Anyone ever shopped on AliBaba?

[BSauce955]

Hey guys,
So, while looking for a good replacement for my Air 2S, I ran across AliBaba. Was wondering if anyone here has bought anything there and what was your experience? I'm not too sure how it works but all the prices seemed terribly low (too good to be true and you know where that goes...). Anyway, I contacted one of them, and they sent me their pricing list. Is it a scam?

 

[MJ224]

I have bought stuff off them. Delivery was a bit long, but they are legit, assuming you have the right site...

 

[old man mavic]

@BSauce955 really ?

 

[diesel97]

Remember all those cargo ships waiting months to come to port, that could be your stuff also

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Are you sure you are getting the price for one unit or a bulk order?
Alibaba and AliExpress are online marketplaces. The main difference between Alibaba vs AliExpress is that Alibaba is exclusively intended for Business-to-business transactions, whereas AliExpress is open to consumers. Alibaba helps businesses purchase large quantities of products directly from manufacturers at wholesale prices.

 

[Artemis]

I used aliexpress for the first time last month, I was impressed, I got a telescope filter that cost 215 everywhere in the u.s. for 150, it surprised me that it only took less than two weeks to arrive…. That’s probably the big thing is you can’t be in a hurry, sometimes customs can take weeks, other times it passes right through.

 

[BSauce955]

@BSauce955 really ?

?

 

[Flippigan]

I have purchased 22000mah 6s batteries from Alibaba for half of what they cost from a US retailer, however I bought 6 total batteries, not exactly buying in bulk but not a single unit either. Also consider that DJI is very careful to control the pricing that US and even Chinese resellers can charge so that undercutting does not occur. If you can afford to have a few hundred bucks tied up for a long time and that it may potentially be a scam then go ahead, but if that’s not palatable just pay the extra few hundred bucks for a guaranteed drone.

 

[BSauce955]

I have purchased 22000mah 6s batteries from Alibaba for half of what they cost from a US retailer, however I bought 6 total batteries, not exactly buying in bulk but not a single unit either. Also consider that DJI is very careful to control the pricing that US and even Chinese resellers can charge so that undercutting does not occur. If you can afford to have a few hundred bucks tied up for a long time and that it may potentially be a scam then go ahead, but if that’s not palatable just pay the extra few hundred bucks for a guaranteed drone.

$800 for an Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X5s though? That's gotta be a scam.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

$800 for an Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X5s though? That's gotta be a scam.

LOL you only get the box

 

[Flippigan]

$800 for an Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X5s though? That's gotta be a scam.

I agree, if it’s to good to be true it probably is.

 

[dirkclod]

?

What he means is do you really believe those prices you put up.
I mean you should know better and even at your age think better
than send them $950. For a M3 Fly More.
That’s why his post.

 

[Crashdummytest]

Too good to be true. AliExpress is okay though.

 

[Artemis]

It’s a market place so you still need to cypher who is selling it… they actually have a Dji store, looks like only 7 or 8% savings, perhaps not worth the wait for that amount of money…. But for some it might be the difference of whether they can afford to get it….. anyway just be careful and if you surf that website a lot… every now and then a really good coupon will pop up…. That’s how I got my filter so cheap

 

[BSauce955]

What he means is do you really believe those prices you put up.
I mean you should know better and even at your age think better
than send them $950. For a M3 Fly More.
That’s why his post.

I figured that's what he meant. But yes, I doubted the prices but I'm pretty sure AliBaba was a genuine website. It's like seeing a Mavic 3 in Walmart for $950. You'd probably be like, hmmm. Just looking for what everyone else thinks. I highly doubt is real however.

 

[Artemis]

950 may be low but it’s not really unusual to see some stuff priced at 2/3rd, once you cut out the middle man there is still profit to be made for people with access to the supply chain…. It’s just scary for us because of the amount of money involved, I don’t think I would do it on anything costing that much

 

[Defens]

I’ve purchased a fair amount of things off AliExpress. Much of it parts and supplies for my 3D printers. Also some camping supplies, like a titanium tea kettle. Pretty much all were as advertised and arrived reasonably quickly.

unless buying from DJI directly, I’d have some concerns about ending up with a knockoff. There are also clones of GoPro cameras, etc. So you do need to watch out. Also, even if the product is legit, bear in mind that electronic or optics won’t have a US warranty.

 

[msinger]

I don't think I'd ever buy drones from there, but I have purchased drone accessories that I couldn't find on Amazon/eBay. Shipping was super slow (compared to buying from US companies), but the experience was fine otherwise.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I needed a source for a specific aluminum motorcycle wheel. The wheel I needed could be bought on Amazon or Ebay for around 130.00 US. I found the exact wheel on Alibaba for 12.50 US for a single unit, and they got cheaper in bulk. This particular seller would send up to 25 direct to customer - no customs, through DHL. Shipping was 48.00 US. I took a chance and ordered on a Thursday evening - it was sitting on my porch the following Monday. It was exactly what I was after.

That said, there is no way I would take a chance on those 'DJI' drones.

 

[BSauce955]

I've heard lots of comments suggesting that they may be fakes. Wouldn't they simply not be able to connect to the DJI Fly/Go 4 app? So it'd be fairly simple to see if they're fake and return it would it not?