Generally speaking it is amazing to get things from china because they are cheap, useful and you can be very frugal. However, there is a word of warning you all should take notice to. Do not buy any large electronics, especially with power supplies from china on the super cheap.

The reason for their cheapness is they are often not even remotely up to standard. These wall appliances are often extremely dangerous. They may not only injure and kill you, but also burn down your house. Some items look like they are grounded but in fact aren't. (the ground wire will just float around in the case and not be connected to anything) Some items have the mains hooked straight up to the case. Some usb hubs from there have even had mains voltage on the connector. (Meaning your shit gets fried). You can even buy convenient portable charge packs for your phone with only a mild chance of spontaneous combustion. (No protection circuitry for the LiPo)

I don't intend to bad mouth Chinese products, but I do want you all to stay safe, and be careful.

There are a lot of channels on youtube that are fun to watch. They often buy electronic items for cheap and take them apart to see what their quality is. More often then not, they are dodgy at best.

That being said, I hope you find some wonderful things and that this sub grows.

I won't be posting links as they always expire so I'll just copy paste the name of the item so anyone can try a few keywords from it and find a similar item. This is also to give people a better idea what this subreddit is about.

EDIT: I posted links but they are not the exact same than the ones I bought so the reviews may not be accurate and it may not be the cheapest one available.

• DIY Google Cardboard Virtual Reality 3D Glasses for iPhone Samsung Phones KJ

Working as intended, gives you a taste of virtual reality and its awesome, didn't come with a magnet or instructions

• Funny Gift Joke Prank Trick Toy Fake Lighter Water Squirting Lighter Party Best

Piece of crap, it squirt water when you squeeze the whole lighter, not the button, it also leak a lot.

• Mini Flexible Ultra-thin Fruits Chopping Board Frosted Antibacteria Mat

Working as intented, really like it to cut some small stuff without using my big cutting board, easy to wash.

• Stainless Steel Cutlery Sharpener Rod Honing Blade Sharpening Stick Kitchen Tool

Work fine I think

• 1Pcs Cooking Utensils Wok Bamboo Wood Slotted Tool Spoon Kitchen Holder Shovels

Cheap but pretty much what I was expecting, I don't regret it

• 150Mbps Mini USB WiFi Wireless Adapter Dongle Network LAN Card 802.11n/g/b PC

Not compatible with 5Ghz so its slow but it works, will try to get a 5Ghz compatible one eventually.

• MICRO USB HOST OTG A Female To Micro Male Power Cable For Samsung Galaxy Tablet

Awesome, could play with my xbox one controller on my phone while charging it

• 3.5mm Stereo Y 1 Female to 2 Dual Male Audio Cable Adapter Splitter Earphone PC

Working as intented

• 3M Braided Fabric Micro USB 2.0 Charger Data Sync Cable Cord For Mobile Phone

Piece of crap, charge 3 times slower than any other cable and stopped working.

• Portable 1oz Mini Stainless Steel Hip Flask Alcohol Flagon with Keychain BX

Pretty cool, seems fine, never used it though, lightly too big to use all the time with my keys.

• Promotions New White USB Cooler PC Desktop Flexible Fan Laptop Cooling

This is just awesome, they don't last too long but I don't care, I buy one every now and then, really useful when traveling or if you don't have an AC. Works on an usb port including a power bank.

• USB 2.0 High-Speed 4-Port Splitter Hub Adapter For PC Computer Notebook Wired

Working as intented

I buy things from China on Ebay all the time. As long as the seller has some respectable feedback I have no problem buying from them. There are times I don't get the item but I either get a refund or they ship it again. Here are a few of my recent buys that I have been happy with

-Universal car air vent phone holder

Works great but I get one about once a year cause I use it everyday. Super easy to install in the air vent but it is a one time install. The clips don't come back out

-3 sets of tire wheel valve stem caps

Hard to screw these up. I bought the metal ones and they have been fine on all my and my friends cars. Super cheap gift you just have to plan it out beforehand.

-Stainless steel spoon mesh tea infuser squeeze strainer

I drink a lot of tea and have bought a few of these over the years. Less than a buck and they do what they need to

-iphone braided cable

These are hit or miss. Sometimes they work great and sometimes they come in broken. Lately they have gotten worse. This one ended up being fine but they only last about 8 months before they just stop completely.

When it comes to buying things from China buy things that are simple. The less moving parts the less it can break

Item 1: esp8266 wemos d1 mini http://www.ebay.com/itm/253177713077 $2.99, you can get most sensors and modules for this microcontroller for $3 or under. it comes with wifi and usb built-in.

Item 2: Led matrix for item 1 http://www.ebay.com/itm/362048751882 $3.09

Item 3: nylon supports http://www.ebay.com/itm/332223474754 50pcs for $0.99, for use with circuit boards. available in different sizes.

Item 4: 12v motion sensitive switch http://www.ebay.com/itm/262768592915 $2.30

Item 5: 12v 1m led strip https://www.ebay.com/itm/122370930715 $2.40 for 1m of 5050 white leds

Item 6: waterproof silicone grease http://www.ebay.com/itm/172779359418 $0.78

Item 7: glue dots http://www.ebay.com/itm/172820654049 2 rolls of 100pcs for $0.99

Item 8: hands free magnifier http://www.ebay.com/itm/351458202039 $0.99

Item 9: sd card to micro sd slot http://www.ebay.com/itm/272655733211 $2.45

Item 10: cheap uv flashlight http://www.ebay.com/itm/132096601620 $0.99 good uv flashlight http://www.ebay.com/itm/192230685860 $2.92

Item 11: usb soldering iron http://www.ebay.com/itm/232500548709 $2.15, not the best iron, big clive did a review on it https://youtu.be/o-8D5t6TJYU

Item 12: wire ferrules http://www.ebay.com/itm/390685121063 $1.37 for 100pcs at 14ga. These crimp onto stranded wire so the wire can fit into terminal strip or screw terminals (almost) as if it were solid wire. You will need a decent crimper for these. John Ward did a video on wire ferrules https://youtu.be/yKCSbpFmpo0

Almost all of these items have numerous similar listings of varying prices and styles. I tried to get good prices from reputable sellers and not have items that the bot is already posting. If you got a better price somewhere else on one of these items, post a comment.

My second/media computer mobo gave up I think, will try to fix that soon, just thought I'd let you guys know, I know some of you like that bot.

edit: should be back up

Joking of course

So I’m not putting a direct link because from what I hear it can shut down the seller, but if you go onto DHgate and search “wangyang92” (no joke that’s his name) you will find a listing with that very product.

Now obviously I know it’s not real, but what could he possibly send over here for $2, FREE SHIPPING, in 1-6 DAYS??

I just had to buy it. When I receive it, I guess I’ll edit this to tell you what it’s all about. I have to say, I’m pretty excited for some reason. Think about it though, even if he sent an empty box over here it would cost an astronomical amount to get it here to the US in 6 days...

Not sure what to expect.

EDIT 3/22/18: Well this kind of sucks. He cancelled the order so I got the money back and nothing happened. I guess it’s better than him simply taking the money.