# China Websites: Shipping and Quality issues; Post here



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

I thought it time someone start a thread on the China websites that are having big problems. Feel free to post about any problems and/or resolutions that have resulted from your purchase. While no one China website is perfect, some are worse than others. 

Please if you have a problem with a certain bike light bought from a China website try to get it resolved first before posting. If they haggle or drag their feet on getting a resolution feel free to post up about it. I've purchased many products over the years from China Websites so I know the frustration when something doesn't go right.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Currently I have a dispute with *Gearbest* on the purchase of a* Nitefighter BT70 *( lamp head only ). Supposedly shipped but never received. The product is now out of production according to Nitefighter. My take on this is that I was lied to and that the product never shipped.

I started a ticket on this with Gearbest but they think the item was lost in shipping. I have yet to follow up or file a dispute with Paypal. I will do that but just haven't had the time to do it yet. I'm hoping to get my money back.


----------



## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Bought a BT40 and BT21 from Gearbest.

BT40 rubber switch cover floats and rotates around while riding. You have to spin it into position to use switches ( a couple dots of glues fixed that)
Battery charger is flakey....it's light will turn green but battery will not be fully charged.
When the light turns green, I believe it stops charging. 

BT21: light/battery connectors are too loose. The male connector on light head does not have "click" ridge and female connector is looser than the same battery with the BT40. ( Will have to tape connectors)
Have not tried charger yet

Just opened a ticket to get my money back

From Kaidomain:
I ordered a battery a few years back. Came fast...wasn't as powerful as claimed...but ok
Ordered a SSx2 2 years ago....fast ship and still going strong
Ordered a KD2 a month ago....fast ship and so far, so good.
Ordered the 4800 battery pack....sent a shipping number that doesn't show up anywhere....the wait is on.


----------



## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

Ordered a small flashlight and charger from Gearbest. It took almost 7 days to ship the charger and about 10 days to ship the flashlight. They emailed me a pic each time an order was shipped. Two tracking numbers were provided, but I can't get any real info from the numbers.

I have no idea when or if I'll receive the items. I don't think I'll order from them again.

Edit: I just ordered a few small items from Deals Machine. I'll see how that goes.


----------



## nathan89 (Feb 7, 2015)

Aliexpress seller name "ShenZhen Lighting Star Sci&Tech Co,LTD" Ordered 2 Fenix BA4C boxes, waited 2 weeks+ and tracking still didn't work and was told it had been "lost". I assume they didn't have stock, so why list it..?

Then there's GB and not updating an item's stock level. Ordered 4 items, 2 shipped after a week, 2 still hadn't after 2 weeks and I asked why - the bt21/40s mount was OOS so hadn't been shipped, but this doesn't explain why the other item wasn't sent? Maybe they didn't want to ship such a low cost item on itself..


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

GEARBEST: Missing 3 orders from mid August to mid Sept. Have to wait for 60 days since each item supposedly got shipped. Have got resent BT21 head only and USB meter, but since BT21 head only is no more avalaible GB could not resent it. Have to use direct path to some people at GB since their CS just playing BS game. I'm still waiting for 10 days to get refund. Thinking to go Paypal route for this one ....

Edit: PP dispute has helped to get refund in 1 day.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

Well, in my practice no Eastern web shop is 100% reliable: if you need perfectly working customer service, warranty etc - do not play this game! 

But in case the statistical data could be of any use for others, my personal 2 cents:

*DinoDirect *- absolute record of dishonest business. Ordered an item; after some waiting it turned out to be a vaporware. Requested cancellation of order & refund, but received "a suggestion" to buy some other items instead. Asked for immediate refund once again, and received this BS: "_Thank you for purchase at DinoDirect. We have issued a refund $***for your order *** as a Dino Wallet Balance. It will appear in your account within 24 hours. Your Dino Wallet Balance can be used for current or future purchases, we store the available balance so you can view it at anytime._" Asking PayPal to step in was the only solution to recover my money from them.

*GearBest *- in general, standard level of service. The only real issue is with their "Pre-sale" campaigns: it seems something is wrong with their PayPal integration, as they're unable to actually grab reserved money. In such a cases, the "Payment Failed" status appears in the order, and you have to ask them to manually cancel it in order to free up the reserved amount in PayPal. Happened twice to me, with identical scenario. In addition, it was reported here that people who participate in pre-ordering will get the items later than buyers who waited for sale to start, due to some misconfiguration of GB ordering queue.

*DealExtreme *- many years of good service, working customer support, friendly resolution of quality issues. But once upon a time, two of my orders (about $200 value) were mishandled: out of the blue, provided tracking numbers were bogus, and CS insisted on "Keep waiting!" for more than month. It was single case with them where I've had to open PayPal dispute: after that, the items were immediately shipped with real tracking numbers. After that issue, my next orders were processed just fine, as before.

*FastTech *- standard level of service. Lost items were re-sent or refunded; quality questions answered.

*LightMalls *- standard level of service. No problems so far, but I rarely use them.

*KaiDomain *- standard level of service. No problems so far, but I rarely use them.


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

I bought a Yinding light package(light/battery/charger) from gearbest which showed in stock when I placed the order. I opted for the free shipping option.
Ordered on 11/17/2015
Shipped on 11/19/2015
Received in California on 12/4/2015
The light came DOA. The green light comes on but does not turn on.
I opened a ticket immediately describing the problem. They replied this morning asking for a video to show the defect. I posted a video on youtube and sent them the link. Waiting now to see how they will resolve but looking at some of the other threads I'm not very hopeful it will be resolved to my satisfaction. Hopefully I'm wrong but so far this experience from gearbest has not been very good.


----------



## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

Good experience with DealExtreme (DX.com).:thumbsup:
Always recieved my orders (migh take some time), they honoured a warranty request very well. No complaints, stuff just works fine.

Also good experience with Kaidomain.com 

Bad expirience with miniinthebox and lightinthebox.:nono:
goods were delivered, but one DOA, no warranty, case closed.
LED lights did not last very long, no warranty.
Not shure wich problem was with mini- and wich with lightintjebox.


----------



## nathan89 (Feb 7, 2015)

Just wondering if it's common for Chinese companies to ship 18650 batteries just in a bit of bubble wrap..? Just received an order from GB, 14 days to UK via Sweden Post, but seems a bit risky not putting them in those cheap 18650 holders. I'm sure they could add a small amount to the cost of the batteries so they can ship them safely.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

I LOVE YOU CAT!!! I was just thinking about doing a thread like this. Keep the issues out of the review/discussion threads.


----------



## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Great idea Cat. I posted up amidst the discussion in the BT21 thread and now see this thread. 

-Garry


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

If one company decided to report actual lumens in their marketing, they probably wouldn't sell any, as everyone would just buy from their competitors who lie about lumens. So that gives them an interesting dilemma. 

But if your product does not match the description, then eBay, Amazon, and AliExpress will all refund the customer's money if the customer wants a refund. So by calling a 400 lumen light "1800 lumens," they run the risk of having to get more returns and have to pay two-way shipping, or let the customer keep the product for free. But this probably does not happen a lot, as most people still see how intense the light is, and think that it may be close to the specs.

I am into specs, and I would never ever be able fake numbers to sell a product.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

rsilvers said:


> If one company decided to report actual lumens in their marketing, they probably wouldn't sell any, as everyone would just buy from their competitors who lie about lumens. So that gives them an interesting dilemma.
> 
> But if your product does not match the description, then eBay, Amazon, and AliExpress will all refund the customer's money if the customer wants a refund. So by calling a 400 lumen light "1800 lumens," they run the risk of having to get more returns and have to pay two-way shipping, or let the customer keep the product for free. But this probably does not happen a lot, as most people still see how intense the light is, and think that it may be close to the specs.
> 
> I am into specs, and I would never ever be able fake numbers to sell a product.


Well all of this is not quite a shipping or quality issue per say but basically has to do with marketing. As you said many websites "overstate" or outright lie about lumen output in the ads they run. That said I think most people know by now that it is almost universally done by most of the Chinese websites. Some are worse than others but I also see wild claims on e-bay and Amazon so unfortunately for the buyer it is something that has to be filtered through before you decide to buy a product.

Sadly sometimes you just don't know what a product is going to be like until some yuk ( like me ) does a "user review" and reports the good and the bad. Of course most users don't own or have access to an actual "Integrating Sphere" so even our opinions on lumen output will likely be off a bit. Speaking for myself when I estimate lumen output I will try to compare it to a number of lamps I already own. While not a perfect system I at least have a couple bench marks to work with. Of course once more lamps start to get into the thousands of lumen it is going to be harder to estimate output.


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

The Amazon light I got was listed as 1800 lumens. I knew that would not be real. I figured maybe I would get 1200 lumens out of it and would have been happy. It was a bunch less output than my PD32UE Fenix (600 lumen range).

I think it was like 450 lumens. Had they marketed it as a 500 lumen light, I never would have bought it. Why? Because I already have extra 500 lumen lights. It was not what I was shopping for. I returned it, and they had to pay return shipping since it didn't match the description.

They also claimed 5 hours of battery life on full power from two 18650s. I didn't test that. If it made it, it would only be due to it drawing much less current than possible to be 1800 lumens.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

rsilvers said:


> The Amazon light I got was listed as 1800 lumens. I knew that would not be real....
> ....**They also claimed 5 hours of battery life on full power from two 18650s.* I didn't test that. If it made it, it would only be due to it drawing much less current than possible to be 1800 lumens.


( *highlighted ) > That was your warning bell right there! 

The more you learn about LED's , LED lights and the batteries used to power them, the more easier it is to I.D. false marketing claims.

Was this a multi-emitter lamp or a single emitter lamp?


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

Dual.

"Evolva Future Technology 1800LM High Performance Bike Light Headlight with High-Dimmed-Beam Functions and Integrated Rotable Mount"


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Cat, its a solarstorm clone on amazon. The newest ss light that has the dual beam pattern thing going on.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

rsilvers said:


> Dual.
> 
> "Evolva Future Technology 1800LM High Performance Bike Light Headlight with High-Dimmed-Beam Functions and Integrated Rotable Mount"


Ah, I see. I just checked it out on Amazon. I'm surprised it's not brighter than you say. No way it can get those 7 hours of run time unless it's vastly under-powered.

My guess is the actual Solarstorm Version ( X5 ) is likely about 1200-1400 lumen. The SS version uses a normal 8.4 volt battery set-up. The EFT lamp is using two 18650 cells in parallel ( 4.2 volts ). Nice looking set-up the EFT is though. If the output was more like 800 lumen with both emitters on it might be worth the money. BTW, Kaidomain sells the SStorm X5 in both a neutral white and cool white version. Should make a nice little bar lamp. Since I own a SStorm X2 clone I'd doubt very much that the SStorm X5 has less output than the X2's. I'm tempted to buy one of these just for review purposes.


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

SS X5 has significantly underpowered long beam. Resistor mod was easy and that probem solved, but I would also like the vertical angle between both beams would be smaller.


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

I was only able to measure the current when in USB mode, but it was 4.95v and 0.7a. So about 3.5 watts with both emitters on the highest setting. It did get noticeably more lumens when using their included battery pack, but still less than my $50 Cygolite 550.

Question: If USB can provide 2 amps, why would you make your light draw only 0.7 amps?


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

The driver will only draw what it needs to produce the output. However USB wires are so tiny that voltage sag may drop voltage below needs of the emitters and driver, at which point it it draws amps based on the emitter Vf. So that's all it could produce because of the high resistance. The pack on the other hand is better suited to handle the load, so driver can run at capabilities instead of the supply voltage being the limiting factor.

That's why 4.2v systems that use external battery packs suck horribly. They can't draw much or they drop below needed voltage.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

ledoman said:


> SS X5 has significantly underpowered long beam. Resistor mod was easy and that probem solved, but I would also like the vertical angle between both beams would be smaller.


Seems we have gone off topic again...I am moving this over to the Cheap-O Chinese lamp thread...Click here to see my question to your post...


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

Ok I want to give an update on my DOA Yinding Light received on 12/4/2015 from gearbest. After contacting them and gearbest asking for some proof that the light does not work, they offered me either a refund in the form of store credit or to re-send me another light. 
I thought this was more than fair on their part. I took the store credit and now I'm wondering what light I should get since I'm not sure I want another yinding and the nitefighter BT21 is not available.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Honestly yinding should be fine, your DOA one is probably an easy fix for those with soldering irons. bad yindings are pretty rare, when they do happen its a bad solder job on a wire or emitter. I wouldn't hesitate to order another one.


----------



## pwu_1 (Nov 19, 2007)

tigris99 said:


> Honestly yinding should be fine, your DOA one is probably an easy fix for those with soldering irons. bad yindings are pretty rare, when they do happen its a bad solder job on a wire or emitter. I wouldn't hesitate to order another one.


I didn't want to touch it till after I got the issue resolved, in case they want me to return it.
Anyway, I did open it up after they agreed to let me keep it and give me store credit. The emitter board appears to be bad, either one of the LEDs was not soldered correctly or maybe one of the LEDs is bad. In either case, pretty sure this didn't happen during shipping so QC should have caught this.
I was looking on youtube on how to reflow LEDs so might try doing that to see if I can get it to work...but I'm going Off topic....

To summarize, I'm satisfied with the way GearBest resolved this issue and will continue to do business with them.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

First glitch in my KaiDomain experience. Ordered an item and December 7th. got shipment notification with HongKong tracking number.

It wasn't operational all that time, and today I've logged into KD to submit a ticket - but to my surprise, the tracking number assigned to my order was changed meanwhile to the Sweden Post one!

This one worked though, and shows that the item was actually shipped December 18th.


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

I would order another one and fix the one you have.

It is not like your odds would be better with another brand of cheap light.


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

GearBest did refund my money to my credit card on the order they never shipped, and I only had to ask them once - so I have that going for me.


----------



## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

After ignoring my ticket for weeks, I opened a paypal dispute with Gearbest over the junk BT40/21. They offered to refund $13.
I refused it. Paypal will probably want me to ship the product back at my cost.
Probably going to call my credit card and see what they'll do.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Mayor, bt40s being it may be a fact of not a defective one, just falling short of expectations you may not get anywhere. Can't fault manufacturing for light functioning correctly (without video compared to say bt21 can't say for sure) but output isn't near what you'd like. The dysfunctional bt21 should be taken care of though no problem.

PayPal shouldn't give you a hard time, bt21 "isn't as described/faulty". Gearbest will hopefully just refund you via PayPal and save you the hassle, but I don't know and really wouldn't expect much for the bt40s.

Ffs I hope nitefighter and such get this all sorted before releasing the new bt21s so we dont run into this again next year...


----------



## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

tigris99 said:


> Mayor, bt40s being it may be a fact of not a defective one, just falling short of expectations you may not get anywhere. Can't fault manufacturing for light functioning correctly (without video compared to say bt21 can't say for sure) but output isn't near what you'd like. The dysfunctional bt21 should be taken care of though no problem.
> 
> PayPal shouldn't give you a hard time, bt21 "isn't as described/faulty". Gearbest will hopefully just refund you via PayPal and save you the hassle, but I don't know and really wouldn't expect much for the bt40s.
> 
> Ffs I hope nitefighter and such get this all sorted before releasing the new bt21s so we dont run into this again next year...


The 40 switches don't work and the the battery charger doesn't work
The Switch on the 21 is sticking, It had the wrong connector( which I changed...I'm sure that'll be a problem) and the battery charger doesn't work.
Paypal just sent me a "return the product" request...on my dime.
Shipping back to China can be cost prohibitive ( I do business there)
If I do mail it back...I am going to take a huge dump in the box as a token of my appreciation....and that dump will be better than anything Gearbest ever shipped me.
Calling my C/c in the morning.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Ah ok I missed the bt40 switch issue. I knew your bt21 was bad.

You need to note your PayPal claim that its cost prohibitive to ship back at your expense. Gonna cost more to ship than you paid due to lithium batteries.


----------



## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

* I have found that a lot of the lights shipped from china have one defect or another. I bought a bt21 from gearbest it had a faulty mount, I requested a replacement mount or a new light OR a paid return shipping label or a refund.They promptly refunded my money and I ordered another which I received in 2 weeks. I ordered another bt21 from nightfighter via ebay it had a defective switch cover I asked for the same replace, refund or return label they promptly refunded my money. also ordered a solarstorm x2 off ebay it had a switch that worked but not perfect I requested the same, they promptly refunded my money. in all instances they let me keep the lighthead because it is too expensive to ship back the light seeing it was defective it is unreasonable to expect a customer to ship something back for almost half what they paid for it it. Its all about Negative FEEDBACK they avoid it like the plague. when you have a problem take the gloves off and demand a course of action that will benefit YOU dont be afraid to file a paypal claim. Facts are facts if they ship you something that is defective its on their dime not yours!!!!*


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Not defending qc issues, but I work in manufacturing, and ^^that attitude^^ just wow. Over a button and a broken mount that could be easily replaced. Want perfect quality of a lupine or glowworm, pay for it. Only one of those 3 instances that was worth a full refund. If you people only knew what it takes to actually make something, the fact that their is warranties for a reason, or the fact that if products never had a bad qc, the costs would be so enormous every light would cost what lights like lupine does or would be running 5 yr old tech.

Sorry but that way of thinking irritates me. Especially the "button doesn't work like I think it should. But it works"


----------



## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

tigris99 said:


> Not defending qc issues, but I work in manufacturing, and ^^that attitude^^ just wow. Over a button and a broken mount that could be easily replaced. Want perfect quality of a lupine or glowworm, pay for it. Only one of those 3 instances that was worth a full refund. If you people only knew what it takes to actually make something, the fact that their is warranties for a reason, or the fact that if products never had a bad qc, the costs would be so enormous every light would cost what lights like lupine does or would be running 5 yr old tech.
> 
> Sorry but that way of thinking irritates me. Especially the "button doesn't work like I think it should. But it works"


*"Its not perfect quality ITS WORKING OUT OF THE BOX QUALITY" They all had the option to send me a return shipping label to either fix the issue or return the product, their choice not mine. Why should anyone be expected to receive defective products and be content no matter what the price. the button works some of the time but often leaved my wife clicking away to no avail we stopped using that light because of it. I too worked in manufacturing and know exactly what it takes to make something especially electronics . we all know you like to tinker with your lights but some on the board just shouldn't be expected to have to repair their NEW light right out of the package 
This is exactly what needs to happen when a company Has to either repair or refund enough lights they will be forced to up their quality control and stop shipping out defective units, we have seen the opposite with nightrider their production increased and their QC decreased time to turn that around *


----------



## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Rakuman said:


> [B
> This is exactly what needs to happen when a company Has to either repair or refund enough lights they will be forced to up their quality control and stop shipping out defective units, we have seen the opposite with nightrider their production increased and their QC decreased time to turn that around [/B]


Nightrider or Nitefighter?
Mole


----------



## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

Nitefighter oops!


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

^^^^....I have a SStorm lamp that does the same thing. Button doesn't always work when pressed. Hey, if someone doesn't like that the product doesn't work as expected more power too them if they get a refund ( or replacement ).

I had to refile my previous Paypal dispute with Gearbest. I still haven't received a refund. My fault for not following through I guess. Now I have to wait to file a claim...this is so much BS. I had no idea how much of a PITA it is to file a dispute with Paypal. They certainly don't make it easy. I guess if you're willing to play internet tag with the companies involved you'll get a resolution. Thumbs-up to the people willing to do that.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

Cat-man-do said:


> I had no idea how much of a PITA it is to file a dispute with Paypal. They certainly don't make it easy.


What namely problems you've encountered? I've used this feature as a "last resort" in similar situations several times - can't recall any troubles...


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

It used to be really easy, just a link on the transaction details page, select reason, type a note if needed and click submit. Took like 2 minutes. Sometimes required pics to be sent in (damaged item etc), but item not received was always stupid fast and easy.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

-Archie- said:


> What namely problems you've encountered? I've used this feature as a "last resort" in similar situations several times - can't recall any troubles...


My first time going through this. First you file a dispute with the seller than you have to wait for a response. ONly then can you file a claim. I'm at the claim stage now. I have to wait to see how Paypal resolves the issue.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

What you've described is a normal PP routine. Have you expected to see big green one-click button labeled "Give my money back now!" there?


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

-Archie- said:


> What you've described is a normal PP routine. Have you expected to see big green one-click button labeled "Give my money back now!" there?


 ( big smile )...that would work . Actually though the Paypal ( filing a complaint ) process is not very intuitive. The first time I filed, the stuff I posted must not of processed. I had to go back a second time and refile. I finally got a resolution in my favor ( Jan 9th ) but before that, every time I went to check on the process, "Paypal seemed to indicate that I needed to do something else" At least that was my take on it. Nevertheless when I tried to figure out what else I needed to do I couldn't find a link that led to anything that furthered the process. I thought I might have call them on the phone but the email I received yesterday seems to indicate I will receive a refund ( not from Gearbest but from Paypal )....That too has me scratching my head.

Now I have to watch my credit statements for the refund *_which might take as much as a month _( *according to Paypal ).


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

I have a GearBest order placed in December, took more than 2 weeks to ship, and then went by Sweden Surface Mail (untrackable). How many days should I wait before contacting my credit card company?

Also, the price I paid for the batteries (Panasonic 4x 18650B, $17.75) now seems like too good to be true for protected true-capacity 3400mAh cells. Should I be worried?


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

Unmoderated (hopefully) bump.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

snorf said:


> I have a GearBest order placed in December, took more than 2 weeks to ship, and then went by Sweden Surface Mail (untrackable). How many days should I wait before contacting my credit card company?
> 
> Also, the price I paid for the batteries (Panasonic 4x 18650B, $17.75) now seems like too good to be true for protected true-capacity 3400mAh cells. Should I be worried?


Sorry but I really can't comment on when you should contact Gearbest because you have no information posted on where you live.

About your other question, I'm hoping that you didn't make a mistake and order the 2 cells which would be more in line with the price that you quoted. If you are indeed getting 4 Panasonic cells for the price that you quoted then I would be more inclined to test them to make sure that they are at the rated capacities.

( Edit; I just checked the link provided by snorf and see that GBest has upped the price a dollar. While still a great price for 4-cells this is funny because it also shows the 4-cell offering is "Out of Stock". What makes this so funny is that the two cell offering is still in stock...:ihih:...Do the Chinese not know that two 2-cells make one 4-cell? I just find this hilarious. )


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

snorf said:


> How many days should I wait before contacting my credit card company?


You've paid by credit card directly? :eekster:


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

-Archie- said:


> You've paid by credit card directly? :eekster:


I live in the US, and I did pay with my credit card. Reseller Ratings and Trust Pilot ranked the seller highly enough I didn't expect any issues. My mistake, I see now, instead of using PayPal. This would be the first time I've been burned by a vendor, so I don't have any experience disputing charges.

Guess I'll keep my fingers crossed the product shows up. I am more concerned that the batteries are going to be lower capacity than advertised (NCR18650B). I have no real use for lower capacity cells.


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

Unmoderated (hopefully) bump.


----------



## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

snorf, if Sweden post is as slow as Netherlands post, then it might take 4 or 5 weeks to get your shipment to the USA. I used Netherlands post once and it took three weeks to get from China to the Netherlands. Then another 2 or 3 weeks to get to the USA.


----------



## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Gearbest just sent an order I placed (non-bike related but containing li-ion batteries) by Sweden Post and it hit Chicago here in the US in about a week (maybe less). I was shocked. Also surprised me that GB shipped the order next day!

-Garry


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

I have been tracking AliExpress orders, and I am averaging 11 days delivery from ship time to MA USA.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

More than a week ago I ordered some stuff from *Dealsmachine* with special shipping. Four to five days went by and there was no conformation that the items had shipped. I contacted them via their customer support and was told the items were back ordered. Yesterday ( after about 4 days ) I received an email telling me the items had shipped. That's nice but my area just got socked in with a blizzard and the snow is still falling. ( est. are up to 2-2.5 ft. ) I probably won't be able to leave my home or free my car for two or three days. I figure if I get my stuff by next week I'll be lucky. Damn, wish I owned a pair of snow shoes!


----------



## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

I thought there was a rumor going around that Dealsmachine is just a rebranded Gearbest? I guess they haven't figured out how to display the words "back ordered" on their webpages. 

Edit: Removed snowshoes info.


----------



## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

I purchased a BT70 from Gearworst and have nothing but issues with the light and "service". Basically they finally stated that I could send it back and get $10 in credit to deal with their company again. NOT!

I'm paying more for a quality light from a LBS this time..


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

varider said:


> I thought there was a rumor going around that Dealsmachine is just a rebranded Gearbest? I guess they haven't figured out how to display the words "back ordered" on their webpages.


^^...That may well be but no way to know for sure. I do know that some Chinese websites do have "sister" sites but I really don't know if Gearbest and Dealsmachine are owned by the same company. Now if I never get my order from Dealsmachine, they too will be on my S-list.



Dirtrider127 said:


> I purchased a BT70 from Gearworst and have nothing but issues with the light and "service". Basically they finally stated that I could send it back and get $10 in credit to deal with their company again. NOT!
> 
> I'm paying more for a quality light from a LBS this time..


^^...If you used Paypal you can still get your money back although it will take some time. Unfortunately, Gearbest wasn't the "good" China seller we were hoping they would be. There "are" other good Chinese websites. When I say "Good" I mean that their customer service is better and they have better track records. No Chinese website is going to be perfect though. If you can afford a better lamp from a proven local vendor by all means go for it.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

By no means am I defending anyone but all places (gearbest, dx, fastech, kaidomain) simply sell products they list. Being direct from china its a huge gamble what your going to get. There are definitely ones better than others, and many pulled the same crap before learning and becoming the recommended places to go these days.

Gearbest puts alot of efforts into getting us decent stuff, well the couple people that handle flashlights/bike lights, but sadly that seems to be where the good efforts stop. Also only one of 2 places that readily sells NW tint bike lights (outside of bigger brands).

Hope they get it all sorted.


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

Six weeks after ordering and four weeks after shipment I have received my order from GearBest. The battery holder seems to be in working order, but I only intend to gut it, so the electronics may or may not work properly. The batteries are charging now, and I'll have to do a time test on one of my lights to see if I get runtimes comparable to my current 3400mAh Panasonic NCR18650B cells.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

What battery holder are you talking about??? Are you referring to the Panasonic battery packs they have? If so, ive already ran tests on them (as did ledoman) and they are real, everything matches up to true ncr18650b cells.


----------



## snorf (Dec 21, 2015)

No, no, the "Solarstorm" 2S2P 8.4V battery case is what I ordered along with 4 cells I linked in an earlier post. Price seemed too good to be true after the fact.


----------



## evosil98 (Sep 26, 2014)

Ordered from Fastech and never received order. Paypal disputed and received my money back.

Immediately file dispute with the Chinese vendor if they are unable to produce tracking number.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

The cells are real, that's the price of ncr18650b cells now. Ledoman and I tested packs built with them that are 1/3 the price of anywhere else and they are fully legit. Its easy to tell if their real without a run time test, if they say "made in Japan". That's the big "tell" if they are real or fake. Plus one of my pairs of those I bought from GB cause of the price and mine are as good as the set I bought in the states.


----------



## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Dirtrider127 said:


> I purchased a BT70 from Gearworst and have nothing but issues with the light and "service". Basically they finally stated that I could send it back and get $10 in credit to deal with their company again. NOT!
> 
> I'm paying more for a quality light from a LBS this time..


After receiving 2 crap lights from Gearbest....they offered me some small amount of store credit.
I opened a Paypal dispute.I would have to send the lights back to receive a partial credit.
I called my c/c company who immediately credited my account.
Problem solved.


----------



## McGuillicuddy (Jul 14, 2007)

Just ordered some 4-cell Panasonic 8.4V battery packs (from the other thread) from Kaidomain 4 or 5 days ago. Order says it's still "Pending". How long does it usually take for them to get orders out?


----------



## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

Anything that is also on Aliexpress you should order through Aliexoress! They have reviews and guarantees. If it is one day late you get the item for free!


----------



## McGuillicuddy (Jul 14, 2007)

rsilvers said:


> Anything that is also on Aliexpress you should order through Aliexoress! They have reviews and guarantees. If it is one day late you get the item for free!


I would have, but in this case these good battery packs are only available from KD as far as I know.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

They are also available at gearbest.

Can take a few days sometimes to get shipped especially with the Chinese new year going in right now.

Ordering off aliexpress is a crap shoot, have no idea if your going to get what it says you are. Just like ordering off eBay.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

McGuillicuddy said:


> Just ordered some 4-cell Panasonic 8.4V battery packs (from the other thread) from Kaidomain 4 or 5 days ago. Order says it's still "Pending". How long does it usually take for them to get orders out?


If you ordered the newer Panasonic packs that are talked about on the 2016 battery thread it's possible that they may have run out. Once again when ordering something new / popular this is likely to happen. You may have to wait a couple weeks if they ran out.

Hopefully Kaidomain will get them back in stock by Feb. If you need more information it would best to ask their customer service. They might be able to provide more details. FYI....starting the second week of February; The Chinese Spring Festival ( Chinese New Year ) begins and continues for a couple weeks. During that time likely nothing will ship.


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

Lately I haven't heard from KD. Last time they told they are very busy to fullfil all the orders prior China NY. 

Still anyone is worried about getting their stuff may (I suppose) contact them at "[email protected]" and ask about any issue.


----------



## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Anyone know why Gearbest/Dealsmachine started listing the BT21 again? It had been removed from both sites with the explanation that it was not longer produced and would be replaced by an updated BT21S model.
Mole


----------



## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

MRMOLE said:


> Anyone know why Gearbest/Dealsmachine started listing the BT21 again? It had been removed from both sites with the explanation that it was not longer produced and would be replaced by an updated BT21S model.
> Mole


I don't know but the status says that it is out of stock at Gearbest. Maybe these are the units that they sent back to have the connectors changed out because the last production run had inferior connectors. It says ships within 3-5 business days which will be right at the week long holiday for the Chinese New Year. I can easily see more people getting upset if they order and it takes three or more weeks to ship. You would think that they'd learned their lesson last time when they tried to sell something that wasn't in stock. :nono:


----------



## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

huckleberry hound said:


> I don't know but the status says that it is out of stock at Gearbest. Maybe these are the units that they sent back to have the connectors changed out because the last production run had inferior connectors. It says ships within 3-5 business days which will be right at the week long holiday for the Chinese New Year. I can easily see more people getting upset if they order and it takes three or more weeks to ship. You would think that they'd learned their lesson last time when they tried to sell something that wasn't in stock. :nono:


I did notice the "out of stock" designation @ GB though Dealsmachine shows "in stock" (I don't believe it). Wishful thinking that it was a listing for the new BT21S model but it doesn't appear to be that. Sucks that you can't believe what they put on the web-site but I guess it's just part of the "risk factor" you have to consider when you order from even the best of the Chinese vendors. Love it if I was wrong!
Mole


----------



## McGuillicuddy (Jul 14, 2007)

ledoman said:


> Lately I haven't heard from KD. Last time they told they are very busy to fullfil all the orders prior China NY.
> 
> Still anyone is worried about getting their stuff may (I suppose) contact them at "[email protected]" and ask about any issue.


My battery packs shipped about 5 days after I ordered (shortly after I posted my message above). So not too bad.


----------



## andychrist (Aug 25, 2011)

The 2 8.4V chargers I ordered from electonic_convenient_4_you through eBay shipped immediately by e-Packet (Postal Product: First-Class Package International Service Features: Priority Mail International Parcel) making their way to the States and getting processed through Customs inside of three days, and were lost by U.S.P.S. just three days later. How's that for service!? :thumbsup:

:madman:


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

andychrist said:


> The 2 8.4V chargers I ordered from electonic_convenient_4_you through eBay shipped immediately by e-Packet (Postal Product: First-Class Package International Service Features: Priority Mail International Parcel) making their way to the States and getting processed through Customs inside of three days, and were lost by U.S.P.S. just three days later. How's that for service!? :thumbsup:
> 
> :madman:


If it had a bar code ( for tracking ) I doubt it got lost. Maybe was routed wrong at the first postal station. I had that happen once. Keep in mind also that the Postal Service likely got heavily back-logged when the snow storms hit so maybe that has something to do with it. Sorry, can't blame the Chinese for our postal screw-ups. You'll probably get it. It will just take a bit longer for the postal workers to catch-up ( or for it to be rerouted to the proper destination if that happened ).

BTW, I'm waiting on some stuff too so I feel your pain.


----------



## andychrist (Aug 25, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> If it had a bar code ( for tracking ) I doubt it got lost. Maybe was routed wrong at the first postal station. I had that happen once. Keep in mind also that the Postal Service likely got heavily back-logged when the snow storms hit so maybe that has something to do with it. Sorry, can't blame the Chinese for our postal screw-ups. You'll probably get it. It will just take a bit longer for the postal workers to catch-up ( or for it to be rerouted to the proper destination if that happened ).
> 
> BTW, I'm waiting on some stuff too so I feel your pain.


Nah, we didn't get any snow up here. Parcel made it to the Albany distribution center but disappeared on its way to the local PO just thirty miles south of there. Normally would have been on my porch within a few hours after leaving state capital but has been days now and the PO cannot locate it, I asked. Kicker is every few hours they send me an automated update with the same info from three days ago, stating that it's Departed USPS Destination Facility. Again, I'm not blaming the Chinese; just posting about it so others will understand that when they order items from overseas their packages might receive exceptionally low priority after clearing Customs. Happens to me with incredible frequency. Oh well. Hope the snow in your area all melts, Cat, so you can receive your orders and review them here! ;-)


----------



## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

I ordered two of the two cell battery packs from Kaidomain and after a ~6 week wait, I received one battery pack. I went through the "contact us" on their website to let them know of the shortage and asked for a refund for the missing item and have not had a response in four days. 

I just attempted to contact them through Paypal...this is the route I should have started with in case I eventually need to make a claim through Paypal.


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

Have you got any tracking # with your order? It is just bad time to sort out those issues as they have hollidays. I'm shure they would resolve this issue, but afaik they were overloaded before hollidays. It's up to you to wait some time more (you should be covered by PP for 180 days anyway) or go to PP route right away. Kaidomain is above average China sellers and I trust them. And you should not request full refund since you have got half of the order. If you decide to wait I can try to help later on but you should contact me over PM.


----------



## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

PayPal got their immediate attention and I just received a refund for the missing item.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

gmcttr said:


> PayPal got their immediate attention and I just received a refund for the missing item.


Yeah, they are probably selling a lot of those battery packs. Sometimes when Kaidomain runs out of the stuff that you ordered they will send a "Partial order". This is very common, especially with batteries. Maybe that was noted on the packing slip ( or not ) (?)...Chances are though that you would have gotten the other battery but at a later date. Still the first one took longer than usual. I guess that means they are running out of these fast and so have to wait for more to be assembled. Things should get better once the Chinese New Year celebration is over.


----------



## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

Cat-man-do said:


> ...Sometimes when Kaidomain runs out of the stuff that you ordered they will send a "Partial order". This is very common, especially with batteries. Maybe that was noted on the packing slip ( or not ) .......Chances are though that you would have gotten the other battery but at a later date....


Not likely in this case. I ordered them within a couple of hours of ledoman posting their availability. Just one of those times they screwed up as happens with all companies on occasion.


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

Pleasantly surprised. BT21 ordered from gearbest. Promt DHL shipment to nys. Blew my cygolite away. Gets wonky but such a nice piece. Runtime is on par to advert. Can't complain on tint or beam. It's boss. Plug in not great, mount is poop.
But I like this one. No mods. Hope kidomain will hurry up with my 2cell panny!! But I don't ride without my cygolite in the huge azz frame bag!! Lol


----------



## KevinB2 (Jan 30, 2010)

More or less a continuation of what I've posted over in the "2016 cheap-o chinese lights" thread.

Ordered two Solarstorm X2's (the kit with the light head, battery, and charger) from Lightmalls in mid-December. Arrived in about 3-1/2 weeks which I thought was pretty good. Arrived in unmarked boxes with no paperwork, just the goods.

$17.99 | SolarStorm X2 2000-lumen Dual Head Bicycle light With 2xXM-L U2 LED 4 Modes(4*18650 Battery) Worldwide Fast Free Shipping!

Advertised as dual Cree XM-L (T6 or U2 I think) emitters.

I was pretty sure these wouldn't be the "original" X2's and I knew that it might not be very well put together, but I did at least assume that the emitters would be Cree XM-L U2's.

Lights arrived, I charged them up, and went for a ride. I was surprised that they were noticeably dimmer than my three-year old MS 808 knockoffs. Those are single emitter, supposedly Cree XM-L's whereas these are dual emitters. Made some enquiries of the super helpful folks over in the cheap-o lights thread, and it turns out they aren't Cree emitters, probably Latticebright or some other knock-off. Also, I tested the chargers, both put out over 10 volts which I was informed could be unsafe to use with the supplied battery packs (8.4 volt).

I pointed all this out to the vendor, and asked for a refund. Refund was refused outright, so I started a Paypal dispute, again asking for a refund. Refund was declined, and the vendor offered me $3 USD per light, which they claim is the cost difference between a genuine Cree emitter and whatever this one is. I refused that, then they came back with the same offer again, and this time they are claiming that the emitters were genuine Cree, a model called the Cree MTK, supposedly a replacement for the "old" XM-L T6.

Anyone here heard of the Cree MTK emitter? I couldn't find any reference to it on the Cree website...


----------



## KevinB2 (Jan 30, 2010)

Oh, and obviously it's not about the money...I just figured someone needed to challenge them on selling lights with different emitters than advertised, and especially on the 10V chargers. If nobody complains, they'll just keep doing it.


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

I ordered the ncr 4x18650 battery pack from Gearbest. After waiting the better part of a week, I shot them a ticket asking why battery was not shipped. You guessed it, item not currently in stock was the reply. At least they refunded my PayPal quickly. Seems like my 1st transaction that went smoothly was some sort of fluke with gb. But I'm sure I'll order from them again, I'll just verify they have the item 1st. To test the waters I ordered a 2 cell pack from kaidomain on the same day. That hasn't shipped either. Chinese New Year delays?


----------



## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

Try it at Kaidomain, they should have it in stock.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

I almost forgot to mention. The two torches I ordered from Dealsmachine arrived more than a week ago. Basically it arrived but there was at least a week before it shipped ( back ordered...right ). After that I think it took two weeks to get here. I used expedited shipping

Someone mentioned before that Dealsmachine is the sister / clone site to Gearbest. Although I've never asked the question directly to either site's customer service I'm just going to assume that possibility to be true. While I was hesitate to order from them because of this, unfortunately they were the only site that had the product I wanted in the color I wanted...therefore, I rolled the dice.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Paypal refund problem*

More than a month ago I was suppose to get a refund from Paypal ( per Paypal ). I was told by paypal ( via email ) it might take more than a month to show up on my credit card statement. Well folks it's been a month and a half and I see nothing credited to my credit card account.  I'm giving them to the end of the month and then I go to the credit card company for a refund. My first Paypal dispute has been less than rewarding.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Wow that's new, that stuff is usually pretty quick unless something has changed. I do know it used to be up to 6 weeks for the process to happen. Depends on if seller fights it.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

tigris99 said:


> Wow that's new, that stuff is usually pretty quick unless something has changed. I do know it used to be up to 6 weeks for the process to happen. Depends on if seller fights it.
> 
> Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


According to the email I received the refund was to be from Paypal directly ( not from Gearbest ). Of course this also presents the possibility that the Paypal email I received was a fake. I won't know that of course unless I contact Paypal directly and see what they say about it. I've received fake Paypal emails before so yes is pays to be very careful how you respond to emails. Hackers troll the internet with a vengeance.


----------



## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

What's the problem to just login into PayPal account and browse particular transaction's details?


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

I'm a rookie but is it comonplace to advert a price on a website and raise the price at a later date? Is that sop? I was eyeing the ec4sw on a page and it jumped $30.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Just like any product anywhere, prices can change, especially if previous price was "sale price"

Not sure what product your referring to but it's the norm for prices to increase to normal.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

Ok I got a lot to learn. But I think it's cool to shop smart even tho my lbs would only give me 18% off. I was eying flashlights and they all jumped in price. Wrong forum for that question.I'm waiting for the Ituo to get ready. Ituo triple. It's the only light that might replace my bt40.


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Dirt Road said:


> Ok I got a lot to learn. But I think it's cool to shop smart even tho my lbs would only give me 18% off. I was eying flashlights and they all jumped in price. Wrong forum for that question.I'm waiting for the Ituo to get ready. Ituo triple. It's the only light that might replace my bt40.


Kind'a off topic but by tomorrow I'll hopefully get a chance to do some beam shots on some trail ( as long they are dry enough ). If I do I'll try to do a comparison between the Gloworm X2 ( with NW ) LED's and the Nitefighter BT40S. I don't doubt the ITUO triple will be a blast but the Gloworms ( X2 or triple XS ) with NW emitters are good options as well.

Anyway, if you hold out for a ITUO triple, if I were you I'd plan to use the triple on helmet and use a triple spot optic setup . With the 40S on the bars and triple on the helmet you would have an awesome set-up.


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

I have the gloworm x2 nw just received. I am not fond of aspects of the light but I like the beam tint and it has tons of throw. I love the BT40 on the bars. I think its a great combo. I'm very interested in seeing yr beam shots Cat. I don't think the x2 will replace my 1 light setup on my cross bike (bt21) .


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

-Archie- said:


> What's the problem to just login into PayPal account and browse particular transaction's details?


The transaction details don't match with the information I received via email ( supposedly from Paypal ). Hence, I have sent an email to Paypal in order to find out what happened. Since this is the first time I've ever disputed a transaction, lets just say I'm not impressed with my first Paypal "Dispute" experience.


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

Disputes were never handled via email before, it was always the dispute console on the PayPal site itself. Unless PayPal emailed requesting specific details (pictures or whatever)

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

tigris99 said:


> Disputes were never handled via email before, it was always the dispute console on the PayPal site itself. Unless PayPal emailed requesting specific details (pictures or whatever)
> 
> Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


The the dispute was on the console. Before the dispute was closed on the console I was sent the email. There is no mention on the console that the dispute was finalized in my favor. Either way the console only says that the dispute is now closed. Really, that tells me nothing.

Apparently the web is full of sites with people complaining of Paypal using unbusinesslike practices. Until now I was not aware of such complaints but the web is full of BS websites though so whats a person to think. Like everyone else I have been using Paypal for years. I just never had a complaint before.


----------



## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

I used deals machine for go pro adapters. 20days to my mailbox. Not speedy not bad. Gearbest, I ordered today, it was shipped in 2hrs. Now batteries is a different animal. Still waiting 25+ days from 2 sites. But it's all ok. I can pay a lot more which I choose not to do and get instant service.


----------



## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

My Gearbest order placed Feb 13th still hadn't shipped out, so I submitted a ticket again. I got an apology and miraculously it shipped out hours later!  I ordered using the "US Expedited" option, but it shipped Sweden Post! Ugh! There is no battery in the order, but I did order a knife. I'm getting real fed up with Gearbest's shipping or lack thereof! I gladly purchase elsewhere for a little more money if I can. I realize this order was placed near/during Chinese New Year, but it still should have shipped out much earlier than now! 

-Garry


----------



## tigris99 (Aug 26, 2012)

I feel your pain, order from fasttech said it would ship 8 days (and took a support ticket) BEFORE it actually did. 

As for your shipping problem, you paid for it and didn't get it, I would demand a refund for the price.

They are all about blf stuff and taking care of group buys but nothing seems to have changed for anything else as promised. Rather annoying.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk


----------



## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

garrybunk said:


> My Gearbest order placed Feb 13th still hadn't shipped out, so I submitted a ticket again. I got an apology and miraculously it shipped out hours later!  I ordered using the "US Expedited" option, but it shipped Sweden Post! Ugh! There is no battery in the order, but I did order a knife. I'm getting real fed up with Gearbest's shipping or lack thereof! I gladly purchase elsewhere for a little more money if I can. I realize this order was placed near/during Chinese New Year, but it still should have shipped out much earlier than now!
> 
> -Garry


Finally got my shipment last Monday April 11th. Almost 2months. GB did screw up and gave me the order number instead of a tracking number. When I checked the real tracking number there was a status "due to recent terrorist activity in Europe package is delayed".

-Garry


----------

