Below are tips on how to minimize the risks of encountering scams at Aliexpress.com. We compile the tips based on real scam cases collected from the Internet. Hope they help those who want to buy something from Aliexpress.com but are not confident about shopping safety there.
1. Never trade with any sellers bypassing the Aliexpress.com site. This is extremely important! If a seller offers to do business with you by providing you a much lower price, chances are he or she simply tries to steer you away from the protection system and steal you money. They either won’t send you any goods after they receive your payment, or won’t respond to your complaints or return or exchange request after they send you poor quality products.
2. Check the supplier feedback profile in detail. From feedback score, positive feedback percentage to specific comments left by customers, you are encouraged to read the information as much as you can. The detailed description on the products or services left by customers can generally inspire you a lot.
3. Start with a small or sample order. Once you see a item you are interested in from a seller’s store you never trade with before, even if you have research the store and are quite satisfied with their feedback standards, it is always necessary to start with placing a small order. That way you will be able to test product quality, shipping time and pre-sales or after-sales services with a small investment only. Besides, you won’t lose big money in the case you encounter a scammer.
4. Always use the site to solve problems. For any after-sales problems related to your orders, don’t simply believe in what the sellers say or follow their instructions to solve the dispute. It is OK to negotiate personally with the sellers to reach a solution agreement first but you should then resort to Aliexpress.com to conduct the agreement. Otherwise, the agreement may means nothing and your interest won’t be protected. For instance, if a seller asks you to delete the negative feedback you left for him or her and as a return they will fully refund you, don’t trust the promise as you may not get back your money after you take the action.
5. Use a safe payment method. Although Aliexpress.com is a legit company and there is no problem to send money to them by payment methods like Western Union, we still encourage you to use the safest payment option that can best protect you. In particular, credict card is highly recommended as you can request your credit card company for a chargeback when you believe you are scammed. A safer payment method will give you the further protection in addition to the protection service offered by Aliexpress.com.
Our advice: for any dispute, do remember to open a dispute against the seller through your account at the site before the deadline (see their dispute policy here). By doing so, you can ensure that your money will be withheld by Aliexpress in time. Otherwise, the payment may be released to the sellers in due time while the problem is not solved yet. For the same reason we always encourage buyers to use the site to communicate with the sellers in case any dispute happens – their system will automatically record the chatting history, which will serve as important evidence that may support your claim.
If any party wants to share more tips on how to protect buyers from rip-offs or scams when shopping at Aliexpress.com, you are welcome to leave your ideas at the following comment box. We will update this post when we find valuable suggestions that can really help.