Related
In case anyone's still interested in purchasing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0EJ-0009-00001
Amazing that there have been so many deals for the View. Is HTC trying to kill off its stock? I absolutely love mine. The only thing I'd ask is for it to be slightly lighter, but aside from that, the hardware is absolutely perfect for me.
I was gonna buy it, but after looking at the reviews of the marketplace seller I just cant do it.
Seems like even the 5 star reviews were saying the seller was horrible.
jacobbones said:
I was gonna buy it, but after looking at the reviews of the marketplace seller I just cant do it.
Seems like even the 5 star reviews were saying the seller was horrible.
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Probably the majority of the users here with the View purchased theirs through through that seller - 1SaleADay. Most of us got it directly from the 1SaleADay website when they had it for sale there more than once. Yes, they're very slow and may not respond to questions, but it's because their products are dropped shipped. While it's no excuse for poor customer service, the fact is that they are merely a middle man selling the product. They don't actually have the product in stock at their own warehouses. It's wholly dependent on the company with the stock to get things shipped out. Again, it's no excuse, but it helps to provide a better understanding of what kind of company they are, along with how they're able to offer things cheaper than many other companies.
That said, everyone received their Views ordered through 1SaleADay in new, as-described condition (with the few exceptions that there always are when anything is shipped from any company). Purchasing through New Egg provides an added layer of protection for the buyer that none of us who purchased directly from 1SaleADay had. So if you really want one, I wouldn't let the seller put you off from buying it in this case. Generally I wouldn't say that for marketplace sellers (feedback is a great way to know who to buy from and who not to buy from), but in this case, it's a little different. It's a good price for a great device.
bsweetness said:
Probably the majority of the users here with the View purchased theirs through through that seller - 1SaleADay. Most of us got it directly from the 1SaleADay website when they had it for sale there more than once. Yes, they're very slow and may not respond to questions, but it's because their products are dropped shipped.
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What is dropped shipped? I haven't heard that term before.
I got mine from eBay before Christmas from that one seller that sold 2000 in one day and then 3000 in one day the week after (bidallies I believe). No soft packing material, just cardboard, but mine arrived without a scratch. I'd say dealing with Newegg is the absolute best place to buy it, since you get their guarantee. It clearly says there is a 1 year warranty too, so that helps.
Paul22000 said:
What is dropped shipped? I haven't heard that term before.
I got mine from eBay before Christmas from that one seller that sold 2000 in one day and then 3000 in one day the week after (bidallies I believe). No soft packing material, just cardboard, but mine arrived without a scratch. I'd say dealing with Newegg is the absolute best place to buy it, since you get their guarantee. It clearly says there is a 1 year warranty too, so that helps.
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The all-knowing Wikipedia explains it better than I can:
"Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer or a wholesaler, who then ships the goods directly to the customer. As in retail businesses, the majority of retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price but some retailers earn an agreed percentage of the sales in commission, paid by the wholesaler to the retailer."
So, the seller doesn't have the actual items, they ship from somewhere else, and the seller has little information on the items beyond what the manufacturer or wholesaler gives them. It definitely makes good customer service more difficult. It's not an excuse for the complete lack of customer service that 1SaleADay has however.
With the View, which ships from the U.S., this isn't so much of a problem. Pretty much everyone received their orders in a week to a week and a half. Where most of 1SaleADay's negative feedback comes from is much of the other stuff they sell, which is actually held and shipped from somewhere overseas (often China). Many of the items are sub-par, they break easily (often in transit), and it takes far too long for them to arrive. Before ordering my View, I had made two previous purchases through their site. The items arrived as described, and they worked just fine, but it took over three weeks for them to arrive. In addition to this, given the nature of how they do business, it's next to impossible to return anything through 1SaleADay or receive a refund. So, people buy cheap junk from them, it takes a month to arrive from somewhere overseas, and then when it doesn't work or breaks quickly, they're unable to get a refund or replacement, and in turn leave negative feedback (which is understandable). But sometimes, they do sell some good stuff, like the View. And I'd feel even more comfortable purchasing through New Egg because they have other customer protection measures in place.
Well I ended up buying the evo from newegg.
Im in no rush for it anyways. See how it goes
I ordered mine from 1saleaday and received it within 5 days of the order.
I'm on a flight to the states, just about to take off. Had intended to get TP in USA, but having read this forum, it seems the ones in the UK have less issues. Is this correct? I have a stop over in London and could try to pick one up in duty free...
Is there even a difference? The biggest advantage would be that a UK model would come with a 3 pin plug.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA
I don't know....seems like I remember reading about a UK guy that had 8 returns....But I think that the best thing would be to get it in the country that you live....that way you're sure there are no "unforseen" problems, like DRM liscensing, etc.
Bob
Hell, I'd get it in the states, dollar < Euro/£
Keep in mind though, the wifi channels for the wireless adapter stop at 11 in the states. Also, I'd tun it on in the store where you get it, make sure everything is OK with it in case you have to return, you can do it on the spot.
Sent from my CM7 Atrix 4G
7 returns, me. I would recommend buying one in YOUR country, and from the shop with good refund policy. You could in theory buy one in duty free and check it there and then, the but if it's Dixon Travel, and I believe they are the only ones selling this sort of tech, you can only return it to normal store not duty free, at least that's what I've been told by one of their staff. Good luck.
Sent from my 7th TF201
You will pay about 40% more in England. All consumer electronics are a lot higher.
IMO a subjective non validated improvement is not worth the premium. Not to mention if you have issues with the device and need to have fixed or returned.
in England, it comes bundled with the keyboard dock. You cantt buy the tab on itss own.
None available in the airport, just ipads, acer and a Samsung 10.1" but they had no model information... I'll get it in the States.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA
rushless said:
You will pay about 40% more in England. All consumer electronics are a lot higher.
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Whilst this is often true, to be fair to Asus the price they are charging the UK for the Prime+Dock bundle is pretty much the same as the total cost for the two in the US if you factor out the 20% VAT we pay in the UK and convert to USD at 1.5$ to the £.
Regards,
Dave
I took a walk around Chicago last night and didn't find a shop that sells tablets. What shops stock the TP? There is a Best Buy a couple of miles away, should I try there? It's times like this when Google Maps is your friend...
Best Buy or Staples might be your best bet for finding one in a big box store. Also, Best Buy has their satellite stores (Best Buy Mobile) in malls and what not that you may want to try. I was just in one yesterday and they at least had a floor model on display (not sure if they actually had any in stock though)
Was just in best buy. They had a display model but no stock - they only recieved 2. I met a nice gentleman who informed me that they are sold out across Chicago and there are none to be had. He did mention a store called AJ G.... But I can't remember the name of them.
Probably HHGregg is what you are looking for. I checked their stock for Chicago area and it shows none available but here is the link.
http://www.hhgregg.com/asus-32gb-10-1-eee-pad-transformer-prime-android-3-2-honeycomb-tablet/item/TF201B1GR
bluefoam said:
Was just in best buy. They had a display model but no stock - they only recieved 2. I met a nice gentleman who informed me that they are sold out across Chicago and there are none to be had. He did mention a store called AJ G.... But I can't remember the name of them.
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That's interesting, I know my local Best Buy only received 2 as well. I actually bought one and then returned it when my Champagne pre-order came in.
Order from US Amazon.com, and have them next day or 2 day it to your hotel.... if they will ship to hotels??? Guess just put the hotel address, and in care of yourself. If something is wrong with it and needs to be returned before you leave, they pay for return shipping.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD app
Tried to order one via Amazon, but they have none, except for non Amazon traders who are looking for a fortune...
Gonna look into ordering it via Amazon UK and getting it delivered to a friend in London (i'll be passing through next weekend) only trouble is the UK ones are all with keyboard, so still very expensive.
Anyone want to suggest other options? Bear in mind I'm living in the middle east, and Amazon won't deliver there...
Also, what's the best colour? I used a purple one today, which was on display, I presume that is the one called grey ?
£499 on Amazon UK, seems expensive
bluefoam said:
£499 on Amazon UK, seems expensive
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Thats a good price in our money. Gotta remember tax is included etc.
bluefoam said:
£499 on Amazon UK, seems expensive
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If you are a non-EU resident, you can claim the VAT back when you leave the country, which will save you about £80 bringing the cost down to the US level.
Regards,
Dave
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
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.
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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?
I put in an order for thr 9t with MiGlobalStore on Aliexpress.
And 4 days later, its not shipped and seller doesnt even read any of my messages LOL
Like, wow, is this normal? By normal, i meant, is this the standard on Aliexpress?
Should i have bought it from Gearbest?
I have purchased my Mi 9T 128GB, blue from Gearbest for 310€. The device has been already shipped. Have to wait 10-15 days for arrival. Will report then.
Sent from my unknown using XDA-Developers Legacy app
So its been 6 days, there is no reply from Mi Global Store on Aliexpress (and its still not shipped). Evem after i habe requested to cancel the order and asked Aliexpress customer representative to inform the seller, nothing. LOL
I dont know whats going on and how this store can manage to be alive for this long. But so far the shopping exoereience has been the worst.
Patience, it will arrive don't worry. As i recall correctly when they give you the DHL (or whatever else - if you chose the DHL shipment) tracking number it only goes live once the package leaves china and starts either from the UK (EU orders) or what ever else warehouse in north America.
I'm now torn between either MI global store - Goldway or Xiaomi Mi store. Don't know if there is any difference at all, but all I know is that if you using those Grey market resellers, you can forget any kind of warranty - RMA cases whatsoever.
Pejpi said:
Patience, it will arrive don't worry. As i recall correctly when they give you the DHL (or whatever else - if you chose the DHL shipment) tracking number it only goes live once the package leaves china and starts either from the UK (EU orders) or what ever else warehouse in north America.
I'm now torn between either MI global store - Goldway or Xiaomi Mi store. Don't know if there is any difference at all, but all I know is that if you using those Grey market resellers, you can forget any kind of warranty - RMA cases whatsoever.
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Well thats if they give you a DHL tracking number lol They did not give me any info nor respond to my messages lol
I woulf actually try GearBest, if they cancel my order as i requested.
I bought mine on Rakuten site, (Europe, France), from order to arrive in my hands i had wait 6days. 354eur i paid for 128GB, now we can find even for 310eur 128GB
The only thing that's bothering me on rakuten is, that i cannot see anywhere who the seller is. Either it is not writen anywhere or im blind....
Like this for example :
https://fr.shopping.rakuten.com/off...9t-6go-128go-dual-sim-redmi-k20-debloque.html
I see, its a reseller from another site. eglobalcenter
you can see very well that seller is central-FR but it is from china. If you go here https://fr.shopping.rakuten.com/mfp/5849175/xiaomi-mi-9t?pid=3974212410 and scroll down you will find mishopFR 314,38eur
then GTMobe 314,39eur then Kirin 319,99eur,... all this are from europe. all they sell under rakuten site
never_msrp on eBay. Very fast shipping, no problems.
Around $400 for the 128Gb, I didn't realize there was sales tax.
Just for the input and in case anyone in Mexico is reading, I bought it from Doto (a local reseller), they offer warranty over 1 year so that's nice, and it cost me about 45 extra dollars, bit I think it's worth it, they ship it the next 2 days.
Cancel Aliexpress order, because you can get Xiaomi Mi 9T Global version from Gearbest for ~261 euros! Just use this coupon: GBMI9T500
Link to phone: Gearbest
slavke1976 said:
I bought mine on Rakuten site, (Europe, France), from order to arrive in my hands i had wait 6days. 354eur i paid for 128GB, now we can find even for 310eur 128GB
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Sadly rakuten doesnt ship to canada lol im already used to stores doing this lol
-Mindroid- said:
never_msrp on eBay. Very fast shipping, no problems.
Around $400 for the 128Gb, I didn't realize there was sales tax.
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Yea...thats the other thing, 13% sales tax here lol
slavke1976 said:
you can see very well that seller is central-FR but it is from china. If you go here https://fr.shopping.rakuten.com/mfp/5849175/xiaomi-mi-9t?pid=3974212410 and scroll down you will find mishopFR 314,38eur
then GTMobe 314,39eur then Kirin 319,99eur,... all this are from Europe. all they sell under rakuten site
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Yep saw it a bit later (edited post). So I basically can order from allix in that case.
meskafonas said:
Cancel Aliexpress order, because you can get Xiaomi Mi 9T Global version from Gearbest for ~261 euros! Just use this coupon: GBMI9T500
Link to phone: Gearbest
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Thats a damn good offer, too bad there is only the black variant.
But here is a link from an Italian store (proven) with a 2 I repeat 2 year warranty.
https://grossoshop.net/products/xiaomi-mi-9t-global?variant=23270107938874
Bought my Mi 9T on trading shenzhen for 380€ and I got my unit after like 2-3 days.
I got mine from there also, it arrived in 3 days.
Pejpi said:
Yep saw it a bit later (edited post). So I basically can order from allix in that case.
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yes you can order from aliexpress, but if from rakuten, and seller from europe, you will not pay extra money for customs or taxes, and very often you can find cupons on rakuten , for example when i order it was 30eur offer for over 300eur shopping.
and if you buy on rakuten you will get points ( if you register as member ), i got 1700points what is 17eur, and after you can buy some other things in value of 17eur on rakuten ( for free, you pay with that points ).
just writing this , not to push you to buy.
Update on MiGlobalStore purchase:
So apparently many peoplr have commented on the store news pages, and they are complaining about how they purchased phones and the seller never respond to message nor ship thier phones. This started near end of June, till now.
Dont know what happened to this store but I am cancelling the order.
According to Aliexpress customer service, only the seller can accept the cancellation, which means if the seller does not respond, my money will be held by aliexpress for 40 days. That is just great. And thats probably what will end up happening, since the MiGlobalStore doesnt seem to care about no sh*t at all LOL
I didnt want to wait so i put in an order drom gearbest, and they shipped it (DHL shipping number provided, at least) right away. Will see how that goes.
For now, my gut feeling is: stay the hell away from MiGlobalStore, no matter if you get what you bought in the end, the overall experience is not gonna be smooth for ya.
You mind posting a link of the store pages?
I'm actually rather interested in the story. But I guarantee you that whatever you order will arrive at your doorstep, some people were waiting for a month. But something like that can be delayed in some many different ways. There is just no possible way that they gonna sell 1k phones and not ship them, that's something even AliX would not let happen.
I suppose they just have a bunch of workers shipping what ever crap they need to all day and all night. And have a "dedicated" chat team just on paper to please the minimum requirements to open a online shop on Alix.
But yeah, all in all who doesn't like that should definitely look elsewhere.
Pejpi said:
You mind posting a link of the store pages?
I'm actually rather interested in the story. But I guarantee you that whatever you order will arrive at your doorstep, some people were waiting for a month. But something like that can be delayed in some many different ways. There is just no possible way that they gonna sell 1k phones and not ship them, that's something even AliX would not let happen.
I suppose they just have a bunch of workers shipping what ever crap they need to all day and all night. And have a "dedicated" chat team just on paper to please the minimum requirements to open a online shop on Alix.
But yeah, all in all who doesn't like that should definitely look elsewhere.
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Mi Global Store
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bQQcRHbi
Go to the "Feed" tab and open the comments under their (many) posts.
I mean, the price i paid on gearbest is 10 dollars less than this store for the same product, so, with this kinda customer service, to me it is very obvious which to choose lol