I am the same with Adafruit et al. Their stuff is tested, easier to exchange/return if broken, often ship quickly since it's domestic to the US, etc. But when I need a bunch of something I tend to order more direct/bulk. My early LED strip projects were fine with a meter or two of "Neopixels" but when I wanted many many meters for bigger stuff, it was time to order reels from Ali Express. Shipping was slower, but even if I paid an extra $20 for fast shipping, it was much, much less than ordering from Adafruit. I just had to be aware that some of this stuff may not work and returning will be next to impossible. Luckily I had no issues.