Is AliExpress safe? Read this article to avoid scams.
Perhaps what most people know about AliExpress is that AliExpress has a bad reputation for shipping cheap, counterfeit goods. At the same time, there are many negative comments on AliExpress, such as “It takes a long time to receive the package.” “The item received is not what the buyer expected.” “The quality of the item shipped is poor.” “The item is counterfeit .”and so on. Therefore, many AliExpress customers will feel insecure and have doubts: Is it worth buying from AliExpress, and is AliExpress safe?
Will you be scammed if you buy from AliExpress? Will it be cheating money because of inferior goods?
At present, AliExpress does have the above problems, causing many people to think that it is a scam, but what is the truth?
In fact, you just need to know what you’re getting into and take proper precautions when shopping on the platform. In this post, I will analyze the following 10 most asked questions, and then I will give you the most practical tips on how to buy from AliExpress safely without getting ripped off, so that you are happy to go shopping on AliExpress.
Is AliExpress safe?
Contrary to popular belief, buying from AliExpress is 100% safe. AliExpress is one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in the world, while it is a reliable online marketplace that offers a wide range of products that can be purchased from anywhere in the world, with hundreds of millions of visitors, of which more than 1.5 million are active buyers , most Aliexpress sellers are from Asia, so you can buy items at very low prices.
Anyone in the world can sell on AliExpress, and there are more than 10 million sellers on the platform. On a large marketplace like AliExpress, there are bound to be good sellers and bad sellers, and it is impossible for AliExpress to police every listing. However, AliExpress has taken some steps to combat scams and fraud.
For example, in order to protect customers, AliExpress provides a buyer protection plan, which covers every purchase from end to end, and guarantees your safety from three aspects:
- Offer a refund if it takes too long to receive your package or it doesn’t arrive.
- Offer a refund if the item is not as described in the product listing.
- Protect your personal privacy from being stolen, such as bank account information.
Buyer Protection is automatically applied when you shop on AliExpress. As long as you buy directly through AliExpress, you will be protected no matter what you buy on the platform. That said, buying from AliExpress is completely safe.
Is AliExpress legal?
Headquartered in China, AliExpress is legally operated by the Alibaba Group for buyers and sellers to trade across borders. There is no doubt that AliExpress is a legit company and a reliable marketplace to buy from.
While some sellers on the platform offer low-quality items, AliExpress does a good job of providing a safe buying environment.
Of course, in order to ensure the legal conduct of business, AliExpress has also formulated a series of rules and regulations, which also require sellers to be legally registered.
Therefore, AliExpress is a 100% legal and safe channel to buy.
Why is AliExpress so cheap?
Because AliExpress is based in China, where labor costs are so low, products on AliExpress tend to be much cheaper than anywhere else in the world.
With cheap labor and raw materials and a diversified industrial chain, Chinese suppliers are able to sell products at competitive prices.
Another important reason is that sellers choose economical shipping methods. It’s low cost, but lead times are often long and erratic.
Why is the delivery time on AliExpress so long?
Most of the products purchased from AliExpress are shipped from overseas, so delivery times can be long and not guaranteed. Depending on the carrier, you may receive your product within 1 week or 2 months. However, AliExpress guarantees delivery of your product on the last day of the published estimated delivery time. For example, if AliExpress provides you with an estimated delivery time of 30-50 days, if the product is not delivered within 50 days, you can ask for a full refund.
Another main reason is that AliExpress has chosen an economical shipping method. Among them, the most common option is China Post Airmail. It may take more than 60 days for buyers in remote areas to receive the package, and consumers cannot check the logistics information of the destination country.
Here you may wonder why airmail is so slow, the main reasons are as follows:
The connecting flight is delayed
Most flights require connections, and if 2-3 transfers are required, it takes a long time. Also, in case of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the shipping time will be longer.
For a long time for the entire logistics warehouse
Due to the high cost of air freight, the logistics company will not deliver your package until the logistics compartment of the plane is full. Therefore, it may take a relatively long time to collect the package.
Some unqualified packages
During the China Post security inspection process, they usually check the whole package directly instead of unpacking it. If there are some unqualified goods in the bag, there will be many additional procedures, such as bag opening test and refilling. Due to the small size of postal parcels, a full bag contains many packages, unpacking, testing and repacking are time-consuming. This is also an important factor affecting the customs clearance time of international logistics.
Low customs clearance efficiency
The postal cooperation between China Post or other logistics companies and the postal services of other countries is the cheapest way of international logistics. 70% of international e-commerce packages are delivered by the postal service. In addition, customs clearance and delivery are carried out by public officials of each country.
Due to limited financial budgets, many countries are reluctant to invest additional manpower to assist in customs clearance procedures. The direct impact is that the delivery time for customs clearance will be longer, especially for small parcels. If you want to speed up customs clearance, you can add money to choose special line logistics.
Major holidays & major shopping days & major events
On major holidays, customs staff or logistics and distribution personnel will also have holidays. Therefore, more time will be required to operate customs clearance and deliver packages. Generally, after arriving at a shopping node, there will be a lot of packages piled up at the airport and customs warehouse, and the logistics will be significantly slower accordingly.
Why is there no logistics information or the AliExpress logistics information is not updated in time?
Although the goods on AliExpress are very cheap, the international logistics service is a headache for buyers and sellers. Some logistics companies just tell you that your package has been shipped from China, but there is no other logistics information. For some economical logistics, you can only know that the package has arrived in the destination country and the estimated delivery time, and you cannot get specific shipping details.
Given that each country has unique national conditions, their postal service levels vary, especially in terms of delivery efficiency and logistics tracking. Usually, delivery and tracking will be more efficient in developed countries such as Europe or the Americas. However, in some remote areas, it is difficult to deliver and track packages on time, and may even be lost in transit or security checks.
The delivery time of the item is long, but what can I do if I don’t want to wait?
To sum up, we know that there are some problems in AliExpress, including long delivery time, logistics information update is not timely or not updated, etc. All sellers engaged in cross-border e-commerce want to know how to use cost-effective shipping methods to improve customer satisfaction. Often, lower shipping costs mean longer delivery times or less good service.
For small, low-value items (≤USD 5) on AliExpress, the shipping service that sellers usually choose may prevent you from getting detailed shipping tracking information, and the shipping time will be very long. To avoid such problems, you can choose the standard shipping option for an additional fee.
In addition, many consumers buy on AliExpress because the products are cheap and generally willing to wait. However, if you don’t want to wait, you can try the following 2 ways:
Find a supplier with a warehouse in your country
For buyers, I recommend you to check if the supplier has warehouse in your country, which can reduce the shipping time to a great extent, and you can choose where to ship from.
For some sellers, you can choose the overseas warehouse model to solve the weakness of long delivery time. By doing this, sellers can increase their competitiveness and attract more consumers.
Find a supplier who offers direct shipping to your country
In recent years, China and many countries have also opened dedicated logistics lines to improve timeliness. It works by transporting goods by air or sea to the destination country, where they are then distributed and delivered.
Compared with commercial express, the price of special line is lower due to the concentrated transportation of bulky goods to a specific country. Regarding delivery time, special line is slower than commercial express, but much faster than postal parcel.
It is worth noting that if AliExpress sellers ship products from their overseas warehouses or via priority shipping, the price is not necessarily the lowest, this is because logistics and storage costs will definitely be included in the product price.
Why do some people think AliExpress is a scam?
Due to the negative information of AliExpress, most customers will feel insecure about it, so customers feel unsafe. There are five main reasons why AliExpress is a scam:
- It takes a long time to receive the package
- The item received is not what the buyer expected
- Poor quality goods shipped
- The product is counterfeit
- Logistics information is not updated in time
1.It takes a long time to receive the package
Generally, items that offer free shipping will take about 30-50 days to arrive, with some locations taking 20-30 days. However, in many countries, delivery times may exceed 60 days or be as long as 75 days. Although the price on AliExpress is very low, if after a long time, such as 60 days or even 75 days, the customer has not received the package, it will be frustrating, and most of them will ask for a refund.
2.The item received is not what the buyer expected
If you receive an item from an AliExpress seller that is not what you expected, you should not negotiate directly with the seller. Instead, file a formal dispute with AliExpress and allow AliExpress to act as an intermediary in your negotiations. Generally, AliExpress offers refunds when a product does not match the listing description.
Remember that all communications and promises made outside of AliExpress are unenforceable. Please be sure to file a dispute immediately after receiving the product, and take detailed photos for AliExpress review, never listen to the seller’s opinion or make any special transactions outside of AliExpress.
If you receive the wrong item, defective or broken package, 99% of sellers are willing to resend the product for you. But if you don’t want to wait too long, you can choose to request a refund, and the seller will agree to refund you.
But there’s another situation: You think the item you received was substandard or fake, simply because it didn’t live up to your high expectations.
3. Poor quality goods shipped
Quality standards in China are far from those in the US, and many products on AliExpress are cheap and of poor quality. Low prices often come with trade-offs in quality control and material form, when you shop on AliExpress be sure to read all reviews of the item and the seller.
Here are some guidelines to follow:
Read all 2-3 star reviews – Watch out for negative reviews with quality complaints.
Avoid branded products – Almost all branded products on AliExpress are fakes.
Avoid buying electronics – Many electronics and computer items on AliExpress are of poor quality, so be especially careful with memory cards, batteries, and PC equipment.
Check Seller Feedback Ratings – Work with sellers who have a rating of 4.5 or higher.
Check the number of orders shipped – Work with sellers who have shipped at least 500 or more orders.
Check Review Count – Work with sellers who have at least 100 reviews.
If you follow the guidelines above, your chances of receiving poor quality items will decrease, but if you are not satisfied with your purchase due to quality issues, you have the following 3 options:
File a Dispute – If you plan to file a dispute, you can negotiate a partial refund with the seller. Never leave a 1 star review if you intend to dispute a purchase as your review can be used as leverage to get your money back. In general, high-quality sellers are more likely to negotiate with you to protect their rating.
Return the item to the seller – If you send the product back to the seller, the seller will refund you. However, be aware that shipping to China is expensive and may exceed the cost of the product. Shipping is also unreliable and there is no guarantee you will receive your money back.
Give the seller a bad review and never buy again – If your order is delivered with accurate photos and descriptions, AliExpress buyer protections will not apply and you will not receive a refund. At this point, even if the product is inferior, you don’t have much choice, put that down to experience.
4.The product is counterfeit
Shopping on AliExpress, the brand recognition of the product is basically zero, and there is no quality record. So, buying name brand products on AliExpress can be a very wrong thing to do.
AliExpress does not sell name branded items, if you see a seller on AliExpress claiming to sell Gucci, Vuitton, Nike, etc… then the product is definitely a fake. Especially when the seller claims to use expensive materials such as gold or silver, but the price is too good to be true, you should proceed with caution.
Not long ago, the Better Business Bureau revoked the certification of AliExpress due to too many negative reviews and counterfeit goods complaints on AliExpress. The key to buying safely from AliExpress is to have the right expectations, not to expect high-quality items.
In general, AliExpress Buyer Protection will rarely refund your money in the event of a counterfeit claim because it is difficult to prove authenticity in a dispute. If a product listing sounds too appealing, it’s probably fake.
5.Logistics information is not updated in time
1-2 weeks after placing the order, you may find that the package is always at the same airport in China or the destination country without any other updated shipping information. If the package has not been received after 60 days, there is no way to tell if the package is still en route or lost.
Then you will ask the seller about the shipping status of the package. In fact, the seller does not know the exact location of the package, so there will be situations where the logistics information is not updated in time.
How to buy from AliExpress safely?
How to buy from AliExpress safely without getting ripped off, here is a step-by-step guide on how to make your first purchase from AliExpress and what to look out for:
Step 1: Create an AliExpress account
First, you need to create an account on AliExpress, then, go to Aliexpress.com and click on the Sign Up button. After you register and confirm your email address, AliExpress usually provides you with a new user bonus coupon. I got $2 off, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but remember, things are cheap on the platform!
Step 2: Shop on AliExpress
To shop on AliExpress, you simply browse for the item you want and click “Add to Cart”. Before buying, there are a few things you should be aware of. Remember that anyone in China can sell on Aliexpress, which means there are businesses, factories, and random people selling their items, you should buy from sellers who have shipped and look legit, Of course, you can see the seller’s feedback rating there.
Note that you should pay attention to its stats when shopping on AliExpress. First, pay attention to seller feedback ratings and look for sellers with an average feedback rating above 4.5. Second, keep an eye on the number of orders you have shipped and make sure you ship at least 100 orders, preferably more, depending on the cost of the item. Third, pay attention to the number of comments. The product should have at least 100 reviews, but this depends on the price of the item. If you don’t mind taking a risk on a cheap product, the number of reviews doesn’t really matter.
The above ratings are guidelines only, and generally speaking, the more you spend, the stricter you will be on the seller.
Step 3: Check the Trademark Database
To find out if an item is trademarked on AliExpress, you must check the USPTO trademark database to avoid legal issues when buying or selling AliExpress items. A brand is trademarked if it appears on the USPTO website.
Generally speaking, most of the name brand items sold on AliExpress are counterfeit. So if you see a brand like Nike, Apple, Gucci, etc., the product is most likely a fake.
If there’s a little-known brand that you’ve never heard of and you plan to resell that product online, check the trademark database to make sure you’re not infringing any trademarks.
Step 4: Check the AliExpress delivery time
Most products are shipped from China, but sometimes if you are lucky, you will find your item can be shipped from a local reseller in your country. In my experience this is rare, but there are many higher volume listings that meet this criteria.
In general, I’ve seen shipping times as short as 2 weeks or as long as 2 months. It really depends on where you live and how quickly sellers get your products out the door. In terms of buyer protection, the delivery guarantee always lasts until the last day of the published estimated delivery time.
Step 5: Check AliExpress payment method
When you’re ready to checkout, click the “Checkout” button and fill out your billing and shipping information. AliExpress mainly has 3 payment methods, credit card, Paypal and iDeal.
Normally, I pay by credit card because I get points and I have the option to dispute the payment if AliExpress buyer protection redemption takes too long.
Whether you choose to pay via Paypal or credit card, you are protected. Between AliExpress Buyer Protection and Paypal/Credit Cards, the risk of outright fraud is next to zero.
Step 6: Check your AliExpress order
Since it takes a long time to ship from China, you may forget about your AliExpress order when it arrives. But once you receive it, you must check the quality problem immediately.
Remember, buyer protection is only valid during the delivery window. If you have received a low-quality item, take immediate action. Otherwise, you may have to file a dispute with Paypal or your credit card company.
How to choose a reliable supplier to buy?
In fact, most sellers do business as honestly as you and I. But some unscrupulous suppliers do exist, and you may come across bad sellers selling poor quality or damaged items. Therefore, you need to find a reliable supplier to shop more safely.
In addition to browsing product reviews and store feedback, you should pay more attention to product detail pages. A good details page must be a page that contains all the information you want. The following two aspects are very important elements:
1.Is there a detailed product description?
In the product listing, all the parameters of the product will be indicated in the column, including material, packaging, instructions for use, delivery time, after-sales service, etc. Such a product listing can give customers a sufficient sense of security.
The overall structure, details, and gloss of the product will be truly displayed in 6 product photos without excessive beautification. Many sellers will show how to use the product in short videos.
Since many small sellers or start-ups are unable to provide detailed product listings, especially delivery time graphs, if any, we can conclude that it must be a strong seller specializing in a certain item.
2.Do not pay sellers other than AliExpress
Please remember that all communications and promises made outside of AliExpress are unenforceable. Please be sure to file a dispute immediately after receiving the product, and take detailed photos for AliExpress review, never listen to the seller’s opinion or make any special transactions outside of AliExpress.
Beware of sellers who ask you to wire money directly to their account outside of AliExpress, this is generally rare but still worth your attention. This way, if the seller delivers an item that is not as described, the wrong item, or nothing, you will lose buyer protection.
Conclusion
As long as you don’t expect a “premium” product with unrealistic expectations, then you should be happy with your overall AliExpress purchase. Keep in mind that well-known and recognizable brands on AliExpress are likely to be counterfeit.
When shopping on AliExpress, go with your gut and don’t buy something that sounds too good to be true because it might be fake.
Therefore, the most important point is to find a reliable supplier before buying. As with any market, you must know how to navigate the waters and take proper precautions when shopping to avoid being ripped off.
