I used buy smaller items like keychains from AliExpeess. Then twice I bought pricey stuff costing more than $50 each expecting a better quality product. Boy was I wrong! All that changed was the packaging. It wasn’t dirty anymore. But the items were still extremely poor in quality. Reminded me of the book “Poorly made in China”
You can get high quality stuff out of China, but it is hard to do for one off purchases unless you know a bunch about it and have some hints and tricks (because if there is a good deal someone will start making a crap version with the same photos).
Just not at bargain basement prices anymore! Buy cheap shit from Shandong Trinket Manufacturing Ltd and yeah, but I've had okay luck if it's a reputable company.
Most of the electronic/mechanical things I've bought through AliExpress are poor quality, dying within a few months. But two solar panels (separate purchases/different vendors) have been absolute champs for the ~2 years keeping my security cameras charged.
