World, Writing, Wealth discussion

With so many concentrated on Amazon, Ebay and Western retailers, it's still impossible to ignore the stream of billions of dollars that is going today to China during Alibaba/Aliexpress 11/11 annual sales event. More than Black fridays, cyber mondays and so on. The biggest sales event in the Galaxy. This one will probably return with yet higher figures.
The major competitive edge that Aliexpress offers - low prices, customer oriented complaints' settlement procedure and most important - usually free deliveries to most countries.
At this point it's not even a question that internet sales and virtual shops will continue superseding the physical ones.
Are you taking part in this sales festival dedicated to China singles day? -:) How much of your shopping you do online vs real stores?

Nik wrote: "With so many concentrated on Amazon, Ebay and Western retailers, it's still impossible to ignore the stream of billions of dollars that is going today to China during Alibaba/Aliexpress 11/11 annua..."

hey, the waterproof drone w/a camera for the dirt cheap price of $56 looks pretty good. i wonder how long it takes to ship to california from china.

Alex G wrote: "Nik wrote: "With so many concentrated on Amazon, Ebay and Western retailers, it's still impossible to ignore the stream of billions of dollars that is going today to China during Alibaba/Aliexpress..."

people spent $18 billion on Alibaba today!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-sp...

they don't sell fiction books.

Haven't heard of this before.

Alex G wrote: "i wonder how long it takes to ship to california from china...."

I guess I'm pretty equidistant from China and I get stuff I order between fortnight and two months on regular free delivery.
If you don't need a drone super fast and the price is good, can be a reasonable option

Alex G wrote: "people spent $18 billion on Alibaba today!..."

Yep, the biggest online sales event, as far as I know...

Looking at those laughable 18 billions of 3 years ago, while reading about 38 billions and counting sales today. Do you hear the noise of these huge amounts flying to China via internet? https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/10/te...
Participating in this shopping nirvana?

Still impressive record sales on Singles Day: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/12/china...
Anyone participated?

Nik wrote: "... How much of your shopping you do online vs real stores?"

Mostly it's about what I have available locally. Small town of less than 50k people, with it being the largest town in the county, we have 3 grocery stores, Target, and Walmart as our main stores for household needs.

Most of my groceries I buy locally, such as meat, produce, bread, milk, cereal, etc. Some items I order on line - for instance, I have cheese shipped to me from Wisconsin - most of which are locally owned, made, produced, and sold by people/companies in that state. However, some of their cheeses are imported, such as pecorino and parmesan from Italy. Some specialty items I get from Amazon sellers, such as star thistle honey from Michigan. I have noted that the cost of items from overseas has increased so much, I am not ordering them at all. Mediterranean countries have some really good acacia honey, but it's now outside my budget.

Paper goods, batteries, hair dye, varieties of tea, cleaning products I usually get from Amazon using the subscribe and save. 15% savings along with 5% back on my credit card make it less expensive than using Walmart and Target.

Alot of items sold by local retail stores, especially the above two, are never in stock locally so they can only be ordered on line. I am annoyed by that because those are things I would rather see before I buy.

Aside from NYDJ jeans, I don't buy clothes or shoes on line. I have to try them on. That means I usually look for those things when I have a reason to go to the City - Tucson or Phoenix, or if I am out of state.

There are some good prices at Costco, which the b/f has a card for, but the quantity, the selection, and the 175 mile round trip to Tucson, doesn't make it something I am likely to do. We did stop on our way back from seeing my son so I could compare prices.

While I didn't shop on 11/11, I am interested in the last sentence of Nik's initial post. Bottom line is I buy based on the bottom line for me and as prices go up, I cut out things and buy less of others.

If we end up with another shutdown in the next year, my "stock" of supplies that just existed from years of living by myself and still buying like I am a family of 4 will be completely gone (except maybe the pasta - between the 2 of us consolidating, there is alot of fettucini on the shelf).

I didn't know about this, but I don't order from Alibaba.

Lizzie wrote: "Nik wrote: "... How much of your shopping you do online vs real stores?"

Mostly it's about what I have available locally. Small town of less than 50k people, with it being the largest town in the ..."

Sounds like a savvy, location-based approach!

Anyone's planning a shopping spree today?

I didn‘t even know there was Black Friday (?) today. In Germany, Nov. 11 is the beginning of carneval season. You‘re officially allowed to eat Berliners (= jam-filled doughnuts) as of today 😁

It’s Chinese bachelor’s day = Chinese Black Friday for all those buying from Alibaba/aliexpress. The real Black Friday is coming soon.
Enjoy the Berliners 🍩

Here, Black Friday is November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. Today, 11/11 is Veterans' Day, so sales are going on for that holiday.

I wanted to wait until Black Friday in hopes of better prices. But, with the Amazon Prime day/pre-sale for prime members, I bought stuff and crossed my fingers. I felt concerned about the prices, availability, and options if I waited. Special sales on the if I can list, I add to my stockpile. I have 2 kids, their partners, and two grandchildren. My sisters and I also exchange a small gift for Christmas. My son's b/d is a few days before Christmas and my grandson is a month after. This time of year, it gets expensive for me.

I was going to go check out the sales today, but it's not an "I feel good day". I still need to get my son his birthday present which is a nice shirt and tie and cologne.

Aside from cost savings, in reverse order, my reasons for so much online shopping:

1. Especially pertinent to Amazon, is the long return time, which is important when I buy early.
2. free shipping. I send everything to my daughter's home with initials before the name to indicate who it is for, so then they hand it off to the other person to wrap. My granddaughter's uncle has to wrap a lot of presents. This year is the worst as it is lots of art supplies and our tradition is everything being wrapped separately and having ribbons and bows.
3. For all online shopping - I don't have to get up, get dressed, and get there to make the sale deadlines when I don't feel good and that is especially important these days.

I have never been a wander around the store to just look kind of person. Strangely, online, essentially, that is what I am doing.

Yeah, I do more online than off too. Even alcohol 🥃

Nik wrote: "Yeah, I do more online than off too. Even alcohol 🥃"

I can't seem to get the free delivery so I take a trip to Total Wine in Tucson and stock up on the things that really save me money (175 miles RT). Beer and box wine, we just get from the gas station and grocery store.

Some states don't allow alcohol to be shipped into the state. AZ used to be that way, but they finally changed that law.

Nik, any problem with breakage when "mail-ordering"? Considering my last delivery from the CVS pharmacy was wet inside the plastic shipping bag, the number of dented cans when ordering groceries, and the broken bottles I have received from Amazon, I am hesitant to try having it shipped to me. Finding packages that my app say were delivered can be fun as no matter the directions, source or delivery agency, they drop stuff over the fence, leave it propped up in the driveway, and leave it on the street by the mailbox, I am pretty sure alcohol would disappear faster than TP.

So far I haven’t experienced any breakage - they cushion the bottles really well, but hey - one day I believe it’ll happen 😎
I do happen to receive damaged stuff, sometimes charged but missing from the supermarket and my experience is that 90% of cases I get a refund, when I complain

I shop Amazon a lot, and I find that they usually have lower prices than what I can get in local stores. And, as Lizzie said, I don't have to get dressed and wander around looking for what I want.

Is anyone participating in this Chinese "black friday"?

Armistice day. Just done 2 min silence. I try and do today although UK does a convenient Sunday which is wrong in my view

Hope the demonstrations if go as announced won’t descend into violence

In the USA, November 11th is Veterans' Day. There are parades and certain rituals, like cleaning the graves of departed servicemen and servicewomen. In accordance with this tradition, the President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington.

This year, we mournfully look back upon a presidential wreath laying which occured 60 years ago, today.
https://youtu.be/dupdTvx3xcg?si=5OboA...

I say "mournfully" because 11 days later, in Dallas...

What is Chinese Black Friday?

A big online (and maybe offline too) sales event they hold on 11.11 - Chinese bachelors’ day. In essence - the same as Black Friday, but on different dates.

I signed up for all kinds of things on subscribe and save for every extra cent on my Christmas shopping. The granddaughter goes through a lot of art supplies. Now I am having to cancel them all as I won't need any of it until her birthday or next Christmas. It's very time-consuming to save money shopping.

My newest thing has been ordering groceries on line. Different holidays means different sales. Every month the major sales change. I signed up for the delivery service on a good deal and then got additional coupons and double and 4x gas points. My advice - order a day in advance so you can use the Kroger people to show. They do a better job and you are not allowed to tip. The instacart people have been lousy so far and you are expected to tip them. Overall, I have spent less money on groceries because I am not walking aisles, seeing sales and thinking I shouldn't pass that up because I will need it in a few weeks.

Nik, the frustrating part - can't get alcohol delivered so someone still has to go to the store to buy the beer and wine. Worse, they stop selling alcohol retail at 9 pm. I suspect that helps keep the bar trade up.

Lizzie wrote: "...Nik, the frustrating part - can't get alcohol delivered so someone still has to go to the store to buy the beer and wine. Worse, they stop selling alcohol retail at 9 pm. I suspect that helps keep the bar trade up...."

Yes, that's a major downside. Overall, I probably get more booze delivered than bought in store. Too bad our choice is somewhat limited (not complaining though) and some of the stuff that members recommend is not sold here, while ordering from abroad entails custom duty and delivery fees that make it unreasonable.