Aliexpress

[smr 751]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has bought astronomy gear from aliexpress ? 

Obviously prices are cheaper than UK retail stock but I'm a bit weary with regards import fees / taxes when shipped over to the UK... if buying expensive gear, warranty and returns / repairs if necessary..

 

[chrisund123 2]

I've bought a few things from there, never had any customs charges yet - even though my finder scope was more than £15 and it did get inspected by customs according to the tracking info!

[xtreemchaos 14,600]

i havnt brought any astro gear from them but have brought plenty of PC parts namely watercooling bits with a distro plate being about £180 and havnt had any imported tax yet but ive noticed the seller puts a much lover price on the item on the posted invoice maybe a that way thay get round it . charl.

[don4l 2,670]

I haven't bought anything from them, but it is probably worth mentioning a couple of things about duty and VAT that often catch people out.

 

The duty is calculated on the landed cost.  ie, the invoice value plus the carriage costs.

The VAT is then calculated on the (Invoice+Carriage + duty).  This is the bit that catches most people out.  However, when you buy something in a shop, the VAT is on the entire sales price.  The shopkeeper will have included all costs, including shipping, before he calculates the VAT.

Duty on many items is at zero% these days, however it is important to check.

 

[Robindonne 399]

Just ordered some dustcaps £ 0,78 each.
last year some eos/T-rings, 2” nosepieces, small nylon-tipped screws etc.   These items are also sold by european companies, so not a bad deal.  A complete setup is not something i would by from ali.  
 

 

[bottletopburly 1,543]

Bits and pieces nothing big , had one shipment go awol , quickly refunded via AliExpress intervention .

[fozzybear 1,622]

Bought through AliExpress from SVbony a SV165 guidescope came it at 51 dollars delivered to France in 7 days and zero charges received it the other day, maybe shipped from a local European warehouse as there were 2 labels one masking another for the delivery. and have bought from them in the past as well and no charges

[smr 751]

Would you spend over £1k on Aliexpress?

[fozzybear 1,622]

7 minutes ago, smr said:

Would you spend over £1k on Aliexpress?

now that is a different "kettle of fish" probably not...

[smr 751]

It's £500 cheaper than over here, priced at £1,500. There's the issue of potential warranty repair and shipping back etc. as well as import fees I guess.

[fozzybear 1,622]

is it from the supplier/manufacturer? maybe contact direct some do. and ask about a part payment or pay via paypal? and yes at that price import fees.

[Robindonne 399]

If it has a lot of moving parts or electronics, i dont think its a smart move to order from there.  Eyepieces and guidescopes are maybe at the limit of astro stuff to buy from ali   And even guidescopes can end up with broken glass after national transport (from experience). But its your choice.  

Edited September 1, 2020 by Robindonne

[DaveL59 2,920]

On 01/09/2020 at 20:15, smr said:

It's £500 cheaper than over here, priced at £1,500. There's the issue of potential warranty repair and shipping back etc. as well as import fees I guess.

Worth checking to see if they have alternate shipping locations that are EU, which would be less likely to incur additional costs. I've not ordered astro but have bought CCTV cameras and had no import issues but I did pick shipping from EU rather than China. That said, warranty could be another issue if you need to ship it back to base and how long would they be able to support it?