Online Shopping Reviews

Every time when I was asked:”Do you know any websites like Milanoo?”, without a second thought I answered:”Lightinthebox”. Likewise, when I saw someone looking for sites similar to Lightinthebox, “Milanoo” instantly popped up out of my mind and I just couldn’t help sharing what I know. The two websites are way too much about fashion and both are outstanding among all Chinese international online stores that offer clothing and accessories and other fashionable products. However, they do have differences and have their own pros and cons. The following Lightinthebox VS Milanoo comparisons may give you some inspiration.

Company Sizes & Founders

Lightinthebox is definitely much more famous than Milanoo on the global market as well as in the Chinese e-commerce arena. Lightinthebox (2006) was founded two years earlier than Milanoo (2008). Currently Lightinthebox has more than 600 full-time employees while Milanoo has about 300.

Headquartered in Beijing, Lightinthebox.com has a few branch offices across China, most of which are responsible for warehousing and shipping. The store was created by a group of talents led by Quji Guo, the former CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) of Google China. In terms of global credibility and company size, Lightinthebox is the biggest China-based B2C online shopping website of fashion products and consumer electronics. Anyway, its wholesale ranking is not so high.

Continue reading Lightinthebox VS Milanoo

Days ago, I got an email from a reader asking me about the credibility of a China online store. I have never heard of the site before. By the first glance at the web address the reader provided, I did not feel good as it looks not at all professional, something like “ying2008” (a person’s name plus the year number). Anyway, to help the reader better identify whether it is a scammer or not, I paid a visit to the online shop and then shared what I’ve found about the store with the reader by email. In case more readers have similar concerns, I decide to introduce some must-read tips that may help you find reliable China online retail or wholesale stores.

First of all, I think it necessary to define what kind of China online shops is “reliable”. When you trade with a Chinese online shopping website, don’t expect that it is completely complaint-free. I have emphasized this point again and again in my previous posts on this site. Even the most reputable international stores based in China have complaints or negative reviews, e.g. AliExpress.com, DinoDirect.com (see DinoDirect Review), Lightinthebox.com, etc. Generally, Chinese global web stores are more likely to be rated as unsatisfactory in terms of item quality and customer service standards, especially for electronic products. But it doesn’t mean that all made-in-China products are craps, nor that all customer service of China stores sucks. Customers’ expectations are usually a big reason for bad reviews. Based on my knowledge, what really matters is that the store is a legitimate company doing serious and honest business. Only on this condition should you further explore the other details of the shop before you make a shopping decision there.

Third-party reviews or customer reviews are helpful for identifying the legitimacy of a store. On ChinaWholesaleReviews.com, we have posted many research-based reviews of a number of the most popular China wholesale (and/or retail) stores that specialize in various product lines. You can use the search box to find if the store you are interested in has been reviewed here. If you find no results, it does not necessary mean that it is unlawful – we are still working hard to expose the basic facts of more stores that are legitimate.

Continue reading Must-Read Tips for Finding Reliable China Online Stores

We have introduced a number of popular China based online stores or marketplaces that offer electronics and digital products on this site, including DinoDirect.com (see DinoDirect Review), FocalPrice.com (see FocalPrice Review), Tmart.com (see Tmart Review), Lightinthebox.com, AliExpress.com and much more. If you have read our posts about these stores, you must have noticed that we mentioned “Huaqiangbei” again and again. In this post we’re going to talk about the place in detail.

Located in Shenzhen, Huaqiangbei was originally an industrial park of consumer electronics, computers, electric appliances and communications products. It was then transformed into a huge commercial centre in 1998. Electronic and digital products are the backbone of Huaqiangbei while women’s clothing is equally hot-selling there. In 2008, Huaqiangbei was titled as “China’s No. 1 Electronic Street”. There you can find about one thousand wholesalers and retailers that sell electronics, much more than on any other electronic marketplace in China (including Zhongguancun in Beijing).

Huaqiangbei is not only a great attraction to end consumers in Shenzhen or other cities nearby, but also the biggest wholesale shopping mall where merchants across China stock up on electronics and digital products for their businesses. Also to mention is that almost all Chinese international shopping websites of electronics source products from Huaqiangbei too. That explains why most of the famous online electronic stores are based or keep warehouses in Shenzhen.

Continue reading Huaqiangbei: the Biggest Marketplace of Electronics and Digital Products in China