Prices have gone up a lot.
I assume sellers started to notice what resellers were getting and decided they wanted a bigger piece - I really can't blame them.
Often now I decide the savings are not worth the hassle of longer waits, more difficult returns, more expensive returns, possibly poorer quality, worse support.
It does depend on the thing though.
Do you still find good deals there? What types of things?
I found AliExpress cheaper than eBay on some items and more expensive on others.
So pays to compare.
Thier refund policy works for me most of the time just as it does for ebay.
Now that Temu is tanning thier hide they are lifting their game
Thier refund policy works for me most of the time
Yeah, after a couple of months they 'might' take action…
Refund policy used to work ok, but not now.
I have just had a fight with them over getting a refund and they rejected it.
Long story short, item never arrived. Chinese tracking says it was delivered to my local post office where I have my PO Box. However the Post Office says no, we don't have it. Tracking has been sitting on "out for delivery" for 3 weeks. No card in my box. AliExpress don't or won't understand it has not been delivered and is lost or stolen. Also won't give me the AustPost tracking number that replaces the Chinese one when it arrives in Oz. So cannot be traced. I just did a charge back with PayPal and they refunded me. I guess AliEpress will be unhappy. Stiff Sxxt
What types of things?
Exotic Apparel
Examples please
Just do a search on the AliExpress website….
I think I just found my Halloween costume…
Temu is removing discounts too, the days of buying things from chinese websites might be over soon.
the days of buying things from chinese websites might be over soon.
I've already switched to Turkish websites.
like what?
Nah, there's still enough cheap crap on there to satisfy my cravings.
The prices have gone up though (largely due to the failing Australian Dollar).
Actually, lately I have been buying MORE stuff from Aliexpress. Small value items only though. Maybe I am going through something, not sure. :)
Their Choice products are pretty cheap and gets here in less than 2 weeks. I just had something I bought 10 days ago arrive today.
Aliexpress is still full of fake reviews, I usually only mostly look at the 1 to 4 star reviews to gauge whether the product is junk or not. Some products I bought were junk, but mostly they do what description said.
Stuff that I bought that are NOT junk includes: flexible arm sleeves, 60w phone charging cables, toilet seat bumper replacements, smart switches, zigbee sensors, watch straps, car windscreen wipers. I guess all these things do not need support. Poorer quality is almost certain for things like car wipers, but if even I get 4 months use out of them, I will still be ahead for the price that I paid for them.
Don't get me wrong, Aliexpress has its own issues and their app kinda works sometimes, but overall I will still shop there.
any recs for watch straps?
There's a big thread on WatchUSeek with some guidance on AliExpress straps:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/best-of-ali-xpress-straps…
i thought china was currently experiencing deflation. prices are going down.
true increase, both ali and temu but then they still miles cheaper, or some even impossible to buy locally.
Prices have gone up a lot.
Maybe caused by strong USD? Some of the things I bought actually became cheaper in USD but more expensive after converting to AUD.
Do you still find good deals there?
Not really, you are correct, the golden days are over for sure.
The only good thing left about aliexpress is they seem to carry a lot of unique things (spare parts etc) that other mainstream places don't.
Outside of that, yeah nothing.
Yeah. Random bolt you can't find, pc part, lot's of random things.
But there's a lot where they know how much you're paying elsewhere and you'll pay $10's less because you want/need the thing.
I find that I’m buying less, but when I do buy from there, I buy more
also, I’ve noticed that a lot of sellers do free shipping if spending over $15.
Recently bought an item that is more than $15 AUD that qualifies for express shipping. It was delivered to me in 7 days from click to door. That is super quick compared to last time when shipping took a month or 2 but everything was very cheap. Moreover, AUD has been hammered so we are not getting a good deal.
Minimum wage in China has almost doubled in the last ten years too. Probably more than doubled for some work.
What I find interesting is that many products on eBay shipped from China are only marginally more expensive than ordering from Aliexpress, despite eBays fees. I guess Aliexpress has fees too but always assumed they weren't as high as eBay + PayPal.
Minimum wage in China has almost doubled in the last ten years too. Probably more than doubled for some work.
Thats amazing! Or has inflation and their price of living gone up too so theyre no better off?
Well they are quickly becoming the world's most valuable economy, so it's probably hard to say. I bet it looks like inflation on paper. But with so much cash around it's not really inflation is it, it's more people with more money.
What are you buying?
I find the selection changes as time goes on. Some stuff that was very cheap, now isn't, and some things that were very expensive become cheap.
Shit man, it's true. Have you tried to buy a cheap cheap plastic chair from bunnings?
Maybe people got wise about complaining about a 'faulty' shitty product, but you aren't getting cheap plastic garden chairs anymore. They want $25 for 'resin' chairs. A single chair.
Another side of this discussion is that Aliexpress has been trying to improve the shopping experience by weeding out bad operators, and enforcing refunds when things are not as promised.
luckily had a full refund just go through…thats 2 out of 2 for me, but i hear other experiences arent as good
Disputes will swing more in your favour if you've spent more on AliExpress. Up until recently they had membership levels based on how much you spent and that was a good indicator.
Brand new accounts disputing their first order are likely to be seen as scammers.
Interesting.
I have had an order cancelled and refunded by Aliexpress because it wasn't shipped in time (hadn't left China). I didn't even ask for it.
@grrrr: Sellers have always been required to ship their orders within a specified time frame or the order gets cancelled and you're automatically refunded. The seller doesn't get the money until the order is received and delivery is confirmed.
Prices have gone up if you shop in AUD due to the exchange rate. US$ prices are still good. A couple of years ago AliExpress coupons were unheard of and now there's a heap every month.
AliExpress Choice has been a massive addition too. Sellers can have their stock in the AliExpress warehouses like Amazon and you can get your orders in 1-2 weeks no problem.
you have a store or a rep there right?
Nope.
currently buying cheap tech & audio stuff (bt amp boards, small amps etc)
cheap hardware & tools…lots of other random stuff.
still feels very hit or miss on whether youll receive your stuff or get a refund if things go wrong
also i hate the way prices fluctuate so much…something you snap up for $15 will be $40 the next day and vice versa
This is true. And apparently there's all sorts of shady bullshit like if you leave the website and come back, they might have raised the price, or if you use a different IP address, clear cookies.
Finding better stuff… they are ahead of the markets here. I can buy a pair of glasses for like $6 shipped. Contacts about the same. Most categories have products that aren't released here yet or much cheaper. They are willing to deep discount. Usually get Aliexpress standard shipping where possible and that is pretty good.
Golden Days of AliExpress
probably pre taxation time of overseas companies dude, around 2017 or earlier I think (and the higher AUD value too)
I ordered two LED panels for ceiling fans on 19th October and they have arrived in Australia already.
According to AusPost tracking they will be delivered this Monday.
After two returns not refunded & almost every second buy either faulty or not to size/description I've had enough.
Doesn't PayPal protect you in each of those scenarios?
and then after too many paypal refunds they cancel your account and permanently block you from purchasing on the platform….great stuff!
What's the feedback for the stores? Are they Choice?
Need to order from a good seller with a lot of orders, maybe not the cheapest one.
This wasn't on PayPal. They can make it so difficult to conduct a disputed transaction.
Ohh yes. The prices have gone up. Even the original asking price is way over.
Still buy. You just got to work out the prices.
I've never had an issue with refunds or any issues that i have had. Which is rarely.
China is collapsing. They are probably taking advantage before the collapse / have no factories to make things.
The last few months, hundreds of international companies have pulled out. It's been going on all this year.
I could go on.. However, check out, https://youtube.com/@TheChinaShow https://youtube.com/@ChinaFactChasers https://youtube.com/@laowhy86 https://youtube.com/@ADVChina and https://youtube.com/@serpentza to keep up-to-date and education.
warning: the above comment may be triggering to some users!….lol
What should we do here to prepare do you think?
I ordered a dual monitor 8k USB3 KVM switch for around $150 this week. I haven't been able to find them anywhere else below $300.
Having said that the price on the site was $130. I added it to cart and it went to $140. Then "Tax" was added on top $155.
I still like AliExpress. With AliExpress standard shipping, which uses Cainiao, delivery takes less than two weeks. This is not much longer than Amazon and less time than eBay when sellers are slow to post items. Just avoid Cainiao Super Economy Global shipping, as this often takes a very long time to be delivered.
Maybe the falling and failing AUD (AUD = Australian dollar by the way) is behind higher pricing.
Why would it be failing?
Failing to perform to our expectations.
mostly yes. but theres still some interesting stuff. I just ordered some knockoff ultralight bicycle tubes (a few $$ vs like $50 they sell for here). lets see
I've been using Aliexpress since 2015 and i've had more issues in the last six months than all the years before put together.
what with damaged goods, late shipping, seller wanting additional money for shipping, and lost deliveries.
Also, in the past Aliexpress would fix issues overnight and do a refund without any issues, now it's like getting blood from a rock.
My last order was never sent, the seller said it was lost in shipping and never sent, they said to raise a dispute, which i did.
I contacted Aliexpress several times giving them screenshots of the seller saying the package was never sent, but they keep saying it is after shipping and to wait. It's like their customer services team has the IQ of a 3-year-old.
Ditto, I have similar experiences.
Given i was planning on asking a very similar thing, i'd say for 80% of stuff i'm seeing these days and their prices, i'd say yes.
But then again, aliexpress basically resell from alibaba don't they?
Total item costs AU$11.28
Tax AU$2.20
…ive read about this happening to uk buyers with VAT. any else getting charged around 20% gst instead of the usual?
i've seen that for discounted items and when using coupons
3+ items from US $1.79
only showing the error for the above products…when i checkout with the normal cart its 10%
anyway i let them know….dont really want to be paying 2x gst even if it is a small amount
yes