How to Effectively Shop on AliExpress if You’re a PC Enthusiast
For a lot of people, AliExpress is associated with scams, cheap products, and no custom service. While that may be true, AliExpress is also a treasure trove for those willing to do a bit of research so they can save some money on their hobbies.
Here are some things to keep in mind if you are ready to hunt for some deals!
AliExpress – The Chinese Amazon
AliExpress is a global alternative to Amazon.com with millions of vendors on their platform. What this means is that it is not the site in its entirety that is bad, just a lot of the vendors on the platform.
Just like on Amazon if you look for reputable sellers, you can make good purchases on AliExpress. The platform also delivers globally so it doesn’t matter where you live. The downside is that it takes quite a while for your goods to be delivered compared to the fast shipping Amazon offers.
Stay Away From Expensive Goods
While AliExpress is amazing if you are trying to find a cheaper set of keycaps, new mechanical switches, micro switches for your mouse, or a ton of mouse feet for cheap, buying expensive parts like CPUs or GPUs is a bad idea.
The reason for this is that AliExpress is known for almost 0 customer support and frequent scams when it comes to more expensive products. Anything above 50$ I would not purchase from AliExpress and instead find a reputable site/vendor that can guarantee I will receive the product I ordered.
Great Deals
If you are into PC peripherals the reason I recommend checking AliExpress out is the fact that everything is made in China anyways. What this means is that the factory in China is pumping out PBT keycaps and one vendor can sell them for 100$ while you can find them on AliExpress directly from the factory for one-third of the price.
This might not always be the case so if you see a deal that seems too good to be true it most likely is a scam. In a lot of cases, however, you can find replicas or the same product being sold by Western vendors for a premium for cheaper on AliExpress since they get the items directly from the suppliers.
The downside of buying the desired item from AliExpress is the longer shipping and once again the non-existent customer support.
Identifying a Good Shop
How do you find reputable shops on AliExpress that you can trust with your purchases? The first category of trustworthy shops on AliExpress is official stores of recognized brands that also have Ali stores for convenience.
For example, you can find the KBDFans official store, Womier store, Epomaker store, Akko store, etc. These are all brands that have their sites and different vendors across the globe, including AliExpress.
The other way of finding a reputable seller is to look at their feedback and comments. Look for how long the store has been open, what are their reviews and feedback, look how many orders they have on the desired item, etc.
A good seller will have a lot of good reviews, a lot of sales, positive feedback, and a lot of followers. You might find less popular sellers that are not scam vendors but I personally do not like taking chances.
If you find the item you are looking for at a significantly discounted price then it is most likely a scam. Expect reasonable sales and reduction in prices – the closer it is to an average price the higher the chances the seller is legit and the item is good.
Example of a Bad Seller
Let us presume I want to buy a Razer Viper Mini. I go on AliExpress trying to find a good deal.
The vendor is Razer Global Sales Store and the price seems close to reality. When opening the store feedback page though we start seeing a lot of red flags.
The store that is posing as an official Razer store has no reviews, 1 follower, and is active since 06/Jul/2023. This is a scam seller so buying the mouse from him will just leave you without money and without your mouse.
TL;DR
AliExpress is a massive platform with millions of sellers. If you want to buy stuff for cheaper AliExpress is a great place to find deals. To avoid scams only buy from official reputable brands and stores or from sellers with extensive feedback and sales.