Is Aliexpress safe? Online shopping guide

Is AliExpress safe and reliable? The rock bottom prices of the Chinese marketplace attract many users, especially during promotional events such as Singles’ Day (November 11), Black Friday (November 26) and Cyber Monday (November 29).

Let’s see how it works and the opinions of users who have tried it to understand once and for all whether it is worth buying on AliExpress or if there is a risk of running into some scam.

What is AliExpress and how it works

AliExpress is a platform of online stores owned by Alibaba launched in 2010. Unlike Amazon, which also sells products directly to consumers, AliExpress acts as a simple e-commerce service and is limited to connecting Chinese businesses with buyers looking for products of all kinds (clothing, electronics, telephony, tech accessories, household items, toys, bicycles, jewelry, tools) at convenient prices.

This is not the first Chinese e-commerce portal to go online. In fact, some time before another well-known site, Taobao, had its baptism. But while the latter was aimed at a purely Chinese audience, AliExpress sells exclusively outside mainland China: customers Chinese, in fact, have no way of being able to connect to the platform. Among the countries where AliExpress is most successful are Russia, Brazil, the United States and Spain.

AliExpress is also available in Italy and, in the last year, has also been enjoying great success in our country. To use it you have to subscribe by entering your email address and password, or by phone number or with quick access with Facebook, Google or Twitter. Upon registration you will receive a $3 New User Coupon.

Is AliExpress reliable? How to buy safely

Let’s answer the main question of the article: Is shopping on AliExpress.com is safe?

It can often happen that, after finding on AliExpress the product you have been searching for some time, you are not entirely sure if it is a reliable site. The concern is legitimate. Those who buy online, in fact, have often collided with scams, shipping problems and disappointments due to the fact that the article does not fully match the photos on the site. Although AliExpress is famous and used all over the world by millions of people, there is a natural skepticism towards foreign e-commerce portals (such as GearBest, Shein or Wish), especially regarding the trustworthiness of the sellers and the possible shipping costs and times, which increase in the case of very distant, non-EU countries such as, for example, China.

Well, the guarantee of absolute security is impossible. This applies to all e-commerce sites and even more so in the case of intercontinental journeys. There is always a chance that the package is lost or damaged, that the product turns out to be different than it appeared on the site, or that the retailer is not as honest as we thought. Relying on a serious site means having the possibility to make the return and ask for a refund in a simple way, asserting the consumer’s rights.

The first thing to do, therefore, is to read the conditions and terms of the site carefully, and it can be very useful to browse the web in search of the opinions of other users who have already made purchases on AliExpress. It is also advisable to choose only the shops and the best known sellers, even at the cost of spending a little more.

Also beware of sellers who offer excessively attractive discounts and prices that are too low: behind the promise of big savings, very often, a real scam can be hidden. In fact, they are often falsified products, defective or even non-existent: before placing large orders, therefore, it is always good to test the ground by purchasing objects of lesser value and, only after having verified the reliability of the wholesaler, placing bigger orders.

But why are the prices on AliExpress so low? Because production costs in China are significantly lower than ours, and also because almost all electronics and tech products are made there. These factors help keeping prices low. Unfortunately, however, often the products are clones or counterfeits, and users risk to run into scams. To avoid fraud, always consult the reviews and feedbacks before buying.

Another tip is to choose the currency in € (the box is at the top right, next to the flag), where possible. In this way you will not have to pay the bank commission for purchases in foreign currency and will be able to keep an eye on the real value of the sale.

Payment methods

Payment methods accepted on AliExpress are different and their availability may vary depending on your geographic location. You can choose between:

• Alipay;
• PayPal;
• Visa, MasterCard and Maestro credit and debit cards;
• Postepay;
• Google Pay and Apple Pay;
• Qiwi Wallet;
• WebMoney;
• Yandex.Money;
• Sms (Russia);
• Bank transfer;
• Webmoney;
• Doku;
• Boleto (Brazil);
• Mercado Pago (Mexico);
• Giropau.

Initially it was not possible to pay on AliExpress using PayPal. Now, however, this option is also available. Simply select PayPal from the payment methods accepted by the portal and enter your account details. Currently, among the payment solutions that can be used on AliExpress, there are also Google Pay (available on both computers and Android devices) and Apple Pay (only available on iPhone and iPad).

If the package does not arrive, you can request the complete cancellation of the order and of the shipment, while if the purchase is different from the photos or faulty you have 38 days of buyer protection in which it can be done the return and refund procedure.

The rules for the return change from seller to seller, and in the vast majority of cases it is complicated to do, at the expense of the buyer and has very high costs.

Shipping times and costs

Costs and shipping times are a headache for AliExpress buyers. The products are in fact shipped from China and consequently the wait can be very long: the website itself indicates about 15-34 days but, in some cases, it may take 50-60, too. Do not despair if the product does not arrive within the expected time, but continue to be patient.

From 1 July 2021, AliExpress is required to collect VAT for orders up to € 150 that are shipped from non-EU countries to buyers located in the EU at the time of check-out. Such orders must be declared for customs with number Ioss AliExpress and you will not be charged VAT again. Packages with goods worth more than 150 euros will be subject to VAT (whose percentage changes according to your country’s laws) and customs duties as appropriate.

Additionally, many retailers charge standard shipping charges ranging from $3 to $50 and the product’s return. One thing to watch out for when shopping on AliExpress: the price at checkout is often different from the "original" price on the product page. To give an example, a cover that costs 3 euros when placed in the cart can reach even 20 euros. This happens due to several factors, including product price changes by the seller, currency exchange, exchange rate, place of departure of the shipment, delivery address, chosen shipping method and VAT calculation.

Customer Opinions

The feedback on AliExpress is varied. On the internet there are many positive reviews of users who say they tried to shop and were satisfied with it. But there is no shortage of bad experiences and complaints about defective items, late deliveries, never occurred or refunds not received and little or no after-sales assistance.

But they all say the same thing: you have to be very careful to retailers. Another advice shared by almost all users is to prefer very cheap items, avoiding expensive and valuable ones, in order to minimize inconvenience and damage resulting from a possible scam.

Many products that are on the site are fake and do not have a description that makes this clear. You must therefore always read reviews which under the product sheet can be viewed, but also look for detailed information on the reputation of shops and sellers.

Only by paying attention, say the users on the net, you can be able to avoid unpleasant surprises and have defective material or imitation of what you wanted to buy.

But all the opinions about AliExpress highlight the same thing: shipping times are very long. It can take up to 60 days to receive the product, since packages are often at customs for a long time. The advice, therefore, is not to buy immediately necessary items on AliExpress.

In fact, some users complain of a slowness in receiving the goods that goes beyond the foreseen times and that often depends on the receiving country’s customs (and the area in which you live), not only from the moment when the e-commerce good was sent.

What to do if the AliExpress package does not arrive or remains on delivery? You should know that the site does not have its own carriers and delegates the management of logistics to resellers, who can entrust to different companies. Shipments to Europe can be managed by China Post, ePacket, Singapore Post, Honkong Post, EMS, DHL and UPS couriers, with different times and costs. To track packages from China we can use the services provided by the courier who takes charge of our order or by dedicated sites and apps, such as Track24.net and AfterShip Package Tracker, available for iOS and Android.