New Buying From China (incl AliExpress) guide discussion

batvink

Mixed results, mainly positive:

VR headset (the kind you put your phone in) - £7.00, excellent quality
4K Action camera (Go-pro like). £22, reasonable physical quality, video quality very good, lots of functionality (e.g 120 FPS). Plastic casings are a lower quality, but this is a second camera to complement my Go-pro, and for 10% of the price is excellent value.
Rubik Cubes advertised as Professional quality, turned out to be extremely bad quality. Emailed them, they refunded me within a couple of days
ND +10 Camera lens filter, £11, unusable. Sent me an alternative product when I complained which is reasonable

The best part about buying from China is getting that excited feeling of anticipation while you wait for your goods. Anyone remember that from the eighties and before? The new generation should try it, on-demand isn't all it's cracked up to be!

Mohli

I have bought several things through Ebay and have not had many problens except a couple of items that didn't arrive. I was given a full refund and apology straight away.
They have to make a living too and most don't earn a lot.

I was quite disgusted that someone left feedback for a 99p item post free and said it looked cheap !!

MagikGimp

As for Hong Kong, probably the same situation applies.

I've hardly ever had a good experience when shopping from Chinese eBayers unless it was for very simple items, basically stuff that you can't get wrong. Shipping takes a lifetime and while the costs for this are very low they use the long time period to their advantage. Once you go over that 30 day grace period you can't claim back for any problems you may [will inevitably] have. Whether it's poor product quality or simply that the wrong product was sent, you're stuck with dealing with liars and cheats on your own.
There certainly are reputable businesses in China but they're large by their own success from healthy relationships with suppliers and the public. Stick with UK eBay stores instead that sell your typical China stuff if that's what you're after; you'll know the ones I mean when you see them. Lots of unrelated products, hundreds upon hundreds of odds and ends with seemingly no relationship to each other! The guys running these shops are often of South East Asian decent and have families back there or just have the experience of the ups and downs of dealing with Chinese producers so let them take the strain of dealing with their crap and get on with your lives. It is their job to buy in bulk (and send half of the stuff back!) after all.

lisyloo

Cosmetics in china have to be tested on animals by law.
I don't buy from any company that sells in china - that's an awful lot of cosmetic/toiletry firms including Avon and a lot of big names.
I respect everyone's right to chose but my desire for cosmetics does not warrant cruelty to animals.

pinkladyvenus

I have bought a few items from china via Amazon a kitchen timer that was very good considering it was only a pound including postage, some sewing clips for under £2 my local shop wanted £15 for the same thing and various other low value items.

I have had one item that did not arrive Amazon refunded, I would not risk buying electrical goods and always check out buyer reviews before I purchase.

SueU

I know this site is about saving money but I'm a bit surprised and disappointed that MSE promotes buying from China at all let alone direct which has obvious quality/safety/ethical issues.
It's false economy to think you will save buying from any country that does not have similar quality standards as the EU as often items will not last five minutes and you'll buy twice. In some cases as other posts have said you will actually be putting yourself in danger.
If that's not enough to convince people then what about the UK and EU jobs that are lost when we spend our cash in China? Often the jobs of the very people trying to save a few quid buying overseas anyway. And then there's the ethical issue around working ages and employment conditions.

Like several others here I ALWAYS try to buy British or european goods and only buy Chinese made items when it cannot be avoided (difficult to find household electricals made elsewhere) and then from a reputable retailer who I feel confident will have QC throughout the supply chain. It doesn't cost much more initially and I know if there are any issues they will be resolved easily.

With Brexit looming everyone should be thinking about how best they can support the UK economy - we are going to need it!

Doc_N

SueU wrote: »

With Brexit looming everyone should be thinking about how best they can support the UK economy - we are going to need it!

Too right we're going to need it! And did the PM really need to go abroad for her holiday? Shouldn't she be setting an example and supporting Britain?

Useless woman following an equally useless male PM.

motorguy

SueU wrote: »

I know this site is about saving money but I'm a bit surprised and disappointed that MSE promotes buying from China at all let alone direct which has obvious quality/safety/ethical issues.
It's false economy to think you will save buying from any country that does not have similar quality standards as the EU as often items will not last five minutes and you'll buy twice. In some cases as other posts have said you will actually be putting yourself in danger.
If that's not enough to convince people then what about the UK and EU jobs that are lost when we spend our cash in China? Often the jobs of the very people trying to save a few quid buying overseas anyway. And then there's the ethical issue around working ages and employment conditions.

Like several others here I ALWAYS try to buy British or european goods and only buy Chinese made items when it cannot be avoided (difficult to find household electricals made elsewhere) and then from a reputable retailer who I feel confident will have QC throughout the supply chain. It doesn't cost much more initially and I know if there are any issues they will be resolved easily.

With Brexit looming everyone should be thinking about how best they can support the UK economy - we are going to need it!

:T

Well said!

grahamm

Be VERY careful if buying electrical goods from China, because they do not have the same standards of electrical safety.

Not only this, but they also put a "CE" mark on it which looks like the EU's safety approval, but which is actually a slightly modified copy (which they will claim stands for "Chinese Export" if questioned).

A friend who is very experienced in dealing with electrical goods has taken some of the cheap products (transformers, chargers etc) apart and found that they lack basic safety measures or proper insulation and, in the worst cases, can have components that could render the entire product electrically live with potentially lethal consequences!

MagikGimp

SueU wrote: »

...Like several others here I ALWAYS try to buy British or european goods and only buy Chinese made items when it cannot be avoided...

Good point but with so much being made in China it's likely you won't realise you're still buying Chinese half the time.

grahamm wrote: »

Be VERY careful if buying electrical goods from China, because they do not have the same standards of electrical safety. ...

What a great opportunity to point out Big Clive's many videos on this very topic. Searching for big clive chinese death is enough to give you a shock without you having to handle the stuff too! :eek: