Anyone use Alibaba

[Mike J]

Has anyone used Alibaba to buy from China?  How was the experience and what was involved in shipping and customs?  Considering the purchase of tile for our small pool.

[Snowy79]

I'd forget it as the postage at times doubles the cost and depending on the shipping companies it can take forever.  I use Shopee and say an item costs 1k peso, shipping to your door from China takes one to two weeks and costs about 130 peso.  The same item from Alibaba ( Ali Express) costs similar but shipping can be well over 1k peso and take 45 days upwards and usually gets handed to Phil Post where it lays forever and if you do get a message to colect they hit you with import duties etc.  My last two items were just samples and cost less than 50 peso, took over 4 months and I got hit with 112 peso fees.  

[RobH]

I bought an electric telescopic ham radio mast cost £1500, this virtually doubled with customs duty and Philippine shipping the package weighed coming up to 100 kg. customs held it up for a month, the duty they make up as they go along, and the transport to my home was a rip off. 3 men struggling to get it off the truck an it was a small box van. I had to enlist the philippine amateur radio association to get it out of customs (I am a member) or it would still be there, they also make an extra charge for storage by the day. never again. even cheap items attract the customs sharks.

I had an electric winch fail the company sent a new one free of charge, what a drama that was, they could not understand that it was free under warranty stuck in customs for 3 weeks arguing with them, I did eventually get it with no duty. I have no complaints with the Chinese company at all very nice to deal within very helpful. Philippine customs are a complete shower. try to avoid like the plague. I have been told by Filipino friends that I should have used a Philippine name then there wouldn't have been such a drama.

A new version of the long nose tax.

 

[expatuk2014]

I use Lazeda for buying things from China recent purchase was replacement foil and cutter for my panasonic shaver

Cost was just over 2000pesos inc 50pesos for delivery! No extra customs costs, same when we bought a answerphone, no customs duties, i am about to order a radio scanner from the US cost of 10600.oo pesos no extra custom duties

Edited March 7, 2021 by expatuk2014
Mis spelling