BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Alibaba - any one bought bee kit from there?

  • Please state your location & condition of the item for sale. Contact should be made through private messages.
Please state your location & condition of the item for sale. Contact should be made through private messages.
 #1312  by Chrisbarlow
 11 Nov 2018, 19:00
Hi Folks,

Has any one ever bought bee kit from alibaba before now and if so, what was the experience like?
 #1314  by AdamD
 11 Nov 2018, 19:24
I did contact one supplier a few years back - not Chinese - who failed to reply. That's about for me.
 #1326  by Chrisbarlow
 12 Nov 2018, 20:57
thanks Adam. i am curious to find out about how shipping works but clearly its not something most people have done.
 #1333  by AdamD
 13 Nov 2018, 19:40
I would assume that some of the eBay beekeeping suppliers have purchased in bulk from Alibaba and are now selling on, so I guess the system works well enough. There would be VAT and over a certain value there would be customs duty as well.
Something I did notice a while ago is that some foundation is a mix of beeswax and paraffin wax which is certainly NOT what I would want to put in my hives!
(Sorry, I'm not painting a rosy picture am I?).
 #1362  by Chrisbarlow
 16 Nov 2018, 09:17
AdamD wrote:
13 Nov 2018, 19:40
I would assume that some of the eBay beekeeping suppliers have purchased in bulk from Alibaba and are now selling on, so I guess the system works well enough. There would be VAT and over a certain value there would be customs duty as well.
Something I did notice a while ago is that some foundation is a mix of beeswax and paraffin wax which is certainly NOT what I would want to put in my hives!
(Sorry, I'm not painting a rosy picture am I?).
your painting an honest picture. I suspect most things on ebay come from allbaba in some form or another. what you can buy on ebay today that is beekeeping related compared with even just 8years ago is mind boggling. It will only keep growing.
 #1363  by Chrisbarlow
 16 Nov 2018, 09:17
DianeBees wrote:
15 Nov 2018, 22:10
Husband buys lots of stuff from aliexpress.
No problems with that. But it's not bulky or multiple items.
thanks Diane, I will cheque that out.