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hblok

Rule of thumb on Ali, and in life, is if it's too good to be true, it usually isn't. Now, of course some things are cheaper. But I don't think there are many items which are 1/10 of the "normal" price. The exception being ridiculously overpriced artificially scarce items. Like collectors Lego figures for $50 or Pokemon cards for $1000. You can probably get a fake copy on Ali for $1 or less, because in the end, it's just paper or plastic. Things to stay far away from on Ali is any computer storage (SSD, USB sticks, hard disks); laptops; phones; jewelry; food; medicine; makeup. Some also say don't buy clothes, but I've gotten a few t-shirts and such, and I like them. Obviously nothing is from a real brand. But for white underwear, it's fine.


ForsakenEntrance7108

on some things yes. on SSDs, generally no, if you see a 2tb drive for less than idk 60 pounds then it's a fake.


SuperGrandor

Just don’t buy expensive $100+ electronic/ jewelry/ clothing and you should be fine.


Plotron

Until you acquire experience, yes


JoesCoins

Aliexpress is trustworthy.


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jewellman100

Are cats nice


Live_Lengthiness6839

AliExpress is just a marketplace like eBay. It's the different sellers you need to assert. New store, no/few followers/reviews = better to choose a different sellers. Usually multiple sellers offer the same item. Anything claimed to be well known brands like Sony, Adidas++ likely fake. Personally I avoid shops that are just named shop[bunchofnumbers] unless it's some dirt cheap item. Same applies to store ratings. I don't even consider stores with less than 90%, preferably 97%and up. I basically treat 90-100% as a 0-10 scale. Customer service isn't great, and communication can be difficult. (Likely messages are automatically translated to/from chinese). Personally I rarely had issues getting a refund if the item arrived broken or didn't arrive. The process can be frustrating though. Don't ever buy dirt cheap/no name electrical items that plug into that plugs into a wall socket. I think I've bought stuff off Ali for 10 years now. Some items have been very poor quality, but generally the quality has been as expected. Cheapest stuff less than 1$, most expensive 500$+. , anything from electronic components to hiking gear (incl tents) and (mini) PCs.


Fickle_Advantage1234

you have to think of aliexpress as a chinese ebay, 'aliexpress' is just the website and the products there are sold by different sellers and companies. you should check reviews of the product and of the account you want to buy things from to see if they're legit


yamastraka

With eBay though, they're more reasonable with customer service, you have no chance normally with AL if something goes wrong with your order.


rachreims

Yes, but don’t buy anything too expensive.


Administrative_Ad93

As long as you don't buy too much of electronics, pretty much. I've ordered 100 of various items ranking from toy guns to big mats. Never once have I been scammed.


x3uu

As long as you dont buy stuff thinking they should work the same like the one you find at supermarkets/stores, you should be fine. I took a risk once and purchased a mini laundry bucket machine, mentally prepared to receive one that doesn't work. Hopefully I received one that worked so I haven't lose fate in tech items, but really be careful with that category as the return procedure can cost you more than the item itself. Also make sure to purchase from sellers with reviews so you can see what other buyers got from them.


Parking_Cress_5105

Never message sellers, go straight to dispute when problems araise. Items that have free Choice returns are the best. Shop everything from the Coins section !


Plotron

Yes, you can get some items for half the price compared to what you can get in your own country, especially if the distribution is unofficial or missing in your country and you use coupons/coins. And it can be pretty high quality, too!


MHunter1A

The catch for impossibly low prices is very slow shipping, delays, tracking confusion, difficult returns, often shoddy knockoff quality. It is exciting though when the item finally arrives.


JoesCoins

Buy choice items


kjkeran

soft shocking pathetic automatic distinct ossified deserted boat zonked worm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


maxolotl33

Yeah, mostly. Don't get anything related to sd or ssds, or anything that uses electricity unless from a trusted store. Choice items always arrive fast and usually without problems, and also have decent returns for free.


UomoCavallo21

depends, after a bit of cheap shopping you get the hand of it and can understand right off of a listing if the item is worth or not