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How is Ali Express for buying groupsets? I heard it recommended for some budget Shimano MTB stuff, I'm looking at Tiagra and below level stuff because I'm broke. The LBS racket and online retail space for US road cycling is so shit and buying a full group new is nigh impossible if you're going 105 or above and spending almost 1k at least.
I've never ordered anything remotely expensive off Ali Express, is the buyer protection decent? Do I just go on ebay, find the same item and pay the tax for better buyer protection? Usually I feel pretty safe using PayPal to pay there. The famous "DON'T LEARN MANDARIN" pasta rings in my head whenever I think of doing business with mainlanders.
I just want to find a cool cheap modern-ish frame on marketplace, put some decent modern components on it I like and have bike I'd enjoy riding and tinkering with for less than the price of a comparable new bike.