Ali Express - is it safe?

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duckDecoy

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#299286 26-Aug-2022 13:00

I have never used Ali Express before and would like to know if it is safe and reputable. An internet search seems to suggest its fine, but I wanted to be sure.

I am struggling to find any local supplies of reolink cameras and NVR systems so have started looking offshore. The particular ones I want are selling on Amazon's REOLINK store but for some reason they wont ship to NZ, even though the same store will ship different models of their camera to NZ.

I found a link to what claims to be the official store of Reolink on Ali Express and they say they do ship to NZ, so this might be an option, even though they are more expensive than that Amazon package deal.

Its likely to be around $1000 or so for 4 cameras and the NVR, so I wanted to check it is a safe bet to use them.

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#2959773 26-Aug-2022 13:06

Yep, haven't had issues with ordering from Ali.

Had also ordered a NVR few months back (can't remember the brand) and turned up pretty quickly

timmmay

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#2959775 26-Aug-2022 13:12

I have ordered from Ali Express a dozen times and don't have any concerns about them. They're basically a storefront for anyone who wants to sell anything, and they deal with payment and disputes. The main things to be aware of are:

There are probably scam listings. Choose a reputable seller with a high score and who has sold plenty of things.
Listings might not always be 100% accurate - they usually are but sometimes the model numbers might not be perfect
Shipping is highly variable. Things almost always turn up eventually, but the shipping time varies between 14 days and 14 months even when you select the same shipping method. Lately things seem to be better through reasonably quickly, though an order I made in March took about six months to arrive. By then I had a refund and ordered the same thing from Amazon AU, which is very reliable and delivers in 7-10 days using NZPost. My latest shipping is with Canaio, even though I chose Ali Express Standard shipping, it looks like it should arrive within two weeks.

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#2959776 26-Aug-2022 13:13

AliExpress is a platform/marketplace as Amazon. There're sellers on platform, check sellers' ratings/reviews.

helping others at evgenyk.nz

duckDecoy

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#2959783 26-Aug-2022 13:24

mrgsm021:

Yep, haven't had issues with ordering from Ali.

Had also ordered a NVR few months back (can't remember the brand) and turned up pretty quickly

Something that I just thought of, what happens around the plug it comes with? Do you need an adapter? Does it handle 240v?

trig42

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#2959787 26-Aug-2022 13:37

Check the listing, it should tell you (or give you the option) what voltages it uses.

Most likely it will not come with an AU/NZ plug, but I have had the option on items form Ali before.

As said above, check the sellers reputation (number of orders). You can ask questions, they are usually answered (not always with a useful answer though).

I've only ever had to open one dispute, and it was sorted immediately (wrong type of LED bulbs). I've made about 50 orders from them.

mrgsm021

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#2959793 26-Aug-2022 13:59

duckDecoy:

Something that I just thought of, what happens around the plug it comes with? Do you need an adapter? Does it handle 240v?

It depends on the listing, some give you option to choose AU as the actual power supply type (not an adaptor), which was the case for my NVR order.

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duckDecoy

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#2959795 26-Aug-2022 14:06

trig42:

Check the listing, it should tell you (or give you the option) what voltages it uses.

Most likely it will not come with an AU/NZ plug, but I have had the option on items form Ali before.

As said above, check the sellers reputation (number of orders). You can ask questions, they are usually answered (not always with a useful answer though).

I've only ever had to open one dispute, and it was sorted immediately (wrong type of LED bulbs). I've made about 50 orders from them.

Im not seeing anything unless im being thick, here's the link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32967669961.html

I also just found the option to get it cheaper from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Reolink-Channel-Security-Recorder-RLN8-410/dp/B01D2TQXJW

I'm not an electronics person and have never purchased electronics from overseas. Other than needing a plug adapter so it can fit in the socket, is there any problem with me buying the NVR from say the US and plugging it in here where we have 240V?

trig42

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#2959802 26-Aug-2022 14:16

It looks like it is a 48V DC device, not sure if it comes with an external power brick or not.

If it does, most of those can take 100-240V in, and you can swap out the AC part (fig 8 cable or PC 'jugplug' cable).

Looking through the feedback on the Ali site, they've sold them all over the place (including NZ).

richms

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#2959807 26-Aug-2022 14:42

I have ordered a reolink from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H3QVZQ2 - as it was cheaper than aliexpress.

Came with a US power cable and a universal powerbrick. New cable and all was fine.

Richard rich.ms

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#2959817 26-Aug-2022 15:03

richms:

I have ordered a reolink from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H3QVZQ2 - as it was cheaper than aliexpress.

Came with a US power cable and a universal powerbrick. New cable and all was fine.

Whats so frustrating is their amazon store sells and ships SOME systems to NZ, such as the one above, but not the ones that have the cameras I want. Sigh. .

itxtme

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#2959897 26-Aug-2022 16:22

Check out Amazon AU. Just had a look and they are free shipping to nz. In AUD obviously, so take that into account. They dont have everything, but have a lot

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#2959922 26-Aug-2022 16:57

I've used them more than 100 times I'd guess, mostly small value items but a handful of $500 dollar items such as cellphones. They have been very reliable on the whole, 2-3 items haven't turned up but the refund process was pretty painless. The only downside is I find with them is generally very slow with delivery.

Only real problem was with a replacement (supposedly new) laptop keyboard I ordered from one supplier which was obviously second-hand and in poor condition. I went through the process for return with the supplier, they got abusive, accused me of taking photos of a different keyboard rather than the one they sent me.

Got the AliExpress people to mediate on it and I ended up with a full refund and got to keep the keyboard as well. I'd done nothing wrong, the product sent was very clearly second-hand and a poor example of second-hand at that. The supplier wasn't happy, put a curse on me and my family promising immediate death. A couple of years later, still here .....

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#2959962 26-Aug-2022 19:06

Just be very careful with buying Chinese-made cameras off Chinese marketplaces, what you'll typically get is domestic-sale ones with Chinese firmware running hacked English-language firmware that can't be updated or replaced. That's why they're so cheap.

As others have pointed out, you're better off getting the same thing with US branding off Amazon to avoid the ripoff prices that the NZ distributors charge, e.g. Amcrest are Dahua but at a fraction of what you'd pay in NZ with the name Dahua on it.

I wanted to give some examples of the cost difference, but none of the first page or so of hits for Dahua resellers in NZ will even admit to a price.

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#2959979 26-Aug-2022 20:35

Aliexpress is fine, but you could also check out reolink.com I purchased a camera from there recently with no issues. Shipped from Hong Kong if I remember correctly.

PKpingu

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#2960048 26-Aug-2022 22:31

Aliexpress usually delivers within 2 months for me, anything longer you can typically request and receive a refund.

Personally, I wouldn't ever consider purchasing anything expensive from Aliexpress.
But it's great for cheap things like small accessories, mice, earbuds, phone holders, etc...

The most expensive I thing I ordered from Aliexpress was a multimeter, which cost me 80 bucks NZD. It turned out to be really decent but I was able to find reviews for it online before making a decision.

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