And then I learned something. Not just about deceptive advertising, but there's that too.
Did you know that most of these video ads are really just re selling Aliexpress products? Yes, they are resellers, selling the same exact product as is on Aliexpress, but often at twice or three times the price, if not more.
(I just want to point out that there also are issues with sellers on Aliexpress stealing product design from creators and selling it as their own, but these video makers are not the originators of these products.)
If you see an ad for a product that looks really cool on Facebook, go search for it on Aliexpress. Sometimes you'll have to fiddle with the keywords for the search, but nearly always you'll find the same product. For pennies on the dollar. And not only is it cheaper, you're also able to look at reviews and see if the product is everything it's hyped up to be. Especially look at reviews that include pictures and ones that mention sizing issues and make sure that the product is actually worthwhile.
This way, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Examples of cool things I saw on Facebook video ads and then found cheaper on Aliexpress:
A portable lightbox
Magical indestructable stockings
Period panties (when getting clothing note that Aliexpress sizes run really small!)
A snowflake multitool (I used this to build my trampoline and to fix my door!)
A spill proof pot cover
Silicon food and container covers
48 in one wrench
Credit card knife
Silicon foldable elastic hair band
Casserole carrier
Food preservation tray
Fast defrost tray
Rabbit sticker bra
I will admit that of these, I have only purchased the snowflake multitool, portable lightbox, and magical stockings, and I've been happy with them (though the stockings aren't indestructible, they are still much stronger than other stockings I've tried), but the other things are things I'm considering purchasing, after having read the reviews on their pages and having price compared.
Don't be fooled by the Facebook video ads. Check Aliexpress to get the same thing for much cheaper, but first check reviews.
Have you ever bought anything from a Facebook video ad? What was your experience? Ever search aliexpress for the same item and bought from there instead? What did you get and did you like it?
Tags
clothes
common mistakes
frugal
frugal shopping
frugal strategies
internet
kitchen gadgets
spending money
technology
I bought some food storage containers. They look like zipper bags but they are much thicker and reusable. They also stand up whoch is nice. The zippers work, but they don't always stay zipped so they have a plastic cover that you slide over the zipper. That works great for keeping the container closed, but it is not easy to slide on. I probably paid a little more than I wanted to, but they seem indestructible and I have used them many times already in just the few months I have had them. I never did price compare. That would have been a good idea. Thanks for this post!
ReplyDelete