We take a look at all the various electronics, jewellery, computer products, PC peripherals, gadgets and gizmos etc under the sun that I have purchased from Chinese suppliers and manufacturers, giving you my unbiased reviews of the products and how to use / operate them.
Some gadgets are crap, some are cool check out this blog before you buy so your not a FOOL. This will let you know the upside and down side of any products I have purchased and what I think about them personally.
Longest Ever Aliexpress Transaction EVER! - Tablet PC's from China
Hi guys,
An order that I ordered, which I had a problem with a Chinese supplier on Aliexpress for the first time ever in using it, took 56 days to arrive for an item that I dropshipped from China to a customer in Russia who was furious and who could blame her.
I had sold the items on Ebay on November 1st 2012 and they sat in the Chinese Customs Depot apparantly for 43 days as the status had not changed on their website tracking of the parcel. I know the Chinese had brought some new Customs procedures in for exporting and importing but what the heck are they doing with the items while they sit there, loading up Angry Birds and having a few games at break time on them?
If every package took that long to send out from China then the country would be back logged for years as items I ordered from other suppliers and the same supplier as well all arrived within 14 days of ordering.
Even though the customer wanted a refund, when the items were released again from customs I asked if she still wanted them and she said yes she would take them but at a reduced cost so I gave her them for the price I bought them for minus about £5 off each one again. So she got 2 tablets for £60 and will be sending my the money on the 4th February. Overall I lost £10 in the transaction but would be better than losing the entire £70 altogether.
My advice would be even if it does take a long time to get something despatched and your dropshipping an item to someone, if anything goes wrong, try and contact the customer even if they have cancelled their order to try and recoup some of your losses. As the supplier kept saying he isn't refunding my order until the customer refused delivery of the items and he got them back, which could take another month due to China's slowish methods when and item from outside the country enters their customs system.
The worst part about the whole ordeal was, the items where not as described either as the specs of teh tablets did not match what the Android OS brought up in its settings so that was another salt into the wounds and thats where I gave the customer an extra £5 back on each tablet.
The rule here is its best to buy the items first instead of dropshipping I would advise, as relying on a foreign supplier, not just Chinese, it could befrom anywhere in the world, can seriously wreck your Ebay reputation big time.
I seen on a few forums there are a lot of people complaining (as usual) that some Michael Kors handbags that they have purchased have turned out to be fakes and the people are furious etc etc (as usual) however as usual, when reading some of the forums posts, they are paying £45 - £65 for bags that are usually starting from about £150-£200 for the bottom of the range bag, up to near £1000.
Why people think and fall for and then complain that the very cheap bag they bought turns out not to be the really dear bag they thought it would be. No matter how good someone is at selling you it, you know no one in their right mind would give away a bag worth several hundred for a few measly pounds. Not even in a sale will you find an MK bag that cheap. In fact I don't think you would find one even in a closing down sale or bankrupt store cause everyone knows how much they are worth.
Luckily I am a guy so I don't need to buy handbags and even if I did have the need for it, I wouldn't buy one more than about a tenner :). However for people contemplating buying an MK bag online from Amazon, Ebay, Gumtree or classified ads, you may want to inspect the bag before purchasing to make sure your getting the real deal.
As usual I have been looking around the internet and gathered together some resources across different websites for you to look over so you don't get caught out by some wheeler dealer.
Here are some quick tips to determine if your bag is real or not:
As with all designer handbags, price is a big indicator of what you’re buying. Michael Kors handbags range from the mid one hundreds and can go up to a thousand dollars. Research the price range for your purse. When considering an online purchase, stay away from bags listed below this price range.
Look for the designer’s trademark square buckles and fixtures. All Michael Kors handbags, big or small, display these square accents.
Authentic Michael Kors purses have multiple “MK” insignias on buckles, snaps and other metal parts.
Authentic Michael Kors handbags are made from very fine quality materials and are superbly handcrafted. Although he’s only been designing accessories since 2001, MK bags are extremely well priced. You’re getting great value for your dollar when you buy an authentic Michael Kors purse.
MK uses silver tone and gold tone hardware. This is a sturdy, shiny metal that feels very solid to the touch. Replica Michael Kors handbags usually use cheaper metals and plastic.
Do a quality check. Again, MK uses only high quality materials and there’s a lot of attention being paid to the craftsmanship put into every Michael Kors bag. The stitching should be even, straight, perfectly aligned with seams and never loose. Large, uneven stitching is a sign of replica Michael Kors handbags.
The stitching is the hardest thing for replicators to copy. Because it takes a lot of experienced, skilled labor, the stitching on replica Michael Kors handbags almost always comes up short.
The inside of the bag is often made of a soft canvas-like material with leather trimming around the lining. The zippers, trim and seams are always stitched. If you see unstitched seams and tags, then you know they're being held together by glue, another sure sign of replica Michael Kors handbags.
Visit a boutique or the official website and study the bag you want. Compare it to the one you’re planning on buying online. Compare all of the features. Are all of the buckles and insignias in the right place? Do they look like they should? All individual MK lines are designed the same with all their features in their respective places. If anything is out of place, red flags should be going up. When you know what you're buying, it's easier to identify replica Michael Kors handbags (see the above picture).
When purchasing MK handbags online, purchase from a reputable dealer. Read our section on how to avoid buying replica Michael Kors handbags for a resource list on what to look for when buying from an online retailer. Another very important way of protecting yourself from suspicious sellers, especially on online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, is to read their feedback and to review their return policy. If their bags are authentic, they’ll have no problem taking it back.
Read the listing carefully. Remember, if it’s described as “replica” or “designer inspired”, it’s not real.
Spotting Fake Monster Beats Headphones by Dr Dre from China
Hi guys,
In my quest for bringing articles that help to identify the differences between genuine products and their Chinese counterfeit parts, I have another article which I found to be very useful, as you will find many people on Amazon complaining about the headphones they have received are fakes and the sound is terrible etc and why Amazon is not doing anything about it and all that. Yes the Monster Beats and other headphones may be over priced and think you are just paying for the name thats on the packaging etc. but I have actually heard a real set of these headphones compared to a fake pair that I ordered myself and only then will you see the or hear should I say the difference.
Fake copies of headphones and audio equipment tend to have a very tinny sound to them as if they are played in an empty room slightly in the distance. Once you hear a real Dr Dre Beats headphones you will be blown away with the sound quality. Bass is much more prominent and the sound is absolutely crystal clear with no slight muffling or cackling of any kind which some fakes tend to produce.
So if you have bought a set of these earphones or if someone has bought you them as a present, here are some tell tale signs that they are not the real deal. I bet Dr Dre would be none too happy, nor his bank manager, if he thought customers were being ripped off and he is loosing profits to pirates, but I say, I am guessing he has enough money at the minute to last him till the 3 millennium :).
It is only when you see the real deal and then a fake side by side do you get to see the major differences between the two. It also shows the great lengths people who produce these counterfeits will go to achieve almost near perfection and replication of another product and its packaging. The REAL headphones and packaging are always on the LEFT and FAKE are on the RIGHT:
Starting with the front cover, it is clear that the imitation good does not bear
the "TM" (trademark) sign beneath the word "studio" on the bottom left hand
corner of the box (may be a little small, but you can see that a little dot of
text is missing from the picture on the right).
On the side of the box, it is obvious that the picture on the original is
smaller than that of the imitation product. The original also mentions that
batteries and the airline adaptor are included, while the imitation doesn't
mention that at all.
On the side of the box, it is obvious that the picture on the original is
smaller than that of the imitation product. The original also mentions that
batteries and the airline adapter are included, while the imitation doesn't
mention that at all.
Dr Dre's headshot. Very clearly different. The printing on the fake is generally
much darker, and you can't see his neck area very well. His neck is clearer on
the original. Also do note the use of a " | " instead of a " / " between
"beatsbydre.com" and "monstercable.com" on the original and imitation
respectively. Also, there's a whacked up model number on the bottom right hand
corner of the fake one, and there isn't any on the real one.
Removing the jacket to reveal the red box, we can see that the black pull-out
tab on the real deal is longer than that of the imitation.
The Quick start guide where you can clearly see the difference between the two. The real is always on the left remember.
The battery cover of the real deal, of course, has the serial number and Dr
Dre's signature. The fake doesn't have any (Picture of fake battery cover not
included, just imagine an empty space where the signature and serial should be).
On the back of the quick-start guide, there are subtle differences in font size
and the usage of " | " and " / " again. Once again, real deal on left, imitation
on right.
These 2 documents are provided with the real deal and not with the imitation.
Super big difference between the provided cleaning cloths. Original cloth is
huge. Fake one is tiny.
As you would expect, as the counterfeiter's who produce these items get wind of any obvious defects in their packaging, you will find they will change and try to amend the packaging. This is what results in some fakes being different to other fakes, never mind comparing it to the real thing. The most obvious way to tell if something is fake from China is to look at the packaging. If you start to pick out spelling errors in a lot of the products description, then it is more than likely a copy.
One box set I bought, and is in another post about copied Chinese DVD's, was the True Blood Season 1 Box Set. The back of the box has a review on the back that the original one says "Terrific" but the Chinese copy is spelt "Terrifig". As its the largest of the writing on the back I am pretty sure the company who produced the DVD's would have checked this and any errors rectified before it hits the shelf.
Lastly, here is a video on difference of fake and real Dr Dre Beats from Youtube to help you with identifying if yours is real or not.
Thanks for reading guys and I hope you have found that your Dr Dre Beats is the REAL DEAL. If not wherever it came from send it back for a full refund, however I would recommend getting your money first before returning anything if it is fake as pirates and sellers of dodgy goods seem to vanish at will when trouble arises.
