Thanks WalkIntoTheLight, the information is very helpful. I used to buy li-ion's through Ebay and, while I had to be very selective with the vendors, I lucked out and got some decent and legit Panasonic & Sanyo cells. But, it's been awhile and I see most of the stores have given way to questionable vendors. Yeah, agreed about Aliexpress... I notice Aliya's is still there but not Sunway Store.
I've heard mixed reviews about Banggood as well. I have friends who purchase cells from vape shops but they are so expensive.
I've been in contact with various online shops that ship li-ions to Canada so I'll consolidate the information:
- 18650batterystore (US based) - Waiting for response
- Aliya's Battery Store (Store on Aliexpress) -
- Illumn (US based) - Genuine cells, though shipping can make it expensive if you're only getting a few cells. Still, they're the cheapest US option for cells to Canada.
- MackOutdoors (Cdn based). They will ship (of course) but have limited selection although they do have the new EagTac 3400mAh and 3500mAh cells
- Nkon.nl (Netherlands based?) - Great selection BUT... they charge a flat 30 Euros for shipping to Canada
- Orbtronics (US based) - They just sent me a note that they are able to ship up to 20 cells to Canada and they have some decent options
- The Sunway Store -
- Zebralight (US based) - Their default response is that they can only ship to US addresses but... there is a potential to ship with a light purchase.