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When it comes to online shopping, one of the things I would advise online shoppers is to visit several websites and do what we call price comparism. You can compare a lot of other things related to the product that you are buying on several websites as it will help you in saving money and get more satisfaction for the item you are buying.

There are many local online shopping websites in Nigeria but there are also global ones which allow people to do shopping from international destinations. The 3 main websites where I normally like shopping are Amazon, eBay and Aliexpress. Lately, however, I've been narrowing my purchases on 2 main sites which are Amazon and Aliexpress.

What I love about Amazon is that they have a vast amount of things to buy and some of them are good products which are also of high quality. However, what I've also noticed that Amazon also lists some products which hare actually produced in China and hence sold for cheaper on websites like Aliexpress.com

Is Aliexpress.com then better than Amazon.com? Well, I think it depends on certain things. However, when it comes to prices, I would say that Aliexpress.com beats down Amazon.com for most products when they sell. The only areas which I'd say that Amazon might beat Aliexpress.com is in terms on higher quality products which are made in the USA.

Direct International Shipping to most countries
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Another area which I'd say that Aliexpress.com beats Amazon.com at least for online shoppers from Nigeria is on the issue of unrestricted direct shipping. Amazon restricts the countries to which it normally ships to and covers mostly US markets but Aliexpress from China ships to most markets in the world such as countries like Nigeria and so it won't make sense for a Nigerian to shop on Amazon for similar things they can shop on Aliexpress and get a direct shipping to their country.

Aliexpress offers Lower shipping costs
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For most Nigerians who might want to buy things on Amazon, they would need to make use of a US shipping agent who they have to pay for forward shipping of items to Nigeria mostly through expensive couriers like DHL and Fedex. With Aliexpress, there is a variety of shipping options which includes couriers like DHL as well as cheaper options like postal mail. Postal mail shipping from Aliexpress is really affordable and I've used it several times to buy items I need at a low cost. At times even some of the items listed on Aliexpress already have their international shipping costs already included on the website and so the buyer knows the total of what's he's going to pay for the item. Chinese postal mail connects with Nigeria's postal mail system and the buyer can collect his items at the post office when it arrives. Amazon doesn't offer low shipping cost to Nigeria even for items they might ship directly. Even the US mail forwarding services which buyers use for Amazon shopping don't offer postal mail forwarding services.

Amazon has better brands
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When it comes to high quality products that are made in the USA as well as popular known brands, it is easier to find it on Amazon than on Aliexpress. You can't expect to buy designer clothing made by Tommy Hilfiger or Kenneth on Aliexpress when they have a store on Amazon. You can't also be buying brands like Apple or Sony laptops on Aliexpress when it's readily available on Amazon.

Amazon has more books
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When it also comes to books whether academic or novels, you'd find the best on Amazon and chances are that they are also written by writers who have English ad their first language. Amazon has more English books than Aliexpress for now since most of the books are produced there.

Amazon offers faster shipping and better tracking
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Amazon offers faster local shipping for residents in the USA as buyers can get orders within 2 to 3 working days and at times even shorter. It is also easier to track the item and know when it' arriving. For international shoppers buying from Nigeria, it's also easier to track items shipped by Amazon to their US shipping address and finally through courier sites like DHL and Fedex such that they know when it's arriving. Although shipping internationally may be a bit more expensive when shipping to Nigeria from the USA, it is timely and takes as little as 5 working days once it has shipped from the USA.

Amazon has more computer products
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For people who love to buy brand new computer products and accessories, you'd also find them in larger quantities on AMazon than on Aliexpress. I think Aliexpress sells more of accessories than laptop.s You might only be able to find a few Android laptops on Aliexpress but you'd find more laptops that come with the latest Windows software on Amazon. AMazon also has a large inventory of used laptops that you can buy at a good price. So, while you might find a lot of computers on Amazon, you'd be able to find things like laptop replacement batteries, flash drives on abundance on Aliexpress.

Conclusion
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Is Aliexpress really better than AMazon? Well, I think it depends on what you want to buy and where you are shipping to. I'd only advise that when next you want to buy any items on Amazon, first check if it's available on Aliexpress and compare the price. Also compare the shipping costs to your location and the time it would take. If you need it fast, it may be just better to buy it on Amazon, else you can save money and buy it on Aliexpress but it may take a while to get to you if you choose to ship by Postal mail. Don't buy things made in China from Amazon when it's sold on Aliexpress and don't buy things made in the USA from Aliexpress when there is Amazon.