DHgate (headquarters in Beijing) is a Chinese online platform (comparable to Amazon or Aliexpress) for merchants to offer their diverse products. Therefore, the website has an amazing range of products. It doesn't matter if you're looking for consumer electronics, garments, decor or sports goods: You will find nearly anything. DHGate offers more than 30 million products for a global audience from 227 countries. With more than 5 million customers worldwide, it isn't surprising that DHGate is already one of the 2100 most visited websites worldwide.

Experiences with DHgate

Naturally we tested the in and outs of DHGate and placed a test order. These are the pieces of information we collected along the way:

Payment

Paying at DHgate is possible with various payment methods. Payment with credit card (Visa, American Express, Mastercard), Moneybookers, Western Union and per Bank Transfer is offered for all countries. In Germany you have further options such as Sofort Banking and Giropay. DHGate doesn't offer PayPal! A clear disadvantage and hopefully only temporary.

Supported Payment Methods

Credit Card		Simply enter your credit card infos and off you go. Just keep in mind that you generally won't get buyer protection this way .
Western Union		Western Union is not the most useful payment method: you have to go to a Western Union branch and pay in cash. Meaning you can't get your money back and the payment confirmation might take some time.
GiroPay		This is an online payment method. If you pick this option, you're redirected to the online banking website of your bank, where you can log in as usual. Fill in the offered form. The seller will immediately be informed about your payment as soon as you've paid.
MoneyBookers/Skrill		A payment method similar to PayPal. This payment method is especially popular in the UK.
Sofort banking		Very useful for everyone, who has a bank, which offers this payment method. Only disadvantage: doesn't generally offer buyer protection.
Bank Transfer		This payment method might also, depending on your bank, take some time. Furthermore there might be additional fees.

Delivery times, tracking and shipping

DHgate offers several delivery options - but it always depends on the customer's address and the online merchant. As a customer from Germany you usually get to choose between Hong Kong Post shipping (16-21 days delivery time) and Singapore Post (15-25 days delivery time), more costly shipping options like DHL (2-8 work days), EMS (6-14 work days), FedEX (3-8 work days) and UPS (1-7 work days) are often also available. The various shipping costs and times are visible before you complete your ordering process.

DHgate and customs

DHgate.com is a platform for various merchants, meaning that the package declarations can vary extremely and depend on the merchant. Consider the reviews and amount of items a merchant offers before you place an order. Furthermore, the customs offfice does random checks on well-declared packages from China.

Naturally this doesn’t free anyone from the legal 19% import sales tax, which will be raised on any order with a value of 26€ or more. The usual case would be paying the taxes directly to your mailman once the parcel arrives. On rare occasions your local custom office will keep the package and you will have to come pick it up and pay the taxes at their office. Further information is available in our FAQ.

Return policy

The buyer has the right to return or items and demand an exchange (in case of broken or wrong items or if the product doesn't match its description) or a refund. You can get a refund from DHGate for the shipping costs that may arise in this case. If you simply do not like an item you purchased, you can send it back but have to pay for the return shipping yourself and may have to pay further fees

Specific features

DHGate is a platform for online merchants, so it resembles online shops such as Amazon or Aliexpress. Because of the various merchants you have a large quantity and variety of products available, which are offered mostly for an inexpensive price.

Conclusion

If you're more interested in a bargain and not in brand products, than you won't be disappointed with DHgate. It offers any kind of inexpensive no-name product. Another bonus is the customer-friendly support and the well-arranged website.

Alternatives

Alternative 1:	Aliexpress		also a platform for online merchants, huge range of products, often free shipping
Alternative 2:	Dealextreme		huge range of products, lots of well-known Chinese brands, free shipping

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