I feel cheated

Recently I was having a cup of tea with a friend. It was at a large warehouse with second-hand items where they had also set up a corner to refresh the inner person.


We were sitting there talking about recycling and that second or even third hand was still quite usable. Of course I was looking for synthetic clothing, but I also came across other items such as ceramic dishes to store paint or use as a pallet.

While we were talking we came across Aliexpress and I came to the conclusion that it is not justifiable within my own environmentally friendly framework if I have stuff come from China. Besides the fact that most of it is cheap plastic, it can’t be the intention that I have a plane come from there to here just for my articles. I decided on the spot that I wouldn’t order anything from Aliexpress anymore.

Recently I was looking for ruler pens. They are scarce here in the Netherlands. A few artsupply shops still have them, but then you also have to pay 5 euros shipping costs. I came to Amazon.nl and thought: oh, but they have those large distribution centers around here, so that distance is shorter….

I ordered 3 ruler pens at a great price and now I had to wait. The delivery time was longer than usual, but waiting is not a problem. Until my package fell on the doormat and I saw the gray plastic Aliexpress packaging.

What?

I felt pretty cheated. So apparently there are companies that make it a revenue model to advertise on platforms such as Amazon and then send everything directly from China to the customer. Yes, but then I could have done it myself, of course, and cheaper.

I had already come across Dutch sites that show Aliexpress in a new jacket with a beautiful website and then with prices that are much higher. Under the guise that the customer is then well protected if the package doesn’t arrive. But that is also well arranged at Aliexpress, so no advantages there.

Anyway, I’ve learned something from it: as soon as Amazon works with long delivery times, I can assume that it comes from China. So don’t do it anymore!!!