When Lunar New Year comes around, visiting relatives means bringing gifts, and in many families, cigarettes and liquor remain the classic safe choices. But buying liquor is never as simple as it sounds. First you have to decide what type to get, which brand makes sense, and what price range feels appropriate. Even after all that, there is still one more question: where should you actually buy it?
We started with physical stores. Small neighborhood shops did not feel trustworthy enough, partly because of the fear of fake liquor and partly because prices can be all over the place. At a local Lotus supermarket, we happened to find exactly the bottle we wanted, and it was even on promotion. The price was good enough that we were ready to buy.
Then a coupon notification arrived from JD: 70 yuan off. That immediately changed the calculation. The online price suddenly had a clear advantage, and because previous shopping experiences on the platform had generally been smooth, we decided to place the order there instead.
That was the beginning of the whole mess.
JD’s delivery speed, to be fair, was excellent. I ordered that day and the package arrived the next. Since I was at work, I asked my family to receive it for me. Because I had chosen cash on delivery, I repeatedly told them the same thing: inspect everything carefully before paying, and do not hand over the money if anything looks wrong.
Not long after, my father called. Out of the two bottles, one was leaking. The outer packaging bag was already wet. I told him to reject the delivery on the spot and bring the money back home.
At that point, I assumed it was just damage during transport. Annoying, but maybe just bad luck. So I placed another order for two more bottles.
The second time, during inspection, my father told me that one of the two bottles had its anti-counterfeit label already torn open, and the lid of the liquor box was lifted and would not close properly. That was obviously unacceptable, so we rejected that shipment too.
By then I was starting to wonder what was going on. Two orders in a row, and both had problems. I went back online to check the product reviews more carefully, and what I saw was startling. Quite a few buyers mentioned leaking bottles, and even more said the anti-counterfeit seals had already been peeled back.
At that point I was ready to give up on buying this liquor online. We rushed back to the supermarket, hoping to salvage the plan, only to be told by the staff that the liquor had already sold out. The promotion had been running for a while, and there was no stock left. We went home frustrated and empty-handed.
Still, I was not quite willing to let it go. I contacted customer service and asked a very direct question: why had I ordered twice and received problematic goods both times? The reply was that it was probably an inventory issue. I then asked whether, if I placed a third order, they could guarantee the bottles would be fine. The answer was basically no. They would "try their best," but they could not promise anything.
I already knew that response did not really solve anything, but I tried one last time anyway and ordered two more bottles.
This time the delivery took three days, probably because it was close to the New Year rush. When we opened the package, the result was almost absurdly predictable: once again, one bottle out of two had its anti-counterfeit seal torn open.
My father lost his temper. He asked why I kept insisting on buying things online instead of just going to a store, especially after all the problems we had already had. The courier, looking completely innocent and probably already familiar with us by then, asked, "So what is it this time? Rejecting it again?" I told him yes, of course we were rejecting it.
That was the end of my attempt to buy liquor from JD.
After three separate orders and six bottles in total, every single order had the same pattern: one of the two bottles was problematic. That no longer felt like random bad luck. It felt like something systematic. Either the issue started in the warehouse, where damaged or suspicious goods were knowingly sent out, or something happened during the delivery process and the product was tampered with on the way.
Personally, I think the second possibility is less likely. The cardboard shipping cartons looked intact each time, with no obvious signs of having been opened or replaced. That does not prove anything absolutely, but it makes warehouse-side problems seem more plausible.
The whole experience changed how I think about online shopping, especially for expensive and fragile items like liquor. Online prices may look more attractive, but lower prices do not help much if the goods arrive leaking, opened, or impossible to verify as genuine.
What I took away from this experience is pretty simple.
First, for items that are both costly and fragile, if the offline price is not dramatically higher, it is usually safer to buy in person. At a store, you can inspect the product directly, and at least you have a better chance of avoiding suspicious goods. I used to resent the fact that gold jewelry in physical stores often costs more than it does online. I always thought buying online could save a lot of money. After this liquor fiasco, that thinking feels much less convincing. If what you receive is fake or defective, the loss can be much bigger than whatever you saved.
Second, if you do buy high-value items online, cash on delivery is worth considering whenever it is available, and you should insist on opening and inspecting the package in front of the courier. Cash on delivery saves you from having to fight through a refund process after the fact, and an on-the-spot inspection gives you the best chance of stopping a bad order before it becomes your problem.