AliExpress, Knock-offs, and Batteries

by Rian

Right to repair calls for many things. I generally have mixed opinions on the movement. On one hand, I want manufacturer to build more durable, not more fixable, devices to begin with. On the other hand, if such an option is not possible for certain parts, i.e. battery, I want companies make it repairable, as the parts in question, in my opinion, are expendable. Lithium ion batteries have physical lifespan of 2-3 years, and I believe it falls under the later category. And, frankly, I am yet to find more reputable sources to buy batteries from.

If you are in the market for a replacement battery, one of the immediate place you should be paying a visit is the manufacturer’s official support website. Again, if you are not in the USA, there’s a greater chance they no longer have batteries for your device, let alone selling it to you. Case in point, one of the things that frustrates me with tech supports in South Korea is that they won’t sell you any parts for DIY. You have to ship the broken device in, —or bring it in to the store— and they will have it shipped to a service center for repair, then they ship the repaired device back to you —or the store took the device to. This process roughly takes about a week minimum with hefty price tag. And if the local branch doesn’t carry one yet the overseas branches still do, it is usually impossibly hard to have batteries shipped from abroad.

The other option, which I believe American consumers are aware of as well, is to buy third party batteries, usually the knock-offs, and they happened to be available on Chinese websites such as AliExpress. The claims on these batteries are often infuriatingly good, and there is no easy way to verify these listings. Some listings claim that it is good as, or sometimes better, than the original at one tenth of the price. As an average consumer, labels on the batteries are the only source of information; there is no easy method to test the capacity of the device, let alone safety features on them. My experience with AliExpress sellers so far was bordering on legal grey area, especially with shipping and customs declarations. As for the battery specs, I can’t trust them; I only buy batteries for devices that are meant to be thrown out after the internal battery dies.

So if you wish to be the next champion of the right to repair movement, I must ask of a kindness. Batteries degrade, they falter after a couple of years. We know that. Give us a platform to buy safe and reliable batteries from. Buying an exactly same device only to replace batteries seem too extravagant, if not hostile to environment.