Warning! Tips and Checklist to Avoid Aliexpress Scams

Last Updated on October 24, 2022

AliExpress is an online marketplace that offers Chinese goods to sell. The site is designed for B2C purposes, yet dropshipping also takes place. The site is similar to eBay as the platform acts as an intermediary between Chinese sellers and international buyers without marketing its own goods.

Although the goods are from China, it doesn’t mean that they are of poor quality: there are many decent products on the platform. The price is lucrative, however, due to cheap labor costs in China. Yet you must prepare to wait for the item to arrive no earlier than two weeks but, usually, not later than two months.

All in all, AliExpress is a place where you can find goods of decent quality at a low price. If you know how to avoid scams, AliExpress can become one of the best e-shopping platforms for you.

Information for Beginners

When starting on AliExpress, you should know the basics to understand all the advantages you can reap:

How Buyer protection program works

AliExpress buyer protection system offers guarantees that the buyer will receive the refund if the ordered product doesn’t arrive within the buyer protection period, as well as if the goods don’t meet the prescribed parameters. In other words, you as a customer are protected against AliExpress scams like a faulty package.

The buyer protection terms are as follows:

• A full refund – you are obliged to receive it if the product isn’t as described by the seller; if the parcel fails to arrive within the specified time or never at all.
• A partial refund – if the goods don’t meet the description, but you decide to keep them.

All the refunds are transferred within 15 days.

Disputes on AliExpress Platform

Buyers who want to receive a refund must raise a dispute. Generally, the process involves three major steps:

1. Contact the seller to raise an issue: The option is available before the order is completed or 15 days after it’s completed. Don’t wait until a 15-day period is over: in this case, you can’t do anything if the seller refuses to cooperate. At this stage, you can discuss the problem with the seller and try to find a solution.
2. Open a dispute ticket: you can do this within 15 days before the order completion. This step makes the procedure official and usually takes place if you fail to find a solution together with the seller on the first stage.
3. Involve AliExpress as an intermediary: in case you didn’t manage to solve the dispute successfully during the second stage, you can turn to AliExpress for support.

Main Payment Rules

AliExpress offers a wide variety of payment methods. The main ones are:

1. Credit card
2. PayPal
3. iDeal

It’s advisable to choose any of the first two, as they have the lowest risk of fraud: AliExpress PayPal scams, as well as credit card scams, are highly unlikely to happen. However, credit cards are the most widely-spread method as a buyer can get points-to-be-redeemed for each purchase.

You should always pay via AliExpress. Don’t transfer the funds directly to the seller’s bank account. In this case, you aren’t under AliExpress buyer’s protection.

Checklist of AliExpress Safe Shopping

In order to get only a positive customer experience, you should know how to avoid scams on AliExpress. Although the platform constantly fights against unreliable sellers, they still exist. Here, you will learn what to pay attention to.

Items

The quality of items varies from seller to seller. So does the quality control process. Therefore, in order to avoid Aliexpress scams, you should be especially careful when selecting the product and consider the following:

Too Low Price

An extremely low price isn’t a sign that you must buy the product directly. Instead, it’s a red flag that the product can be junk or that the seller is a fraud.

Sometimes, the low price doesn’t mean that it’s a scam, but the seller has just added a cheaper product to the package and indicated its price. For example, a pair of shoes costs $20, and laces – $5. But the shown price is $5. Therefore, you must precisely check the pricing at the checkout.

Famous Brand

Buying branded goods at AliExpress is a bad idea. Brands like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nike, and Lego can be marketed on the e-commerce platform. But they won’t be authentic. Therefore, when you see a new iPhone that costs $10 or even $100, it’s better not to proceed with the purchase.

You should also be especially careful to avoid AliExpress seller scams when you are purchasing expensive electronics. Look only for the goods that are verified by AliExpress itself as genuine. If you find the mark, then the product is original and safe-to-buy.

Reviews

Checking product reviews before the purchase is a good measure to protect yourself from scams. However, the reviews differ. You should pay attention to the following:

• The quantity: Sellers with 100 or more reviews are considered reliable ones. It shows that he has been operating on a platform for an extended period of time.
• The quality: Don’t go for “Excellent” reviews. Try to find those that describe the product. The more details, the better.
• Photos: Reviews with photos allow you to see the product after arrival. Also, it marks the comment as an authentic one.
• Geography: International reviews increase the chance of dealing with a reliable vendor.

After Receiving an Order

It doesn’t always mean that the purchased products are of high quality even if they arrived. Therefore, don’t get too excited until you try it. Here is a couple of advice to mind:

Use It Before Confirming

Don’t rush to confirm delivery until you try it. Keep in mind that AliExpress allows buyers to open disputes only within 24 hours after the product is received. In order not to waste the chance to get a refund, try your goods before confirming. For electronics, it’s advisable to use them for 2-3 days before confirmation.

Always make sure that you are operating the item correctly and according to the manual. If the performance or the product isn’t as described, you can raise a dispute.

Shipping of Expensive Items

If your goods get broken during the shipment, the seller can blame the delivery company. To avoid such a scenario, you should choose the shipment method properly, especially for expensive or fragile goods.

To choose right, pay attention to the delivery method itself instead of its price. Sometimes, even free shipment can be decent.

Sellers 

If you want to avoid AliExpress scams, you should inspect not only goods but also sellers. Here is what to keep in mind:

Rating or “Feedback Page”

To check the rating:

1. Go to the seller’s page
2. Tip the “Feedback”
3. Examine the Feedback score – the sum of ratings, expressed in points and Feedback percentage (deal with those only who have a positive percentage)
4. Examine rating in three sub-categories: Item as Described, Communication, Shipping costs and speed. The data is displayed according to the site’s average.
5. Take a look at the historical scores and buyer’s comments.

Guarantees

Besides AliExpress, a seller can provide extra guarantees like:

• On-time delivery – you are to receive a refund if the parcel fails to arrive in a pre-arranged time
• Returns and Refund – you can return the product and get a full refund if the product doesn’t meet the description. Some offer domestic returns: you can send the goods back to the warehouse in your country, which eliminates shipping and customs fees.

Please, note that one seller can provide different guarantees for various goods.

History of Store

To tell that the seller is a reliable vendor, look for the following data in his profile:

• The period of operation on AliExpress: Sellers that deal on the platform for two and more years are reliable.
• The frequency of purchases: The more, the better. The figure indicates how active the vendor is shipping products.
• The last purchase: Even if the seller exists on AliExpress for a long time, he might have stopped being active. It’s advisable to deal with vendors whose last shipments have been recent.

All in all, the main rule is to prefer sellers who have been operating on the platform for several years and are active currently. This reduces the chances of being scammed.

Contact The Seller Before Shopping Online

Communicating with the seller prior to purchase is vital because:

• You can get to know the vendor: you can ask for his documents to verify his identity and avoid scams.
• The seller is aware of your purchase: this way, the risk of late delivery or no delivery at all is less.
• You can learn precise product details.

Direct communication is especially vital with new sellers that don’t have an established reputation on the platform. You can learn all the necessary information and decide whether the vendor is trustworthy or not.

Couple Important Points

Well-known AliExpress scams aren’t always the case. Sometimes, it’s not the seller’s fault that something goes wrong. Here are a couple of things to mind for a positive buyer’s experience:

Additional Time

Delivery may take longer than the predetermined time. However, it’s not always the seller who is responsible. Shipment companies can deliver the goods longer than expected. Always track your order to know where the parcel is.

Fees

Before ordering the goods, get acquainted with local taxes and custom fees for imported goods. Some countries charge extra for foreign shipments. Therefore, the final price can be higher than expected.

Escrow Service

Escrow service is an additional protection measure that helps to avoid scams. Basically, it’s an intermediary between sellers and buyers. It operates as follows:

1. The buyer transfers the money for the purchase to the Escrow.
2. The seller sends the goods.
3. Once the buyer confirms the purchase, the Escrow transfers the funds to the vendor.

The service protects the buyers from AliExpress seller scams. If the product doesn’t meet the described requirement, the Escrow will return the money to the buyer.

FAQ

Why Do AliExpress Products Have A Bad Reputation?

Unlike eBay or Amazon, AliExpress is notorious for the products of poor quality. Although it’s not always true, the reputation has developed because of specific quality control measures. AliExpress doesn’t have unified standards for all suppliers. Instead, they vary from seller to seller. Therefore, some goods are of poor quality.

Does AliExpress Sell Fake Products?

AliExpress offers both original goods and replicas. Originals typically come at much higher prices than replicas. Since the latter can be of rather good quality, buyers majorly shop them on the platform.

How to Get a Refund on AliExpress?

To get a refund, you need to open a dispute on the exact product and specify the details. You can find a detailed step-by-step guide here.

How Do I Find The Best Price On AliExpress?

To get the best price for goods on AliExpress, you can browse similar offers from other vendors. You can also use a virtual assistant that will show you similar products and categorize them according to the price, rating, and popularity.