Why I can’t buy. Lio ion battery online in Canada?

xmlaohan · 2019-02-10T02:51:17.000Z

I searched some online stores like GearBest, banggood, AliExpress and wanted to order some 18650 batteries, however either shipping fees are unreasonable high or that order can not ship to canada, what’s happened? What is best way to buy 18650 lithium battery on line in canada?

BlueSwordM · 2019-02-10T02:55:34.000Z

Hello xmlaohan.

Due to extremely tight shipping restrictions, it’s very hard to order lithium-ion cells online.

If you want 18650s from brands like Panasonic and Samsung, I would recommend looking at Aliya’s battery store:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1382210

They sell 18650s at decent prices for Canadians, so I would recommend looking at them, especially since I’ve ordered from them, and tested them to be legitimate:

Massive post on where to get lithium-ion batteries everywhere in the world! Look at Post 2-5 for info, And Canada Post 123 Rechargeable Batteries

Soooo, UPDATE I finally received my 18650s from the Aliya Battery Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1382210?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.7a5b23dbkNLBYu And I can say that they are truly genuine, and arrived on time to Canada! [image] Proofs and pictures of legitimacy: 1. They all weigh the same, around 45,9g and 47,2g. [image] [image] 2. The NCR18650GAs have the protruding flat top, and the Samsung 30Qs have a 3 pole positive terminal. No problem there. 3. The voltage of all 30Qs is 3,41…

waloshin · 2019-02-10T03:03:17.000Z

Check local vape shops I just purchased a Sony VTC6 today, they also stocked Samsung 30Q and Lg batteries. There are some vape shops in Canada that ship as well.

mattadores · 2019-02-10T07:34:46.000Z

Being from Canada I’ve encountered the same issue. Li ion batteries now require hard protective packaging, sturdy cardboard shipping boxes and specific large danger labels which for some reason China sellers aren’t willing to use. As others suggested, vape shops are your best bet locally but for the best price I use Amazon who has no issue meeting the shipping requirements.

Spartan · 2019-02-10T08:52:42.000Z

Same here. Amazon is listing and assuming shipping them to your house.

Normally, they use postal service BUT…wh at I don’t know is if they are using local carriers, or they only ship to houses and not drop off centers.

I haven’t actually bought any. I looked at EBL and had them on the last step of purchase before I changed my mind. Nothing special about shipping or any warnings.

However….there may be an issue with shipping just batteries from US. I was rummaging through Amazon.com and I had a flashlight with a battery and one without, I think there was a warning or Can Not Ship on one. Just go Amazon.com and test it yourself. If you can’t ship raw li-ions then that would be a red flag that it can’t be shipped or potential problems.

Spartan · 2019-02-10T08:55:04.000Z

waloshin:

Check local vape shops I just purchased a Sony VTC6 today, they also stocked Samsung 30Q and Lg batteries. There are some vape shops in Canada that ship as well.

Probably comes under…if they don’t ask, I won’t tell.

AguassissiM · 2019-02-10T12:18:35.000Z

@xmlaohan

Have a look here:https://www.illumn.com/batteries-chargers-and-powerpax-carriers/batteries/18650-samsung-3000mah-inr18650-30q-high-discharge-button-top.html

This is the only place i get my 18650 from, they were recommended to me by John ” Mooch”, a popular and professional lithium-ion battery tester for vapers.
They have very good selection of cells at good prices, even with the exchange i get a quality cell at reasonable price. Usually i get my shipment within 10 days if the post people are working instead of striking.
Have some cells that i used in my vape mods for a couple of years when i was vaping, and now use them in my flashlights,to me that speaks quality and durability of the cells is spot on.
Some are 4 years old and and still work ok in the regular flashlights, when i put them in my BLFQ8 or MT09R i only get about 20 minutes instead of 120 minutes from a brand new cells. In my book that is quite acceptable.

Sidney_Stratton · 2019-02-10T15:13:36.000Z

Been having the same gauntlet. For a few cells, the shipping costs are disproportionate. Ilumn’s is $18 USD. The vape stores carry high current cells but not the higher capacity types. Their prices are high at $15 each (CDN). I’ve found Richard at MTN Electronics reasonable at $10 USD (shipping) but only 2 cells, afterwhich jumps to $17. Not as much selection but has the better cells for lights.

It would seem that as Canadian carriers use passenger lines and as such refuse china shipped cells. The probable cause of fire would jeopardize human safety. But they accept cell phone batteries - and since the Samsung Note 8 misadventure, they should be more stringent. Perhaps there is different route with such cells, as land transport?

Edit: for typical cells I did buy from PKCell. 2600 mAh and 5C discharge rates. They have Canadian warehouse, and you must check from which they ship. Else have extra fee.

Re-edit(?): NealsGadgets uses expedited shipping once in Canada - very reasonable rate. I ordered a special battery (26950) and awaiting their New Year finishes for processing. Doesn’t have the usual “This item cannot ship to your country” tag once completed the order.

BlueSwordM · 2019-02-10T15:28:47.000Z

+1 to Sidney Stratton

The worst thing is that cylindrical quality cells are safer than even cells in phones.

Bob_McBob · 2019-02-10T17:28:53.000Z

Illumn’s shipping charge is quite reasonable per cell if you order more than a few. Certainly much cheaper than vape shops, which are the only real source in Canada.

Sidney_Stratton · 2019-02-10T17:48:56.000Z

@ Bob_McBob:

I like your graphical analysis. But my point was about a couple of cells. But a few, lets say 4 Sam’s 30Q @ $6 = 24 + 17 (shipping) = 41 USD. Thats $54 CDN or 13.50 / each. My local vape shop would sell me these at $12.50 each if purchased 4 (individually regular at $15). Not want to disprove anyone, but the cells are almost as expensive as the flashlight (Q8 going for $64 CDN).

xmlaohan · 2019-02-10T22:13:28.000Z

Thanks for you guys helpful messages.

WalkIntoTheLight · 2019-02-11T13:12:03.000Z

Sidney Stratton:

But my point was about a couple of cells. But a few, lets say 4 Sam’s 30Q @ $6 = 24 + 17 (shipping) = 41 USD. Thats $54 CDN or 13.50 / each. My local vape shop would sell me these at $12.50 each if purchased 4 (individually regular at $15). Not want to disprove anyone, but the cells are almost as expensive as the flashlight (Q8 going for $64 CDN).

If buying within Canada, don’t forget to add HST, which adds another 13% or more to the price.

Also, I’m a little more sure that illumn is selling genuine cells, than a local vape shop. That’s primarily because I can’t find dozens of positive reviews about a local vape shop, whereas illumn gets a lot of Internet business. The vape shops are hopefully selling genuine cells (certainly betters odds than off Amazon/e-bay/Chinese sellers). But, maybe they just bought them off Amazon?

But, yeah, if I was only buying a couple of cells, illumn doesn’t make much sense. In that case, maybe I’d risk a new source.

Spartan · 2019-02-11T19:41:57.000Z

Forget about Canadian suppliers. What is the cheapest and most reliable source to get high end li-ion?

Nooner · 2019-02-11T22:34:08.000Z

Spartans:

Forget about Canadian suppliers. What is the cheapest and most reliable source to get high end li-ion?

https://www.illumn.com (often mentioned on this forum)
https://mabdelectronics.com (I haven’t seen them discussed much on this forum but I have had success ordering from them)

BlueSwordM · 2019-02-11T23:04:26.000Z

Here are the sources I’ve used before:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1382210

Spartan · 2019-02-11T23:07:41.000Z

Thank you for the links.

I have to get over my concerns about paypal.

mattadores · 2019-02-12T22:40:06.000Z

The most reliable source I’ve ever used is Amazon. The product ships from Amazons fulfilment warehouse which is owned by Amazon and is prime eligible (2-day free shipping). They offer no questions asked returns/refunds/exchanges and they’ll cover all return shipping costs for refunds/exchanges.

Also: if you return to Amazon: they send you the waybill for shipping and you typically have 30 days time limit for them to receive the return or at least confirmation it’s been shipped. I’ve many times returned something to Amazon about 18 days after I ordered and received the replacement.

I’m also a vaper which means I did some pretty intensive research regarding batteries due to the potential catastrophic failure that can occur in a vape if used incorrectly. I found quite a bit of info on how frequently even vape shops will sell knock off batteries labelled as premium.

Two weeks ago I bough 4x 18650 flat top Samsung 30Q from Amazon. Arrived in 2 days:
-The batteries came in clear 18650/18350 plastic battery cases (2x18650 or 4x16340 cases)
-Plastic carriers were inside a 3.5”x3.5”x1” flip lid cardboard box
-The 3.5” cardboard box was shipped alone inside a 12”x4.5”x8” cardboard shipping box with a huge 6”x4” LI-ION DANGER blah blah blah warning label

Amazon is consistently less than any vape shop I’ve checked (at least a half dozen) but more expensive than BG or GB (which won’t ship to Canada).

Amazon doesn’t however offer ANY button top batteries as from what I’ve read, these are modified in house by the seller which Amazon isn’t offering.

I’ve also just placed an order over the CNY that hasn’t shipped yet from Nealsgadgest which didn’t restrict me from buying 4x 30Q button tops. Hope it ships! If not Amazon’s got your batteries.

Amazon today: (prime eligible) 30Q 6 pack $62.86 or $10.48/ea
Nealsgadgets: 30Q 2 pack $18.09 or $9.05/ea
digitalimports (vape warehouse): 30Q singles (when available) $15.00+ ea

BlueSwordM · 2019-02-12T22:41:29.000Z

NEVER ORDER 18650s from Amazon!

You could easily get counterfeit cells mixed in with the legitimate cells.

mattadores · 2019-02-12T22:42:26.000Z

Spartans:

Thank you for the links.

I have to get over my concerns about paypal.

Another potential advantage for using Amazon is that you can purchase an amazon gift card at almost any local retail store which eliminates the need for you to ever give out credit information