How to buy a smartphone in China and not get bogged down

Over the past decade, China has shown the best rates of economic development. This country does not care about the financial crisis and other misunderstandings that make almost the whole world reflect. The Celestial Empire has already reached the level that allows us to supply goods not only to the domestic market, but to the whole of Europe.

For many residents of our country, China has remained a country of communism, kung fu and cheap players. But we believe that the giants of the IT world, like ZTE or Huawei, have already managed to rapidly break into the top global manufacturers. And lesser-known companies, not yet having time to get rid of the offensive label, are already actively gaining the attention of consumers outside of China. And basically, due to the fact that their devices have a greater set of functions than European brands could offer to the consumer for a similar price.

“Made in China” can be different or Why is it profitable to order smartphones in China?

As you know, our people like to live curly, but cheap. Therefore, he began to understand that the “Made in China” logo can also be different. You can find the Chinese "iPhoni" or "Nokea", which is unlikely to shine with quality, or you can choose a smartphone presented by ZTE or Huawei. We have already talked about the latter on our YouTube channel. And of course, Lenovo shouldn't be forgotten! These machines were definitely not assembled in stuffy basements by the little hands of starving Chinese kids.

The whole point of the situation is that most Android devices are made in China in one way or another. So it doesn't matter which one you choose: Samsung, LG, Asus, Sony, all the same, in fact, your smartphone will be Chinese. The reason that large brands choose this particular country as a production base lies in the fact that the cost of such a smartphone is much cheaper than assembled in the West.

So, we got to the bottom line: the main feature of smartphones from China is the tasty price. But here's the catch … After the smartphone safely leaves the Chinese factory and goes to conquer the world, its cost, while still low, will start to grow over corporate costs, advertising costs and other seemingly necessary things. And when the smartphone arrives in your country, you should not be surprised at its high cost. This is a normal situation. As they say, nothing personal, just business.

Some big companies, like Apple, deliberately increase the cost of their gadgets by about 33%. Others, like Amazon, sell devices at near cost in the hope of making money for their own content. In between these extremes, there is a range of business models and business practices.

The advantage of Chinese wholesalers is that large expenses and advertising costs, which make up the notorious 33%, are absent here. As a result, we have the opportunity to buy a good Android at almost cost price.

Buying an Android smartphone from China is not a bad prospect if you want to save your hard-earned money. But keep in mind that if you are not ready for the difficulties that will arise on the way between you and the gadget, it is better to leave this venture, go to the nearest store and - after 10 minutes already hold the desired device in your hands.

If the obstacles do not bother you, then immediately consider that you will be buying a smart one far away from an unknown company, relying only on the technical characteristics of the device and a couple of its photos. Inexperienced beginners in this matter will have a very difficult time.

Yes, there is a risk. And where is he not? When ordering a smartphone from China, be prepared for the unexpected. You just need to understand exactly how you need to act in order to minimize all risk, where you need to order a smartphone, who can be entrusted with this responsibility. And, most importantly, how to know when something went wrong.

Our Revolver Lab project has prepared a list of recommendations that will help you reduce the likelihood of frustration when buying a smartphone in China.

List of recommendations

1. Buy only from a reputable supplier

Naturally, you can only make such a purchase on the Internet. Finding a good wholesaler in China is not an easy task. But based on my experience, I advise you to look for them on the resources of Chinavasion.com, McBub.com, Merimobiles.com and iPadAlternative.com.

Look for complete information about the smartphone that you are going to buy, because you can run into an unlocked model in no time. And you don't need such problems.

If you thought that only the Samsung or HTC lineup would ripple in your eyes, then I hasten to disappoint you. The situation with Chinese smartphones is much worse. You may be thoroughly confused by the insane amount of gadgets on Android that our Chinese brothers offer today.

And there is an explanation for this. The fact is that in China there are companies that work exclusively for the domestic market. If you remember, this country is not small, which means that it can always find a potential buyer. In addition, these companies simply cannot compare with the same Apple or Samsung in terms of the number of manufactured models. This means that their lineup is updated very rarely.

Therefore, you will have to look for reviews of people who have already bought the device you are interested in, watch detailed reviews on YouTube in order to understand what the gadget is. You can, by the way, go to this resource tabletrepublic.com. Here you can find quite a few real reviews about Chinese gadgets.

2. Pay for the purchase through the PayPal payment system

Why PayPal? If you use this payment system, you are guaranteed not to be deceived. And all because everything here is reliable and outrageously simple.

I will briefly tell you how it works. If the payment goes through PayPal, the money remains “frozen” in the system. In other words, the seller will not receive your money within 45 days after payment. And if the seller turns out to be a bad person and tries to deceive you, you open a dispute with PayPal, prove your case, and then the money is returned to you again.

By the way, if 40 days have passed since the moment of payment, and you have not seen your smartphone yet, immediately start a dispute about the refund. Because after 45 days the money will drop to the supplier, the goods may not reach, and you will only have to shake the air with your fists.

3. Choose a reliable shipping method

So, the deal is done, and the smartphone is set off on a long journey. It is important for those who buy abroad to realize that the parcel has to cross half the globe before it reaches the recipient. Therefore, use the most reliable postal services whenever possible. Most sellers deliver goods by courier, and the cost of such a service will be approximately $ 30 or more.

If you want to test your patience, you can use the regular postal service. In this case, you should not be surprised that your smartphone will go to you for a month at best, but at worst for three months. And by the way, you should not order anything on the days before the holidays, as you will have to wait even longer.

4. How can I track my parcel?

Each package has its own unique tracking number. It is usually shown in the upper right corner of a postage receipt and is four letters and nine numbers.

For example, for China the number will be as follows: RB205078665CN

Numbers like szs621197 (China) are internal, and do not provide an opportunity to track the parcel in international directions. By the way, after ordering, your smartphone will not be sent to the mail immediately and will be tracked, on average, in 10 days. So until that moment, you shouldn't sound the alarm. The interval between export and import is 14-25 days. And that's okay too. I repeat, the waiting times will be extended on holidays.

By the way

Those who live in Ukraine should know that there are no direct flights China-Ukraine now, because Aerosvit managed to “please” us with its bankruptcy. Your smartphone will have time to visit Vienna or Frankfurt am Main on the way to your place. Perhaps, by the will of fate, he will be brought to Beijing. It all depends on which flight he gets. Accordingly, the transit time of the parcels increases.

For the curious, I will give a couple of links to services through which you can track the package via the Internet:

5. Be mindful of sales tax

Our country has a system of taxation for goods purchased abroad. Therefore, when calculating the budget, you need to clearly understand that the cost of a smartphone will be equal to the amount of the actual product + shipping + sales tax. As a rule, if the delivery is carried out by courier, such problems will not arise.

Considering all these nuances, the process of buying a smartphone from China will be simple and painless for your nervous system. And you will save a lot of money.