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Ali Express getting worse

jerryprague

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I've been buying on Ali Express for about five years. Most of the time, it's OK, IF you are patient and don't mind waiting sometimes as much as 40 days for something to arrive.

This month has been a disaster show.

One - They have this strange 11/11 sale date which I think is the biggest sell date in the world. What this means is that post offices are flooded with Chinese merchandise from a postal service which when overburdened is maddeningly slow. I ordered in early November a few things for the kids for Christmas which they really want and I am biting my nails that they show up in time.

Two - Unscrupulous and unresponsive sellers who barely speak English let alone understand what the issues are. First case, I ordered that new Steam Crave 30ml atomizer, then, a day later, changed my mind and asked for a refund, which, normally, is no big deal if they haven't shipped it out. I kept getting these off the wall messages from them, like it's all ready to be shipped (it wasn't, it takes them a few days). Finally, one colleague 'accidentally' accepted the refund request and they asked me to return the money so they could ship it out (!!!).

Third - I ordered the Lost Vape Therion BF last week, best price at the time, 106 bucks with shipping. Few days later they said they got the wrong color in, would I mind that one, I said, no way. They marked as shipped anyway before the time they had to ship it expired, even though they did not have it in stock! Guaranteed this is so they don't have to refund the money due to not having the right item to ship. With Ali, you have to wait ten days after shipping to open a dispute, which I will do but in the meantime I am in limbo, and who knows how they will rule.

Name and shame on these two are Loptrontech Store, and evervape Store.

Their customer service is good for s..., they are always like 'dear friend', 'we understand', 'we feel your pain with you and your tears are our own', but they do absolutely nothing to help. No ticket numbers, no email, no way to follow up.

Great as are their prices, I am going to look at them from now on as 'last resort'. eBay is number one, sellers fear them, and if you are to leave negative feedback, they s... a brick and will do anything so that you are happy or they risk being banned-eBay is very tough on sellers if they are dishonest. Fasttech seems to be good, and cigabuy I really like as they have very decent prices for quick shipping to Europe with no customs fees to pay.
 

Hillbilly Pig

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Damn dude that sucks, I've never heard of these guys before, but probably not gonna order from them. I like fasttech for replacement parts and little bits n bobs. Though when it comes to gear like mods and tanks, I'm actually willing to spend a couple extra bucks for US vendors, but there are a couple things I can't find, but I digress. Sorry for that place putting ya through that bullshit, hope ya get everything sorted out.
 
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zephyr

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I never tried ali express, I thought that was more of a bulk order place
 

AndriaD

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They have this strange 11/11 sale date which I think is the biggest sell date in the world. What this means is that post offices are flooded with Chinese merchandise from a postal service which when overburdened is maddeningly slow. I ordered in early November a few things for the kids for Christmas which they really want and I am biting my nails that they show up in time.

I don't buy from them, but I placed an order with FT on 11/7, which departed Beijing on 11/11... and I JUST got notification that it had cleared the Miami ISC on Friday, 12/8 -- given what you said about the 11/11 sale date, I think anything from that part of the world just got horribly bogged down from MUCH higher volume than usual.

Andria
 

jerryprague

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Damn dude that sucks, I've never heard of these guys before, but probably not gonna order from them. I like fasttech for replacement parts and little bits n bobs. Though when it comes to gear like mods and tanks, I'm actually willing to spend a couple extra bucks for US vendors, but there are a couple things I can't find, but I digress. Sorry for that place putting ya through that bullshit, hope ya get everything sorted out.
Yeah, compromises... Too bad they neglect good customer service, prices and selection are great. I'll keep them on my list to order from, but only as a last resort.

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burley

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I don't buy from them, but I placed an order with FT on 11/7, which departed Beijing on 11/11... and I JUST got notification that it had cleared the Miami ISC on Friday, 12/8 -- given what you said about the 11/11 sale date, I think anything from that part of the world just got horribly bogged down from MUCH higher volume than usual.

Andria
Your post gives me a bit of relief, I've had stuff either stuck in China or (I think?) in customs for weeks now. Here I am tapping F5 like a madman...
 

AndriaD

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Your post gives me a bit of relief, I've had stuff either stuck in China or (I think?) in customs for weeks now. Here I am tapping F5 like a madman...

They're saying mine should arrive on 12/14... but I'll expect it when I see it. :D FL's USPS moves kinda like that slow boat from China... ;)

Andria
 

burley

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They're saying mine should arrive on 12/14... but I'll expect it when I see it. :D FL's USPS moves kinda like that slow boat from China... ;)

Andria
There's that dreaded Twilight Zone Sorting Facility just north of LA, from my recollection, as well. Had something sit there for a dang month before it moved. And that was after it got here from China, through customs, etc. I forget the name of it, but if I see it, I'll know it I'm sure.

Wonder if it updated yet. Nope. I'll try again in a few minutes.
 

jerryprague

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They're saying mine should arrive on 12/14... but I'll expect it when I see it. :D FL's USPS moves kinda like that slow boat from China... ;)

Andria

It's worse here in the Czech Republic, where they get paid peanuts.

I used to work at USPS after I graduated high school, and, bulk mail for example, we got to once a week, on the weekends when things were really slow (meaning, we used to turn on the mail belts and ride on them, no one was around and we were young and foolish....). I have these visions now of these mountains of boxes, sent at the lowest cost possible on both ends, stacked up, and I know more than a few of us ordered what we thought was way in advance for Christmas presents. 'Gee kids I guess Santa was caught in a REALLY BIG traffic jam, it'll be a week or two before he gets here'.... 'Santas sled got hijacked over Iran and the CIA is working on a ransom deal, we all have to be patient'.... Seriously though I think next year Christmas shopping on Ali is going to happen early October.....
 

AndriaD

Yes, I DO wear a mask! I'm vaccinated, too!
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It's worse here in the Czech Republic, where they get paid peanuts.

I used to work at USPS after I graduated high school, and, bulk mail for example, we got to once a week, on the weekends when things were really slow (meaning, we used to turn on the mail belts and ride on them, no one was around and we were young and foolish....). I have these visions now of these mountains of boxes, sent at the lowest cost possible on both ends, stacked up, and I know more than a few of us ordered what we thought was way in advance for Christmas presents. 'Gee kids I guess Santa was caught in a REALLY BIG traffic jam, it'll be a week or two before he gets here'.... 'Santas sled got hijacked over Iran and the CIA is working on a ransom deal, we all have to be patient'.... Seriously though I think next year Christmas shopping on Ali is going to happen early October.....

I just think back to the old days of mail-order... "allow 6-8 wks for shipping and handling." :giggle: The internet generation wants everything NOW. :giggle:

Andria
 

bobnat

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I just think back to the old days of mail-order... "allow 6-8 wks for shipping and handling." :giggle: The internet generation wants everything NOW. :giggle:

Andria

If you had told my grandfather when he was a young man that some day we would be able to buy something that costs $20 and have it shipped from China for $3 and have it delivered in a few weeks, he would have thought you were nuts.
 

spr258

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If you had told my grandfather when he was a young man that some day we would be able to buy something that costs $20 and have it shipped from China for $3 and have it delivered in a few weeks, he would have thought you were nuts.
Depends of the seller and method of shipping. Pick up some parts from Japan. Ordered last night and will be here tomorrow. And shipping was only$7
 

jerryprague

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It’s a website that only sells parts for yellowkiss pico tank. Some rebuildable parts to but mainly parts for the pico.

https://en.promistvapor.com/index.php
I looked, holy cow, 150 bucks for the Pico RTA? Is it really worth it? I've got about six attys at the moment, and each one has been as difficult as my ex wives to get working just right (hence, they are all sitting on the shelf except for the Kylin RTA which right now is the Uma Thumann of attys as far as I'm concerned).
 

spr258

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I looked, holy cow, 150 bucks for the Pico RTA? Is it really worth it? I've got about six attys at the moment, and each one has been as difficult as my ex wives to get working just right (hence, they are all sitting on the shelf except for the Kylin RTA which right now is the Uma Thumann of attys as far as I'm concerned).
I don’t know if it’s worth it. I have a genesis atty that I run mesh in. Leaks and is a pain to build but flavor is great. I saw some reviews saying the pico is a great flavor atty. I picked up a clone and loved it so much I picked up the real one with a lot of add ons. The pico is my daily travel addy and the flavor is close to the genesis. Plus it doesn’t leak. It has a small deck to build but I don’t really care. I build simple coils at .5-1.2. Not looking for huge clouds.
 

bobnat

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You young ones don't know this but many years ago a lot of cheap shit was made in Japan and exported to the US. They started with toys, I believe, and they were definitely inferior to US made. Now look at them. China will probably follow the same path.
 

jerryprague

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You young ones don't know this but many years ago a lot of cheap shit was made in Japan and exported to the US. They started with toys, I believe, and they were definitely inferior to US made. Now look at them. China will probably follow the same path.
I remember. Jap crap we called it, but they used the money to build up their industry, very smart in the long run.

Sent from my Mi Max using Tapatalk
 

AndriaD

Yes, I DO wear a mask! I'm vaccinated, too!
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You young ones don't know this but many years ago a lot of cheap shit was made in Japan and exported to the US. They started with toys, I believe, and they were definitely inferior to US made. Now look at them. China will probably follow the same path.

I dunno, I remember when Japan was known for superb cameras (still are!) and excellent TVs; all the cheaply-made shit said "Made in Taiwan."

I have a Canon camera now, and I noticed the other day that on the bottom it says "Made in China." Pft. Next time, I'm getting another Nikon.

Andria
 

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