Considering that almost everything you buy nowadays comes from China, especially if we talk about technology, electronics, computers and smartphones, it makes absolutely sense to look for offers and discounts by buying directly from China. In addition to the scoped products, cell phones, smartphones, tablets and all kinds of gadgets are not available, not reserved for the Chinese market, but which can also be used safely in Italy. In this guide we then discover the best reliable Chinese online stores, avoiding customs fees and, in most cases, shipping costs.
The accepted payment methods, any return policies and the type of shipping offered (which to choose to be on the safe side) will also be highlighted.
Types of Chinese online stores
There are three types of Chinese online stores that you can visit, all of them profoundly different from each other.
- Chinese online stores with warehouse in Italy: these stores are Chinese products (smartphone in the first place) and the related accessories after having carried out customs clearance and sorting on Italian territory. These stores already operate within the European Economic Area, therefore there is no customs duty to pay for the products, plus the guarantee respects the laws of Italy (2 years).
With these stores, shipping is always very fast (1 to 3 days), as long as the product is present in their European warehouse.
Prices have a fair balance, not being overly expensive.
- Chinese online stores with Chinese warehouse: these stores operate from China (often the chosen city is Hong Kong) and store the goods in warehouses in China.
To make them arrive in Italy, therefore, you will have to rely on an international shipment, with times and costs that vary according to the product chosen.
The site warranty applies (not always coinciding with the 2 years foreseen in Italy) and deliveries can have very long times (from 10 to 60 days), but the prices are absolutely the lowest on the Web.
The customs risk is quite high, also considering the tight turn of mail imposed by the EU on important products from China.
- Chinese online stores with European warehouse: some Chinese stores may have one or more warehouses in European countries, where they send the goods in advance to provide customs clearance. The products already present on the European territory are not subject to customs and can arrive at your house in a short time (maximum 5 days). Prices are slightly higher than products in Chinese warehouses.
When you choose to buy a Chinese product or sold cheaply from a Chinese shop make sure it belongs to one of the previous categories, so you will know in advance when to wait and what surprises you might encounter.
Reliable Chinese online stores
1) Honobuy
The first site that I recommend you visit if you want to buy products already present in Italy is Honorbuy.
This site operates on the Italian territory, therefore all the products it displays can be shipped to your home in a very short time without additional customs costs. Prices may be higher than other solutions, but the convenience of not paying customs makes it superior to many other similar sites. If you are looking to buy a Xiaomi product, a Xiaomi accessory or any other device of Chinese origin, this is the right site for you! Accept PayPal as a payment system and allow you to track your shipment in real time.
You can use Honorbuy's services from the following link -> Honobuy
2) BangGood
A good alternative to Honorbuy to buy Chinese products already cleared through customs is BangGood .
This shop boasts a huge choice of smartphones of all the main Chinese brands (there are also lesser known brands), to which are added tablets, notebooks and various compatible accessories. There are many accepted payment methods: PayPal, credit or prepaid card, bank transfer and Postepay top-up. The site relies on BRT (Bartolini) for deliveries, so shipping times are very fast.
3) GrossoShop
GrossoShop belongs to the category of Chinese shops which also has warehouses in Europe, just find the EU Shipping wording on products already present in the European Economic Area and therefore spendable in your home without having to pay customs.
With GrossoShop you can therefore do good deals if you intend to buy Xiaomi, LeEco, Nubia, OnePlus, Huawei, Asus, Meizu and many more smartphones. On this site there are also refurbished iPhones (i.e. used but refurbished to be like new), with very low prices being Apple products. GrossoShop accepts PayPal as a payment method, offers a 24-month warranty on its products (those reconditioned from 6 to 12 months) and relies on all the main couriers expressed for the rapid delivery of orders.
If you are interested in GrossoShop offers, you can visit the site here -> GrossoShop
4) GearBest
Without a doubt one of the Chinese technology sites with the largest turnover, given the enormity of the catalog available: you go from smartphones through drones, TV boxes and any other electronic device of Chinese origin!
GearBest allows you to buy products from China with warehouses scattered throughout the Chinese territory, so when ordering it is preferable to choose an international shipping with tracking and express to avoid having to wait too long for the arrival of the package. PayPal is the most popular payment system, but credit cards are also accepted. With GearBest you may run into some problems with the customs, especially on the more expensive orders: it ranges from simple downtime (which will slow down the shipment) up to the payment of customs duties for import. On the other hand, prices are among the lowest on the web, with savings of over 70% in some cases.
The advice to effectively avoid customs is to spend low amounts (under € 100), so as to avoid most of the problems at the border.
You can reach the homepage of the site from here -> GearBest
5) AliExpress (ALiBaba)
This is the biggest Chinese store ever, with products of all kinds, from clothing to electronics.
In another article we have already written whether Buying on AliExpress (Alibaba) in Italy is convenient and safe.
Other reliable Chinese online stores
Those that I have pointed out to you are the best reliable Chinese online stores that you can use to buy products from the Far East. But there are really many sites that offer the same possibilities, and among these we cannot forget Geekbuying.
By choosing one of the sites in the list above you can definitely find the product you are looking for at the lowest possible price, so as to save on your next purchase of Chinese origin.
