Vam Monaco Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 I've read here that you can save hundreds of dollars buying an EUC on Aliexpress. How do you know you're not getting dangerous junk? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Vam Monaco said: I've read here that you can save hundreds of dollars buying an EUC on Aliexpress. In the US local resellers imho have about the same price as Aliexpress resellers? But still some hundreds of dollars cheaper would be way to expensive - one looses warranty/legally enforcable consumer rights. Quote How do you know you're not getting dangerous junk? Aliexpress/paypal "dispute system" normally works out well. But this does not guarantee any rights - it's just their internal arbitration... Most buyers are not aware that for DOA, not fully functional wheels, etc they have bear the cost of shipment back to china! Which is more than some hundreds of dollars saved... Edit: PS.: As it seems from reports here "smaller" repairs like motherboard replacements seem to be handled nicely from (?some?) aliexpress sellers. Edited September 27, 2021 by Chriull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtlasP Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 18 hours ago, Vam Monaco said: ... Aliexpress ... How do you know you're not getting dangerous junk? You don't. /thread 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vam Monaco Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 17 hours ago, Chriull said: In the US local resellers imho have about the same price as Aliexpress resellers? Who are some good US sellers that will ship to New Orleans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 I have no personal experience, since i'm not in the us. Afaik (one of) the first reseller is ewheels.com, with many positive reports here. Euco.com seems to do well, too. And alien rides was mentioned to sell wheels. A nice way to search to forum to make up your own opinion is with the following google search term: site:forum.electricunicycle.org ewheels or any other vendor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodo Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 18 hours ago, Vam Monaco said: Who are some good US sellers that will ship to New Orleans? I'm in California and I bought an Inmotion V8F from eWheels.com last December. I sold that last week and I bought a V8S from eWheels.com again. No problems. which EUC are u looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaghetteh Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 The reason it's cheaper is because it's a gamble that few people are willing to risk taking. The way I see it, any added cost you might pay when buying from a reputable retailer is for the peace of mind that what you're purchasing is not a piece of junk and that you'll receive support should it give you trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MexicanBatman Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 I know a few people who have bought from Wheel Riders store hassle free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mantraguy Posted September 29, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 29, 2021 I'm one of those who took a gamble and bought my first wheel on AliExpress from Wheel Riders Store. There were a few reasons I decided to go that way: I found that I could get a Gotway Tesla V2 with 50% more range than the regular version, since Wheel Riders offered a modified version with 1500Wh instead of the standard 1020Wh, and for a lot less money. I paid around CAD$1600 (US$1100) which was about $400-$500 less than what I would have paid locally, after taxes etc. I knew what I was getting into; that any problems would be my own to sort out, and that I'd be waiting a while to get it. For me, it was a risk worth taking, as I couldn't justify the price difference. I have a reasonable amount of mechanical and electronics experience, so I was confident that I could fix any issues that might arise. My closest dealer, at that time, was in Vancouver (Canada), which is a $200 ferry ride and all-day trip away, so it wasn't exactly local anyway. I did some research and Wheel Riders Store seemed to get the best reviews of all the AliExpress sellers, and had a good reputation among AliExpress buyers. The wheel arrived and I had no problems - my wife and I both learned on it and I loved it. After a few months (plus two learners and over 3000km) I had a problem with a battery pack which I traced down to the BMS and a bad connection between cells (it was probably my own fault - it's a long story!). The seller was helpful and sent a new BMS, but replacement battery cells from China were an issue due to shipping time / costs and regulations. They were helpful throughout but I knew I was on my own for the repair. I did more research, bought a few replacement cells out of California (same brand/model as what was in the wheel) and learned how to spot-weld the new cells into the pack. Overall it was a learning experience and the repairs cost me less than $100 so I was still ahead of the game over buying locally. (Wheel Riders actually sent a pile of replacement cells for the Tesla with my next wheel, which I could easily sell for more than the repairs cost me). I was, and still am, glad that I bought a wheel with more range - I regularly did rides that took advantage of the full range of the Telsla (70-80km) which would not be possible on any other wheel anywhere near what I paid at the time. However, anyone with less confidence in repairs may have been on the hook for an expensive replacement of a battery pack. After a while I wanted more range, so I did more research and finally decided on a Veteran Sherman. I shopped around between North American sellers (none had stock anyway, so I was going to wait regardless) and two Chinese sellers, including Wheel Riders, and worked out a deal for CAD$3500 which included the latest version of the wheel plus a fender and seat. The cheapest price I could find in North America was going to be over $4500 at the time, after taxes etc. Again, this was not a difficult decision for me - I can do a lot with the extra $1000 I saved. This became a lesson in patience, as I ordered the wheel in March 2021 (it shipped about 3 weeks later; nobody had stock at that time) but it was held up in customs from May to August and I finally received it August 12th (which is way longer than it usually takes... but you have to be prepared for these things). I've already put 2500km (~1500+ miles) on the Sherman in under 2 months and have had no issues whatsoever - it's exactly what I wanted and I'm loving it. By the time I actually received it, a new Sherman was over $5000 so I'm happy I bought it when, and from whom, I did. So overall, you are taking a few risks from AliExpress sellers, and be prepared to wait 3 months to get it (which can take longer)! Don't expect a lot of extra service; you're probably going to be on your own for replacement parts and repairs, if required. The wheel is going to be the same as you'd get locally (I hear eWheels may do some upgrades on some wheels, I can't confirm this), and all brands have their quality control issues at times. If you look after it, get familiar with how it works (they're pretty simple really) and are comfortable with the idea of possibly having to fix it yourself, factor those things into whatever price savings may be available to decide for yourself. If you expect great warranty service and after-sales support, and are happy paying a premium for it, steer clear of Chinese sellers. One last note - if you do decide to go for a Chinese seller, you may find that you can save even more $$ by offering to order and pay outside of AliExpress. The platform charges the sellers a significant fee (a bit like eBay) and you may be able to save more if you're willing to forego the 'purchase protection' that AliExpress offers you as a buyer. Whichever way you go, enjoy - getting an EUC is going to change the way you get around, and you'll be looking forward to running errands! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vam Monaco Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 2:01 PM, Rodo said: I'm in California and I bought an Inmotion V8F from eWheels.com last December. I sold that last week and I bought a V8S from eWheels.com again. No problems. which EUC are u looking at? I've been looking at these: Gotway RS (C30) Monster v3 InMotion V12 Nikola Plus Msuper X PLUS MSuper Pro 100V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 It's worth noting at the present time if you are ordering anything from China you are going to wait a looooong time to get it. The shipping situation is continuing to deteriorate by the day. There are so many ships trying to get cargo into CA ports they've literally run out of parking spaces in the ocean (anchor points) and ships are just drifting. I would guess any order would take at least 3-6 months at this point. Maybe you could get it shipped via air freight to bypass the bottleneck but that would likely eat up any cost savings. It's just not worth the headache at the moment IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kekafuch Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 Ordered 2 EUC, and 2 ebikes from AliExpress. Problem free. Sherman was $1000 CDN cheaper than local at the time. After factoring tax. also local didn’t include pads, seat, fender. Which was included by WheelRiders. I also negotiated a second charger for the same price and they included a sceeen protector. It took 3 months to arrive but stock was fresh. The seller was not a yes man. He told me he didn’t know he what was happening to the rim size. When it arrived it had the newest rim. I have a feeling they drop ship direct from Gotway. They also sent a video packing my items. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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