Would you or have you bought anything on Aliexpress?

[jambop]

Why would you be surprised that there was import duties to pay? ... that is how importing works, sorry but it's pretty basic stuff. Its not like the info isn't available with a quick query on google is it? And how many businesses in the UK do you think there would be left if they weren't protected against cheap, tax free imports from the far east?

Everybody moans like hell that their local tackle shop doesn't stock this or that or has shut .... well perhaps part of the reason is that Chinese retailers have been selling stuff posted at prices cheaper than the postage would cost over here (because the Chinese Govt subsidizes their postage) and it sneaks under the radar at customs because of fraudulent declarations on the packages. Many UK businesses will however be pleased that the bubble has burst finally and things are changing. With brexit came the requirement for chinese sellers to start getting hit for VAT on imports at last .... good job too because the taxes are going to be needed to help pay for all that furlough money and vaccines.

Got to agree with a lot of that Blackdog. Thing is that people in the UK have got used to buying things online from countries in the EU... that is going to stop because of taxation issues and also the handling charges associated with the collection of these taxes. I am reading of people bleating on about things they have received whether bought or as gifts and they are getting hammered with demands for import payments and handling charges.

That is a two way street though as the same applies to anybody in the EU who wants to buy from the UK .

However the issue of Chinese imports is an interesting one. There is definitely a work around that they have in play. I ordered eight things on Ali E to be delivered to me here in France. It took twelve days for the items to arrive and I could track the progress of the shipment from China ... when the things arrived at my house I find that the goods had been posted in FRANCE ! So these items where sent to someone in France who repackaged them and sent them on to me. Because of this I paid no import taxes or VAT because the origin of these goods were from France as far as the French customs were concerned. I think that many of the dealers on Ali E have some sort of distribution centres where they send batches of stuff destined for French customers, it is sorted and then posted out... I don't know how they do it I paid no postage at all for my delivery.

 

[Trampster]

Why would you be surprised that there was import duties to pay? ... that is how importing works, sorry but it's pretty basic stuff. Its not like the info isn't available with a quick query on google is it? And how many businesses in the UK do you think there would be left if they weren't protected against cheap, tax free imports from the far east?

Everybody moans like hell that their local tackle shop doesn't stock this or that or has shut .... well perhaps part of the reason is that Chinese retailers have been selling stuff posted at prices cheaper than the postage would cost over here (because the Chinese Govt subsidizes their postage) and it sneaks under the radar at customs because of fraudulent declarations on the packages. Many UK businesses will however be pleased that the bubble has burst finally and things are changing. With brexit came the requirement for chinese sellers to start getting hit for VAT on imports at last .... good job too because the taxes are going to be needed to help pay for all that furlough money and vaccines.

Whoa, hang on a minute Russell - I did advise in my first sentence against using ALiExpress.
Re the issue of import duties, this was a few years ago, and nowhere was it made clear on ALiExpress that there would be any further to pay.
All very well for a businessman (and a good one - I have bought from you & will do so again) to state that I should have been aware, but there are a lot of websites around lately (mainy Chinese) that DO NOT (or did not) make the guy in the street aware that there will be duties to pay. A lot of these websites have no address, location or contact details so how is the average guy aware that he is even buying from China? Delivery is quoted for the UK, and the prices are in UK sterling. We can all be wiser after the event. It's called Hindsight.

My purchase from AliExpress was a pair of shoes that somebody on another site had mentioned and posted a photo of, and via a google reverse image search, I managed to track down the only place online I could buy a pair - AliExpress. As for fishing tackle, I have not & would not buy tackle from a foreign seller, when I can get everything I need in the UK from businesses such as yours, Ian at Lyme Bay, Robs bait & tackle here in Plymouth, and numerous other great British suppliers.
The fact that Chinese sellers (and others abroad) now have to deduct VAT at source is a good thing because it may help those who do decide to buy from them (not me) as hopefully they will no longer get hit by the fixed Royal Mail handling fee.

 

[jambop]

I did advise in my first sentence against using ALiExpress.

I really don't know why you would give that advice? My first experience has been really good in terms of communication and their statement of their terms and conditions. As to the goods they are selling? Well like it or not most of the gear coming out of China these days is of good and merchantable quality. The fact that things from China are in the main cheaper than a lot of similar items made in European countries is down to labour costs. Quite rightly a high standard of health and safety exists here in Europe. When you look at the work place environment for some of these businesses you can see why their costs are so low even before wages are taken into account. Even with added taxes what you are buying still stands up to scrutiny 90% of the tackle you would buy in my local Fishing shop comes straight from China but because of their huge overheads for staffing and premises costs they charge a much higher price. In short the difference in price for many of these copies is not down to quality, its down to the economics of much cheaper production and very much lower marketing costs.

The fact that like lots of people I have to buy stuff online makes Ali E a very attractive proposition for me even if I do have to pay extra charges for taxes. So for that reason I would most definitely not advise against buying there.
edit
I should add that the taxes are not the issue when it comes to the costs it is the handling charges imposed by the carriers... Colissimo for example will charge €21 to collect even 50 cents in VAT charges !!

 

[Trampster]

I really don't know why you would give that advice? My first experience has been really good in terms of communication and their statement of their terms and conditions. As to the goods they are selling? Well like it or not most of the gear coming out of China these days is of good and merchantable quality. The fact that things from China are in the main cheaper than a lot of similar items made in European countries is down to labour costs. Quite rightly a high standard of health and safety exists here in Europe. When you look at the work place environment for some of these businesses you can see why their costs are so low even before wages are taken into account. Even with added taxes what you are buying still stands up to scrutiny 90% of the tackle you would buy in my local Fishing shop comes straight from China but because of their huge overheads for staffing and premises costs they charge a much higher price. In short the difference in price for many of these copies is not down to quality, its down to the economics of much cheaper production and very much lower marketing costs.

The fact that like lots of people I have to buy stuff online makes Ali E a very attractive proposition for me even if I do have to pay extra charges for taxes. So for that reason I would most definitely not advise against buying there.
edit
I should add that the taxes are not the issue when it comes to the costs it is the handling charges imposed by the carriers... Colissimo for example will charge €21 to collect even 50 cents in VAT charges !!

I gave that advice in the light of MY experience at the time, which was a few years ago, and at that time, there was NO warning of any additional taxes or charges to be paid. I haven't bothered to go back to AliExpress to see if anything has changed, and avoid similar sites.
The other issue is that at this time, we should be looking at the bigger picture, supporting British (or in your case French) businesses, and not just looking for the cheapest option.

You are right about the handling charges - if my memory is correct, Royal mail charged me £8. Of course, since Brexit and the introduction of the new rules, it has all changed anyway.

 

[eastcoastgreg]

I love aliexpress me....
IMA somari copy ...£2.60, including the vat charge, ordered 19th Jan, delivered today ...from China. Thats a record speedy delivery for me, 2 to 3 weeks is the average.
In my experience, its always been down to luck whether or not you get clobbered with extra charges, I've only been charged once so far.

 

[jambop]

I gave that advice in the light of MY experience at the time, which was a few years ago, and at that time, there was NO warning of any additional taxes or charges to be paid. I haven't bothered to go back to AliExpress to see if anything has changed, and avoid similar sites.
The other issue is that at this time, we should be looking at the bigger picture, supporting British (or in your case French) businesses, and not just looking for the cheapest option.

You are right about the handling charges - if my memory is correct, Royal mail charged me £8. Of course, since Brexit and the introduction of the new rules, it has all changed anyway.

Yes but, while not looking for an argument, all that has nothing to do with the shoes, which you said were nice ? The add ons are beyond their control and what you have to weigh up when making a purchase of this sort is " can I buy this product at a better rate in the UK after the add ons" ? I know I cannot buy the things I have bought even if there was tax to be added and if the handling charge is added in. I can only buy what is on the shelf and most of that comes from China anyway. If we look at the cost of branded lures they are ridiculous one Patchinko 125 ior Asturie lure is running at €29 each! I can buy four copies of each lure for the price of one lure and have €5 left of the €29 they are well made and will last for a while. As to saving the UK or France I am 65 years old and could not give a hoot I am looking out for myself because, the young could not give a tinkers curse for the older people in the community even though we have paid their way!

 

[Trampster]

Yes but, while not looking for an argument, all that has nothing to do with the shoes, which you said were nice ? The add ons are beyond their control and what you have to weigh up when making a purchase of this sort is " can I buy this product at a better rate in the UK after the add ons" ? I know I cannot buy the things I have bought even if there was tax to be added and if the handling charge is added in. I can only buy what is on the shelf and most of that comes from China anyway. If we look at the cost of branded lures they are ridiculous one Patchinko 125 ior Asturie lure is running at €29 each! I can buy four copies of each lure for the price of one lure and have €5 left of the €29 they are well made and will last for a while. As to saving the UK or France I am 65 years old and could not give a hoot I am looking out for myself because, the young could not give a tinkers curse for the older people in the community even though we have paid their way!

My main point was, putting it another way, if you bought a product from a website that was priced at £26, with no notification of any extra charges being involved, and then you had to pay another 50% in taxes & handling charges before it could be delivered, I daresay you wouldn't be happy either. Doesn't really matter where it came from, and I possibly hadn't twigged back then that ALiExpress was a Chinese site. It wouldn't have happened if it was a UK site, and I had no reason at the time to believe it wasn't. AliExpress seem to be popular amongst the Lure fishing community, and good luck to 'em.

Your orginal question/tread title was

Would you or have you bought anything on Aliexpress?​

and I answered honestly "Yes I have, but wouldn't do so again. Feels like I have touched a nerve.

 

[jambop]

No Trampster not at all no nerve problems . It just seems that the reason you would not use the site is because of one bad experience about charges that you were not aware could be added on, but were nothing at all to do with the sellers themselves, and that is fair enough.

 

[Trampster]

The proliferation of these nameless sites is down to the way a lot of Chinese companies are using UK distribution Companies to do their business ...not sure on the legality for a Chinese based Company targetting the UK but UK and EU based sites are legally required to display a bricks and mortar postal address on their site (plus other stuff). Its simple logic to avoid any site that doesn't have contact details on it anyway, you just don't give money to people without knowing where they are.

Agree. The Chinese companies annoy the hell outta me on eBay. If I do have to buy something on eBay, I always select the 'UK only' option, but a lot of Chinese companies sneak through, so a lot of searching is needed to determine if they have contacts details & a UK VAT no. on the listing and where they are based. A lot don't have contact details. I've spoken to eBay about a 'fast & free' delivery selection tab, as they have similar on eBay USA. This should at least ensure that the goods are being delivered from the UK, but whilst eBay have said it is a good idea, they haven't done anything about it. I suspect because they would lose a fair bit of revenue from their foreign sellers.

 

[jambop]

About Chinese knock off imported lures. I came across a Henry Gilbey video on youtube the other week in which he, while not condoning the copying of the lures, admitted that the lures were great value for the money and he has caught lots of fish on them! He said that he realised that not everybody can afford to use the real lure at three or four times the price... then gave links to eBay sites that sell these lures stating that the lures were copies of discontinued designs old favourites as it were so that made everything OK ... of course on these same sites you can buy lots of other lures that are umm not discontinued He was open enough to say that he would get a small payback on any purchased using his links and thanked anybody who did buy because all the money raised helped keep his channel going so fair enough on him.

 

[Trampster]

About Chinese knock off imported lures. I came across a Henry Gilbey video on youtube the other week in which he, while not condoning the copying of the lures, admitted that the lures were great value for the money and he has caught lots of fish on them! He said that he realised that not everybody can afford to use the real lure at three or four times the price... then gave links to eBay sites that sell these lures stating that the lures were copies of discontinued designs old favourites as it were so that made everything OK ... of course on these same sites you can buy lots of other lures that are umm not discontinued He was open enough to say that he would get a small payback on any purchased using his links and thanked anybody who did buy because all the money raised helped keep his channel going so fair enough on him.

Interesting. I know Youtubers can post affiliate links to Amazon, but didn't know they were able to do it with eBay too. I'll have to look at his channel. I think that these affiliated links only get a fraction of the price of the item though - not sure but I guess 1% or less.

EDIT: I've had a look at the eBay affiliate program, and it looks to be 3% for fishing tackle. There are diffeent rates for different item categories.

 

[jambop]

Interesting. I know Youtubers can post affiliate links to Amazon, but didn't know they were able to do it with eBay too. I'll have to look at his channel. I think that these affiliated links only get a fraction of the price of the item though - not sure but I guess 1% or less.

EDIT: I've had a look at the eBay affiliate program, and it looks to be 3% for fishing tackle. There are diffeent rates for different item categories.

To be fair my mind could be playing tricks it could have been a written article/ blog type thing with photos and the eBay links he has a lot of very good reviews on his site rods, reels and lures . Some of the gear is pricey and some of it not so much he balances things well... not everybody wants to spend over the odds for their hardware.

 

[Trampster]

To be fair my mind could be playing tricks it could have been a written article/ blog type thing with photos and the eBay links he has a lot of very good reviews on his site rods, reels and lures . Some of the gear is pricey and some of it not so much he balances things well... not everybody wants to spend over the odds for their hardware.

Agree. I couln't find any links on his videos, but there were links to his website, and affiliate links in his lure reviews to eBay, Veals and a few others. Not into Bass fishing but Henry is a good guy.

 

[Beach]

Also there is Wish and Bangood that sell fishing stuff from China. I have brought hooks which never had a problem with, you can get 100 for the price of 20 in the UK.

 

[Trampster]

Aside from the issues already mentioned, I can't be doing with waiting for stuff to arrive from the far East. I try to support UK suppliers and buy most of my hooks & rig making bits from Ian @GPSguru - Lyme Bay Tackle https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/ianparkoak/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
Or Kevin Ash on eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/kevash123uk/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
They might not be the cheapest but I would sooner my cash goes to great guys that provide excellent service.

 

[Beach]

I buy my line, weights, swivels rods, reels etc from UK, just hooks from Far East.
Oh forgot, got some lures to try from Far East.

 

[Redneck Dek]

I mostly get terminal/consumables from my usual tackle shop,if he can’t get it then it’s veals.
Bait if it’s bought comes from him I just drop him a message or ring up and it’s saved for me.
I get good local info and a bit of crack when I’m there.I get what I need and help keep a small independent business going.
Winner winner?

 

[Battered]

dhgate is another site in China selling knock off gear, I mean discounted stuff. Gotta keep the lawyers happy

 

[Neilos]

I've bought quite a few lures from Ali Express and a couple of other things too. Much of the stuff on there is cheap rubbish...but it seems to me that if the local tackle websites/shops didn't charge so much for their products then they would be supported more. That brings into play their suppliers and the manufacturers of the products being sold.....does the price of a genuine patchinko for example, reflect the cost of production? Sure, it'll cost more to produce if its made in Europe ( where are they made..Europe.?.China?....which opens a whole new kettle of fish!?) But does it really justify the 24 quid price slapped on it at the retail end?

 

[Beach]

I've bought quite a few lures from Ali Express and a couple of other things too. Much of the stuff on there is cheap rubbish...but it seems to me that if the local tackle websites/shops didn't charge so much for their products then they would be supported more. That brings into play their suppliers and the manufacturers of the products being sold.....does the price of a genuine patchinko for example, reflect the cost of production? Sure, it'll cost more to produce if its made in Europe ( where are they made..Europe.?.China?....which opens a whole new kettle of fish!?) But does it really justify the 24 quid price slapped on it at the retail end?

At that price the shops can keep them on the shelves gathering dust.