Replacing Cow-shaped Pencil Sharpener
May 16, 2015 8:05 PM Subscribe
A few weeks ago, I bought a cute little cow-shaped pencil sharpener on clearance from Staples. Sample photo, except mine was blue and white. It was a big hit with my students. The sharpener's gone missing and I'd like to be able to replace it and possibly buy several in bulk, but am not having much luck.
I've checked with several local Staples, include where I bought the original. The few I've seen on Amazon seem to be not quite right (picture is of pig pencil sharpener instead of the cow) or expensive (> $5/sharpener). Is AliExpress/AliBaba legit? Is there somewhere else I should look? Thanks!
I've checked with several local Staples, include where I bought the original. The few I've seen on Amazon seem to be not quite right (picture is of pig pencil sharpener instead of the cow) or expensive (> $5/sharpener). Is AliExpress/AliBaba legit? Is there somewhere else I should look? Thanks!
Sorry, didn't see that you'd already found the aliexpress site!
posted by stillmoving at 10:09 PM on May 16, 2015
posted by stillmoving at 10:09 PM on May 16, 2015
Best answer: I've bought on Aliexpress before. Especially if you're looking to buy in bulk it's a viable option.
It's not a shop , it's a sales platform for individual sellers and it offers buyer's protection, so if something does not arrive or is not as advertised, you have somewhere to go to. Be sure to look at the seller's rating though.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:48 PM on May 16, 2015
It's not a shop , it's a sales platform for individual sellers and it offers buyer's protection, so if something does not arrive or is not as advertised, you have somewhere to go to. Be sure to look at the seller's rating though.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:48 PM on May 16, 2015
Here's a site that specialize in pencil sharpeners for kids, but they don't have your model.
Saw your model on YesAsia site but it's out of stock.
posted by kschang at 2:15 AM on May 17, 2015
Saw your model on YesAsia site but it's out of stock.
posted by kschang at 2:15 AM on May 17, 2015
Best answer: Aliexpress is generally legit, though almost all of the sellers are overseas so it might take you a very long time to get your product.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:49 AM on May 17, 2015
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:49 AM on May 17, 2015
Best answer: I have bought things from Aliexpress before and have never had a problem. It's like Chinese eBay.
posted by phunniemee at 6:50 AM on May 17, 2015
posted by phunniemee at 6:50 AM on May 17, 2015
Best answer: I've bought a ton of stuff from Aliexpress, usually in bulk, sometimes individual pieces. Their consumer protection is phenomenal - if you have any legit complaint about what you receive, you get your money back. At least this has been true the very few times I've had an issue (which always had to do with something like pieces missing from an order, rather than shoddy goods or anything that felt like I was intentionally being scammed).
Be sure to make full use of their search function. For whatever reason, you can't use a negative sign on Aliexpress, but there are other ways to narrow down a search. I would search for "cow pencil sharpener," make sure the results are showing in your currency, then click "show price per piece," sort the results by price ascending, and choose the inexplicable " If you want to view all results, click here."
Optionally you can specify to see only results with free shipping (I'm not averse to paying for shipping, in my experience most items on Aliexpress ship free, and the ones that don't, have outrageous shipping fees that can triple the price of an order, so I just sort those out.).
Looks like you can find these sharpeners there for around 60 - 80 cents apiece, depending on what size lot you buy. Lots of these seem to range from 10 to 36 pieces, so you have options if you choose to go with this site.
posted by jessicapierce at 8:32 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Be sure to make full use of their search function. For whatever reason, you can't use a negative sign on Aliexpress, but there are other ways to narrow down a search. I would search for "cow pencil sharpener," make sure the results are showing in your currency, then click "show price per piece," sort the results by price ascending, and choose the inexplicable " If you want to view all results, click here."
Optionally you can specify to see only results with free shipping (I'm not averse to paying for shipping, in my experience most items on Aliexpress ship free, and the ones that don't, have outrageous shipping fees that can triple the price of an order, so I just sort those out.).
Looks like you can find these sharpeners there for around 60 - 80 cents apiece, depending on what size lot you buy. Lots of these seem to range from 10 to 36 pieces, so you have options if you choose to go with this site.
posted by jessicapierce at 8:32 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
They don't have any cows, but they have some other pencil sharpeners at Oriental trading, if you are open to non-moo creatures.
posted by firei at 4:26 PM on May 17, 2015
posted by firei at 4:26 PM on May 17, 2015
Do you have a Daiso store nearby? I believe the same eraser is carried there. Oops sorry, missed the part about it being a sharpener.
posted by threesquare at 12:57 PM on May 19, 2015
posted by threesquare at 12:57 PM on May 19, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I did order off AliExpress in bulk. It looks like the shipment should arrive in 15-30 days. I'm hoping for the shorter side of that estimate, but will take what I can get!
jessicapierce, thanks very much for the detailed answer! It was very helpful.
threesquare, wrong coast, I'm afraid.
posted by wiskunde at 5:35 PM on May 19, 2015
jessicapierce, thanks very much for the detailed answer! It was very helpful.
threesquare, wrong coast, I'm afraid.
posted by wiskunde at 5:35 PM on May 19, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks again, all! I just received my shipment from AliExpress on time and exactly as ordered. I'm really looking forward to giving these out next week as gifts to graduating students!
posted by wiskunde at 3:03 PM on June 2, 2015
posted by wiskunde at 3:03 PM on June 2, 2015
Response by poster: I gave the sharpeners out today and they were a huge hit! Thanks again, guys!
posted by wiskunde at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by wiskunde at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by stillmoving at 9:14 PM on May 16, 2015