Sourcing batteries from China

[Possum]

Hi people.

Looking at buying a new bank of lead carbon batteries.

Has anyone had any experience with Chinese sales?
Ali express, made in china, etc?

Any help really appreciated.

[peakbagger]

Good luck, with global shipping the way it is a LTL load of batteries is highly likely to get lost in the system. They will gladly take your money to start the process but if they make it to you it will be months if not years to get what is left of them.

[Possum]

I thought the same, well at least the time issue. But my neighbours, also off grid, just ordered from Ali express (24x2v batteries with a rack and connections) and had their shipment in 8 weeks.
remains to see how their batteries go mind you.

also read a long article from a guy that travelled there to meet distributors and he said there's a huge difference between various manufacturers quality, knowledge, attitude and even state of premises.

Hoped there was a bit more horses mouth going around

[Ampster]

Apparently there is a big difference between Ali Express and Alibaba. Many more flakes on AliExpress. In 2020 I bought 42kWhs of LFP cells from several Alibaba vendors. Shipping was quicker and less expensive then than it is now. I used only vendors that came highly recommended and whom had consistent good reviews from another solar forum.

[Possum]

Thanks ampster. Good point.

[chrisski]

Not Carbon Lead and more of a story of the joys of ordering from Alibabab items going on a boat, but last month I received a shipment of 16 cells, 280 ah each of Lithium iron Phosphate Batteries from Shenzhen Luyuan Technology Co., Ltd. through Alibaba.

Just like all other vendors I’ve heard of selling on Alibaba, they do not manufacture, but are a vendor for those that do. They also go through a shipping company to get the batteries to you via ship in the US, or rail in Europe. From arrival, they are shipped by whatever company handles deliveries, which in my case was UPS or FEDEX.

Shipping started in a week or two, but took four months total to arrive. The tracking number was not active the hole time, I checked about once a week, and one day the batteries just appeared on my door. They probably got through the port and on the US carrier who quickly delivered them.

So, for a long tine the order was untrackable. Just pay a huge amount of money and several months later at a random date, the batteries show up. You need to be a trusting person and have faith or this process will be stressful.

Those that had a shipment later than me, had a little trouble that is waiting to be sorted out. One of the battery containers had a fire from a unrelated company, and that was being sorted out at the port. I don’t know much about that, even if it was the same container. Only the couple of sentences the vendor sent out.

[Ampster]

Thanks, chrisski, that is one of the vendors I used last year for the majority of my cells. Again this is for LFP not Lead Carbon. If a reader is looking for LFP cells there is also one of those vendors who has some availability of certain brands in Houston. The price is a little higher but that could eliminate the long delay of shipping from China. Good results have been reported on another forum that Chrisski and I also participate in.