Alibaba

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hello All
I hope this is the right section for such a topic. I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with www.alibaba.com ?? I guess most of you know what it is. Basically its a website connecting buyers to Chinese manufacturers/wholesalers, etc.

Anyway there are a lot of companies offering cheap vapes. As has been discussed around here on different threads most of these e-cig style devices either combust or don't work well or at all (maybe some with oil but basically none with buds). Obviously many forum members would refuse to buy from China for health and safety concerns. Also, many would not buy a knock off for ethical or perhaps other reasons as well.

Ok, so having said that, as you can see from my info I am located in Hong Kong and I am basically 50kms from where most of these factories are located. I have had a bit of down time lately and I have been wasting my time by doing research on alibaba.com . There are most certainly some interesting things to look at. Here are some points to note;

1. So many of the pen style vapes mentioned above are available there at dirt cheap prices. For a laugh I placed an order today for an Ago (which unless I am mistaken is basically an Atmos Raw) and a VMax. Delivered to my door the total cost of this order was $35 USD. So I am just playing around and expect these to be rubbish but that price is amazing. I could have got an Elips as well but I thought two was enough for now.

To me the real point here is just how cheap and worthless these Chinese made pen vapes really are. If I ordered 100 I'm sure the price would only be about $10 per unit.

2. The most interesting item I found is the Pax by Ploom. Now we all know the Pax is manufactured in China and there are at least 10 different companies offering the Pax for around $75-80. It is unclear whether these are genuine items or not. To be honest I believe they are genuine.

There is something in this part of the world which is generally known as A-product. What that means is very high quality knock offs that are possibly exactly the same as the real thing. They may differ slightly as far as branding but often they are identical. To give you an example I have a set of Ping golf clubs at home that are A-product and they are excellent. So I believe this is what the alibaba Pax are. They are using the same technology and parts either in the same factory or they have duplicated it nearby.

If you take a look some of the companies they are offering a variety of colours including the original 3 colours, the new Emerald green unit as well as maybe silver, light green, lilac and a different blue.

Stock is hard to come by right now but I will have one soon and will write a review. I am a very honest person but have no hesitation in ordering a Pax this way. It shows you how much the units are really worth imo and how inflated the retail price really is.

3. There is also a lot of other crap as well but mostly it looks like a waste of time to me. Blatant knock offs, Skyda products and so forth.

Anyway that is all. Like I said I am just doing this for fun and interest. If I get a cheap Pax then great but it doesn't matter.
 

Edward Hyde

Well-Known Member
its just that in ali baba u are buying straight from the real manufacturer...chinese manufacturers will create anything u tell them to but they tell u that if u want to keep a monopoly on this then u have to be able to buy at least 10.000 units per months wich is almost imposibble...so when u stop buying this quantities they start selling your product in the same price to anyone...
 
Edward I think they are selling the same product to many people already with the exception of the Pax. Look at these things and you can see how they are constantly being rebranded and modified. Even at 10,000 units unless you own the technology it is not going to be made exclusively for one distributor.
 
Mr. Gweilo 420,

Edward Hyde

Well-Known Member
Edward I think they are selling the same product to many people already with the exception of the Pax. Look at these things and you can see how they are constantly being rebranded and modified. Even at 10,000 units unless you own the technology it is not going to be made exclusively for one distributor.


i think what some companies do actually is that the order each part of the unit separately from different manufacturer maybe and then they put the parts toghteher and make a product...so the chinese manufacturers cannot sell this products cause they only know how to make parts of it...
 

salivape

Well-Known Member
I'm actually in the process of trying to get a pax from alibaba. From what I have been told they do come from the factory that produces the genuine items for ploom. Theyve assured me that the quality will be the same. As you said the stock is hard to come by but Ive been offered one for $100 with a 15-20 day wait.

Apparently all the pax units are dispatched from one factory. The other sellers order from them but they send direct to the customer so the third party cant get a unit to make copies.

As someone mentioned in another thread, the reason the pax is so expensive is because of the 10 year warranty. They can afford to replace the unit a few times while still making profit which does make me think the cheap Chinese ones are genuine.

We shall see...
 

SSVUN~YAH

You Must Unlearn, What You Have Learned...
http://www.zainy.net they have skillet vapes identical to two or three manufactures selling on here. I wouldn't pay 3-4 times a products worth for a warranty. Just buy another when it would be way cheaper, don't make them money, make you money by saving it!!
 
Hey guys - sorry its been a few days since I checked in.

I was hoping to get my initial order of the Ago and the Vmax today but there was a problem with the order. It was actually my fault but that order has now been cancelled. However, I have just placed another order and I will have 2 Agos delivered to my door tomorrow (one red and one silver) for the price of $37 USD. I'm not expecting much from them. As I said this is basically just a fishing expedition for a bit of fun although I am hoping to get a cheap Pax or two (more about that in a moment). With the Ago I just want to know myself whether it combusts or not.

Regarding the Pax I am still searching. I will be out of Hong Kong from 19July until 3 August and I would say it is unlikely I will get one before then. Once I do I will report. I have been doing a lot of back and forth with various manufacturers and I get the impression that if there 10 FC members who wanted one they would do a production run for us. I hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by mentioning this. I considered ordering 10 and forwarding them to FC members at cost + shipping but it seems a hassle. I think the best way is for me to get one, which I will sooner or later without fail. Then I can report and perhaps you guys in the same region of the world can work something out together.
 

satyrday

Well-Known Member
Hate to see a company reap without sowing. The original manufacturer deserves the profit, no? R&D costs money. This is an old argument, but looked like a good place for it. I'm a spoilsport I know.
 
satyrday,
  • Like
Reactions: Enchantre
I hear you Satyrday but in regards to the Ago it is widely considered to be a piece of crap that combusts right? I just want to try it. Whoever originally did the R and D I'm not sure but I guarantee you it isn't Atmos. They are just buying it from a source like this and rebranding it as far as I can tell.

About the Pax, I'm not so sure. But certainly it is a high end portable vape that is actually being made in China for peanuts so I would rather screw them than have them screw me if you know what I mean. Yeah I know, bad karma or whatever but I can deal with it. I already have my propers vapes, just want to try these.

Oh and you realize I'm not representing a company or hoping to make any money from this. It is just a research project for fun. I have actually had a few invites to go to Shenzhen and inspect the goods/factories. I imagine many FC members would be curious to hear how that might go :)
 

salivape

Well-Known Member
Hate to see a company reap without sowing. The original manufacturer deserves the profit, no? R&D costs money. This is an old argument, but looked like a good place for it. I'm a spoilsport I know.

When a company offers no warranty to anyone outside the US, then paying $250 for what could be a paperweight in a matter of weeks is kinda lame. If ploom started to supply Europe then I would buy one from them but until that time I'll make do with what I can get. I'm guessing you're from the US so you don't have this problem.

I do respect and partly agree with your opinion though. It's not usually the sort of thing I'd do but I'm not made of money unfortunately. I mean I can afford to buy a pax but not to replace it which Id have to do If (or from what I read in the pax thread, when) it breaks within a few months.
 

banana_republic

Well-Known Member
(...)
I have been doing a lot of back and forth with various manufacturers and I get the impression that if there 10 FC members who wanted one they would do a production run for us. I hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by mentioning this. I considered ordering 10 and forwarding them to FC members at cost + shipping but it seems a hassle. (...)

Hello Mr. Gwello,

I might be interested to know more about this offer and those PAX units made there.
Are they exactly the same product being sold in the US? Is there any (even minimal) difference on the items, box, accessories, manual or whatsoever? As far as I would never have a chance to buy it directly from Ploom, that might be interesting to consider.... Just FYI, I am in South America, hopefully that won't be a problem for you, ( as it is for ploom :( )

Let's keep in touch and see what happens, ok?

Cheers!
 
banana_republic,

mrweed

vaporizer review blogger
hello banana!
we are all not sure if these are originals or fakes, since nobody has recieved one yet. However there are some signs that it might be! We still need a guniea pig (would be best if he/she already has a pax by ploom to compare it directly) to be sure, though
 

SSVUN~YAH

You Must Unlearn, What You Have Learned...
Hey guys - sorry its been a few days since I checked in.

I was hoping to get my initial order of the Ago and the Vmax today but there was a problem with the order. It was actually my fault but that order has now been cancelled. However, I have just placed another order and I will have 2 Agos delivered to my door tomorrow (one red and one silver) for the price of $37 USD. I'm not expecting much from them. As I said this is basically just a fishing expedition for a bit of fun although I am hoping to get a cheap Pax or two (more about that in a moment). With the Ago I just want to know myself whether it combusts or not.

Regarding the Pax I am still searching. I will be out of Hong Kong from 19July until 3 August and I would say it is unlikely I will get one before then. Once I do I will report. I have been doing a lot of back and forth with various manufacturers and I get the impression that if there 10 FC members who wanted one they would do a production run for us. I hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by mentioning this. I considered ordering 10 and forwarding them to FC members at cost + shipping but it seems a hassle. I think the best way is for me to get one, which I will sooner or later without fail. Then I can report and perhaps you guys in the same region of the world can work something out together.


It combusts with flowers works great with Errl. Where did you find that price if you don't mind sharing? Zainy.net and cuecig.com are good... Edit: lol duh alibaba haha

:ninja: Edit: If you get a glass honeycomb screen it can help with the flowers, however, still very frustrating and easy to combust. But I use the screen with errl too seems to help conserve it a bit more IME...
 
Hey all just a quick update - just got the delivery of the two Ago units at lunchtime. Two vapes delivered to my door in under 24 hours for only $37. Good deal! I had a quick look at them and found there are no glass screens :( maybe I can order some or worst case scenario I know a couple of young guys that still combust and would be pretty happy to own an electric pipe each :tup:

@ SSVUN _YAH- hey man. I have to ask what is Errl? I've got no idea :ko: yep the two units with delivery came to $37. I'm guessing errl is hash of some kind. I have a little at home that I will try with it. Sadly for me I don't have access to waxes, BHO or all the wonderful stuff available. However, I can get hash which is either Nepalese or Afghani. Sounds good but I have to buy it from dodgy guys and I question its purity.

@banana_republic - look man I was sort of considering doing that but I am absolutely 100% not going to do it now. To be honest I don't want to answer any of the kind of questions you just asked so fuck it. I'm not a shop or trying to make profit so I simply have no interest in going down that road. However, I am going to test the situation and once I do I will happily share my information and contacts with you. My suggestion to you is get 10 friends together and order them. It will cost you $75 each + shipping to Brazil (who knows how much that might cost?) and whatever taxes the Brazilian Government charge you. It could work out quite cheap compared to regular retail prices.
 

SSVUN~YAH

You Must Unlearn, What You Have Learned...
Hey all just a quick update - just got the delivery of the two Ago units at lunchtime. Two vapes delivered to my door in under 24 hours for only $37. Good deal! I had a quick look at them and found there are no glass screens :( maybe I can order some or worst case scenario I know a couple of young guys that still combust and would be pretty happy to own an electric pipe each :tup:

@ SSVUN _YAH- hey man. I have to ask what is Errl? I've got no idea :ko: yep the two units with delivery came to $37. I'm guessing errl is hash of some kind. I have a little at home that I will try with it. Sadly for me I don't have access to waxes, BHO or all the wonderful stuff available. However, I can get hash which is either Nepalese or Afghani. Sounds good but I have to buy it from dodgy guys and I question its purity.

Awesome deal, same as zainy but cheaper and a lot quicker delivery! Good research and thanks for revealing it to the community. As wilvape pointed out Errl means oil. Check out QWISO I recommend 99% isopropyl or 95% Everclear. I have had success with the other concentrates as well. www.pipescreenz.com has some great glass honeycomb screens. Send them an email if
you can't find, the same company also has them, possibly even cheaper on ebay.
The AGO or GS Marine Series vaporizer does not come with any glass parts. Enjoy your new very very very inexpensive toys! Feel free to pm me with any other questions or great finds or uses with the AGO!
 

PAZ

Well-Known Member
Hey all just a quick update - just got the delivery of the two Ago units at lunchtime. Two vapes delivered to my door in under 24 hours for only $37. Good deal! I had a quick look at them and found there are no glass screens :( maybe I can order some or worst case scenario I know a couple of young guys that still combust and would be pretty happy to own an electric pipe each :tup:

@ SSVUN _YAH- hey man. I have to ask what is Errl? I've got no idea :ko: yep the two units with delivery came to $37. I'm guessing errl is hash of some kind. I have a little at home that I will try with it. Sadly for me I don't have access to waxes, BHO or all the wonderful stuff available. However, I can get hash which is either Nepalese or Afghani. Sounds good but I have to buy it from dodgy guys and I question its purity.

@banana_republic - look man I was sort of considering doing that but I am absolutely 100% not going to do it now. To be honest I don't want to answer any of the kind of questions you just asked so fuck it. I'm not a shop or trying to make profit so I simply have no interest in going down that road. However, I am going to test the situation and once I do I will happily share my information and contacts with you. My suggestion to you is get 10 friends together and order them. It will cost you $75 each + shipping to Brazil (who knows how much that might cost?) and whatever taxes the Brazilian Government charge you. It could work out quite cheap compared to regular retail prices.


Honestly with the title I thought for a second this was just another marketer trying to sell a cheap knockoff until I read through the thread :lol:. Great job, and I honestly agree with you. Ploom set their policies, and for people in the US it's fine. However, It's not worth spending $250 on a sub-par vape with no warranty. Great job, let us know what you find!
 

SSVUN~YAH

You Must Unlearn, What You Have Learned...
Good question, I'm not sure but I would say no. Those discs are used with flames, set herb under stone with proper path in place and then use a flame. Ala VG and health stone style bowls. If you set it on top of the skillet it would get red hot and eventually combust would be my thought, however I have been wrong and amazed before!
 
SSVUN~YAH,

banana_republic

Well-Known Member
@banana_republic - look man I was sort of considering doing that but I am absolutely 100% not going to do it now. To be honest I don't want to answer any of the kind of questions you just asked so fuck it. I'm not a shop or trying to make profit so I simply have no interest in going down that road. However, I am going to test the situation and once I do I will happily share my information and contacts with you. My suggestion to you is get 10 friends together and order them. (...)

Oh man, I didn't mean to cause you any problem. Plese disregard my post as I considered (wrongly) you were looking for other fellow members to catch up with you and try out a group order of those units...

I am very sorry I might have caused you any inconvenience or trouble, I am here trying to help people out (when possible), learn and aggregate content (whenever possible, again), and it looks like I understood things wrong this time. Sorry to make this confusion, and please keep in mind my intentions, ok?

Take care and sorry again!
 
banana_republic,
Good question, I'm not sure but I would say no. Those discs are used with flames, set herb under stone with proper path in place and then use a flame. Ala VG and health stone style bowls. If you set it on top of the skillet it would get red hot and eventually combust would be my thought, however I have been wrong and amazed before!
Cheers dude. I tried the ago yesterday. There is no question that it combusted. I tried it with herb and I had some homemade hash with reclaim from a S&B grinder. I'm not sure what you would call it. I soaked the grinder in ISo and then left the Iso to dry for about 4 days. It was potent but made a bit of a mess of my solo. Anyway the ago combusted it with maybe a bit of vapour. I gave one unit away already and will save the other for once I get a filter. My hunt for the pax continues ...

Yo Banana. It's all good brother. I will help you out but just in a different way :)
 
Mr. Gweilo 420,
  • Like
Reactions: SSVUN~YAH

Jeremy Driscoll

Well-Known Member
Why is it that. You almost never see the damn prices on the products from ALIBABA unless you contact the seller first? Why can't they just be like ebay or amazon and show the prices up front.
 
Jeremy Driscoll,

salivape

Well-Known Member
Hi Jeremy. I think it's because the price varies depending on the quantity ordered. For example, I got offered a single unit for $100 but they can be had for $50 in larger numbers. It is a pain in the ass but it's designed for business, not the average internet shopper.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom