Any experience with Ali Express?

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
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Ralph
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Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by Ralph »

A discussion in another thread (no pun intended, ha) led me to go hunting for maxi skirts with pockets. All the ones I liked ended up being at Ali Express. They frequently come up in searches, especially when I'm trying to keep the price down. For example...
This search result for skirts
I've read in the past that they were plagued with dishonest vendors -- complaints of never delivering, items not matching the description or picture, etc. But they're trying to clean up their act to become the next Amazon (or would that be Yangtze?) Has anyone ordered clothes from them so you can tell us whether we can trust them now?
Ralph!
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r.m.anderson
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by r.m.anderson »

An ongoing problem with clothing manufactures in Pakistan and India - they don't know how to size the garments they are making
for the general public. It is almost (maybe it is) they can't picture the human body in a three dimensional mode. I like to comment
that it is as if they are taking paper doll cut outs and trying to fold them over a cardboard frame - forgetting that live homo sapiens
have bulk and depth and it is no wonder that the clothing is ill fitting. They are getting better with enough critique and quality complaints.

Now as for the Asian (China Korean Japan) made clothing - they have to stop using unrealistic petite size models for our full size
adult scale people ! A good place to see this is to go shopping on ebay for that something that you have in your minds eye. You are getting
an eyeful of some very neat clothing and then you check the sizes - OK the numbers look about right - but there is this difference that
is as big as the Grand Canyon and I am not referring to inches and centimeters - the sizing scale is so far off kilter that even the modern
Junior size youngster is going to have some trouble fitting into this doll house clothing. "Hyperbole" exaggerated to make a point !
Usually at the bottom of the auction page there is now this disclaimer:
"THESE ARE NOT YOUR (ordinary) USA SIZES MEASURE AND ASK QUESTIONS" - or something on that order - CAUTION not only is there
a foreign language barrier but a measurement factor too !
So once you are the same page with measurements UGH! you find out that they do NOT MAKE CLOTHING IN YOUR SIZE !
There once was a big problem with Asian made clothing they used sewing machines that only did a single stitch to hold the pieces and parts
of the clothing together and guess what happens when one thread is stretched - the whole shebang fell apart. Fast forward to today they
are using lock stitching and making better ways to keep clothing from becoming unraveled. They can make clothing in your size but it will
not be at the posted auction price on ebay. There will be a significant price increase. Major retailers Wal*Mart; Target; Macy's; JCPenney etc.
have made inroads to get clothing that fits. When shopping look inside the garment for the manufactures label of where it was made - surprise
not all that stuff is made in Asia - countries in the Caribbean; South America and Mexico. At least clothing from these places fits ah er MAYBE !

ON TOPIC - referring to Skirts with POCKETS - - -
Pockets easily found on skirts like denim but not so much on athletic gear except for a small key size pocket.
Pockets on other skirts are not so much made to carry a boat load of gear. Hiking skirts are something else
and are getting better with multiple pockets to serve many needs.

As to your trust in this AliExpress - I tried to do a search with the BBB and came up with LINK:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/AliExpress

Use it with care to form your own decision to shop with them.
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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moonshadow
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by moonshadow »

I don't know about Ali Express... I have looked at the site before, and I generally get a bad feeling about it. Just doesn't seem legit. Seems most everything comes direct from China. But I could be wrong. I also wonder about international shipping, customs, and actual "buyer protection". Don't get me wrong, my days of trying to "buy American" are over. (damned near impossible anyway) I just prefer to have a western distributor take the risk.

I don't want my shipment being responsible for the next stink bug infestation!

As per your link.... well, the moment I see Asian models I keep looking. Can't fit into those tea cup saucer sized waist! :D
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
dillon
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by dillon »

My advice is to forget bout any clothing shipped straight from China. The sizing will be nowhere close to western standards.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
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Caultron
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by Caultron »

dillon wrote:My advice is to forget bout any clothing shipped straight from China. The sizing will be nowhere close to western standards.
I agree. Plus, you get long delivery times and difficult returns.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
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Kirbstone
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by Kirbstone »

They offer free delivery, but it is painfully slow and when several different items are ordered they come separately from different people.

They have no idea about 'western' peoples' sizes and seem to clothe dolls. They state Cms in 'product description', but the reality is nowhere near. sizes like 3xl and 5xl are just too approximate.

I've just binned several offerings and the only skirt that fitted had an elastic waist. A pair of shoes advertised as size 45 Eur were delivered, size 44, just too small and that apparently is their largest size, so they had to go back....at my expense. They were beautifully made, however.

Caveat Emptor....Buyer beware !

Tom
Carpe Diem......Seize the Day !
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Couya
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by Couya »

I have had several items from Ali, and have not been disappointed. The prices are unbeatable; the strange thing is that they sometimes have identical articles at different prices, from different sources, I suppose.
I have ordered only watches, underwear, sports tops, swim suits. Once only the items sent were not what was advertised, otherwise no problem.
Yes, be careful about the sizes, look at the cms not the S, M or L. I'm slim but order what they call L.
I have also ordered things from Asos, British as far as I know. They give even less info about precise measurements, but the XXS and XS t-shirts fit me quite well
I think we should buy locally produced goods, rather than having them sent halfway round the world, but not much is made in Europe any more.

Martin
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r.m.anderson
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by r.m.anderson »

Article in my Sunday newspaper (very timely might add) LINK:

http://www.startribune.com/shopping-wit ... 354102021/

Read on to form your own opinion about these upstart Amazon.com wanabes.

At least with Ebay and Paypal there is better degree of buyer protection and all important buyer/seller Feedback.
This is lacking with the Ali enterprise.
Last edited by Uncle Al on Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Activated URL formatting
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
Ralph
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Posts: 493
Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:07 pm

Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by Ralph »

Thank you all for your reports from the front lines of the battle! It sounds like I'd better do my shopping elsewhere.
Ralph!
straightfairy
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by straightfairy »

I do a certain amount of shopping on Aliexpress and have been generally happy.
Most of the clothing IS sized for petite Asians, but the labelling is usually fairly clear about this.
Where sizing has simply been wrong, I've taken photos of the offending item alongside a tape measure and have been refunded.

There are LOTS of counterfeit items, but they are priced as such and are best treated as costume jewelry.
I have bought a number of 'knock-off' watches which copy the design and/or the name of much more expensive items, but are perfectly decent quality for what I paid (£15 - £25 each, and better than an equivalent cost watch sourced here in the UK). Watch straps tend to be comically large instead of small, requiring links to be taken out for my slim wrist.
yes, some clothing items aren't well made, but they're not bad when you consider the cost.

For first purchases, i would stick to 'top-rated' sellers only and items marked as free delivery, as it makes price comparisons easier.
Most sellers ship out fairly quickly and delivery from then is 2-6 weeks,
partlyscot
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Re: Any experience with Ali Express?

Post by partlyscot »

I've mentioned this before, eshakti.com custom sizing available for reasonable fee. They pay above the standard and don't employ child or slave labour.

I haven't ordered from them yet, but I do have a credit waiting to be used (they are often doing a promotion where you get $30 or $40 for giving them an email, not much spam) and I'll be looking for a dress, not a skirt. All their dresses come with pockets, and I think most skirts. The styles change often, and they have some nice fabrics, clear descriptions of the type, weight, etc. My GF has bought several dresses, and they all fit perfectly. Her figure is not standard, and she is delighted with they way they nailed it from the start. I have emailed them, and they say they have done dresses for several men. The measurements section for custom is pretty thorough, and takes in a lot of detail. I saw the report form yesterday for poor fit, if they don't get it right first time, it looks extremely likely to get it right thereafter.

Sale ends today, 8 Dec 2015, 35% off!
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