Alibaba cell shipping times (delayed in customs)
- Thread starter alexcl
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Alkaline
Solar Wizard
It can happen, 1 time there was a shipment that also caused a fire, I think those people got stuck for over a year. But this is the risk you take from Ali sites.
60 days is still not too bad, I would start worrying after 100 days.
60 days is still not too bad, I would start worrying after 100 days.
Horsefly
Solar Wizard
One of the problems with ordering from China is the logistics company. Amy @ Luyuan hands them off to the logistics company, who handles getting it on the ship, off the ship, through customs, and handed off to UPS, FedEx or whoever. These companies work at their own pace, and are not accountable to either Amy (the seller) or you (the buyer). If higher paying shipments are coming in at the same time as yours, you are put at the back of the line. Amy (in this case) has no control over them. In fact, on one of my orders from her she said she couldn't even get them to answer her query for over a week. Amy is very honest, so I don't think she makes this stuff up.
So if you buy from China, there are at least 3 parties involved, and one of them - the logistics company - has no skin in the game and doesn't give a crap. So even if the buyer and the seller are trustworthy and strive to make the deal close quickly and satisfactorily, it still depends on luck with the third party. Perhaps worse, sometimes the logistics company mishandles or poorly packages what they get from the seller, but when it is all damaged on delivery to you, there will be finger-pointing all around (shipper, logistics company, FedEx, or the seller) but no one will own the mistake.
This is the reason why I have decided not to buy cells to be delivered from China any longer, even though I think Amy @ Luyuan is awesome to deal with. If you can buy stock from a U.S. warehouse (assuming you are in the U.S.), at least the getting it from China to the U.S. is someone else's problem, and if you buy it you should be able to assume it was in good shape before being shipped via FedEx or UPS.
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Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
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Yeah they're all standing in long line at customs, they gotta wait until customs looks away for a minute so they can sneak as many of them past as they can get by and onto the truck.
I got some purchased on July 28th, stuck in this situation. But Aliexpress does say Est Delivery Date: Oct 3rd, so I guess it is still on track. FedEx not showing 'We've got your package' yet in Compton, CA...
We're told not to ask how hot dogs are made. They never charged me any duty on them at least that I know of, must be baked into the purchase price.
Just makes you all the more thankful when they mysteriously show up on your porch one day.
Alkaline
Solar Wizard
The problem with the logistics company is that they will go and label batteries as some bs. I think solarsupply house buys cells from QSO and the QSO shipper decided to call the battery cells as dried flowers and jammed up there shipment. So 1 of the big issues is that these companies will do whatever they can to avoid paying the dangerous / hazard materials fees.
Luyuan is nice, but I very much doubt they are paying for proper classification of goods, instead just hoping things go smoothly. Hence its a must your pay with credit card to prevent getting jammed up in a situation that may very well be outside of Luyuan's control.
Luyuan is nice, but I very much doubt they are paying for proper classification of goods, instead just hoping things go smoothly. Hence its a must your pay with credit card to prevent getting jammed up in a situation that may very well be outside of Luyuan's control.
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Oh boy, now I'm nervous about the physical quality of received cells. Amy seemed pretty straightforward and I know a lot of people on this forum have gone through her so I guess fingers crossed until they arrived. Thanks for the intel.
Hahah, I had no idea that's how it worked. Hoping they clear soon - sounds like a game of wait and see.
Horsefly
Solar Wizard
Mostly you will probably be OK. I can't say for sure, but I have assumed that Amy's company packs the cells and so they are less subject to the rough handling (or lack thereof) by the logistics guys. I think some companies save some money by just letting the logistics company do the packaging, and those result in horror stories (ask some elders here on the board about Michael B Caro's group buy).
Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
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- Oct 15, 2020
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I've always wondered if Amy is like a hundred people... Like virtual person, again don't ask how hot dogs are made, just smile and be thankful when such great cells show up on your door step
"Hey, we just got another 10 emails looking for Amy"... "We're going to have to hire more Amys to get them all, they're stacking up in the queue"...
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RebelRob
New Member
The price at 18650 is now pretty competitive, why order from China when you could have them in 3-5 days for very close to the same price...You pay a little more for the cells and a little less for delivery..I've ordered my share of cells from China when prices in America were a rip off, but, my last few orders have been USA...
Alkaline
Solar Wizard
18650 is about $20/more cell than Luyuan after factoring in shipping.
RebelRob
New Member
If the shipper from China doesn't pay for proper classification, then customs can seize shipments, it's happened many times, which is why people only use a good credit card or PayPal...Doubt if that's the case here because it's a some what regular and "reputable" supplier..But, I think they ALL mislabel to not pay for Hazardous materials..
RebelRob
New Member
Depends on what you are ordering..The cells with the single post terminal are a few hundred dollars cheaper (16), the double terminal cells are a few dollars cheaper..
Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
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FYI, I finally got my cells today from AliExpress seller in China, 1.5 months, came overseas via unknown means and arrived to Compton, CA, then transferred to FedEx (where I could finally track it) and delivered to UT on doorstep, was shipped on Aug 1... whew, always nice when they do finally show.
You ought to check if the tracking number they gave you is for a Chinese shipper or for the US freight company. In my case, I saw that using the China Post or their universal tracking link in AliExpress, it would never report any shipment updates.
So I messaged the seller about it and that's when they told me it was a FedEx tracking number. So then when I would check it on FedEx, it would only show FedEx hadn't received it yet for a bit more than a month, until a few days ago, then that tracking number finally came alive and started to show movement activity.
You ought to check if the tracking number they gave you is for a Chinese shipper or for the US freight company. In my case, I saw that using the China Post or their universal tracking link in AliExpress, it would never report any shipment updates.
So I messaged the seller about it and that's when they told me it was a FedEx tracking number. So then when I would check it on FedEx, it would only show FedEx hadn't received it yet for a bit more than a month, until a few days ago, then that tracking number finally came alive and started to show movement activity.
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xuba-Aaron
Battery reseller XUBA
您可以要求商家向您提供船公司的运输轨迹，如果港口被封锁，可能需要几周的时间。 商人和船公司没有办法干预港口。
如果运输轨迹没有显示港口拥堵，那么您可能会被海关扣留。 那么这个包裹将不会交付给您。 企业还必须缴纳一些罚款。
如果运输轨迹没有显示港口拥堵，那么您可能会被海关扣留。 那么这个包裹将不会交付给您。 企业还必须缴纳一些罚款。
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
"You can ask the merchant to provide you with the shipping track of the shipping company, which may take several weeks if the port is blocked. Merchants and shipping companies had no way to interfere with the port.
If shipping traces don't show port congestion, you may be detained by customs. Then the package will not be delivered to you. Businesses must also pay some fines."
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