Aliexpress

I was thinking of buying some parts from Aliexpress, but was wondering if anyone here had bought anything from them in the past, and if so whether they are any good, as I have found some bad reviews of them online. I understand that there are a number of different sellers that operate on the site, but I wondered how people had found dealing with them was generally.

Aliexpress is good and pretty secure. Just treat it like eBay and Paypal, go through the right process and you are covered (buy through aliexpress, pay through aliexpress)

In my experience, you can do alright if you don't just scrape from the bottom of the barrel. If a seller is WAY cheaper than everyone else, there's usually a reason. They're either misrepresenting the product or outright trying to scam people. I tend to buy from sellers that are very explicit in their descriptions and a bit below the median price for a given item. I've had good luck thus far.

it's a good source of parts , and most people just stick to the reasonably priced ad with free shipping, the trade off is that you just have to wait a while because most of the shippng is done with china post, if you want anything quicker the cost goes up quite a bit,

most of the time the first order will come ok however you have to stay on their back and be very very specific about everything

thejollygrimreaper is right. occasionally a seller is not on their toes and you may have to message them to remind them.

The whole system works very similar to ebay: you order something from a seller, that seller ships it usually with tracking, then you confirm the order once you've received the item so Aliexpress can release the funds to the seller. There is a reasonable time to file a dispute and you will get your refund back if your shipment is not received. Again, the seller does not collect money until Aliexpress releases the funds or you've passed the cut off date to confirm your order.

I use them a lot and agree with Twitchy above, if you are careful with whom you deal with and what you buy it all goes very well. I have had a couple of sales not go right and in both cases they were rectified quickly and without any dramas. The Chinese made bearings, rods, motors etc that i have bought are very high quality and the equal of anything else I have used for several years now.

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

I buy via Aliexpress alot for my biz. If you are buying bulk it is a VERY profitable way to go. Some advice:
1. Look through ALL sellers.
2. Be sure to always include shipping prices when comparing.
3. Read reviews.
4. The sellers are paid when you confirm receiving the item. SO... do NOT confirm receiving until AFTER you get the item and test and inspect! Then if you need a refund you are more likely to get it.
5. Sellers value high reviews so be sure to give very high reviews to a seller you want to use again.
6. Do NOT buy via bank transfer. If they require it then you do not buy from that seller.
7. Be aware of foreign transaction fees on CCs. There are some CCs which waive them such as Visa's Travel Card.

Related subject...
There are reprap 3d printers for sale on Aliexpress... including a Replicator 1. I would REALLY appreciate some opinions on it... PLEASE!:
"http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3D-Printer-MakerBot-Replicator-dual-extruders/565334048.html"

That's not a "reprap" printer. That's a clone of a commercial brand reprap-like device.