AliExpress

[jonn]

How many here buy stuff via AliExpress? I have had nothing but good experiences, and the most expensive item I bought was a Holset turbocharger for a mate's Volvo excavator. Ended up at less than half the price of what it is in Norway, and it was a brand new OEM:
Must admit I just love the parcels in the mail, of which there has been over 300 since end of 2015. Latest purchase are 3 different Japanese draw saws, Japanese Style Hand Saw 12In Non-slip Wooden Handle Pull Saw Flush Cut Saw Handsaw. Here in Norway they cost 3 to 10 times as much, and are most likely from same source.

 

[Myfordman]

I’m a regular user and very happy with the service, cost and usually about half the quoted delivery time.

 

[heronviewer]

I use them too. Not for very expensive items and not for items that could be faulty and need returning. They are good, big savings over UK purchased items, and they do usually come much faster than the time quoted.

 

[D_W]

I've bought a bunch of stuff between them and dhgate I did order one guitar through each and both were defective, but I was just buying them as patterns to make a guitar, so it didn't matter much. They've been great for knock around stuff for the kids and the high speed steel plane irons that are brazed are generally excellent.

 

[MARK.B.]

Used them a number of times and never had a problem, often quicker than ordering in the UK.

 

[Sachakins]

Used them often, mainly craft supplies, ring blanks, carbide tip inserts. Lots of small stuff. Mainly small value orders and only had one problem when some acrylics bottles in acrylic storage boxes arrived, 3 of the box corners were damaged, still usable though, emailed supplier to suggest they put reinforced cardboard corners on to protect them next time I order. 14 days later 3 new boxes arrived, reinforced corners. At no charge.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I have never used them, so had a quick look. Is this for real?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...mmend-ump;is_freeshipping:null;trade_order:24
I don't really need any of it, but at that price!? $7 US with free shipping. Really?

Edit: a marginally closer reading of the ad suggests it is actually a metal sign I would be buying, rather than real Makita kit. Still, it would look nice on the wall

 

[Blackswanwood]

I have never used them, so had a quick look. Is this for real?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...mmend-ump;is_freeshipping:null;trade_order:24
I don't really need any of it, but at that price!? $7 US with free shipping. Really?

Edit: a marginally closer reading of the ad suggests it is actually a metal sign I would be buying, rather than real Makita kit. Still, it would look nice on the wall

That’s the wife’s Christmas present sorted then?

 

[Garno]

I also have never used them, in fact I have not heard of them until now, well I have heard the name but did not know that they sold things.

Popping over now.

 

[D_W]

I also have never used them, in fact I have not heard of them until now, well I have heard the name but did not know that they sold things.

Popping over now.

You may have heard of alibaba in the news (that's more like "meet a guy who will help you get 5000 of something with your own brand on them") - ali-express is more or less a retail version of that.

On the former, you can find Woodcraft's $170 chisel sets for $25 without a label, or things like I mentioned in the diamond hone thread well above - $6 spectacularly good two sided milled steel diamond hones....as long as you're willing to get 500 of them to get lowest price. The latter is more user friendly - on the former if you register an account, you may find that one of the selling agents sends you something you didn't order and then tries to get you to pay. The system is set up to deny the seller the ability to get paid for that, but it's obnoxious.

I got order notice of 20 CBN grinder wheels last year for nothing more than viewing a listing and had to go shut down the transaction to avoid working through a dispute. The seller was able to initiate it without me doing anything.

 

[Sachakins]

If using aliexpress I suggest using the aliexpress App, better deals and easier to control.

I used aliexpress.com twice and got charged by the bank for foreign exchange fees. This has never happened on the app.

 

[D_W]

If using aliexpress I suggest using the aliexpress App, better deals and easier to control.

I used aliexpress.com twice and got charged by the bank for foreign exchange fees. This has never happened on the app.

Depends on how you pay - if you can pay directly with a credit card that doesn't do that, you avoid it (but the exchange rate will - here at least - be about 2-3% in favor of the processor, which I guess is OK).

A couple of years ago, I noticed that if you use paypal (back then) and pay for something in local currency with a credit card, there was no exchange fee at all from either party - terms of service changed not long after that. For whatever reason, my card didn't charge a conversion fee if the payment was in local currency and paypal didn't add anything - I was getting a bunch of junk from japan at the time. If you viewed the price in dollars, paypal would automatically charge a currency fee, change it back to yen, no currency /exchange fee. Great while it lasted - I guess the person coding the system thought americans would be to dumb to understand how much yen were worth and would always convert all of the figures to dollars.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I have never used them, so had a quick look. Is this for real?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...mmend-ump;is_freeshipping:null;trade_order:24
I don't really need any of it, but at that price!? $7 US with free shipping. Really?

Edit: a marginally closer reading of the ad suggests it is actually a metal sign I would be buying, rather than real Makita kit. Still, it would look nice on the wall

If you read it carefully you'll realise that you are not buying a tool kit, you are buying a metal sign with the image of a makita 6pc tool kit on it

 

[D_W]

If you read it carefully you'll realise that you are not buying a tool kit, you are buying a metal sign with the image of a makita 6pc tool kit on it

Would be a dandy gag to get a sketchy photo of and tell a friend you got a great deal "on these, so you'll be giving them to everyone for Christmas".

I have friends who would get pissed about something like that and then say "dude, that's a good one".

 

[Insanity]

I use bang good, similar to Ali. Bought this 600mm copy of woodpeckers for £25 delivered. Woodpeckers wanted £160. The pen supplied to fit in the holes was rubbish, but a sharp pencil will work. Tested with a square I knew was square. Perfect

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I have never used them, so had a quick look. Is this for real?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...mmend-ump;is_freeshipping:null;trade_order:24
I don't really need any of it, but at that price!? $7 US with free shipping. Really?

Edit: a marginally closer reading of the ad suggests it is actually a metal sign I would be buying, rather than real Makita kit. Still, it would look nice on the wall

Since the actual text says “Makita XT610 18V LXT LithiumIon Cordless 6 Piece Combo Kit (3.0Ah)metal sign”

Since the add specifically says that it is actually a metal sign it’s more a statement than a suggestion isn’t it?

sorry about the font size, it‘s just pasted from the website.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

How many here buy stuff via AliExpress? I have had nothing but good experiences, and the most expensive item I bought was a Holset turbocharger for a mate's Volvo excavator. Ended up at less than half the price of what it is in Norway, and it was a brand new OEM:
Must admit I just love the parcels in the mail, of which there has been over 300 since end of 2015. Latest purchase are 3 different Japanese draw saws, Japanese Style Hand Saw 12In Non-slip Wooden Handle Pull Saw Flush Cut Saw Handsaw. Here in Norway they cost 3 to 10 times as much, and are most likely from same source.

They like Banggood, Lazada, DX.com etc are aggregators so you need to be careful of what you are getting. The pull saws are most probably not the Japanese originals but Chinese copies. I have Japanese made originals bought in Japan but you can also get the cheaper Chinese copies in Japan. I am not saying that the good quality Chinese copies are bad but they are not as good as the Japanese made ones. If you understand this then the cheaper prices may make them a better option.

My 3 main suppliers are Lazada (often orders take 1 to 2 days if the supplier is in county) Banggood and AliExpress, both Banggood and AliExpress orders have variable delivery times from 5 days to 2 months for AliExpress,

Drillpro from Banggood and AliExpress are reliable brands.

 

[jonn]

If using aliexpress I suggest using the aliexpress App, better deals and easier to control.

I used aliexpress.com twice and got charged by the bank for foreign exchange fees. This has never happened on the app.

They are charging to my CC via AliPay, and there are no transactions fees, but they charge VAT for the Norwegian government. However, that means everything arrives right in mailbox, regardless price. Tried Banggood, but prefer AliExpress.
Have also bought a lot of carbide inserts for my metal lathe and milling machine, and the quality has been totally satisfactory, and the prices just a small fraction of what local firms charge. Can also recommend the RCGT inserts for woodturning tools.

 

[MichaelAD]

Bought from Banggood...no complaints, but I have been selective in what I bought (used the recommendations from 'Hooked on Wood' - not all of them of course! His You tube vids are worth a look). Price differences are quite remarkable and the quality of what I've bought so far has been very good indeed.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I do find it ironic that through using the likes of Banggood and Aliexpress as UK consumers we're powering the economy of a country that has just been called out as a major threat by the Head of MI6.

It obviously applies much wider than these two marketplaces and before anyone gets uptight I'm just making a general observation and not criticising anyone for grabbing a bargain!