Why do they sell 0.01 USD products on Aliexpress

I have just got a XT60 connector (male AND female) I have ordered from Aliexpress for 0.01$ including shipping.
I searched for a XT60 and found this item. Reviews said they got it, so I ordered too. I did not expect to get it but after some time it showed in my mailbox.
How do you explain this? they obviously loosing money on this item??

Mistake?

It may be cheaper for them to just cover for that and ship than to have negative comments.

BTW, I once ordered some 7135s for $0.08…and they were shipped and arrived. But at the time of their arrival the store was already closed.


Maybe, but at the time I made the purchase there where already some 1 month old reviews so they had some time to find and fix the mistake

Sometimes, the price US$0.01 is for “new user” who can order only one item. Interesting gimmick. It attracts many unknowing shoppers to a particular website using this tactic.


Interesting but dont they limit this items for new users only?

I’ve heard before but don’t know if it’s true/ still active - the Chinese government subsidised shipping to overseas. Hence businesses could sell super cheap (including shipping).

This is absolutely true. Combined with the difference in purchasing power between the yuan and western currencies and it could make sense to sell things for $0.01

Sources please. I haven’t heard of that.

But I do know that due to Universal Postal Union regulations, rich countries effectively subsidised mail delivered to them by charging well below cost. It worked like that until 2019 when Postal Union changed their rules, allowing most countries to reduce (but not remove) the preferential pricing. The countries with the largest incoming mail volume (as of 2019 only USA had the sufficient volume) were allowed to completely but gradually (until 2025) drop the preferential pricing.

So unless I missed something, all taxpeyers in rich countries pay for this “cheap” postage to their countries. Anyway, it does not mean that by sending stuff effectively for free you can make money. Postage is near-free but not literally free. The stuff that you send is near-free but not literally free. And your time is not free. And wages of your workers are not free either.

YuvalS, I just went to Simon’s “Convoy flashlight Store” on Ali Express. There are a few items in “accessories” with a 98, or 99 discount. But when I clicked on such sale items, the computer detected that I am NOT a “new user” and it just showed a full price.


So if they do earn for selling $0.01 items why no more such products are available ?


That makes a lot of sense but I was not a new user while buying it, I did it using my many years old account

*Not true *as Agro notes above. YOU paid the freight. Chinese shippers got free freight because you, the rich country taxpayer, paid that bill. That was renegotiated in the US by President Trump and free shipping for Chinese merchants being paid by US taxpayers is being phased out.

Okay so my understanding about subsidies wasn’t right. The $0.01 is just a gimmick to rope in new users…

I found similar deals in the past on eBay (for other products )but never from Ali,and shipping cost can change by country.You can get free shipping,not customers from others country.
Can you post link of the deals for check?

1PCS XT60 XT 60 XT30 T Plug Male Female Bullet Connectors Plugs For RC Lipo Battery Quadcopter Multicopter|Parts & Accessories| - AliExpress

To my country shipping 3,20€.
But if select for example Russia,Free shipping.So it depend also by country as I said


So it is not 0.01 for all countries but I still cant understand why is it 0.01 for some countries

It’s 0.01 with free shipping to here as well.

Not for me. Germany is out.

Robert