# Bang(not so)good



## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

Just over one month ago I placed my first order with Banggood for a higher end flashlight, battery charger and (4) 18650 cells. I had been hesitant in ordering from China but the good reviews here changed my mind. Plus the default setting for ordering included an insurance payment for each item ordered. So no matter my reservations I figured it would be a safe purchase. The flashlight and charger arrived but not the battery shipment. As of this date I have had 9 email exchanges with Banggood but no mention as to their action. They did produce a tracking number that had minimal entries and only showed arrival to US but didn't even mention the port. I have asked for the USPS tracking number for the package's movements here in the US but they haven't supplied me with that number. Any time I order from a domestic shipper they always supply via email the USPS tracking number.

I finally ordered the cells from a domestic shipper and was given a USPS tracking number and they arrived on the promised date at my local post office.

My take away from my first experience ordering from a shipper in China, I won't do it again. I consider myself lucky that the $180 light arrived even though the $20 worth of 18650 cells did not.

I'm not writing this to bash Banggood but rather a warning that if a shipped item is lost and you paid insurance on it from a domestic shipper, it is quickly settled instead of 3 weeks worth of email exchanges and no remedy.


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## MX421 (Mar 18, 2019)

Couple things:

One, even some US shippers won't ship Lithium Ion batteries due to shippiing restrictions. That being said i have received such batteries in the mail, generally if they come in a case or flashlight, they can be shipped. Most places i order i usually order two and they provide a cheap plastic ase with it. This may lift shipping restrictions on the battery IMO.

Two, Chinese shippers, Banggoood or Gearbest usually send the items separately so you may indeed still get those batteries in a week or two. They usually send in a not very padded plastic bag/envelope and the shipping is very slow and not easily trackable (for you at least). Comparing a chinese shippper to domestic shipping is like comparing a bicycle to a Harley ...you pay a whole lot more for the latter but you get a better quality/service


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## bykfixer (Mar 18, 2019)

- Lithium cells aren't allowed to be sent on airplanes. Only boats. 
- USPS considers the tracking number the original shipper sent as the official tracking number.
- When folks order direct from China they need to understand that it aint like the US way.
- Often times things get hung up in customs, so until USPS actually takes physical possesion outside of customs the update won't show changes.
- When ordering from China expect as much as 6 weeks to receive it and hope for 3.
- Be aware that folks sending out items live under communist rules so they aren't always as excited to do a good job as those in free enterprise countries. Sometimes they get the tracking number wrong. 

Ordering from main land China requires patience afterward.


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## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

Thank you for your reply MX421. I am aware of certain shipping restrictions on LiPo batteries as I'm sure Banggood is also aware. The (4) cells were purchased along with a plastic case. Their tracking reports the package was received in the States on 3-5-19 but that is the end of their tracking. I have asked twice for the USPS tracking number but have not received said number. Once in the USPS system there is no reason for 13 days in their system and no delivery. What purpose in having an insurance payment as a default setting in ordering items from Banggood if they don't respond to a claim?


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## MX421 (Mar 18, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Ordering from main land China requires patience afterward.



This id definitely good advice for anything from China...LOL




deckofficer said:


> Thank you for your reply MX421. I am aware of certain shipping restrictions on LiPo batteries as I'm sure Banggood is also aware. The (4) cells were purchased along with a plastic case. Their tracking reports the package was received in the States on 3-5-19 but that is the end of their tracking. I have asked twice for the USPS tracking number but have not received said number. Once in the USPS system there is no reason for 13 days in their system and no delivery. What purpose in having an insurance payment as a default setting in ordering items from Banggood if they don't respond to a claim?



I don't think i have had accurate tracking from anything from China. I usually set a limit of time to get the item to a minimum of one week from the last point i can file a claim with the method of payment. If i don't get it within that amount of time, i usually file a did not receive and get my card refunded. The couple times I got it after that point, i tried to contact the company to pay them for the item but was told by the company (can't remember if it was banggood or geerbest) that the insurance covered it on their end and not to worry about it


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## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

All replies very informative and I thank you for taking the time to reply. I'll have to exercise more patience in dealing with Banggood after these thoughtful replies. I will update this post if there are any changes.


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## scout24 (Mar 18, 2019)

I am going to move this to Cheers and Jeers, even though the OP said it wasn't specifically a Jeer. Please keep us posted.


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## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

scout24 said:


> I am going to move this to Cheers and Jeers, even though the OP said it wasn't specifically a Jeer. Please keep us posted.



I have to ask why my post was moved from a category that was more on topic to my post, to this seldom viewed category? Had I come across a post like mine I probably would have passed on purchasing from a distributor in China. The only reason for my post was to give a heads up to other forum members as to my experiences with Banggood. Is there a reason you don't want forum members to know of any pitfalls when considering a purchase directly from China?


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## lightfooted (Mar 18, 2019)

deckofficer said:


> I have to ask why my post was moved from a category that was more on topic to my post, to this seldom viewed category? Had I come across a post like mine I probably would have passed on purchasing from a distributor in China. The only reason for my post was to give a heads up to other forum members as to my experiences with Banggood. Is there a reason you don't want forum members to know of any pitfalls when considering a purchase directly from China?



Advertisers? Honestly I don't know.


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## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

lightfooted said:


> Advertisers? Honestly I don't know.



That sounds logical.


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## nbp (Mar 18, 2019)

It’s a dealer complaint/discussion, not a flashlight discussion. Thus, it doesn’t belong in the Flashlight Discussion subforum. Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no *wink wink* dealer protection going on here.

I guess we could move it to the Dealers subforum if it really bothers you to have it in Jeers.


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## Nephron44 (Mar 18, 2019)

I have never ordered from China, but I have ordered hockey equipment from Canada. The Canadian Post tracking number is what the USPS also used, and once it hit the US, I got very minimal updates on tracking. Sometimes my orders are cleared very quickly (usually ordinary things like shirts and other clothing), but other equipment (like pads and gloves) sat in customs for quite some time. It all depends on the item and how backed up customs is that week.


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## deckofficer (Mar 18, 2019)

nbp said:


> It’s a dealer complaint/discussion, not a flashlight discussion. Thus, it doesn’t belong in the Flashlight Discussion subforum. Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no *wink wink* dealer protection going on here.
> 
> I guess we could move it to the Dealers subforum if it really bothers you to have it in Jeers.



Please don't move it again. I've only been a member CPF since 2012 but until now have never been to this part of the forum. That is why I posted in the Flashlight Discussion subforum for the largest possible audience. Posts have the ability to swing a purchase decision both ways. For example when I purchased the Emisar D4 Quad I had read the reviews and knew that it would taper down the lumens in 5 seconds and would get hot in about ten seconds. I bought it anyway because of the "Wow" factor of such a small form light putting out 3000 lumens. Since I knew ahead of purchase the drawbacks of this light I wan't a disappointed customer. The same can apply in the other direction when I bought the Nebo 400. I hadn't read a post that said this light had a very annoying PWM light flicker which would have killed the sale for me. Either Nebo raised the PWM frequency or my old eyes couldn't detect the flicker. As it turns out the Nebo is my most used and favorite light. All I'm trying to say is any forum should be an open exchange of ideas and observations so that other forum members can benefit from the combined experiences of others on the forum. From my viewpoint, had other negative experiences with buying from China been made more visible to the forum members I would not have purchased from Banggood. The posts that were visible to note the longer delivery times and I was OK with the longer wait. Had the posts mentioned goods not being shipped and the insurance and multiple email contacts provided no relief then I wouldn't have ordered from a China distributor. This post was just me being a nice guy and giving information that I would have liked to have before making a purchase decision.


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## nbp (Mar 18, 2019)

Right, there was/is nothing wrong with your thread. It hasn’t been edited, locked or deleted. It was simply moved to a more appropriate subforum. The Cheers/Jeers subforum IS where someone would look for reports about a seller, whether an individual or a large dealer. They would likely not look for it in a product discussion area. In any case, the Search bar will find threads regarding Banggood or any other topic in any subforum, so nothing is truly hidden for someone willing to take a few moments to search. 

On topic, I do hope you get the rest of your order! It stinks missing items. :/


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## Mrmuckle (Mar 19, 2019)

deckofficer said:


> Just over one month ago I placed my first order with Banggood for a higher end flashlight, battery charger and (4) 18650 cells. I had been hesitant in ordering from China but the good reviews here changed my mind. Plus the default setting for ordering included an insurance payment for each item ordered. So no matter my reservations I figured it would be a safe purchase. The flashlight and charger arrived but not the battery shipment. As of this date I have had 9 email exchanges with Banggood but no mention as to their action. They did produce a tracking number that had minimal entries and only showed arrival to US but didn't even mention the port. I have asked for the USPS tracking number for the package's movements here in the US but they haven't supplied me with that number. Any time I order from a domestic shipper they always supply via email the USPS tracking number.
> 
> I finally ordered the cells from a domestic shipper and was given a USPS tracking number and they arrived on the promised date at my local post office.
> 
> ...



I ordered items a little earlier. I completely forgot that China grinds to a halt for New Years. The entire country (at least manufacturing) is shut down officially for about a week but people leave for their hometowns, party, head back to work. Takes another couple of weeks to gel up and running again. Meanwhile a log-jam of packages hits their postal system then ours. I finally got my stuff. Just took forever.


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## deckofficer (Mar 19, 2019)

Thanks npb, it would be nice to get the rest of my order. However, Banggood has stopped replying to my emails, so I assume they have washed their hands of my incomplete shipment.


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## LAMPARITA (Mar 19, 2019)

They offer three kinds of service:

*GOOD - CHEAP - FAST
*
You can pick any two

GOOD service CHEAP won't be FAST
GOOD service FAST won't be CHEAP
FAST service CHEAP won't be GOOD

 :thumbsup:


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## deckofficer (Mar 20, 2019)

Another day has passed and no reply to my last email. Appears Banggood has no intention of completing my order. Live and learn, glad it didn't cost me too much.


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## archimedes (Mar 20, 2019)

If the cells show up later, try to remember to update this. Thanks.


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## deckofficer (Mar 20, 2019)

archimedes said:


> If the cells show up later, try to remember to update this. Thanks.



I will.


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## deckofficer (Mar 21, 2019)

And another day has passed with no reply to my email. In all fairness, emails can get "lost" so today I sent another email. If I don't get a reply to either of these emails then I'll have to accept Banggood has washed their hands of my lost shipment.


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## aginthelaw (Mar 21, 2019)

I’m such a nice guy. If I don’t hear from someone I send the message from another email address just to make sure. Then i start getting ticked


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## archimedes (Mar 21, 2019)

Please don't bump this daily, but you are welcome to post an update if or when the status of this changes.


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## deckofficer (Mar 25, 2019)

I finally got a return email but like one of the earlier emails it left me wondering if they even understand English as they requested a video of a package that I never received. My return correspondence was that we already established that the shipment was never received, hence I can't take a video of a nonexistent package. On my reply I decided to include a translation into Chinese what I said. The reply to my email was made by someone who appeared to both understand English and speak English and Chief was in his title. He told me the batteries shipped on Feb 8 through standard parcel post and as such does not have a tracking number. He also stated that Banggood guarantees the customer shipment in a worse case scenario of 60 days. So he expects I will receive my shipment in the next 15 days which brings it to their 60 day promise. He asked me to email him in 15 days. This sounds promising.


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## archimedes (Mar 25, 2019)

Thank you for the update.


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## deckofficer (Mar 27, 2019)

The batteries arrived today, 33 days past their estimated arrival date.


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## nbp (Mar 27, 2019)

Hey, good news! Guess that’s where that saying it was on a “slow boat to China” comes from. Or in this case, “from China”. In any case, glad you got your stuff. 🙂


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## archimedes (Mar 27, 2019)

Glad this turned out better than comedian Steven Wright's line ...

" I bought batteries, but they weren't included. "


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## Manas (Aug 7, 2019)

I have some flashlight coming from banggood. With the amount of dedicated reviews and discount codes acting as free advertising, I have good hope for this.

It will never be as personal as getting an emisar, however I hope the QC is good.


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## rngwn (Oct 26, 2019)

The issue with battery shipment also happened to me as well, as the buyer and potentially as the seller.

All my battery orders from Aliexpress ended in dispute and refund. Some sellers don't even aware that the batteries are supposed to be shipped via surface only.



And the country I live in also have similar restriction, but arguably far worse. It's a criminal offense to ship a battery internationally using national postal service. The enforcement is also inconsistent, sometimes they only ban shipping batteries via AIR/SAL, sometimes they also ban surface shipments as well (citing that IATA somehow has the authority to ban surface shipment...wut?), and somehow they touted surface shipment as the way to ship battery internationally in the other press releases....


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