Here we go again

I received my refund from Aliexpress today for my new e-bike that never materialised so have jumped straight in again. There are two ‘sellers’ with similar names who are offering the same bike as I ordered last time for 399,99€ and funnily enough their Aliexpress certificates show that they were both registered in Spain, one in late December 2023 and the other in late January 2024.

I already know from previous searches that the true prices of the bikes are in the range 1000€ – 1499€ so my conclusion is that both are working the same scam as my original seller. I think that anyone placing orders will be unlikely to get their money back if they use a non-guaranteed payment method, despite Aliexpress saying they will, and although the ‘sellers’ know that other monies they receive will be refunded, they can use the funds in their business for free in the meantime.

So this time I’ve gone for another supplier and another model bike, although it’s pretty apparent by now that all of these bikes of similar design are coming from the same factory and are just branded differently. Here’s what we’re talking about – very much the same as I originally ordered but this time I’ve gone for the bright green!

This time, though, I’ve paid quite a bit more, although still below the average price being demanded for the same/similar model by other suppliers – 938€.

I’ve done the same as before – paid using Paypal, although this time I’ve opted for 4 x payments over the next four months, meaning my initial outlay is roughly half what it was before. The bike is also due to be delivered a lot quicker – by March 7th – so if this one goes t*ts up as well, at least I’ll get my money back quicker than before 🙂