.
    cowtc's avatar
    Temu is £15 minimum order now, I'm sure it was £10 not long ago
  4. Sandy1012's avatar
    I used to order loads from aliexpress, mainly cheaper items, but in July 2021 they started to add 20% vat to all orders which didnt make it so appealing compared to UK price and they you have to wait 2-3 weeks for delivery (sometimes 4-8 weeks). As long as the saving is reasonable and you dont need to wait long then its all good.
    Wolfgang's avatar
    Recently bought a magnetic knife holder off Ali for a tenner, even with VAT it still ended up a fiver cheaper than Amazon and it got to me in just over a week.
  5. bonzobanana's avatar
    I use Aliexpress a fair bit and mostly without issues. It should be pointed out buying from them is a personal import so can bypass the normal certification process so electrical items have the potential to be unsafe. Even greater health hazards with clothes which can contain arsenic, lead, cadmium etc so should always be washed before wearing for the first time. It goes without saying never ever buy any food, medicine or cosmetic type products from AliExpress. Check out the videos on youtube where the Koreans have found horrific carcinogenic chemicals in such products. They can literally be deadly especially to children.

    Just remember you are buying from a country where people are happy to poison their fellow countrymen with their products so will care even less for foreigners like us.
  6. neversay's avatar
    The best thing about Ali-Express is a parcel arriving and forgetting that you had ordered it - as happened to me today.
    Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    I remember a few years ago when things could take literal months. It was like a surprise gift every time something turned up.
  7. cas398's avatar
    Love it they've got stuff you could only dream of
  8. KongDonkey's avatar
    I use it a lot. I add lots of interesting items to my wish list and then buy in bulk to get free postage. I know that some of the goods will be not so good quality but they are very cheap so it's not a big issue.
    Must expensive item I bought the last year was a £12 set of headphones that I use every day.
    Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    This is exactly what I do. The quality of most of the stuff is so good. I have been so pleasantly surprised over the past year or 2. (edited)
  9. harrythefish's avatar
    There's another recent HUKD thread asking the exact same thing. I've turned to AliExpress due to Amazon showing some rather steep prices lately for mundane electronic items, plus Amazon seeming to have blackballed certain brands so it just wasn't stocking what I wanted. Maybe because of fake reviews. However I recently reported several fake reviews to Amazon on 'household brand' electronics like Kingston and Sandisk due to the obvious and annoying gushing copy and paste in them. I cannot understand what the purpose was of those reviews unless it's a competitor 'double bluff' to spike that company's reputation.

    Experience with AliExpress? The exact same item can cost 1/3 of Amazon UK price. Delivery predictably slow, but tracking remarkably good.

    My advice would be steer away from trendy brands on AliExpress as these are likely to be knock-offs. But if you are are after some specific tech goods and know exactly what you want, could work out well. Also I'd suggest keep it below £50-ish to save your nerves. (edited)
    Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    Sorry didn't mean to duplicate anything. Maybe Amazon has just got worse rather than Ali getting better. I've had some terrible Amazon experiences as of late with a few products turning out as fake even though I was paying RRP and there was no reason to doubt it was genuine.

    I do exactly what you recommended and steer clear of anything that is a trendy brand as it will certainly be a knock off.

    I have really noticed over the past few months having a newborn baby that products for babies like projector lights and basic toys are the same or superior to Amazon.
  10. aLV426's avatar
    Yeah, my purchases have slowed down due to the automatic 20% add on, but I still order more from there than Amazon.
    Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    Yeah the 20% is a joke
  11. dcx_badass's avatar
    I still use them all the time, stuff comes in under a week most the time. Sure it's not as cheap as it used to be but it's still much cheaper than elsewhere. I've placed thousands of orders and spent thousands of pounds on there (I dread to think).
  12. bobjst's avatar
    I used to order low-value stuff from there, but since the VAT changes a lot of it is cheaper from eBay - and mostly the stuff is in the UK already.
  13. Chimppimp1987's avatar
    Author
    Well I just bought 20 items. This will be fun as they trickle through the post over the next month.
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