Buying from alibaba?

[Stang ZA]

How do I know if what I am purchasing is an original or a knock off?

I see tons of mods etc for sale on ebay and even more for sale on sites lile alibaba.com

I dont mind a clone here n there. But when I am wanting to buy something lile an Svd I want to know I am getting the real deal etc.

So are all the items on a site like alibaba.com clones or are there some legit ones? How do I tell the difference? You perhaps know any of the sellers which are selling legit goods?

Thanks.

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[Tinkiegrrl]

Have you taken a look at fasttech? I haven't heard much about allibaba, but Fasttech can be trusted to send you the real deal if you read the product descriptions carefully. If they say Authentic, it's the real deal. If they say "SVD style" then it's a clone of the SVD.

 

[Stang ZA]

Yeah I have seen fasttech. Thing is I am in South Africa and local suppliers are charging double over what I can import myself. Prices on alibaba are almost half of fasttech while claiming to be authentic.

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[rolygate]

Everything on Alibaba is counterfeit. It's fraud central.

That may not matter much for some products, depending on your attitude to fraud - but it certainly does matter when it comes to batteries.

Every battery on Alibaba is a fake. It's up to you if you're willing to take the risk, but it might be better just to buy the cheapest junk rubbish battery you can get from a local dealer, at least you know exactly what it is: junk. If you buy an AW cell from Alibaba then there is a risk that subconsciously you may not treat it how it needs treating: as dangerous fake junk that should never be used in a device in front of your face and partly in your mouth.

 

[p7willm]

Just like anything else it it seems too good to be true it probably is. If the real deal comes from China then they might have the real one but if it is a mod from America then it is a clone.

A lot of mods and attys are hard to find, even at full price, so you are not going to find them on ebay for less, you will find some originals being sold for more on ebay and you will probably find some fakes being sold on ebay for more.

The SVD is made in China and easily available so the cut price sites probably have it.

Like the other posters said Alibaba and Fastech have a reputation so if you read the description carefully what you get will probably match it.

Also since the SVD is fairly inexpensive there is less of an area for the clone makers to work in. You can copy a $300 Hana mod for $50 but a $70 SVD might cost $50 to make so I would go for the item I could sell for hundreds less.

 

[Stang ZA]

Well first off I will never take that chance on a battery. So im not and never will consider that.

But now here is something rather interesting.. I actually emailed innokin asking them which (if any) suppliers on alibaba are selling a legitimate product. This was their reply..

Hi XXXXXXX ,

Thank you for your e mail.

You can't buy from alibaba , we didn't do B2C.

You can buy from our authorized vendor like www.electravapor.com.

Thank you !

Innokin technologies


So I looked on that site. Itaste VTR costs 119$. Same item on fasttech is 71$

Now what the heck??? ???

??????????

So after all that I get referred to a supplier who is selling it higher than anyone else? Why is it so much more than fasttech? Is fasttech selling original?



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[Tinkiegrrl]

Well first off I will never take that chance on a battery. So im not and never will consider that.

But now here is something rather interesting.. I actually emailed innokin asking them which (if any) suppliers on alibaba are selling a legitimate product. This was their reply..

Hi XXXXXXX ,

Thank you for your e mail.

You can't buy from alibaba , we didn't do B2C.

You can buy from our authorized vendor like Electra Vapor | Buy Electronic Cigarettes in North Carolina USA.

Thank you !

Innokin technologies


So I looked on that site. Itaste VTR costs 119$. Same item on fasttech is 71$

Now what the heck??? ???

??????????

So after all that I get referred to a supplier who is selling it higher than anyone else? Why is it so much more than fasttech? Is fasttech selling original?



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Innokin sets the minimum price that their authorized dealers can sell their products at. However, dealers like Fasttech buy in bulk with different names, and therefore they sell for less then what Innokin authorizes.

 

[Stang ZA]

Innokin sets the minimum price that their authorized dealers can sell their products at. However, dealers like Fasttech buy in bulk with different names, and therefore they sell for less then what Innokin authorizes.

So with that in mind.. there may in fact be dealers on alibaba doing the exact same thing hence the lower prices?

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[Tinkiegrrl]

So with that in mind.. there may in fact be dealers on alibaba doing the exact same thing hence the lower prices?

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Possibly, however if it's too low, I'd go with Fasttech over alibaba. Fasttech does sell clones, but if you are careful you have a better chance of getting an authentic one. Alibaba is a bit iffy from what I hear. I did think that Fasttech shipped all over the world. Do they not ship to South Africa? Are you planning on buying in bulk, or are you just looking for one device? Alibaba's prices also seem to be based on bulk orders. You may need to buy a minimum number of devices in order to get the advertised price.

 

[Stang ZA]

I am planning to buy one device. And as much as I love to support local I refuse to get ripped off.

For example.

Svd express kit. Device only no additional clearomizers etc costs about R680 here excluding postage. So that's $78 to have it delivered to my door. Almost twice the price!

I could probably buy the starter kit which includes the clearomizers, a battery charger, and a decent Rba and get it delivered for the same price from fasttech!

I bought two Kanger T3s clearomizers from the same supplier. They cost me R110 each plus then R95 postage. R285 total. So just under $30 for two T3s clearomizers delivered. I have just bought 5 on ebay for same price including delivery!

Some of the suppliers on alibaba do sell the same kits for about 40$ and they do sell one item.

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[JMarca]

Alibaba is a big hit or miss, it's like a Chinese ebay only you deal directly with the guys making the products and trust me or ask anyone who's dealt alot with that site you have quality sellers and then you have really bad ones. On top of that you sometimes have "middle men" who you think is a reputable manufacturer and has some nice pictures up of their factory, except it's not their pictures and it's not even their product. You think Fasttech's return policy is bad, you haven't seen some of these sellers.

 

[pnyc]

Alibaba's wealth of counterfeit products a concern to some potential IPO investors - San Jose Mercury News

 

[Stang ZA]

Alibaba's wealth of counterfeit products a concern to some potential IPO investors - San Jose Mercury News

Thanks for article. Interesting to see the efforts they are making to stop the fakes.

I have managed to find a certain supplier on alibaba who claim to supply original products. I have searched and dug and just when I have thought I cannot find more information I have dig even deeper.

Now without revealing their name this is what I have managed to find out.

What they claim:

Licensed manufacturer for large ecig companies such as innokin, Kangertech to mention a few.
100% authentic
They state that their products come with a serial no which can be checked on original manufacturer websites.

What google has told me:

Their claims are true.

What I have learnt on other forums including this one:

They are a factory that is used to manufacture goods for innokin etc and are licensed to do so.

Their products are authentic. Ok yes some are clones but the ones they claim to be authentic are such as innokin and Kangertech.

I have seen posts (on various forums including fasttech) with many ppl agreeing that their claims are true.

Last but not least.

I emailed innokin. I asked them if my device which was given to me as a birthday present was fake since it appears to be manufactured by this particular company and not by innokin.

Real names removed..

Here the emails:


Hi there,

I have been given an itaste svd for my birthday. I love it! Works wonderful! Looks like good quality!

I dont know where it was bought but it appears to have been made by a company called XXXX

Is it a fake??

Thanks
Peter,

Hi Peter,

Innokin technology are original manufacture of Itaste products ..

XXXX are buy from innokin , is the package have security code sticker ?

Best regards ,

Hi There,

So if they buy from you it is original then?

I have sticker yes

Regards
Peter

Hi Peter ,

I am not sure , please check security code in innokin website.

Thank you !




So at this point with them not telling me they are fake I can only come to the conclusion that this manufacturer are who they claim to be.

From what we have seen develop on fasttech Innokin will obviously not say yes or no. You remember the issue when they said Fasttech is selling fake goods since they not coming from them? Same thing I guess.

But.. I am still going to be cautious and not buy a large order. Will place a small one and check codes to ensure they all match up. Will take it from there.

And if these codes check out and and their products prove to be 100% authentic..?? I think for the sake of a long and happy life I wont reveal who it is..