How to spot AE scams

[Takiyaki]

https://www.aliexpress.us/w/wholesale-carbon-bike.html?g=y&SearchText=carbon+bike&pr=-350

[Takiyaki]

Naw the Twitter gravel bike has a carbon frame

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808274922933.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7aa6441d3206gW&algo_pvid=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b&algo_exp_id=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%224%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21825.98%21247.80%21%21%21778.93%21233.68%21%402101c67a17393647545646037e14d8%2112000045233506851%21sea%21US%212031565588%21X&curPageLogUid=mGAWcAWFt0RW&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

[maza]

If something is too good to be true - it is.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

Naw the Twitter gravel bike has a carbon frame

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808274922933.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7aa6441d3206gW&algo_pvid=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b&algo_exp_id=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%224%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21825.98%21247.80%21%21%21778.93%21233.68%21%402101c67a17393647545646037e14d8%2112000045233506851%21sea%21US%212031565588%21X&curPageLogUid=mGAWcAWFt0RW&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

For some reason, the first time I clicked your first link it only showed two bikes, both of which were “carbon steel” not carbon fiber.

Now a long list of bikes show up, not all steel or suspicious, though a lot of them in that price category are in fact actually steel.

[jonathanf2]

Naw the Twitter gravel bike has a carbon frame

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808274922933.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7aa6441d3206gW&algo_pvid=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b&algo_exp_id=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%224%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21825.98%21247.80%21%21%21778.93%21233.68%21%402101c67a17393647545646037e14d8%2112000045233506851%21sea%21US%212031565588%21X&curPageLogUid=mGAWcAWFt0RW&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

That Twitter frame isn't bad. For that price, it's better than anything from Walmart. It's basically running a re-branded Sensah SRX HRD groupset with ZRace XG hydraulic calipers.

[Takiyaki]

The groupset alone is prob worth like $200. I like it on my Twitter C6

[kwantani]

Looking at the seller page, the seller is based in Spain! that's almost guaranteed it's a scam. Someone from Spain selling Chinese brand bikes on a Chinese online platform with a dirt cheap prices?

please report the seller to the AE.

Naw the Twitter gravel bike has a carbon frame

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808274922933.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7aa6441d3206gW&algo_pvid=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b&algo_exp_id=72f1ae7c-9851-4e60-8e30-033e2c5b597b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%224%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21825.98%21247.80%21%21%21778.93%21233.68%21%402101c67a17393647545646037e14d8%2112000045233506851%21sea%21US%212031565588%21X&curPageLogUid=mGAWcAWFt0RW&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

[Serge_K]

There's something wrong with the store. I can't access store info, or business info. On other stores, you can get info about their registration and so on. So, i would 100% NOT buy from that store before clarifying that.
Realistically, it's likely to be a scam of some sort.

[dolph]

Looking at the seller page, the seller is based in Spain! that's almost guaranteed it's a scam. Someone from Spain selling Chinese brand bikes on a Chinese online platform with a dirt cheap prices?

please report the seller to the AE.

It s not uncommon for aliexpress brands to have european sellers

[ZacItaly15]

The Aliexpress refund system is bombproof.

I'm not afraid of scam shop, I always check reputation

[Chamomile]

...

You gotta be kidding. I have a few orders already with clearly stated "zero problems return and refund alix service," where I was left with shitty quality useless items and less than half of a refund or not at all. Returns were not accepted at all, no chance. And deleting the whole product page with bad reviews and then republishing it again fresh is a common practice. So there's not much in reputation as I naively believed as well. This platform becomes a scam and trash more and more in recent years.
PS: the funniest part is when people believe in super-duper discounts during sales on special dates.

[BalticSea]

Looking at the seller page, the seller is based in Spain! that's almost guaranteed it's a scam. Someone from Spain selling Chinese brand bikes on a Chinese online platform with a dirt cheap prices?

please report the seller to the AE.

Quote a few legit Chinese sellers/brands have their warehouses in Europe. Vector optics (not cycling related), iCan, Elitewheels, Light Bicycle come to mind

[Dareios]

Quote a few legit Chinese sellers/brands have their warehouses in Europe. Vector optics (not cycling related), iCan, Elitewheels, Light Bicycle come to mind

Yes, but that specific Spanish shop is also selling tons of fake frames. Had a Elilee Blize XXE frame for the price of a regular Bigrock Sothea in his sortiment and when I pressed him on the subject he admitted that it was a "replica" and tried to sell me an SL8 copy instead. I'd avoid that one. The guy is shady, avoid buying from him.

[H143]

I took the gamble and ordered one. Really curious to see what will arrive. In the end, it wasn’t shipped from Spain but from China. According to the tracking, it’s currently at customs.

[Serge_K]

I took the gamble and ordered one. Really curious to see what will arrive. In the end, it wasn’t shipped from Spain but from China. According to the tracking, it’s currently at customs.

LOL! do let us know, i'm curious.
If you receive an actual bike, you'll probably want to look inside the frame, because if you get a factory QC rejected frame, you may legitimately risk your life. The whole "if it's a chinese frame you will die" is overblown, but in this instance, if it's got all the indications of a scam, be careful. I like experiments, but this isn't one i'd run.

Btw, on this topic, there's a recent GCN video about chinese carbon fakes, and it's funny, some of the snippets sound really dated like "ooooh it's chinese carbon so you risk your life riding that", coming from Specialized, Silca and the usual suspects. Not a very nuanced video.