UKC

Hi gang

I've found a couple of trustworthy mail order firms in Hong Kong / China over the years - for electronics at least, and have recently started looking for outdoorsy shops/retailers/manufacturers on Aliexpress.com - finding all manner of interesting cheap deals.

Obviously it take a few bad deals to find good eggs, but I wanted to ask if anyone else has had good experiences buying direct from China or other "cheaper than here" countries where fabrics are big (mainly SE Asia).

I have ordered a down jacket for £30 equivalent... which is a named brand (2011 model) which retailed for £140, so will let you know what happens, but in the mean time - please share your experiences:

In reply to alexgoodey:

What is the brand, why the secrecy? Bit puzzled.

In reply to alexgoodey:

You need to check out the Chinese hall at Fredrikshaven trade fair.

In reply to alexgoodey:

i think you've just lost £30.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

ha well maybe..

The North Face

As for losing money, everything we buy is made in china! And I've bought several items through aliexpress before, without problem. granted it takes ages to arrive (usually 5-6 weeks) but it saves a small fortune. have imported titanium pegs (in bulk), radios, torches, blinky LED clips, batteries, etc.. but not clothing.

Worse case scenario is the article is not as described so I get my money back via aliexpress (it's a global trading platform used to get samples from manufacturers but is open to you and me as end consumers)

In reply to alexgoodey:

It is probably worth noting that you are funding an illegal market of knock offs and just because it's all made in china anyway doesn't make it right.

In reply to alexgoodey:

Grey import is a copyright matter only if the retailer it attempting to market the brand under discussion (judgement in UK courts of Tesco vs Levi Strauss), which they're not, so it's all gravy.

Geese still die, chinese labourers are still exploited, oil is still drilled to make the synthetic shell and you're worried about how much some TNF exec gets in his pocket for exploiting the intellectual property in an appropriate fashion. Wow, and you thought I was niaive! :p

Let the flaming commence!

In reply to alexgoodey:

YOu've put words into my mouth right there. I'm not worried about the TNF shareholders etc. Just the counterfeiting and the ripping off of people on the internet that most of these sites thrive upon

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Fair enough, that's one of the reasons I like Aliexpress - kinda like 'normal consumer rights' but for international traders / customers where laws don't apply directly

In reply to alexgoodey:

I think the point is more that, at the moment at least, copying is endemic in China, and there's very little anybody can do about it?

In reply to Timmd:

Should they find their product copied, that is.

In reply to alexgoodey:


Alex,

What does that mean in language I can understand?

In reply to alexgoodey:

Nowt wrong with the Northface Jacket I bought in Nepal for £30, retailing here for about £130. They even told me it was fake, an authentic one at that, the fabric is the same stuff.

In reply to alexgoodey:

My experience has been that the quality is hit or miss. Mostly miss.

Sometimes, the fabrics are not the same as the garments sold here. (Says Goretex or Schoeller, but isn't.)

Sometimes, the fabrics and construction seem great, but the zippers are crap. (fake YKK zippers that fail)

Sometimes, you get lucky, and get the genuine article. However, unless you can actually handle and see the stuff before you buy it, you are taking a gamble on quality if you buy from China.

In reply to andyathome:

it means aliexpress add on consumer protection, like ebay for example

the problem with import for the individual is always that the law only applies inside a country... apart from the EU where we're protected by law in other EU states. importing from china is a nuisance because, as mentioned above in everyone's understanding of finding disreputable retailers in china, you have no legal protection

In reply to alexgoodey:



Unless you spend over £100 using a credit card you don't

In reply to alexgoodey:

My experience of buying stuff in Lhasa was that it seemed genuine, similar materials and design, but difficult to get larger sizes since everything was sized for China, but cheap. In Kathmandu it was obvious fakes, poor quality and design.

In reply to alexgoodey:




Cue me waiting on his jacket being delivered, with an embroidered "Nroth Face" logo

In reply to alexgoodey:

I have a great pair of Adidas Terrex approach shoes from China. The materials are great, the fit is great, the look is great, they were delivered quickly, they were cheap ................ the only issue has been that they were assembled with spit rather than glue!

In reply to forcan:

Ha, more like Teh South Ar5e

OK, gamblers... if you had a customer guarantee and paid £30 for an item of clothing based on what you see here, what would you expect?

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/294798524.html

My view is that even if it only lasts one winter and is actually synthetic, it's not a loss. Best case scenario is genuine, worst case scenario I buy another in autumn 2014

In reply to alexgoodey:

Well, asides from the fact that it is a truly hideous jacket, its from their lifestyle range if at all so will be a crap fill with a nasty sweaty lining fabric. Maybe worth the £30 if you plan on cutting around town on a saturday night but utter tosh for anything remotely technical.
Fair play if you fancy looking like you've dressed yourself in the dark with a bin bag......

In reply to T_Mac:

i like the way they call it down and leather
looks like a bin bag full of rubbish, but each to their own

In reply to owena:

A big bag of rubbish would probably keep him warmer too.....;P

In reply to T_Mac:

I'm fully prepared for it to be crap and don't expect to use it in the mountains If it keeps me warm while doing winter lowland activities then that's all I need it for, maybe the odd walk to work, but that's useful to know what to expect (like I said, I came into the deal with low expectations)

In reply to alexgoodey:

It looks utter sh!t, probably stuffed with chicken feather and most of that will probably fall out within a few weeks. On a positive note, it will probably be better than down in the wet and feathers are waterproof.

In reply to alexgoodey:

It says it weighs 1kg ... Is it lead lined working in the Nuclear Industry?

In reply to muppetfilter:

Well it arrived today, looks kosher. Warm enough for domestic / lowland use in this mornings frost, but i'll be buying one from sub zero after xmas for ye mountains.