--- title: "Alibaba Selling High-Powered Laser Guns" description: "The eCommerce site Alibaba is selling remarkably cheap handheld laser weapons to burn your enemies retinas." date: "2026-05-18" modified: "2026-05-18" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/alibaba-laser-weapons" categories: - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" --- # Alibaba Selling High-Powered Laser Guns ![A futuristic gray and black laser gun with a scope mounted on top.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Alibaba / Getty Images* As the world's de facto portal to the Chinese industrial machine, Alibaba probably doesn't get as much credit as it should. With hundreds of thousands of sellers looking to supply their dirt-cheap wares directly to businesses, your typical entrepreneur is spoiled for choice. In the market for a military-grade [diesel supply truck]()? They've got your back. Interested in an [industrial gold trommel]()? Say no more! But where the commoditized absurdity of Alibaba really shines, in our opinion, is in its cornucopia of bizarre laser products, a massive number of which are configured to look like handguns or even flashy, space-age rifles. Although there are legitimate [industrial-grade laser systems]() available on the conventional market, a motivated chaos enthusiast could easily get their hands on a pallet of handheld alternatives, like the pastel-colored "400W-500W handheld laser obstacle removal machine" sold on Alibaba by [Shenzhen Liyang Welding Equipment Co Ltd]() for $885 to $1,150, depending on the model number and order size. If you're willing to shell out a little more, you could get your hands on the 1kW, 58V "remote-controlled igniter." Sold by [Gonglian International Trade (Nanjing) Co Ltd]() for just $1,600, a laser of this power can theoretically cut through 6mm of stainless or carbon steel, and is more than enough to cause blindness. ![A screenshot of a search for "obstacle remover" on Alibaba.com, which turned up several hand-held and tripod-mounted laser systems.]() As you're probably picking up by now, these aren't toys. According to a [presentation on laser safety]() by the University of Utah's Department of Physics and Astronomy, beams which can radiate 500mW for a quarter of a second "can easily cause permanent eye damage from exposures of 1/100th of a second or less." At double the radiant power, the laser rifle sold by Gonglian Trade Co would fall under the classification of "highly dangerous," where even reflected laser light can "be hazardous to skin and eye within the nominal hazard zone." There's also the possibility these devices leak massive amounts of infrared radiation outside of the focused-beam, a [well-known problem]() for handheld lasers. As some [pop-science YouTubers]() have found, these kinds of lasers — and their parts, which you can also buy [wholesale]() — often come shipped with serial numbers scratched out, making them difficult to trace back to the original manufacturer, which [may be different from]() the distributor listed on Alibaba. Alibaba isn't a direct-to-consumer service like Temu or eBay, but a business-to-business service, meaning you'd have to jump through some administrative hoops to get your hands on one of these. Still, within a minimum order of 1 on pretty much every laser we viewed, the risk that some guy orders a 1kW laser while baked on his couch isn't exactly nonexistent. ![A screenshot of a listing for a 1,000-watt laser rifle on Alibaba.com, available for $1,600 USD.]() Alibaba also partners with businesses like Klarna and PayPal, meaning it's entirely possible that — in the perfect illustration of 2026 international economics — you could theoretically take out a micro-loan for a laser rifle. Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment. *Is there anything we should know about laser guns being sold online? Email us: [tips@futurism.com](). We can keep you anonymous.* **More on weaponry:** *[Japan Deploying Combat Drones Made of Cardboard]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()