Banggood

[feman]

Has anyone ever bought anything at Banggood.com?

I found some really nice plastic project housings and PCBs that are made for the ESP8266 NodeMCU.

[Michael McSharry]

I have found them to be a good company to do business. If I want something from China then it is usually either Banggood or AliExpress.

[feman]

Thanks Michael. Have you bought much from either of them?

[Michael McSharry]

Neighborhood of 20 from Banggood and 50 from AliExpress over a period of about three years.

[RoChess]

Have ordered from both over many years as well. Keep in mind that they often act as a marketplace for the real sellers. Very alike to eBay (or Amazon when item is listed as being sold+shipped by marketplace seller direct, and even NewEgg and Walmart serve themselves up as marketplaces) and they just mainly act as the payment processor in-between. The benefit is that if you do run into an issue that they will often side with you. Had an issue with ordering QC3 chargers on AliExpress with US plug, but got EU plug instead; upon which seller said "oopsie, just ship them back, and we will refund". Complained to AliExpress that I shouldn't have to pay for their mistake as shipping them back would have costed me more than just buying new ones, and AliExpress intervened to give me full refund and told me to keep the items.

The other downside is that you need to be expecting 5-7 weeks before package arrives via slow-boat from China, and take it as a lucky bonus if you get it in 5-to-10 days, because it went via plane instead with minimal delay at customs. I'm always surprised by deliveries, because by the time they arrive I've forgotten what I ordered, but there is a fun aspect to that. If you need something urgently then Amazon Prime with same-day or next-day delivery is the way to go, or run to a brick-and-mortar store.

Final warning is that Trump wants US out of the UPU which will mean a huge jump in cost on shipping from China. As it stands now the USPS is co-paying on those shipments from China due to the UPU agreements, which is why you can ship a 2lb box from China for cheaper than across US state lines. Of course Trump saying something (or tweeting), and the act kicking in causing the actual price hike to take effect are worlds apart

PS: US imports are free of customs on $800 or less, so if you plan to order a lot, considering breaking order up with some time in-between.

[feman]

Thanks. I may give them a try. Not talking about a high $$ purchase.

[Michael McSharry]

In the early days of international shipping the US sellers far outweighed the US buyers so the other country's post offices that had to deliver the last mile were subsidizing US business. The tables have now turned that US is a big consumer rather than a big producer.