All About Pocket Knives

I'm currently entertaining myself with a back & forth conversation with an AliExpress seller in China. I ordered a knife for a total of $24 and 6 weeks later I have not yet received it. So, I opened a dispute with AliExpress. That started a back and forth conversation with the seller that is probably worth the $24 all by itself. AliExpress says that if we don't come to an agreement by 7/29, they will step in and issue me a refund. I'll believe it when I see it. There is almost always fine print that will make any such guarantees worthless. At this point, I have zero expectation I will get the knife or a refund, but that's the price you pay when you play on AliExpress, DHGate, Fasttech & Gearbest.

The package probably really was shipped, and it is probably sitting in a Customs bin in Hong Kong or in Los Angeles. It might even show-up two months from now (that has happened before). Any way, here's the transcript of our week long comedy routine:


Me 18/07/21 05:54 I am opening a dispute regarding this item. The item was ordered on June 10, 2018 and has not been received.

Seller 18/07/21 05:58 Shall we consult the post office?

Me 18/07/21 15:38 I still want the item, but if it cannot be supplied then I require a refund.

Seller 18/07/25 06:22 You cancel the dispute and we reship the goods, ok?

Seller 18/07/25 06:23 We have a special line in America. You will receive it in about 10 days. Ok?

Me 18/07/25 20:23 I do not understand "special line".

Seller 18/07/25 20:30 It's faster than the ePacket

Me 18/07/26 19:43 If you can provide a tracking number that works, I will cancel the dispute.

Seller 18/07/26 20:09 LN520308630KR

Me 18/07/26 21:07 I need to know the name of the shipping service to know whether that tracking number is valid.

I have my popcorn and will be enjoying the show. Keep us posted please.

My experience with sellers in China is through ebay and i have found them all to be concerned that i have received the item and am happy with it.
Quite a few buys, no one has tried to scam me and 100% of items received but a few took over 1 month even though promptly shipped.
Are sellers' standards different on these other auction sites ?
kj

Yes, absolutely. Ebay is a US-based corporation that caters to US-based buyers. Sites like DHgate & AliExpress are based outside the USA. The rules are much different. You can buy straight-up counterfeit products that would never be allowed to be sold on Ebay. You can also buy automatic knives and other items that Ebay does not allow. Of course, doing such things comes with high risk. I see it as a game - it is cheaper than going to Las Vegas...

For example, here are ads for counterfeit Spyderco Domino knives: https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?ca ... hText=C172

The pictures omit the Spydie hole and logos, but when you receive the knife it will be a complete copy in a counterfeit box.

I bought a similar copy of a Spyderco Dragonfly before I bought a genuine Dragonfly, just to see whether I liked the size. Don't get me wrong, the build quality and blade steel on the counterfeits is nowhere close to the genuine, and I would never advise anyone to buy the counterfeit instead of the real deal - it's just fun to see the differences.

So, here's the latest. On July 28, Ali Express finally stepped in. The web site says "If you and the seller can't come to an agreement, we will step in and help.".

Today, Ali Express posted a "judgement":

"Invalid - Since the post official website in your country no longer provide online tracking information for the package which is send by Post Registered Air Mail, please go to your local post office to check the package then confirm with us if you have received the package currently. If you indeed have not received the goods, please notify us within the given time. If you have received the goods in good condition, you are suggest to cancel the claim and we will release the payment to the seller."

So, I posted back: "I have contacted the "local post office" and they have no record of the shipment. They stated they are not able to provide me any information using the tracking number provided by the seller. Please process the refund immediately."

WTF do they expect the USPS to do with a tracking number from Hong Kong Post Airmail?? This is the same response I received last year from Gearbest when a shipment went missing.

This is exactly what I expected to occur - Ali Express is now showing their real allegiance, and it is not to the US buyer.

The game continues...

This is exactly why I buy from FastTech. The price is less by as much as $4 (on my most recent purchase) and the item arrives in approximately two weeks. (give or take a few days)

Edit: Oh! And I forgot to mention the shipping is free.

I agree with you Jerry - Fasttech is also my preferred source for China products. Sometimes AliExpress & DHGate are the only places you can purchase a product. I freely admit these tend to be the more shady products like fakes & clones that I will occasionally buy just to see what they look like. I have never and would never resell a fake product as the genuine item. And yeah, I play with fire and sometimes get singed!

Latest update - Ali Express now says I will get a refund:

"Since you didn't receive the package within the purchase protection days and both of you didn't reach any agreement, we will support you the refund request according to our rule.

Final resolution: full refund 24.23 USD

Reminder: Normally buyer will receive the refund in 3-20 business days."

Queue the Jeopardy music as I wait for 20 days...