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My package from Ali Express is supposed to come by China Post Air Mail, and here's the tracking for it. It went to Kolkatta then came to Bangalore:

Package Status: In Transit
Destination Country: India
2016-01-16 12:00 India, KOLKATA FOREIGN LCAO, Send item to customs (Inb), Air, CED BANGALORE
2016-01-16 09:21 India, KOLKATA FOREIGN LCAO, Receive item at office of exchange (Inb), Air, KOLKATA AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE
2016-01-07 16:36 China, BEIJING, Insert item into bag (Otb), Air
2015-12-17 13:21 China, 52311206, Receive item from customer (Otb), Air
2015-12-17 13:21 China, Receive item from customer (Otb), Air

Origin Country: China
2016-01-16 12:00 Calcutta, the transfer of customs
2016-01-16 09:21 India Calcutta, to Exchange Bureau
2016-01-07 23:39 Beijing airport terminal, left hand navigation
2016-01-07 23:38 Beijing airport terminal, arrival
2016-01-07 16:29 Exchange Bureau in Beijing, has been exported
2016-01-07 15:29 Exchange Bureau in Beijing, have been exported to open
2015-12-18 16:55 Exchange Bureau in Guangzhou, have been exported to each other (internal transit)
2015-12-18 14:38 Exchange Bureau in Guangzhou, have been exported to open
2015-12-17 13:28 Dongguan city post office parcel mail processing center, left, next stop "Center of Dongguan"
2015-12-17 13:24 Post Office parcel mail processing center in Dongguan, has
2015-12-17 13:21 Post Office parcel mail processing center in Dongguan, has received send

------------------

It's taken only one month to come from China to India :Frustrati

My Purchase Protection runs out on Jan 23. I guess it would be prudent to ask for an extension?

If its not a high value item, you should get it within 3 days.

If you want faster shipping options, try Aramex/DHL/Fedex. I had a parcel land at my house in 5 days flat from China.

Thanks. Order value is USD 38. I looked into paid shipping, but the cost was unreasonable!

Guy's check out partsbigboss.in, you get really cheap stuffs there.

I ordered a silencer for my Esteem which came well packaged in 4-5 days and also costed much less than the original one sold at the dealership. Got mine for 750 Rs shipped to my door when a brand new one costed 2000 bucks.

It's obviously not original seeing the price, but it does the work.

In contrast, MGA brake rotors for my SX4 cost 1300 which are of a Japanese make whereas this website sells a Littal make rotor for Rs. 1580. Even the brake pads are not cheap as you have stated. In the case of MGA, I have found that they are not expensive compared to aftermarket parts. Not the same with other manufacturers though.

I've used paytm a few times now and am awaiting the packages. I used to use it for phone bills, but they have some massive cashbacks on a lot of other items. This works out cheaper for many items and the cashbacks can be used for the next purchase or mobile bills and recharges.
Let's see if the purchases reach safely.

I have used it many times. Packages reach faster and safer compared to Flipkart.

Currently there are some good offers running. Nice time to buy IMO.

I have been using them extensively for the past 3/4 months and have never had an issue with delivery and returns. Once I returned an item which I didn't like and there was some hesitation from customer support to accept the return but I pasted their guarantee of satisfaction and it went through without a hitch. I am now returning some more stuff which my wife didn't like and it has been approved without an issue.
I've purchased two laptops, one iPhone, one Yamaha guitar, two mattresses and many smaller items and have not had an issue. Just realized that non-branded items could be sticky as the pictures one sees and the item delivered is sometimes not the same. Else no issues at all till date.

I have also used PayTM for online shopping. They run some good cashback offers throughout the year. Packages reach in time (took 2 days, seller was from Delhi) and safely. I haven't returned packages or so, but I feel the customer care team is upto the mark as they answer all queries regarding product and order in time. Only negatives are that proper description of product is not given, pictures shown aren't always the same as product recieved and thus it is a gamble while ordering. I once ordered an armrest for my Swift (was costing Rs. 550, almost 250 bucks less than other sites and half of the market price) with a product description that said "fits the Swift" but later realised through ebay.in (same seller) that minimum 14cm space was required (mentioned on ebay.in) which wasn't mentioned in PayTM. Cancelled my order immediately.

Also prices of some items are inflated beforehand and compensated through cashback. A mobile holder was available for Rs. 130 and had 30% cashback (i.e. 91 bucks) , while Shopclues was straightaway selling it for 92 bucks.

BTW the current offers aren't any good as compared to 2015 October time, my friend got a Pioneer 1300w basstube for 2700 bucks after cashback. This was almost 55% of market price. Currently there are maximum 18/25% cashback plans.

I still believe Snapdeal has the best platform

Amazon comes with the "Great Indian Sale" on Jan 21, 22 & 23. Can Flipkart let it go without a fight? There comes a Republic sale on Jan 20, 21 & 22 !! Overall, some fun times for the customer.

Citibank has 10-15% discount on Amazon web / App while HDFC gives a 7.5% discount on Flipkart Web / App. The discounts are applicable on both Debit & Credit cards.

China Post’s delivery speeds seem to have increased! Got a couple of small shipments ordered during December-end (from Aliexpress) over the last few days. Was expecting them to turn up next month or later but this was fast by China Post standards.

Item 1:

Dec 27: placed order,
Dec 29: shipped,
Jan 18: delivered.

Item 2:

Dec 27: placed order,
Dec 28: shipped,
Jan 15: delivered.

Of these, one of them didn't have the usual tracking number (e.g. RJ123456789CN), just a 11 digit number and I couldn't track it in the usual websites.

Man, you really got lucky :thumbs up

I am still waiting for two orders I placed during Dec 1st week. Still no sign of them. Both were shipped through China post with just the 11 digit tracking number like yours.

Sigh, the wait continues...

--Anoop

Another day, another sale. Or three.

I bought a phone cover, thinking it was a flip cover. As the seller pointed out to me, it is utterly obvious, with five photos, that it isn't. They have still still accepted my returns request, which is pretty good, given that the reason was plainly customer stupidity!

Thinking of dipping my toes in the aliexpress waters, maybe order some Aukey cables... Something not required urgently that would be nice to get for a lower price.

Arrived today from Flipkart, Rs3,906-worth of paperback books. All bedside favourites, lost in a pulpy, muddy chennai pool. Meeting old friends again :D

Thought of ordering a 5 in 1 Card reader from GearbBest as Trial. I have Indian CC(HDFC).
But payment options are only by PayPal and in $ for India.No INR option like Aliexpress.
Is it possible to open PayPal A/c in India?

Yes; its very easy to open a PayPal account if you have a credit card.