Is AliExpress Legit And Reliable? Buying Strategy To Avoid Scams On AliExpress

Yes, AliExpress is a legit and reliable platform to buy products. However, there are some complaints about a few sellers who offer poor-quality merchandise. Therefore, if you are planning to buy products from AliExpress you have to choose the product and the seller very carefully.

Key Takeaways

• AliExpress is quite similar to Amazon or eBay and it connects buyers and sellers and facilitates small businesses to sell to international customers
• Most of the products on AliExpress are produced and stored in China therefore they are affordable in price
• AliExpress offers an excellent and safe purchasing environment to the buyers
• AkiExpress offers a full refund if the product quality is poor or if the product doesn’t arrive in time

What Is AliExpress?

AliExpress is a huge online marketplace for buyers and sellers. It is quite similar to Amazon or eBay but it is much cheaper. This platform doesn’t sell any product; instead connects buyers and sellers and facilitates small businesses to sell to international customers. In AliExpress, you will find products from various suppliers across the world but most retailers are Chinese. AliExpress was launched in 2010 as a B2C platform for Chinese companies to sell on the bigger market. Since its establishment, it has expanded to business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer, cloud computing, and payment services.

How Does AliExpress Work?

The working procedure of AliExpress is quite similar to other online shopping platforms. In AliExpress, you have to search for the product that you want to buy. Then the website will show you available options from multiple sellers. Moreover, the available products are divided into different categories, such as clothing, consumer electronics, beauty and health, sporting goods, jewelry, and many more. Products from AliExpress ship everywhere except for mainland China and this platform supports most international payment methods.

Why AliExpress Is So Cheap?

While browsing products on AliExpress, you might notice that the price of most of the products is very low. There are quite a few reasons the price of the products in AliExpress is low – 

1. Seller wants to sell more products and get more businesses

2. There might be wild competition, so everyone is desperately trying to catch buyers’ attention

3. Most of the products on AliExpress are produced and stored in China

4. China has a business-friendly ecosystem with low taxes and duties, and competitive currency practices which keep the production cost low

5. In AliExpress, buyers can directly contact the sellers so there won’t be any middlemen to raise the price

Is AliExpress Legit?

AliExpress is a legit company and 100% reliable marketplace to buy from. This shopping platform is owned by Alibaba Group, a multinational corporation. Though some of the sellers on the platform offer poor quality merchandise, AliExpress does a great job of providing a safe purchasing environment. If you order a product on AliExpress and it doesn’t arrive on time then you will receive a full refund. There is a comprehensive buyer protection program that safeguards buyers from any kind of fraudulent activities in AliExpress. Therefore, AliExpress is 100% legit and safe to buy from.

AliExpress Buyer Protection

AliExpress offers a certain time frame, where the buyer can claim their rights called Buyer Protection. If anything goes wrong within the time frame then the seller or AliExpress staff will assist. Although the Buyer Protection limits the rights of customers to some degree, it’s completely fair. Once you made the payment the buyer protection time will start. You can always check how many hours (days, months) are left on your account. Buyer protection can be handy for you if – 

1. The goods supplied don’t match any description given to you

2. They are damaged or defective

3. They’ve been delivered late

4. They haven’t been delivered at all

Resolving Disputes From AliExpress

If you have ordered any product in AliExpress and if it hasn’t arrived within the confirmation date or the product wasn’t shipped in a satisfactory condition then below are some actions that you can take – 

1. Login to your AliExpress account and click on My Orders in the upper toolbar of the home page

2. Here, you will see all the orders you have made. Click on the Open Dispute link

3. Now fill out the form with the required information

4. Attach evidence if you have any, such as pictures/videos/chat records to support your statement

5. The seller will have 15 days to respond and offer you a solution

6. If the dispute wasn’t resolved within 15 days, then the dispute automatically becomes a claim, which escalates the matter to AliExpress

7. Now AliExpress will mediate the matter, and it usually takes the side of the buyer

How Long Does AliExpress Typically Take For Delivery

Usually, it takes between 14-60 days to deliver the products at AliExpress. However, the exact shipping time depends on the shipping method you have chosen. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, AliExpress increased the “Buyer Protection Time” to up to 90-days. So, it means, you might have to wait for 90-days before getting a refund for something not delivered. When you are ordering products on AliExpress, you might be tempted to choose Cainao Global Economy. Cainao Global Economy is Alibaba’s own shipping carrier; it is less expensive but takes lots of time to ship the product. You can also choose AliExpress standard shipping which is a bit expensive but you will receive your product quickly.

How To Buy Safe On AliExpress?

If you are planning to buy products from AliExpress then below are some tips that you can follow to avoid scams. Let’s check them out!

1. While buying on AliExpress, don’t ignore the reviews. The reviews will help you find out whether it’s a genuine seller or not as well as the quality of the product. If the reviews on the item that you are planning to buy are negative then you should not buy that product from the seller.

2. Before ordering an item on AliExpress, check the Seller’s reliability. You can look for some key factors that could indicate a scam seller:

1. Product photography

2. Product descriptions

3. Range of products

4. Claims

5. Responsiveness

3. Check if the seller is offering any guarantees, such as on-time delivery, money-back guarantee, domestic returns, guaranteed genuine, etc. Usually, genuine sellers offer different kinds of guarantees therefore check carefully for the item you’re about to purchase.

4. You can contact the seller before ordering the product. You can do this if the description of the product is not clear or you want to know more about the product. This is a good practice because this way you can avoid any misunderstanding with the seller.   

FAQs About Is AliExpress Legit And Reliable

References:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/safe-shop-aliexpress/
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-aliexpress-4174570

Last Updated on November 2, 2022 by Magalie D.