/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I love AliExpress but I don't love that in 2020-2021 they've lost a lot of my packages and never refunded me. RIP the cute lap desk and lamp I ordered last year

>>10633865
I've never bought from AE or any China-based mass market platform before. Any additional tips/recommended payment methods/etc.?

Sale comming soon. What do you gulls have your eyes on?

>>10634124
Shoes and more cute casual clothes.

>>10634124
I was thinking of grabbing some nanchatte stuff. I've also been after some platform shoes but couldn't make my mind up.

No clue, I'm still on the fence about it. I feel like I'll have no way of knowing what's decent quality and what'll crumble in my hands

>mfw yurocuck 20% tax in 11 days
i hate it here

>>10634199
great time to live in a EU country without VAT (desu chinese shipping services are already working on shipping into non-VAT countries and having the parcels forwarded as EU deliveries)

>>10634124
bought some new socks, a pair of shoes, and a new wig for my next meetup in like a month and a half. i'm pretty excited about the wig especially since it's a color i had my real hair at some point but it was too high maintenance (silver)

>>10634172
read the reviews and look at the pictures. ignore the stars completely. if there are no reviews, you can usually find the same item at a different shop that does have reviews.

>>10634215
I haven't bought a wig through Aliexpress before. What's your opinion of them? And in comparison to say like... Amazon or something?

>>10634124
A duvet cover with strawberries on it, this cat-shaped paper organizer, and some boring stuff like presser feet and needles for my industrial

>>10634257
Pic related. I have a lot of things sitting in my cart but these are the ones I think I'm mostly likely to get (excluding sewing machine parts because no one cares about those)
I'm trying to make a cute looking and organized craft space that I'll actually want to spend time in vs the clutter I had before.

>>10634233
just like anything on aliexpress it tends to depend on the seller / taobao source / reviews but my roommate (who cosplays) and i have had pretty good luck!

i'd just say keep an extra dutiful eye on review photos for thickness and color accuracy

>>10634264
Thank you!

>>10634271
nayrt but when I buy Ali wigs I always buy 2 and transplant the wefts from one into the other because they tend to be thin especially in the back

>>10634271
no problem! i also super agree with >>10634272
that's a really great idea!!

Does any one have any petticoat recommendations? I want to get something cheap that I don't have to worry about it getting messed up

>>10634272
This is also great if you want to make your own split or multicolor wig. Sewing your own wig is way easier than many people think it is

Anyone has experience with school uniforms? I want a set with a long skirt and decently thick material for a sukeban cosplay thingy.

I've seen the same colour wig and extensions (#613 bleach blonde) among different sellers. The product pictures show some slight differences. What are the chances that pieces from different places will actually match?

>>10634410
I'm going to assume we're talking about human hair here because none of this applies to synthetic. Obviously it depends on the dye process each factory is using but the general consensus is 613 is fairly yellow out of the box and needs toning to achieve a more desirable silvery/ashy shade. You technically can bleach 613 lighter if you really want to at the risk of
breakage and damagingg the hair cuticle further. But if you're looking for true white your best options are synthetics or yak hair, although this is limited in legnth and has a distinct texture (and I haven't seen yak hair on AliExpress, I source mine from a hair distributor in Europe)

>>10634372
I buy from segreto uniforms on ali. Quality is good. They have long skirts. Ive also bought cardigans from them as im a kogal.
On a side note, is this a replica? Thats a skirt from loligals. Im thinking of doing casual lolita for the summer.

>>10634455
not sure if replica, but it looks very cheap and ita

>>10634460
damn. I guess ill try find burando skirts.

>>10634460
Actually im the same anon as>>10634461
>>10634455
Would axes femme skirts work? Ive seen some lolitas use them

>>10634461
I recommend buying secondhand Meta skirts. Very affordable and most definitely burando.

>>10634455
Meta crown label skirts are great for casual although they are on the shorter side

Would metal nail art pieces carry the same risks of lead etc. as jewelry?

>>10634263
Cute finds, anon. I'm working on organizing and decorating my craft space too. I need to find some cute magnets or baskets for my functional-but-uncute metal pegboard.

>>10634463
I'd avoid Axes Femme if you're just starting out. They're not a lolita brand, and their quality can be pretty bad. If you're still at the stage that you think a skirt like >>10634455 looks acceptable, then you can't tell good quality from bad yet, or what is lolita and what isn't.

I'll 3rd Meta, especially their skirts. Meta is ime the highest quality of all lolita brands, by far. Their skirts are extremely durable and comfortable, and their prints and material choices generally look amazing irl. Often you will look at a photo of a Meta piece and think "ew gross" but then see it irl and fall in love. Because it's not photogenic or hyped up like AP releases, it tends to go cheap.

If you aren't sure you want to stay in the fashion, buy brand. That way you can resell it later. If you buy cheap ali garbage, you're literally throwing that money away bc you can't resell it.

>>10634124
Probably gonna pick up some new shoes and keycaps

>>10634233
Majority of cosplay items on amazon are just resold from sites like ali. Expect it to be kinda cheap. If it's the same price on amazon just buy it there. Never buy anything that doesn't have review pictures already unless you're willing to gamble.

>this is the first result for "colorblock shirt"
help

>>10634720
It's a shirt and it blocks the parts of color. I fail to see what's wrong noni

Does anyone have glove sources? My area just mandated glove wearing so I'm trying to find something I can wear as wristcuffs and gloves in one.

>>10634124
More things to slowly turn my room into a dark gothic cave - anatomical heart vase and a couple of cheap resin skull pots for my succulents.

>>10634547
Idk if you sew but I bought pic related from an Ali store called "sharkbang stationary store" (and they're the seller for a lot of the items in my collage) and it's sturdier than I thought and the perfect size to store my domestic presser feet and small machine accessories (although I'm thinking about buying another once since I've since acquired more feet and need a seperate storage area for my industrial parts).
I'd say it's also about the right size to hold
other craft stuff like stickers that come individually cut out, washi tape, spools of thread, embroidery floss, hardware, push pins/paperclips, or jewelry findings.
I haven't seen a ton of cute magnets on Ali but I did see these that look like pinwheels
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mswP6tx
If you've got a little patience and some UV resin or e6000 you might be better off buying some plain magnets and flat back cabochons and glueing them together and there's a near endless select of cabochons on ali

>>10634461
Please do. Just look at that lace, this is going to be so frumpy. Check mercari, yjapan, rakuma/frill...lots of options there! You can get nice accessories from ali, and sometimes blouses if they're just resold from taobao. In you're not sure about a blouse just ask. And remember, if the price looks too good to be true it probably is.

>>10634553
The only thing about meta is, double check the skirt measurements. The fully shirred mini skirts are super comfy. Regular skirts can be less so. I bought a skirt without double checking the measurements and it's 68 cm so it doesn't fit me, whereas the jsk and miniskirt of the same print series will comfortably fit a 90+ waist lol. Caught me off guard.

Anyone has recs for wigs that are actually dense/full? I want them for J fashion, not cosplay

>>10634892
>90+ waist l
jesus christ.

>>10634931
>>10634892
So strange seeing a waist measurement larger than my bust measurement jesus christ

>>10634865
>Idk if you sew but I bought pic related from an Ali store called "sharkbang stationary store"
I do sew, and I totally appreciate the recs. I'm still new to using Aliexpress and I feel like I'm struggling to choose good search terms. I looked at so many office and stationery supplies yesterday and didn't find that store.

>>10634926
In a previous AE thread, I saw anon suggest that when buying wigs from AE/Taobao, buy two so you can transplant the tufts from one to the other to fill it out.

Shit, how long will the sales be for?

>>10634947
Oh, sounds great. Kicking myself for not thinking about it. Thanks anon, I'm off to create a fluffy frankenwig

>>10634263
>>10634865
Have you bought anything from AE for organizing your patterns/pattern pieces? I wonder if I can find anything that's particularly cute or a good deal, or if I should just get a file cabinet locally.

>>10635044
That really depends on the number of patterns you have (if you have a lot you should just buy a file cabinet and spray paint it if you don't like the color) but short answer to if I have is not yet but soon I will
The cat shaped paper holder in my first collage (from sharkbang actually) I want to get 2 of, one to hold my cricut mats and one to hold some of my larger leatherwork patterns. But the sort of patterns I'm talking about are stiff plastic/cardstock templates, they're not pattern envelopes for garments.
It might sound a bit weird, but I've also thought about buying a cheap underwear organizer like pic related off of Ali to store my garment patterns in since I don't have a lot of them and currently they're just tossed in a bin with other "guide" type things like pom-pom makers and I'd like them to have their own dedicated storage

>>10634931
>>10634941
To be clear, I'm a 75 cm waist...but that jsk literally fit me 8 months pregnant. I've also seen bigger measurements thrown around, don't be so shocked anons. Meta's new plus size could probably fit two of me, I can't imagine how roomy plus plus size is.

>>10633865
i hate this OP so much. it's full of so much incorrect information about what not to buy and what is "regulated" etc. aliexpress is no more dangerous or safe than the local dollar store or amazon. most imports aren't regulated or checked until they have already caused some issue (in cases of things like makeup it can take years before people realize the makeup is a problem) but the same crap is being sold in your country, without regulations. also glass can contain lots of lead so that's retarded to say it's safe.

>>10635210
Lead in glass is called crystal and is expensive af

>>10635210
>also glass can contain lots of lead so that's retarded to say it's safe
You're the retarded one, lead glass is both expensive and fragile
>most imports aren't regulated or checked
The FDA literally regulates color additives in cosmetics sold in the USA regardless of where they're manufactured. The EU is much stricter and outright bans several chemicals from cosmetics. You don't know what the hell you're talking about

>>10635318
I think that anon is from Canada, which likes to larp as the more civilized America and has more restrictions officially on cosmetics ingredients but in practice is rarely enforced if at all. Lead is found all the time in Canadian makeup and children's makeup is literally unregulated unlike adult cosmetics. You can also find lead paint in toys there, it's insane

>>10634208
based chinese sellers thank you for making me see the light of hope again anon.
What country do you live in if i may ask? I thought this 20% VAT law applied to all of europe

>>10634199
>tfw amerifat who has never ever been hit with customs fees because america doesn't give a shit

>>10634540
No, they don't. Typically they are either aluminium or plastic coated in colored paint. You're also going to be sealing them with to coat, glue or gel if not outright encasing them in your design.

Does anyone have recs or tips on searching for cutsews and casual lolita gear?

>>10635617
I know I'm being autistic anon but I'd bet money it's not aluminum due to the fact aluminum requires an extra step (adding zinc) to electroplate successfully. It's more likely a zinc alloy, as zinc is very easy to electroplate
>t. hobbyist welder

>>10635677
That sounds like a cool hobby. You're definitely right about electroplating but most nail stuff isn't that nice. You can dissolve the paint with basic nail polish remover. If it is made with acrylic the whole thing will melt if it's expose to a higher acetone solution. Either way it's cheap and not likely a lead concern.

>>10634842
Sauce?

>>10635617
>>10635686
Can people who don't know about nails shut the fuck up?

Being fearful of most items on aliexpress is a really outdated way of thinking. Electronics are totally fine to order from big brands (including many western ones selling on the site) This kind of overly-cautious behavior is done by people who think it makes them smart to "protect" themselves instead of just shopping smart. Also I'm a US anon and I know that the FDA doesn't regulate most products coming into the US. You can find this easily online.

Any larme-like finds?

So I should or should not look for press on nails on ae?

>>10636166
No reason not to, the quality is decent. Use your own glue/sticky tabs .

>>10636166
Press on nails are fine. Just don't be retarded and wear proper PPE if you decide to do stuff like use a drill to file them down. Your standard cyanoacrylate-based glue from the drugstore will give you the strongest bond; I never bother with those shitty tab things

>>10634842
please share dark/gothic things you find

>>10636270
nail anon here. i actually recommend the tabs rather than glue because it won't damage them. nail glue damages both the press-ons and your actual nails when you remove the press-ons.

Thanks to the sale, finally caved and bought a bunch of pretty lace that's probably going to be shit, but at least I'll be able to stop wondering if it's good.

>>10636682
I got some lace from Aliexpress a few months back for crafting and it was nice; not a lolitafag though so maybe my opinion is different

>>10636706
Which store/items?

>>10634263
What I actually ended up buying during the sale pt 1/2 (the boring stuff)
Hoping these leather bevelers aren't as shit as the last one I got off of AE
I got. Not pictured: custom leather stamp I ordered before the sale and am currently waiting on

>>10636832
2/2 the actual cute stuff
Decided against the felt board because the color in review photos looked too gray and decided against the leather pounding mat because I could get the same thing but better for $2 more per sq ft from a leatherwork supplier. Suncatcher and hand are gifts for my sister. Would be happy to post pics of any of these when they arrive, expected arrival for most is mid to late july

>>10636834
The sun catcher is very cute. I'd like to see a pic and hear if it feels flimsy or not when it arrives.

Sharing what I got during the sale! If anyone needs links or reviews once these items arrive, let me know
Part 1/3

>>10636998
Part 2/3, nail stuff

>>10636999
Part 3/3, lace for headdresses I'm planning to make

>>10636999
top left mold is trash jsyk.

>>10636998
>>10637001
Link to for the top left on both of these?

>>10637053
Really, how so? It is weird, given you wouldn't want to use anything but the bows, but I think I can make do by filling that part alone with gel

>>10637126
Here you go, anon
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mr6FnSv
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mq9Llev

any good sellers for my little twin stars and cinnamoroll?

looking for decor, apparel, and stationaries.

>>10636724
I got this from QRTRIM Store, in white

>>10637355
Got the Cinna pajama set from Aliso store, pleasantly surprised by the quality.

>>10636998
Would like pics/thoughts on the rug, mirror, and hangers when they arrive. I've thought about tracking down those hangers and buying them in bulk from taobao but I'm worried about them being flimsy. Also I'd love to know if the custom switch buttons are easy to install or not, it's something I've thought about but haven't done yet

I love the things I stumble upon while browsing. I wouldn't have expected to see a pink cat-themed cutting board.

I got this bag from The Cos World JK Uniform Shop.

I've seen several listings for this toothbrush rack, just the rack. Has anyone seen the whole set for sale with the tube cap and cup, etc?

>>10637471
Never been able to find it; even asked a seller if they sold or knew a shop who sold the My Melody cup after I saw their listing for the Hello Kitty cup, but they claimed it doesn't exist which is clearly untrue but I guess no one sells it. I really wanted the cup as my whole bedroom and bathroom and desk are My Melo

>>10637484
Bummer.

>>10636998
I own the carpet! Really a worth purchase. It's super thin though, which isn't a bad thing for me, but could be for others

>>10637510
It's thin but has a very large footprint which is nice. Most people are buying it for the look not the plushness.

>>10637446
That looks like a nice find, anon

Great color.

>>10637549
Why? That cushion is going to be so disgusting.. You realize fecal matter spreads across the entire bathroom, right? It's 100% worse on the toilet.

>>10638014
Look at the file name, nonny.

I successfully made it to the end of the sale without impluse buying a fuckton of artificial plants.

>>10637001
Link to the crown lace please?

>>10638310
>mfw the sale ends
>mfw most of the items in my wishlist are the same price
Glad I didn't fall for the hype

>>10638672
I noticed that too. Pretty much everything I left in my wishlist and cart still has the same discount on it. A lot of the discounts weren't very good to begin with too.

Has anyone had trouble with the listed dimensions of a product being wrong when the description says something to the effect of "the measurements are taken manually, so please accept the potential for error"?

Idk if I should post this here or the cos help thread but has anyone else had major issues with DokiDoki before? I know they’re a cos reseller but I have them a chance because I didn’t want to buy the cos through Taobao (it would’ve been more expensive through Taobao after ss fees and shipping) but DokiDoki has been giving me the runaround. First they gave me a fake tracking number and said they would update with a new tracking number when I opened a dispute. Then proceeded to not give any updates until I opened another dispute, where they gave me a new tracking number yesterday that just says “parcel info received”. Everyone I know says they had good experiences with DokiDoki, which is why I gave them a chance.

>>10639383
this is an aliexpress shopping thread you fucking retard

>>10638704
>>10638672
most of ali's sales are to promote either their brands, big chinese brands or the western brands that are using the site now. in my experience items $20 or less will actually be on sale from time to time, but most items $20+ will always say they are $40+ and constantly be on sale. most shops (atleast gull related) with often show a "sale" price but never sell it for the "regular" price. these kinds of events are best when you get good coupons and can stack them. otherwise most of it is new user hype and impulse buys from people who don't often use the site.

are items from stores like, romwe and shien are items from aliexpress?

Should I buy directly from Aliexpress rather those 2 sites? or could anyone recommend me some stores/ shops

>>10639692
you shouldn't buy from any of them

>>10639697
>telling people not to buy from aliexpress
>in the aliexpress thread

>>10639653
Dokidoki is a cosplay store on Ali, retard.

>>10639383
Dokidoki has godawful customer service and their recent preorders are a fucking disaster. There are still people waiting for orders from Sept/Oct of last year because they’re prioritizing shipping out Genshin costumes. Cancel and rebuy from Taobao if you can.

>>10639692
they're the same. the only upside is the shipping times. shein is pretty cheap though, i've gotten stuff from there i wanted in sooner than 2 months.

>>10639383
>>10639816
This is a lolita thread. Fuck off, cosplay whores.

>>10639892
>cosplay in MY lolita board? it's more likely than you think

>>10639892
It's not a lolita thread you tard it's an AliExpress thread. There are plenty of people in this thread purchasing general cute homewares

>>10639892
I bought gyaru shit during the summer sale. Stay mad

>>10637471
>>10637484
There's an authentic toothbrush set with a cup available from Sanrio, although the design is different.
https://shop.sanrio.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=69582
>Hi Melody! Don't you know everyone loves you?

can someone recommend me a cute dress find you like?

of any style

>>10639996
Fuck off

>>10633865
Any good quality lolita boots to buy?

Looking for decent socks to wear with casual sweet lolita! Any suggestions or links are helpful!

>>10639692
piggybacking here, are there other apps like shein but with more goth/alt focus? I have a hard time finding stuff on Ali due to not really being good with search terms and prefer shein’s category system.

>>10640469
God stop buying slave-labour made fast fashion and go to actual good alt shops

>>10640469
Stop whining and learn how to use the right search terms on AE

Any good quality boots matching on this dress?
Give me an example.

I can't find a fucking good quality catgirl maid costume I guess I have to buy a dress from bodyline and then DIY the rest or get em from ali

These are so awful, I had to share them.

>>10645090
Is this athlolita? Athlolieticism?

>AE dispute requires you to request the dollar amount of the refund you want
I feel like this should be considered a good feature, but it's troubling me. Has anyone had issues with a seller accepting their refund request? Or does anyone have some guidelines for what's acceptable to request?
I received a damaged item that is technically still usable, but the damage compromises its integrity and looks bad. Is asking for a refund of the full item cost normal, or would a seller expect me to only ask for a partial refund?

>>10645217
stress how it ruins the item and is unusable. Otherwise you can get caught in a refund loop. I legit could only get half of a purse's price because while missing it's pull the zipper still could move if I fought it.

>>10645234
I appreciate the response. I described the item as unusable, so we'll see if the seller accepts that or not. It won't kill me if they don't want to provide a full refund, but I know I overpaid for this shit in the first place.

>>10645235
Within a few hours, without the seller responding, AE stepped in to refund me a little less than half the item's cost and closed the case. Is this a common dispute outcome?

Some wish items and some bought

Moar

>>10645623
>gel silica packet purse

I can’t lmao

Link to that and the cloud earrings pls?

>>10645093

Campy as fuck. It's so atrocious I loved it. Thanks for sharing this /fit/ita dream anon. I'd mire it for gym if it was usable.

>>10645623

Link for the kumamon shirt plz, sis.

>>10645622
Link for that tapestry corset, please

>>10645757
Yiallen Store has it. the link gets marked as spam, sorry. WTF is this new captcha

>>10645623
link to silica gel purse pls

>>10645643
Silica pac purse
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mM9OLNh

>>10645751
Kumamon
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMJ3oWr

>>10645623
link for the constellation wall hooks please?

>>10645434
not usually.
I did have ali step in right away on an item, but had contacted the seller a few days before doing the claim with no reply, but I never got it at all so I got a full refund.

>>10645623
link for the wall hooks and please review the cat mat when you get it as well as a link for it

>>10645877
>>10647514
Not the OP, but here's a link to the constellation wall hooks.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4000479928417.html