Reliability of buying from seller who import from China/TW

Hi, I've been test riding an old bike borrowed from a relative (those $100-200 bike from NTUC) and after comfirming I am committed to go for regular riding exercise I decided to buy one for myself, ie my very 1st bike!

I come across some freelance sellers who sell brand new Dahon bikes which they import from China/TW. I wonder how reliable are these bikes as I've read abt the problems of not having qualified bike technician to assmble the bike properly though I wonder how common is this problem given the good QC from reputable brands like Dahon. I understand there is no warranty when buying from freelance sellers and I read that Dahon bike are quite durable and lasting so the warranty may not be that useful.

Can any bike owners here who bought from freelance sellers can share their experience? Thank you in advance.

mine is such bike... no problem. warranty? why bother? the saving you get is more than enough. get an experienced guy to go with you when making the purchase like i did. the mechanism on a bicycle is simple and can learn ourselves, what's so complex if people already DIY stuff on their cars? there is no difference between bikes sold here and sold in China/TW. find out more, there are many cyclists enjoying such bikes here. alternatively you can buy from msia too, cheaper, just that you need to bring it back yourself. bike is simple, nothing complex. just enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing.

I know of friends who bought the bike when they go Taiwan. Just have the shop to do a nice service before u pack it. Its quite a lot of savings. And the accessories are much cheaper too.