Yep. He’s wonderful…
And the generally-touted reason for that is that PP charges rather obscene fees to the merchant (Because It Can), which AX doesn’t want to absorb. Okayfine, but when I get nicked for almost a buk extra on an order where that’s a pretty significant percentage of the order, I just pass altogether.
First AX started hitting me with tax (and after the place-order stage, so you don’t know until after that you thought you were paying 10bux for something, only to have it show up later as 11bux instead). Then tack on another 80¢ for the “privilege” of using PP, and forget it. I all but stopped ordering anything at all via AX.
Now, I think the tax is shown before clicking on [place order], but that’s when you see with all the add-ons that you could be paying an extra 20–25 on small orders.
Oh, and goodbye free-shipping, also, unless you’re okay with untracked Press Your Luck Express which takes 90-180 business days.
Yeah… no.
It’s not Ali, it’s the individual vendors that chose whether to take PP or any other various means of payment (and most do take it, often as the sole option.)
And Ali charges like what, $1.99 extra? to use PP Express International while the CC services usually only tack on a view cents, if anything at all.
Other day when attempting to order another flashlight there (of course) the vendor did not take PP and my VISA payment was declined by my bank. Had to call and verify with them, turned out to be an extra security measure on the part of the vendor. PITA but eventually my order went through and I still don’t see a foreign transaction fee — though its possible that might be tacked on at the end of the CC billing period. Should have asked the agent, D’oh!
Of course not every vendor that takes CC over PP runs that same security check. So think in the future I’ll always select VISA when available to save the fee Ali charges on all PP transactions.
It is good IMO. No need to paypal fees. I pay in my local currency.
Mike
They are Not the only ones.
PAYPAL SUCKS!
Order a HT70 from Banggood. It is defective. Filed a dispute. PP’S resolution is. I send package back at MY expense and must have insurance and tracking and then I get a refund.
Confirmed again by USPS.It would cost me $77.50 . Light is worth $140. I would then NET a refund of $62.50. Why should the buyer be penalized like that?
I think commies own PP.
If there’s a problem, Banggood also sucks. In late December, I received a seriously defective Astrolux MF01S from Banggood. I provided Banggood Customer Service with all the information they asked for: pictures of their shipping label, SKU code, batteries used (new Samsung 30Qs), and five videos showing the light malfunctioning and the side switch not working. Banggood refused to give me a refund or pay for return postage.
After opening a PayPal dispute (which was an ordeal since I purchased the MF01S using PayPal’s “guest checkout”), I was told I’d receive a full refund if I returned the light to Banggood using any shipping method with a tracking number.
I mailed the MF01S to Banggood on January 6 via USPS First-Class Package International Service with tracking number. The package reached China on January 12.
I still haven’t received a refund from PayPal or Banggood. My credit card company (Chase Amazon Visa) refused to give me a refund since I can’t prove the package was delivered to Banggood. USPS First-Class and Priority Mail tracking numbers don’t work inside China (and several other countries). So I’m out $80 for the flashlight and $23.50 for return postage, all for a defective product which I proved (with 5 videos) was useless.
Banggood has a facility in the U.S. (in the Los Angeles area) and it carried Astrolux MF01S flashlights. If I’d been allowed to ship the package to a U.S. address then the return postage would have cost less and the USPS tracking number would show delivery. PayPal, however, required me to ship the package to an address in China. UPS quoted a price of around $150 to ship the package to China; FedEx wanted over $80.
In the case of products ordered from China, IMHO PayPal provides precisely zero “protection” since the expense of return shipping, with a tracking number that works inside China, will likely cost more than the purchase price. I find it incredible that Chinese merchants can ship packages to the USA for a couple dollars and USPS will scan the package all the way to delivery. Yet if you mail the same product to China, even paying 20 times as much for postage, China Post will not scan the USPS tracking number inside China. I submitted two negative product reviews about this defective MF01S and, predictably, Banggood refused to post them. Several people have received defective Astrolux MF01S flashlights (some owners made YouTube videos on them), yet out of 123 reviews on Banggood, the company has failed to post a single negative review.
Yep, you got banged good!
…and not in a good way.
I fail to see the humor in that. Abinfantry and I both lost money along with time and aggravation. You would not be laughing if it happened to you.
Banggood may suck, or not suck, depending on how your orders have worked out for you. They know what they can and cannot get away with and they play to their advantage well. Before I started ordering things from Chinese sellers I did a little research. I found out that how bad a Chinese company is or isn’t is based only on the interaction you have had with them. I have had almost zero problems with them, therefore I have no animosity against them. Others haven’t been that lucky and wish they would go out of business tomorrow. All of the deals gone bad at Banggood play out with many other Chinese sellers everyday.
I guess what I was trying to say was, it didn’t take much research for me to find out that I was taking a risk by not being able to affordably return merchandise to China. Knowing that, I couldn’t very well build an animosity towards a seller when I knew the risk I was taking and that I knowingly took it.
PayPal doesn’t really suck either. Unless you are trying to return something to China. Are they asking you to do anything that you wouldn’t normally do with a local seller? It’s not really their fault that shipping prices are what they are. Their guidelines for disputes are spelled out pretty clear.
Does it suck? Sure it does. But we all chose to do business in a country knowing the risk, used a payment system knowing the risk and chose to do it anyway. If you didn’t know any of the risk then you didn’t do your job as a consumer. I don’t mean to sound brash or even a bit of a, well, insert curse word here, but it’s the truth.
Being as optimistic as we can, we hope nothing happens and we go full bore at it anyway.
I believe that accurately sums it up. I have placed many orders with BG, GearBest, AE FastTech, Kaidomain, and others over a number of years. A few problems, but not many. Most of the problems resolved okay. A couple of them needed a return of goods to China and I left it at that, knowing it was not worth the expense of shipping. That was a chance I took when I placed the order; the terms are available if one seeks them out and reads them. We, in the US are somewhat spoiled when we try to compare the service level from a Chinese seller to a US company like Amazon, HomeDepot, etc.
I specifically used PayPal to make my Banggood purchases because I’d read so many people on BLF assert that doing so provided consumers with “protection” in the case of defective merchandise. I don’t see what possible benefit there is to using PayPal on orders with Chinese merchants.
It was PayPal that insisted I return the flashlight to an address in China (an address PayPal provided) instead of mailing it to Banggood’s warehouse in California. PayPal told me to use any shipping method with a tracking number. I had no idea USPS First-Class and Priority Mail tracking numbers aren’t scanned inside China (and some other countries). The mail clerk at my local post office certainly didn’t mention it when I mailed the package and told him I needed a tracking number. I only discovered that fact when I tried to find out why USPS tracking didn’t show any new entries after the package reached China. When PayPal told me to use “any shipping method with a tracking number,” they should have stated “except for USPS.”
I didn’t know about the “risk” you mentioned. I’ve lost count of how many posts I’ve read by BLF members touting the benefits of PayPal “protection” when ordering from Banggood, Gearbest, etc. What “protection” is that exactly?
When I contacted Chase Bank, I was initially told, “Chase stands by its customers, not like PayPal.” Within a few weeks, Chase Customer Service refused to post a refund since, thanks to China Post not scanning packages, I can’t prove Banggood received the worthless MF01S I mailed them. I could have saved $23.50 by throwing my defective MF01S in the trash.
I can’t begin to describe the hours of aggravation I spent dealing with “Customer Service” at Banggood, PayPal (especially), and Chase Bank. Every time I contact PayPal, it takes two to four hours before I’m connected to the “specialists” who handle “guest checkout” disputes. I’ve repeatedly received emails from PayPal directing me to do things which are impossible in the case of “guest checkout” purchases. Then it’s another two to four hours of waiting and aggravation before a PayPal “specialist” tells me to disregard PayPal’s emails to me. Except for those which I shouldn’t disregard … as if there’s a way for me to know in advance which are which.
Perhaps you feel no “animosity” towards a seller who shipped a thoroughly defective product to a customer then refused to accept any responsibility, refused to return messages after the customer provided all the information they requested, provided 5 videos proving the product was defective, and asked for a refund then failed to post any negative product reviews about the product on its website. I’ll try to restrain my sympathy if a disreputable merchant fleeces you out of money.
Consider all purchases from China to here as one way.
As long they get here in one piece, we’ll make something out of them, make them better or use them for parts.
I figure the amount of money being saved going direct to the source rather than through middlemen like the old days, the savings of buying a dang good light for way less than buying something along to the lines of a Streamlight here in the states (nothing against Streamlight) over the years the savings come out in my favor.
When you see the garbage they peddle at Outdoor/Gun shows for lots of $$$$ compared to what we have access to, there is no comparison of value.
Being able to coordinate with a maker to build a flashlight to our specifications, even when it doesn’t always come out perfect, is a very incredible thing to me at least.
YMMV
I DID read Banggood’s “terms” on its website before I placed my order. Here they are for you to read:
“If one or more of the items you received are damaged, different, or not working, you will be protected by this Guarantee. Please contact us for Return Material Authorization within 7 days of the order being received.
After returning the product to the address provided by our customer service team, we can send you a new item free of charge (we will reimburse you the return shipping cost), or you can choose to receive a full refund.”
I contacted Banggood within 24 hours of receiving the defective Astrolux MF01S on December 28, 2019. I promptly replied to every message they sent me and provided them with everything they asked of me: pictures of the flashlight, Banggood’s shipping label, SKU code, batteries used, and a video showing what was defective (I provided them with five such videos). Banggood did not offer to send me a replacement MF01S, did not offer to reimburse me the return shipping cost, and refused to respond after I asked for a full refund.
Kindly explain what I failed to comprehend about Banggood’s “terms” and their [guffaw] “Guarantee.”
And that’s why I doubt I’d ever ever ever try buying anything from China that I’m not willing to eat.
Someone like Simon or Sofirn would likely make good if anything went wrong, but generic retailers like GB/BG/etc. aren’t them. I might be willing to eat 20-30bux to try gutting a dead light even if it’s just to turn it into a 1-mode DD light. The more “custom” the driver, switch, etc., the less likely I’d be to buy it.
I also think you’d need to have your head examined to try buying a light for a coupla hunnert bux, or a MeowMeow cellphone or tablet, or anything pricey. BG ain’t Amazon. There’s no such thing as “a-to-z”. No such thing as returning it if you don’t like the color, or just for spite. Once they got your bux, they aim to keep it. You might have better luck getting your arm out of a croc’s throat then getting back any bux from ’em.
Hell, Amazon only charges your card when the goodies ship, whereas your account’s already been dinged by the time you get your finger off the mouse-button when clicking [place order].
Okay, so here’s where you need to turn into an armchair lowyer. I learned this trick at work when dealing with people who have the memory of a goldfish. You need to get everything in writing, not just your interpretation of what you think they want, but their confirmation of what they want/require.
You get their “guarantee” and the steps you need to take, and painfully recite back each and every step along the way, asking yes/no is that correct.
Describe the problem, cite the “guarantee”, ask for an RMA. Ask for where to ship it. Ask for what carrier(s) they prefer or even require. Become a broken record and re-ask everything until you get a clear concise answer. Recite back, get confirmation.
Then follow the steps To The Letter. If they say USPS is okay (and that they’ll reimburse return-shipping costs), and later they claim that they don’t have a tracking number from USPS or some other way to weasel their way out, you can go to Chase/PP/whatever and cite back the exact email, the receipt from USPS, etc., that you followed their instructions to the letter.
In short, you need to prove yourself right. Imagine you’re going to court, and Judge Judy is just itching for any excuse to call you an idiot and rule against you. You can’t give her the chance.
“We didn’t receive your light, as it wasn’t tracked.”
Well Hell’s Bells, I asked specifically if XYZ Shipping would be okay, and you said yes.
And so on.
That’s why even though it’s a pain in the ass, I often video the Grand Opening of the package, just in case anything’s missing. You order 3 doodads, and only get 2. “No, we ship 3. We have packing list, say 3. You try cheat us!” That’s when you send the video showing only 2 doodads were inside. Otherwise you say they didn’t, they say they did, you lose.
How do you suggest I do that? Ever since I asked Banggood Customer Service for a full refund, they failed to reply to any of my messages. Their refusal to respond was what caused me to open a PayPal dispute.
lightbringer says some good stuff
ive learnt something new now
i think im going to stick pretty much to aliexpress and direct with simon
ive also had a few packages from aliexpress go missing or not been what i bought and never had any problem
ive order a few torches and bits from BG and everything came in one pieces,im yet to get a bad deal on GB stuff . even if something came that was slightly different or a bit broken (solder was a different make ) (soldering iron looked a bit different ,but this was a generic hakko thing) so if i have to modify it a tiny bit that all is good
BG sellsvery cheaply and there mark up is proberly very little, but in bulk they get there money . so refunding one torch or one led means they would have to sell 10 more times to start making profit again on that item
i kind of put it all to experience and its the luck of the draw , to me its a little exciting also getting a package from china and seeing what ive got to do to it. i love tinkering around
also if i have to change a led or change the driver or change the gaskets on a torch. thats up to me and i love to do it
i am getting it for a hell of a lot cheaper then in finland ,if i could even get desent torches and cut down prices here anyway
i can tell you one thing though
BG-aliexpress+wish+ebay+amazon are all addictive!
Go into broken-record mode. Send an email, wait for a reply. Send it again. Third time, they’re not replying, then you dump everything into PP’s/Chase’s lap as BG being unresponsive.
And no matter what BG suggests, fall back to their guarantee. Before sending anything, make sure you CONFIRM they’ll refund your shipping costs. If PP expects you to mail it anyway, you point out that clause in the guarantee, and ask someone at PP how to enforce that.
It’s a long draw-out paperwork game. If you don’t want to play, you lose. It’s that simple.
That “good stuff” only works if a merchant is willing, even reluctantly, to honor its “Guarantee.” In my case, Banggood utterly failed to honor its published “Guarantee” and stopped responding to my messages (even though I was always civil and provided them with all the information/evidence they requested.
Then I congratulate you on your good fortune. Several years ago, I ordered a $70 coat from a vendor on Aliexpress. They shipped me a different, much lower quality coat. Aliexpress requires a customer to return any merchandise using a shipping method that includes a tracking number. The cheapest USPS postage with a tracking number (a tracking number I now know doesn’t work inside China) was nearly $70. I shipped it by USPS without a tracking number for around $35. My credit card company (not Chase Bank) eventually issued me a $70 refund on the basis of my USPS receipt showing I’d mailed the package. So I was “only” out the $35 I paid for postage. That was the last time I ordered anything on Aliexpress that cost over $25.
I already did that … a month ago. Chase Bank refused to issue a refund unless I can prove Banggood received the package. I provided the same information to PayPal. PayPal said it will issue a refund after proof of delivery. Proof I can’t provide (thank you, China Post) and which Banggood (who probably received the package weeks ago) isn’t going to. Now that a month has passed since the package reached China, tomorrow I’m contacting PayPal again. I’m really looking forward to another 2- to 4-hour wait to be connected with the correct “specialist” and have to explain all the details once again.
Tell me about it. If PayPal doesn’t issue me a refund soon, my next step will be a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (which regulates credit card companies). I’m more than a little dissatisfied with Chase “we stand by our customers” Bank.