And what company did you order with?
most people are waiting to hear about stock before ordering. but i will tell you my plan. as soon as handtec has stock i am order right from them, no questions, delivery overnight to USA.
handtec from UK is prob the best option, cheapest, and most reliable.
RogerPodacter said:
most people are waiting to hear about stock before ordering. but i will tell you my plan. as soon as handtec has stock i am order right from them, no questions, delivery overnight to USA.
handtec from UK is prob the best option, cheapest, and most reliable.
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Ya I completely forgot handtec in the poll haha, sorry. I guess we can just assume other is handtec
RogerPodacter said:
most people are waiting to hear about stock before ordering. but i will tell you my plan. as soon as handtec has stock i am order right from them, no questions, delivery overnight to USA.
handtec from UK is prob the best option, cheapest, and most reliable.
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Carphone Warehouse are the cheapest I have found for the handset. I ordered mine yesterday and got it for £494.00 with £35.00 cashback and I'm expecting it to arrive today.
wendy75 said:
Carphone Warehouse are the cheapest I have found for the handset. I ordered mine yesterday and got it for £494.00 with £35.00 cashback and I'm expecting it to arrive today.
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Can I ask where you got the £35 cashback? Was thinking of ordering from cpw myself
turingstest said:
Can I ask where you got the £35 cashback? Was thinking of ordering from cpw myself
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Sorry turingstest, I made a mistake. the figure of £35.00 was an accumulation of purchases I had made over a couple of weeks. I only received £5.00 cashback.. I am new to the cashback scheme but I have just rechecked my Quidco account and they are saying £5.00. Sorry for the mistake.
Placed order on April 27th with cdon.com here in Norway, 4339 NOK - very reasonable as Norwegian prices go.
They didn't expect delivery before May 26TH, but got a mail today confirmimg it's been sent out.
That's my weekend sorted then
Handtec 10chars
B3311 said:
Placed order on April 27th with cdon.com here in Norway, 4339 NOK - very reasonable as Norwegian prices go.
They didn't expect delivery before May 26TH, but got a mail today confirmimg it's been sent out.
That's my weekend sorted then
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Oh you lucky man. I just got an email from clove saying they're not getting stock until the 19th. Means I won't get it until the 24th ish. Gah!
Here are my experiences with Online retailers:
Handtec UK:
1. Purchased a Galaxy S III white.
2. Handtec did not print their name, sign, or date the import form.
3. Item gets held up in customs in Memphis, Tennessee (clearance delay).
4. I contacted:
Lisa McFall
Sr ECO Import Coordinator
FedEx Trade Networks
Phone 417-877-2436
Fax 417-841-1438
Please visit WWW.FEDEX.COM.
If emailing between the hours of 5 PM & 7 AM CST, please Cc [email protected] on the communication for immediate service.
(If nobody answers, write down the extension # specified on the answering machine. Call back and use that extension number to speak to one of their 24 hours 7 day a week brokers)
5. Early the next morning (on Sunday) they get the package cleared and the package is still on time.
6. The Galaxy S3 shows up. It is packed in a Fedex Bubble bag. There is no packing on the inside of the bag for the phone box or the universal plug box. The phone box has visual dents on the corners from not having the proper packing.
7. I find it unacceptable that the package was not packed properly and I don't fully trust this item. I am currently waiting on my RMA for return. Handtec will not print me out a shipping label or credit me for the item's shipping until they receive the item.
Clove UK:
I've ordered from them in the past. They don't accept Paypal which is a real bummer. They take 2-3 days (or more) to complete their security check. They use DHL also. I don't think I had any shipping delays with Clove. The packing wasn't much better. The DHL packaging didn't have bubble wrap, but they put a light amount of bubble wrap on the box itself. The box itself was also dented.
Global Mobiles via Amazon:
I am the most happy with Global Mobiles. They use a box to pack the the items in. They even put an additional form-fitting box over the phone itself for protection. They put paper inside the box that the phone itself is packed in, so that it doesn't move around. When the phone arrived, it arrived in perfect condition. As, a further benefit the Germany Unbranded Carrier that's used seems to upgrade to the latest Samsung firmwares the fastest (or in the top 3).
Please put your suggestions for the best online retailers (with good packing and customer service) to buy the Galaxy S III from?
(If I have helped anyone please hit the "Thanks" button)
AC
Try Expansys, they were the most reliable since day one when the device came out.
never buy from overseas. the seller will always give you hard time in case you want to return the item + there are also issues like the delay you had because of commercial invoice stuff once it enters the usa. as it regards handtec, file a chargeback with your bank if they do not give you your money back.
Expansys Packing description / Chargeback
Hi Five86:
Please describe how the SG3 you purchased from Expansys was packed (box, bag, packing materials, etc)?
How was the condition of the SG3 box that your received? Any dents on the box?
FIVE86 said:
Try Expansys, they were the most reliable since day one when the device came out.
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Totòòò:
Definitely. Thanks for the info. I will warn them of a chargeback if they delay the refund.
AC
I'm in Toronto, Canada. Where should I get it from? Theres no SGS3s on Amazon.ca yet and Amazon.com doesn't ship to my location.
The only place I'm finding is eBay, but id rather go with Amazon than ebay.
Any other options?
Update on Handtec:
Handtec has held my money up for over the last week. I've paid for a Skype World calling subscription to keep in touch with them better (even know they do have a free online chat).
Handtec would not cover the shipping back, even know they included no packing materials. I kept calling about this issue because I didn't think it was acceptable since Fedex Priority Pak is around $100 USD to send the item back and it wasn't my fault that they included no packing materials inside the Fedex Priority Pak bubble bag.. One of the customer service persons asked if I could send some pictures and possibly they would give me an DHL account number to send the item back for free.
Finally, after sending them the pictures and pleading with a customer service rep (that wanted me to just "try the phone out") they agreed to send the phone back with their DHL account number for free and issue a refund. Unfortunately, this all came to a head last Friday and I had to wait additional days because of the weekend). After shipping the item back (even know I crossed every "T" and dotted every "I") the item got help up in customs. So, I contacted UK customs and got it cleared up (even know they claimed only the receiver can clear it up). The problem was that on the form for "Type of Export" you should not put down "Repair or Return" this will delay your item since they don't know if its a permanent or a temporary import. So, you must put down permanent" or "temporary" on the form. Remember also, that you need to of course include a commercial export invoice form and have customer service help you to fully fill it out.
Handtec Customer Service still wanted me as a customer. So, they told me that whenever I order, call them in advance and make a special request for additional packing for your order (on top of the light packing that is already in the Fed Ex Priority Pak) and that they would fulfill that request. So, I may still use Handtec in the future.
Here are the unlisted UK DHL numbers (that will work on Skype Subsription):
DHL UK 24 Hour Customer Service:
+441332816960
DHL UK Customs (2 Numbers that work on Skype Calling Subscription) (If on the weekends try them after 5am UK time, you may have to wait until Sunday after 5 am UK time. I contacted them on Monday because of my schedule):
+441332857332
+441332857359
I think I have included more specific information on Handtec, Fedex, DHL, and Skype than anyone on this subject, "all in one thread". So, if I have helped anyone please hit the "Thanks" button.
AC
Attackcenter said:
Update on Handtec:
Handtec has held my money up for over the last week. I've paid for a Skype World calling subscription to keep in touch with them better (even know they do have a free online chat).
Handtec would not cover the shipping back, even know they included no packing materials. I kept calling about this issue because I didn't think it was acceptable since Fedex Priority Pak is around $100 USD to send the item back and it wasn't my fault that they included no packing materials inside the Fedex Priority Pak bubble bag.. One of the customer service persons asked if I could send some pictures and possibly they would give me an DHL account number to send the item back for free.
Finally, after sending them the pictures and pleading with a customer service rep (that wanted me to just "try the phone out") they agreed to send the phone back with their DHL account number for free and issue a refund. Unfortunately, this all came to a head last Friday and I had to wait additional days because of the weekend). After shipping the item back (even know I crossed every "T" and dotted every "I") the item got help up in customs. So, I contacted UK customs and got it cleared up (even know they claimed only the receiver can clear it up). The problem was that on the form for "Type of Export" you should not put down "Repair or Return" this will delay your item since they don't know if its a permanent or a temporary import. So, you must put down permanent" or "temporary" on the form. Remember also, that you need to of course include a commercial export invoice form and have customer service help you to fully fill it out.
Handtec Customer Service still wanted me as a customer. So, they told me that whenever I order, call them in advance and make a special request for additional packing for your order (on top of the light packing that is already in the Fed Ex Priority Pak) and that they would fulfill that request. So, I may still use Handtec in the future.
Here are the unlisted UK DHL numbers (that will work on Skype Subsription):
DHL UK 24 Hour Customer Service:
+441332816960
DHL UK Customs (2 Numbers that work on Skype Calling Subscription) (If on the weekends try them after 5am UK time, you may have to wait until Sunday after 5 am UK time. I contacted them on Monday because of my schedule):
+441332857332
+441332857359
I think I have included more specific information on Handtec, Fedex, DHL, and Skype than anyone on this subject, "all in one thread". So, if I have helped anyone please hit the "Thanks" button.
AC
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You're still considering using them after that?!
What kind of dumbass needs a customer to ask for additional packaging?
matttye,
I'm really not planning on doing any more "out of the country" purchasing, unless the business that I'm dealing with has a return policy that can cover return shipping (with return shipping label) or at least assist with part of the cost.
I do agree that it seems ridiculous that the customer would have to request additional packing. Handtec claims that the additional layer of bubble packing was not there by accident, because they ship out so many phones. They did say that they will have a talk with their shipping department about it. The customer service rep at Handset suggested that I request additional packing, so to make sure that it was included (as he knew I wouldn't accept the phone otherwise).
I am keeping my options open and may use Handtec in the future. Although, if I do it will be under the realization that I will be most likely be purchasing an item for without the "safety net" of having a viable return policy (Unless you want to spend $50 to $100 to send the item back out of your own pocket).
AC
matttye said:
You're still considering using them after that?!
What kind of dumbass needs a customer to ask for additional packaging?
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Probably will be importing the RN2 to the US.. Where are the cheapest and best places to get this device from? I'm worried that either: I'll get a fake, long shipping times or never receiving the product or wont honor any warranty issues.
Im new to MIUI, is there a custom recovery that I'll need? Do i have to worry about unlocking a bootloader? If so, can i relock for warranty issues?
EverBuying.Net has it for $174.99 (http://www.everbuying.net/product1078806.html). I have never used them myself so I can't vouch either way. But at the same time, the RN2 is a known quantity, and whichever dealer you buy it from should get you the same thing (+/- customer service). I do have an order for one myself at GearBest, but it is a complete disaster, and I would not recommend them at the moment. I preordered it on 3 Sep, they charged my credit card on 14 Sep and said it would ship in 3-5 days, and now ~6 weeks later it is still in the processing stage. I have used GearBest in the past for other stuff, and even though orders have taken up to 5-6 days in processing, they have never been like this. For some reason, they are filling orders that arrived much later like end September and early October before filling the preorders.
I bought mine from minideal.net.
Originally placed an order with gearbest they requested a copy of my credit card and driving license and said it was extra security measures.
I didn't feel comfprtable so I cancelled the order.
Placed the order with minideal.net on a Saturday night received the phone Friday mid-day so essentially took 4 and a half working days to get here (i did pay a bit extra for DHL) worth it in my opinion.
Im from germany
I bought it from Spain for 240 € ( Amazon )
It came with a otg cable a back cover
and glass Front cover
Its the prime model
verbage said:
EverBuying.Net has it for $174.99 I have never used them myself so I can't vouch either way. But at the same time, the RN2 is a known quantity, and whichever dealer you buy it from should get you the same thing (+/- customer service). I do have an order for one myself at GearBest, but it is a complete disaster, and I would not recommend them at the moment. I preordered it on 3 Sep, they charged my credit card on 14 Sep and said it would ship in 3-5 days, and now ~6 weeks later it is still in the processing stage. I have used GearBest in the past for other stuff, and even though orders have taken up to 5-6 days in processing, they have never been like this. For some reason, they are filling orders that arrived much later like end September and early October before filling the preorders.
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Everbuying and Gearbest are the same company! Good luck! I too have received excellent service from Gearbest as well as horrible delays, lies from Gearbest. You puts down your money and you takes your chances!
Thanks guys for your input.. minideal for some reason isnt letting me enter a USA address. But looks promising with the screen protector and case.
Now im worried as I was going to buy from gearbest or everbuying
any other options that are similarly priced with a 1yr warranty?
tlxxxsracer said:
Thanks guys for your input.. minideal for some reason isnt letting me enter a USA address. But looks promising with the screen protector and case.
Now im worried as I was going to buy from gearbest or everbuying any other options that are similarly priced with a 1yr warranty?
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GearBest finally sent me a shipping notification this morning with a picture of my package. So, they do have them in stock at the moment unless they have sold out again already. For the record, they charged my credit card on 14 Sep, and said it would ship out in 3-5 days at that point, but the reality is that it has taken up till today to ship. There is obviously a huge demand for this.
kusamba, thanks for confirming that Gearbest and Everbuying are actually the same company. I started considering this possibility recently because their LiveChat services always opened/closed at the same time and had the same status indications, and also because of similarities in the websites, and within their promo e-mail headers. So it is interesting to see this is actually the case.
tlxxxsracer, Gearbest/Everbuying do seem to have the best prices. The Everbuying link shows about $5 cheaper, however. The slight difference is you can get DHL shipping from Everbuying on the product for about $5, too. The same DHL shipping on Gearbest is like $25. At least these were the prices a couple of days ago when I was getting ready to cancel my Gearbest order. My point is that for the same price, in one case you get DHL 3-5 day expedited shipping (Everbuying), but in the other case you get non-expedited version (Gearbest).
verbage said:
GearBest finally sent me a shipping notification this morning with a picture of my package. So, they do have them in stock at the moment unless they have sold out again already. For the record, they charged my credit card on 14 Sep, and said it would ship out in 3-5 days at that point, but the reality is that it has taken up till today to ship. There is obviously a huge demand for this.
kusamba, thanks for confirming that Gearbest and Everbuying are actually the same company. I started considering this possibility recently because their LiveChat services always opened/closed at the same time and had the same status indications, and also because of similarities in the websites, and within their promo e-mail headers. So it is interesting to see this is actually the case.
tlxxxsracer, Gearbest/Everbuying do seem to have the best prices. The Everbuying link shows about $5 cheaper, however. The slight difference is you can get DHL shipping from Everbuying on the product for about $5, too. The same DHL shipping on Gearbest is like $25. At least these were the prices a couple of days ago when I was getting ready to cancel my Gearbest order. My point is that for the same price, in one case you get DHL 3-5 day expedited shipping (Everbuying), but in the other case you get non-expedited version (Gearbest).
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but dont you get charged with import/customs tax if you choose DHL?
im thinking of going with geekbuying
tlxxxsracer said:
but dont you get charged with import/customs tax if you choose DHL?
im thinking of going with geekbuying
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Personally, I have never been charged import/customs tax when ordering stuff from China vendors, but I guess it is always a possibility. Nonetheless, I suspect it is not a very common occurrence simply because in the big picture, these purchases are small potatoes. If you were ordering mass quantities of items for probable resale, I can imagine things would be significantly different.
I have never ordered from GeekBuying myself, but I would not be hesitant to give them a shot if I were you because they are an established vendor that has been around for a while. I think there is some amount of gambling with every Chinese vendor because most are probably running with just-in-time inventories, and they will be loathe to admit they don't actually have an item in stock for fear of missing a sale. Regarding my purchase with GearBest, there is no question that the experience with this purchase was extremely frustrating. But I have used them several times in the past, too, and never had a problem like I've had with the RN2.
verbage said:
GearBest finally sent me a shipping notification this morning with a picture of my package. So, they do have them in stock at the moment unless they have sold out again already. For the record, they charged my credit card on 14 Sep, and said it would ship out in 3-5 days at that point, but the reality is that it has taken up till today to ship. There is obviously a huge demand for this.
kusamba, thanks for confirming that Gearbest and Everbuying are actually the same company. I started considering this possibility recently because their LiveChat services always opened/closed at the same time and had the same status indications, and also because of similarities in the websites, and within their promo e-mail headers. So it is interesting to see this is actually the case.
tlxxxsracer, Gearbest/Everbuying do seem to have the best prices. The Everbuying link shows about $5 cheaper, however. The slight difference is you can get DHL shipping from Everbuying on the product for about $5, too. The same DHL shipping on Gearbest is like $25. At least these were the prices a couple of days ago when I was getting ready to cancel my Gearbest order. My point is that for the same price, in one case you get DHL 3-5 day expedited shipping (Everbuying), but in the other case you get non-expedited version (Gearbest).
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I would still buy from Gearbest or Everbuying because, from what I read, the online dealers are pretty much all alike - some good experiences, some bad. My worst experience was with GeekBuying just last month - I needed a phone and a tablet delivered within 20 days - went to their chat, was confirmed 70 tablets in stock - that both the phone and tablet would be delivered (to the USA) in plenty of time - they had me do 2 separate orders since the 2 items would ship from different warehouses - they told me to chat again after I placed the orders which I did - they made many promises - the phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime) went out in about 5 days - regarding the tablet, I received a fake DHL tracking number but other than a series of lies, nothing - a few days before the deadline, they cancelled the sale, refunding to Paypal the cost of the tablet but not the $10.60 DHL fee. I got one of these Redmi Note 2s from to2c - they shipped quickly but do not respond to my requests for support on this phone - maybe they went out of business.
kusamba said:
Everbuying and Gearbest are the same company! Good luck! I too have received excellent service from Gearbest as well as horrible delays, lies from Gearbest. You puts down your money and you takes your chances!
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Everbuying and Gearbest are the same company??!!! dang! I ordered one and was hoping I won't be getting all the pop-ups like someone who got one from Gearbest
---------- Post added at 11:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 PM ----------
kusamba said:
I would still buy from Gearbest or Everbuying because, from what I read, the online dealers are pretty much all alike - some good experiences, some bad. My worst experience was with GeekBuying just last month - I needed a phone and a tablet delivered within 20 days - went to their chat, was confirmed 70 tablets in stock - that both the phone and tablet would be delivered (to the USA) in plenty of time - they had me do 2 separate orders since the 2 items would ship from different warehouses - they told me to chat again after I placed the orders which I did - they made many promises - the phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime) went out in about 5 days - regarding the tablet, I received a fake DHL tracking number but other than a series of lies, nothing - a few days before the deadline, they cancelled the sale, refunding to Paypal the cost of the tablet but not the $10.60 DHL fee. I got one of these Redmi Note 2s from to2c - they shipped quickly but do not respond to my requests for support on this phone - maybe they went out of business.
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I supposed the safest bet would be buying from reputable sellers on AliExpress. Should have ordered one from there and paid an extra $20 instead. Now I hope my order from Everbuying would come through.
I wouldn't recommend Gearbest. I bought from them using the preorder but they only shipped after I started a PayPal claim a month after they said they would ship.
I ordered mine from aliexpress seller "Shenzhen Top-One Trading Co., Ltd." via DHL delivery. Arrived 1 week after order in Austria with no additional taxes or fees., like said in the description. It is the 16Gb TD version, but LTE and WDCMA are both working great for me.
I totally paid 155,14€ for phone + shipping.
Robin69 said:
I ordered mine from aliexpress seller "Shenzhen Top-One Trading Co., Ltd." via DHL delivery. Arrived 1 week after order in Austria with no additional taxes or fees., like said in the description. It is the 16Gb TD version, but LTE and WDCMA are both working great for me.
I totally paid 155,14€ for phone + shipping.
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That's a great deal. I paid €173 for the phone shipped + around €30 import tax from Gearbest. Should have just waited to buy from Ali but I was too hyped and pre-ordered. Never again!
here is an update on my purchase from Everbuying if anyone is interested:
*placed order (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime and temper glass protector) with a credit card, chose expedite shipping
*2 days after placing the order, got an email about order was put on hold, and they needed to verify payment (pic of credit card used showing only name, exp date, and last 4 digit of account number and a pic of ID showing name, pic, address and exp date). They actually needed the verification on the same day that I placed the order, but they didn't send an email about it. I only found out after seeing a message in the inbox of my Everbuying account... could have saved 2 days of time there had I known.
*1 day after payment verification, order "was shipped" with a DHL tracking number (according to DHL, shipping info was received)
*DHL waited 6 days to pick up the package, (or the seller waited 6 days to actually send the package)
*DHL delivered the order 3 days after
**There was hardly any protection. The original box was not wrapped around with plastic bubbles. It was put inside another box with some plastic bubbles placed on top of the original box, and everything was put inside a DHL shipping plastic bag. When I opened the package, the outside box was a little moist because it was running like dogs and cats on the day of delivery. But the temper glass package and the original Xiaomi box seemed to be dry. Lucky there.
All in all, I guess my first purchase experience from Everbuying was considered good.
I supposed the safest bet would be buying from reputable sellers on AliExpress. Should have ordered one from there and paid an extra $20 instead. Now I hope my order from Everbuying would come through
I never dreamed I would hear "reputable sellers" and "AliExpress" in the same sentence - to me, they are a real crap shoot.
kusamba said:
I supposed the safest bet would be buying from reputable sellers on AliExpress. Should have ordered one from there and paid an extra $20 instead. Now I hope my order from Everbuying would come through
I never dreamed I would hear "reputable sellers" and "AliExpress" in the same sentence - to me, they are a real crap shoot.
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They're getting better, the problem is most people go to Aliexpress for impossibly low prices. Therefore, if you want to survive as a seller on Aliexpress, you are forced to compete almost entirely on price. Aliexpress sellers usually work on razor thin margins, so most people just sell part time, and don't really care enough about the business to put real effort into customer satisfaction.
I actually have a sellers account on Aliexpress, so I can say with fair confidence that any products that sell for less than 6 or 7 dollars probably do not ship with real tracking numbers. Technically, the sellers are violating Aliexpress TOS. However, most budget sellers still do this because customers tend to reward sellers who list products with impossible prices. The only way to get ahead is by cutting corners, especially on shipping/tracking and sometimes with the product itself.
Aliexpress takes up to 30% commission and a tracking number adds more than 3 dollars to the shipping cost, so do the math. I can sell a 3 dollar product, but I need to price it at over 7 dollars just to break even and this doesn't even begin to cover the other costs of running a business or make it worth my time. Play by the rules, and you can charge 7 dollars for a 3 dollar product and still lose money on each sale, but if you disregard the rules and cut corners you can sell for 4.50 and make a profit. So, who will you buy from? Someone selling the same product at 7.50, or 4.50?
Aliexpress could crack down on sellers, but this would bring prices up and Aliexpress customers are typically looking for bargain basement deals. That's just how the cookie crumbles.
I should note that Aliexpress is extremely strict about listing branded products now in an effort to cut down on counterfeits. You need to apply for permission if you so much as mention a brand name anywhere in your listing. I suppose there are benefits to this, but some brand names are also fairly common words. A real pain in the ass when writing product descriptions.
For example, "NEW 2015 plush granny smith apple pillow, soft, squishy and nice! Pls Buy OMFG dear GOD I need the monies."
Aliexpress: "*****, I see you mentioned Apple. Change it now before the long noodley appendages of Apple's tentacle beast™ molest us all!
kusamba said:
I supposed the safest bet would be buying from reputable sellers on AliExpress. Should have ordered one from there and paid an extra $20 instead. Now I hope my order from Everbuying would come through
I never dreamed I would hear "reputable sellers" and "AliExpress" in the same sentence - to me, they are a real crap shoot.
Click to expand...
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*Knock on wood*
I have placed over 20 orders this year using AliExpress just this year alone. Never an issue. You will just have to pick and choose good vendors from reading the reviews, and understand why you're even buying on AliExpress.
To be fair to some of the vendors on there, a lot of the complaints I read from the consumers was that people were expecting to get a Mercedes for the price of a Daewoo. Not going to happen. And often times I could clearly see that people do not read the entire description of product and service and whine about it later. And then of course there are a lot of sellers who would cheat customers. Good thing about AliExpress is they won't release funds to the sellers until all parties are satisfied with the transactions.
felix168 said:
*Knock on wood*
I have placed over 20 orders this year using AliExpress just this year alone. Never an issue. You will just have to pick and choose good vendors from reading the reviews, and understand why you're even buying on AliExpress.
To be fair to some of the vendors on there, a lot of the complaints I read from the consumers was that people were expecting to get a Mercedes for the price of a Daewoo. Not going to happen. And often times I could clearly see that people do not read the entire description of product and service and whine about it later. And then of course there are a lot of sellers who would cheat customers. Good thing about AliExpress is they won't release funds to the sellers until all parties are satisfied with the transactions.
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That's true, they also take forever to release funds so in theory you shouldn't have a problem getting your money back if there is a problem. Although I've never had a customer dispute a sale or file a complaint, most customers don't confirm receiving orders either. So, usually Ali only releases funds several weeks after product tracking shows delivery. It feels like 2 months sometimes. If you sell any amount of volume, you have to front at least 6-8 weeks cash for everything you sell. Which is probably why Aliexpress offers financing...
Basically, Aliexpress puts on a promotion as an opportunity to give shops visibility by putting their product listing on the front page/promotions page. In order to play, you'll probably need financing to support the promotion, which Aliexpress offers. Featured listings/promotions may sell hundreds/thousands of units, and shops may not see any revenue from the sales for months. Combined with the requirement of slashing prices by x amount and Ali's cut, a lot of shops just bleed money and never get the expected post promotion exposure/sales. I have a friend who used to own a factory, and he noted that you can spend 1000-dollars trying to promote your shop on Ali and only make 200 dollars in sales. Needless to say he doesn't sell on Aliexpress anymore.
As it turns out, it's quite difficult striking a balance between keeping customers and sellers happy on a platform. For sure, I hope Aliexpress cracks down on sellers who use fake tracking numbers and other shenanigans though. Customers also need to realize that an item priced near the cost of shipping is probably not going to change your life. You're ordering from the dollar menu, high margin sales affords better customer support and after sale service, if you're losing money or making 5 cents on a sale it's hard to bend over backwards. Some people only make a few cents on an item that costs 5-6 dollars, so if a customer demands a replacement for example, that's the profit of 100 sales or so you're messing with, and most people on Aliexpress aren't swimming in sales. The only people who make real money on Ali are Jack Ma and China Post. That's just my 5 cents.
I read from the consumers was that people were expecting to get a Mercedes for the price of a Daewoo.
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jun127 said:
That's true, they also take forever to release funds so in theory you shouldn't have a problem getting your money back if there is a problem. Although I've never had a customer dispute a sale or file a complaint, most customers don't confirm receiving orders either. So, usually Ali only releases funds several weeks after product tracking shows delivery. It feels like 2 months sometimes. If you sell any amount of volume, you have to front at least 6-8 weeks cash for everything you sell. Which is probably why Aliexpress offers financing...
Basically, Aliexpress puts on a promotion as an opportunity to give shops visibility by putting their product listing on the front page/promotions page. In order to play, you'll probably need financing to support the promotion, which Aliexpress offers. Featured listings/promotions may sell hundreds/thousands of units, and shops may not see any revenue from the sales for months. Combined with the requirement of slashing prices by x amount and Ali's cut, a lot of shops just bleed money and never get the expected post promotion exposure/sales. I have a friend who used to own a factory, and he noted that you can spend 1000-dollars trying to promote your shop on Ali and only make 200 dollars in sales. Needless to say he doesn't sell on Aliexpress anymore.
As it turns out, it's quite difficult striking a balance between keeping customers and sellers happy on a platform. For sure, I hope Aliexpress cracks down on sellers who use fake tracking numbers and other shenanigans though. Customers also need to realize that an item priced near the cost of shipping is probably not going to change your life. You're ordering from the dollar menu, high margin sales affords better customer support and after sale service, if you're losing money or making 5 cents on a sale it's hard to bend over backwards. Some people only make a few cents on an item that costs 5-6 dollars, so if a customer demands a replacement for example, that's the profit of 100 sales or so you're messing with, and most people on Aliexpress aren't swimming in sales. The only people who make real money on Ali are Jack Ma and China Post. That's just my 5 cents.
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Very insightful indeed. I'm staying up for the 11.11 AliExpress shopping spree. LMAO! :victory:
This is going off topic a tad and I'm sure the mods are not going to like it. But anyway, thanks for the info. Like I said, smart shoppers and reasonable buyers will have no trouble shopping on AliExpress. And I was happy to report that Everbuying wasn't as bad as all the bad reps that I read about online.
I am in the US looking to buy one of these. Any recommended sellers?
From xperia blog they recommend Clove and Handtec from the UK. Handtec seems cheaper (vs ebay for perhaps better returns/warranty).
I'd appreciate any recommendations from people here who have purchased.
Handtec sells for $572. Ebay is closer to $540
If I do get it from ebay (from taiwan or HK), could I run into issues with languages?
eng3 said:
I am in the US looking to buy one of these. Any recommended sellers?
From xperia blog they recommend Clove and Handtec from the UK. Handtec seems cheaper (vs ebay for perhaps better returns/warranty).
I'd appreciate any recommendations from people here who have purchased.
Handtec sells for $572. Ebay is closer to $540
If I do get it from ebay (from taiwan or HK), could I run into issues with languages?
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I got one from clove. No issues.
Sent from my Nexus 5X
I purchased mines at Plemix for $520 + $28 shipping. Also purchased a Z1 compact there with no problems. Shipping was within 2 days so that's a plus. Currently, there's a free 32 GB memory card special until the end of the month. Haven't really had any issues with them and never really contacted customer service so I can't say anything about that. Not too sure about the returns/warranty but there's info about that on their website.
Thanks. Although from some quick research on Plemix I see some mixed reviews. I'm sure most of these places online are fine if everything goes smoothly. Its really when something goes wrong (ie. item arriving damanged, DOA) to see how it is handled.
I've also noticed that Amazon UK has it for cheaper than Clove and Handtec. The Xperiablog article said AmazonUK does not allow VAT to be excluded but it was excluded when I added it to the cart. Actually, I notice I can buy directly on Amazon US for around $540. I might just do that.
eng3 said:
Thanks. Although from some quick research on Plemix I see some mixed reviews. I'm sure most of these places online are fine if everything goes smoothly. Its really when something goes wrong (ie. item arriving damanged, DOA) to see how it is handled.
I've also noticed that Amazon UK has it for cheaper than Clove and Handtec. The Xperiablog article said AmazonUK does not allow VAT to be excluded but it was excluded when I added it to the cart. Actually, I notice I can buy directly on Amazon US for around $540. I might just do that.
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Isn't the one listed on amazon from third party retailers like expansys? I wonder how they handle returns just in case.. any idea??
I got mine from Amazon for $550 and received it next day thanks to Prime shipping. No issues.
I ended up ordering through amazon as well. I decided to save $10 and get the non-prime option. Although I ordered it Friday and it came today. I just wasnt at home to sign for it. (Missed the guy by 10min)
I think the only issue will be if I need to send it back for warranty. I'll have to pay shipping both ways to Hong Kong or Taiwan or wherever the phone originated from.
eng3 said:
I am in the US looking to buy one of these. Any recommended sellers?
From xperia blog they recommend Clove and Handtec from the UK. Handtec seems cheaper (vs ebay for perhaps better returns/warranty).
I'd appreciate any recommendations from people here who have purchased.
Handtec sells for $572. Ebay is closer to $540
If I do get it from ebay (from taiwan or HK), could I run into issues with languages?
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I live in Australia and have bought the z1 and z3 compact from Clove UK, have bought other tech from Handtek, had no problems or issues with using Australia cell provider, support or anything. I now have the z5 compact which I bought from ebay Quality Deals Store on Ebay when ebay had 20% off store wide recently, got it delivered for a bargain $600 AUD. The phone came quick, set it up in English easy and it works on Australian networks etc. Couldn't be happier ☺
Amazon was perfect for me. These past two weeks has it seldom carry the Z5c as Prime... usually a seller ships some 10 devices to Amazon's warehouses (to be categorized as Prime) but those fly off the shelves. In the past two weeks I have seem some 60 Z5c as Prime to disappear within hours, but if you look daily, they are there.
If you are in the US, at $550 Prime is worth it over ebay's $540 in my opinion; faster shipping and 30 days possibility to return it.
do you need amazon prime account for it? is this different from 3rd party sellers on amazon?