AliExpress Warning

[Tufargon]

I've yet to purchase a single thing from AliBabba yet somehow life still manages to be good. With so many reputable online purchasing avenues, I don't know why anybody would choose these Chinese operations that don't even allow direct communication with the seller.

A fool and his money....

D

In one breath you say "I've yet to purchase a single thing from AliBabba" and in the next you say "I don't know why anybody would choose these Chinese operations that don't allow direct communication with the seller".

How would you know that if you never bought anything there?

I've bought many things from AliBabba and never had a problem. I've been able to talk to them through the direct chat on the site, audio chat and once even video chat so they could show me the custom snooker cue wood grains so I could choose the exact cue I wanted.
That being said I would never buy SD cards from any of the sellers there as they are probably 99.9% fake.

 

[Donnie Frank]

In one breath you say "I've yet to purchase a single thing from AliBabba" and in the next you say "I don't know why anybody would choose these Chinese operations that don't allow direct communication with the seller".

How would you know that if you never bought anything there?

The same way I know anything about anything I have never tried or used. Reputation. Research. Videos. Complaints. User ratings. There's a whole world out there. All the information of the world is at your fingertips with all the good and bad experiences of users from coast to coast.

I've bought many things from AliBabba and never had a problem. I've been able to talk to them through the direct chat on the site,

Them? Are you talking about the seller directly? Or "representatives" and/or "support personnel?" Or even worse, AliBabba support???

audio chat and once even video chat so they could show me the custom snooker cue wood grains so I could choose the exact cue I wanted.

Direct from the seller? Or was this a large company who just happens to sell on AliBabba who just happens to have their own support portal??? Just trying to fully understand your support experience.

That being said I would never buy SD cards from any of the sellers there as they are probably 99.9% fake.

Yep. At least with eBay I can contact the seller directly *prior* to purchase. The communication is logged onto eBay servers, which can then be accessed by support personnel should the card be fake. Amazon is not quite as straight forward, so 99% of my purchases are via eBay.

The other advantage is user feedback. Maintaining high feedback on eBay requires a level of integrity one doesn't see in other online shopping sites. Amazon rates *products." eBay rates *sellers.* AliBabba??? Who knows. As you pointed out, I haven't shopped there, and honestly don't care to research it at this time.

Dare I say that an eBay purchase backed by a Paypal payment funded by a "no fault for online fraud" credit card is bullet proof. That's a 3-layer onion of protection. 22 years on eBay I haven't been ripped off a single time. A couple have TRIED, but ultimately failed via the 3-layer onion of protection.

Discuss.

D

 

[Tufargon]

The same way I know anything about anything I have never tried or used. Reputation. Research. Videos. Complaints. User ratings. There's a whole world out there. All the information of the world is at your fingertips with all the good and bad experiences of users from coast to coast.



Them? Are you talking about the seller directly? Or "representatives" and/or "support personnel?" Or even worse, AliBabba support???





Direct from the seller? Or was this a large company who just happens to sell on AliBabba who just happens to have their own support portal??? Just trying to fully understand your support experience.




Yep. At least with eBay I can contact the seller directly *prior* to purchase. The communication is logged onto eBay servers, which can then be accessed by support personnel should the card be fake. Amazon is not quite as straight forward, so 99% of my purchases are via eBay.

The other advantage is user feedback. Maintaining high feedback on eBay requires a level of integrity one doesn't see in other online shopping sites. Amazon rates *products." eBay rates *sellers.* AliBabba??? Who knows. As you pointed out, I haven't shopped there, and honestly don't care to research it at this time.

Dare I say that an eBay purchase backed by a Paypal payment funded by a "no fault for online fraud" credit card is bullet proof. That's a 3-layer onion of protection. 22 years on eBay I haven't been ripped off a single time. A couple have TRIED, but ultimately failed via the 3-layer onion of protection.

Discuss.

D

I've always only dealt directly with the Manufacturer who is also the seller. That way i'm not dealing with someone else buying and reselling from a manufacturer. Each seller will have a chat feature in their profile. Kind of like using Skype. The one time with my cue they actually gave me a little tour of the factory.
Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of bad companies on there. You just have to know what to look for.

 

[Rob Dog]

Was this visible in the AliExpress listing... SanDian ?

View attachment 165229

When I purchased them I don't remember seeing that. The color scheme and fonts are so close that I probably made an assumption. I am famous for that! Thanks for all of the positive replies!

 

[Rob Dog]

Well, the fake one doesn’t even say “SanDisk“, it says SanDian.

I know and see that now. I think I looked right over that! My bad for sure BUT it does not change that fact that they are selling crap.

 

[stubaz]

Honestly, it seems everyone is out to scam us. I'm currently receiving 3 or 4 scam emails every day telling me xxxx piece of software is about to expire and I'll receive countless virus unless I pay. At last count there were 13 different software packages expiring TODAY/ The problem is I've never had any of them.
But I did get scammed buying a Mavic Air and lost $625. I purchased a Mavic Pro only 2 weeks prior to buying the Air and when the seller offered me a $125 discount off the full price of $750 if I paid via PayPal AS A GIFT I thought "why not" the last buy was OK.

I paid him via PayPal and then he told me the Mavic Air would also save me money because it only weighed in at under 500g. I told him the air weighed more, but he was adamant it was less than 500g. That's when I got suspicious, it couldn't be a mistake this guy supposedly sells many DJI quads. I told him I wasn't sure about the purchase and he immediately offered me a full refund.

I received the email from PayPal saying a refund had been made and I waited 5 days for it to appear in my account. It never did. Paypal sent another email saying the refund had failed. Just failed, no other reason. I have now contacted the seller numerous times, sent a letter of demand and he's completely ignoring me. If I wasn't confined to bed I'd be driving down to collect the money. The police aren't interested and PayPal couldn't care less. I realize it's my fault for paying as a gift, but he returned the money when I paid as a service and told me to pay the $16 fees and send as a gift..

Is there an Aussie who knows if there's some way to get him to pay the money back? I was offered a "Private" recovery, but having a bunch of bikers knocking at his door isn't something I wish to be involved with. I'd happily pay $200 if someone would ask him nicely to repay it. A legitimate recovery agent quoted double what I'm owed to recover it. So I think I've lost the lot and an Indian walks away with $625 for nothing.

They say we live and learn, but at almost 75 I thought I'd never get scammed again. How wrong can I be?Being on a military disability pension, money don't grow on trees, at least not in these here parts. Please don't give me a kicking, I've done enough of that to myself.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Honestly, it seems everyone is out to scam us. I'm currently receiving 3 or 4 scam emails every day telling me xxxx piece of software is about to expire and I'll receive countless virus unless I pay. At last count there were 13 different software packages expiring TODAY/ The problem is I've never had any of them.
But I did get scammed buying a Mavic Air and lost $625. I purchased a Mavic Pro only 2 weeks prior to buying the Air and when the seller offered me a $125 discount off the full price of $750 if I paid via PayPal AS A GIFT I thought "why not" the last buy was OK.

I paid him via PayPal and then he told me the Mavic Air would also save me money because it only weighed in at under 500g. I told him the air weighed more, but he was adamant it was less than 500g. That's when I got suspicious, it couldn't be a mistake this guy supposedly sells many DJI quads. I told him I wasn't sure about the purchase and he immediately offered me a full refund.

I received the email from PayPal saying a refund had been made and I waited 5 days for it to appear in my account. It never did. Paypal sent another email saying the refund had failed. Just failed, no other reason. I have now contacted the seller numerous times, sent a letter of demand and he's completely ignoring me. If I wasn't confined to bed I'd be driving down to collect the money. The police aren't interested and PayPal couldn't care less. I realize it's my fault for paying as a gift, but he returned the money when I paid as a service and told me to pay the $16 fees and send as a gift..

Is there an Aussie who knows if there's some way to get him to pay the money back? I was offered a "Private" recovery, but having a bunch of bikers knocking at his door isn't something I wish to be involved with. I'd happily pay $200 if someone would ask him nicely to repay it. A legitimate recovery agent quoted double what I'm owed to recover it. So I think I've lost the lot and an Indian walks away with $625 for nothing.

They say we live and learn, but at almost 75 I thought I'd never get scammed again. How wrong can I be?Being on a military disability pension, money don't grow on trees, at least not in these here parts. Please don't give me a kicking, I've done enough of that to myself.

Sorry to hear of your plight, it sucks terribly having this happen to anyone.
If you really mean an Air, that’s a big warning too, heck I thought they were well and truly obsolete many moons ago just as the Air2 / Air2s came out.
Then again it might have been 2nd hand (???), as you said Mavic Pro too and they’ve been obsolete for several years.

All the best, maybe if 2nd hand he found it wasn’t up to standard and looking for another for you, and you might hear from him again yet.
Just DON’T SEND ANY MORE $$ HIS WAY !!

 

[stubaz]

When you're as pensioner receiving a pension the latest DJI quad isn't something to consider. Both of these quads were used and the prices were pretty much on par with anything else of those models. I guess it must be great to splash out $3,500 on the latest Mavic, but sadly having something to eat is our priority. The only new DJI unit I've ever owned is a MPP and it's never been flown in well over 3 years of ownership. I may be stupid, as I admitted earlier, but not to the point of buying anything else from that particular thief. I'm still at a loss how he can live with himself. He's married and has a 13 year old son. I wonder if they're aware of what their Husband/ Father gets up to?

 

[monchan]

I use Aliexpress a few times a year, I think they are great. But never for anything important and
I buy knowing they are likely a knock off or cheap copy. Had great success.

 

[EssenYVR]

The same way I know anything about anything I have never tried or used. Reputation. Research. Videos. Complaints. User ratings. There's a whole world out there. All the information of the world is at your fingertips with all the good and bad experiences of users from coast to coast.

The best way to avoid scams is to buy a reputable brand from a reputable seller. When checking a company's reputation, I always give more credence to the negative ratings than the positive ones - positive rating can be bought but nobody buys negative ratings. A lot of negative ratings are silly or from people with an axe to grind, but you can usually tell those from the ones with what could be systemic issues.

I've bought many products with some issues that were revealed in negative reviews, but that's OK as long as I know what I'm getting myself into before I part with my money. I'm perfectly happy living with a product with some downsides as long as I'm made aware of them before I buy so that I can make an informed decision.

 

[tuliofotos]

I buy cards from AliExpress, but I never (ever, ever) buy from known brands. I stay away from Sandisk, Kingston and others. I found that Mixza is a great brand and I never found any counterfits of it. It always delivers what I bought. Tested for speed and capacity, and I had used them for more than two years without flaws. But they are not $10, 256gb sandisk disks, they go for normal prices...

 

[MS Coast]

We’ll, it is China after all!

Yep. Where all our drones are designed, manufactured, and supported.

 

[EssenYVR]

Yep. Where all our drones are designed, manufactured, and supported.

I think DJI has earned a lot of trust by shipping innovative and reliable products. But I don't extend that trust to other companies just because they're in the same country.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Are cards from the SanDisk, Lexar, etc. stores on Amazon safe?

 

[kevguy]

Are cards from the SanDisk, Lexar, etc. stores on Amazon safe?

I just bought 2 sandisk cards from Amazon...all was good for me. I did buy them from the sandisk amazon store.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I just bought 2 sandisk cards from Amazon...all was good for me. Although I did buy them from the sandisk amazon store.

I've always assumed that brand-name "stores" on Amazon were a sales channel from the manufacturer, and therefore fraud was not an issue.

But that's what I've assumed. I don't know.

 

[kevguy]

I've always assumed that brand-name "stores" on Amazon were a sales channel from the manufacturer, and therefore fraud was not an issue.

But that's what I've assumed. I don't know.

When I was purchasing them, there was 3 things that assured me I wasn’t getting scammed. First, it was from the SanDisk Amazon store. Second, the customer ratings and feedback was good. Finally, I was paying $26 per 128 GB card. Usually scammers prices are cheaper to lure you into buying.

 

[mavic3usa]

I just bought 2 sandisk cards from Amazon...all was good for me. I did buy them from the sandisk amazon store.

I've always assumed that brand-name "stores" on Amazon were a sales channel from the manufacturer, and therefore fraud was not an issue.

But that's what I've assumed. I don't know.

Unfortunately I don't think that is the case. If it says Shipped from Amazon.com then it really won't matter who's selling it to you, the product likely comes from a bin which contains the same SKU or UPC which means it could be compromised. When I check the Sandisk store, all I see is a label or a virtual store, not an actual channel. Which means the product isn't coming directly from Sandisk (but only indirectly) but from an amazon warehouse. The problem is that same amazon warehouse has product coming in from other places that are sketchy and there's this thing call "co-mingling."

Anyway, it doesn't matter because every card I buy from anywhere is 100% tested before I put into service with software checker which catches 100% counterfeit. Amazon will give you a refund and will not ask for the card back. I still have 5 fake cards in my possession, 3 of which were obvious out of probably 50 I've purchased.

 

[mavic3usa]

When I was purchasing them, there was 3 things that assured me I wasn’t getting scammed. First, it was from the SanDisk Amazon store. Second, the customer ratings and feedback was good. Finally, I was paying $26 per 128 GB card. Usually scammers prices are cheaper to lure you into buying.

Unfortunately this isn't relevant when it is shipped from Amazon.

 

[kevguy]

Unfortunately this isn't relevant when it is shipped from Amazon.

And why not?