When I came across the so called “AliExpress scam” complaint in one forum, I couldn’t help laughing. The angry buyer claimed that AliExpress sent him a wrong item he never ordered. Based on my knowledge about AliExpress, it is no way possible as AliExpress is only a wholesale transaction platform – it does not sell any item, not to mention ship out any item to any customer. Obviously, this buyer was either ripped off by a seller doing business on AliExpress.com or encountered an unprofessional operation carried out by the seller.
In this case, the buyer should report the problem to AliExpress for mediation or contact the seller first to solve the problem. Given such misunderstandings about AliExpress, I think I should share all of my familiar facts about AliExpress, which may help you more clearly identify whether AliExpress scam is a reality or not.
Facts about AliExpress.com
1. An express wholesale channel of Alibaba.com, which was founded in 1999;
2. Officially went live in April, 2010;
3. Mainly serving small businesses, including Chinese small suppliers and global small re-sellers.
4. Accepting PayPal, credit card, MasterCard and bank transfer (TT payment);
5. Offering Escrow service to protect payment from buyers. AliExpress will only release funds to the supplier after the buyer confirms satisfactory delivery of your order. If the buyer is unhappy about the item or purchase, he or she can submit a refund request to AliExpress to ask for a refund or a solution;
6. All orders placed on AliExpress will be processed quickly, mostly within 1 week.
7. Small quantity orders are extensively accepted while for some items, minimum order quantity starts from 1 piece only;
8. AliExpress adopts a set of strict policies to verify each supplier before they are accepted as registered members and start to list their items there. In Chinese foreign trade communities, many suppliers complain that they can’t pass the censor by AliExpress and thus are not able to successfully register with the website.
But as the number of suppliers there is huge, some may willfully escape the verification by difficult-to-spot means. Before you trade with any seller, do remember to check every detail of the supplier, including feedback score, membership tier, item specifications, etc. Besides, in case any problem occurs, make sure to save a record of all communication with the supplier, which will be used as powerful evidence in the event that a dispute between you arises.
9. Once you open a dispute against a supplier, AliExpress staff will take care of the mediation work. However, the whole process may need some time as the platform needs to collect enough evidence to make an impartial ruling. So if you happen to encounter such unpleasant experience, you’d better be patient enough before AliExpress helps you solve the problem.
I personally believe that it’s unfair to spread the “AliExpress scam” voice everywhere while the company is trying its best to help you get through the issue. Nothing is born perfect — AliExpress is still young in cross-border express wholesale business and needs time to improve itself. After all, the wholesale website belongs to the world’s biggest wholesale group and its credibility is unquestionable.
My advice: shopping at AliExpress.com should be cautious to avoid scams committed by certain suppliers – following the guidelines about how to find good sellers there may help you out; before doing enough research on the suppliers, items and services on AliExpress, never assume that the AliExpress scam complaints are 100% true, otherwise you may miss out really fantastic business opportunities; the best way to make sure you are trading with a reliable supplier and will get satisfactory item from the supplier, is to place a very small order to test all the details before you place a bigger order.
Not sure if they are scammers or not. I can say they are spammers. My Analytics are full of referrals from these guys.
I’ve ordered from Aliexpress lots of times, & I’ve really never had any problem-yeah the orders take awhile to arrive, generally on average around 3 weeks or so, sometimes sooner, but the vast majority of the time the sellers are offering free shipping anyway. The only time I remotely had any sort of issue was I didn’t get an item I ordered, which wasn’t the seller’s fault-for some reason it had made it to my local post office, & rather than be delivered it made it’s way to another one & then just got lost. So I filed a dispute & got my money back. Though I’ve never bought anything expensive off there, I mean, you’re buying from China, so I personally don’t tend to feel comfortable buying more expensive items if they’re being shipped from overseas. I generally have used it for things like fashion accessories, clothes, stuff like that, generally extremely inexpensive.
I placed two orders in the last 10 months on AliExpress using three different cards (a Visa Debit, and two Visa Electron). The payment went through (as it does with Amazon and Ebay and any other online legitimate store, same shipping details, same cards), the money was instantly taken from my account. A day later I received a communication informing me that the order was closed due to security reasons. The electronic items I had tried to purchase were almost 35% less than elsewhere (hence me placing the orders). That I believe is the hook, the bait for us to use our cards and let them made the transaction. I am not business insider but I firmly believe that, even though the money was returned (in one instance at least.. still waiting for the second transaction to be reimbursed), the transaction must have generated somehow a profit to them.
A scam?
Wish someone with banking backgound would look into this matter soon. I am tired of this Chinese fraud
Dear friends.
Be careful…
I used Aliexpress for a couple of cheap items.
Everything went ok!
When I ordered an expensive one – a tablet from the seller “xing hui”, that cost 91,81 euros (Pipo P9 3G Tablet PC RK3288 Quad Core 1.8GHz 10.1 inch IPS Retina 1920×1200 2GB RAM 32GB ROM Android 4.4 GPS HDMI 8.0MP Camera, Properties: P9 3G n Smart Case + Black) the item never came.
I have sent the company seven emails, attaching all the details with the scam seller “xing hui” and no one from the company answered.
When something like that happened to the other e-shop I use (Mininthebox) the guys from there were fast and they re-sent the item.
DO NOT buy from Aliexpress…!!!!!
We were behind in ocarina production, so my husband ordered $500 worth of ocarina clay flutes from Fujian Dehua Datang Ceramics CO., LTD via Ali Express. Of 50 flutes only 2 were out of tune, but we were nonplussed and ordered 50 more. Of this order only TWO were in tune! 2 out 50! The shipper had asked for us to let him know about the order, so we did, expressing our grave disappointment. Despite having an invoice stating the seller would take responsibility for any problems, the men involved with this company – Rambo Chen and Joe Huang, have shown absolutely NO integrity, have taken no responsibility, call us liars, and expect us to pay over $200 to return the bum flutes even though DHL Express says it would cost them far less to issue a return authorization and pick-up. We are so disgusted. Paypal won’t help. AliExpress won’t help. We’ve been ripped off for $500! We are just a small company – 2 of us, so this really hurts. BEWARE!642
I’ve ordered a couple times from Aliexpress and i’ve found that they send clothing items just fine. I’ve ordered charms for necklaces, shirts, all from different sellers. the only problems we had were shipping for one item which took almost two months, but it’s what we expected since the item’s are from China. the only other problem was the sender sending the wrong amount of shirts to us, we filed a dispute and the problem was resolved. from reading these comments i think it’s more the electronic side of aliexpress to not trust. i haven’t looked into those areas because i think it’s sketchy to order computers from China. but their clothing so far is perfectly fine!
I bought multiple time from Aliexpress, most sellers are good, and ship the goods out in a reasonable time. there are a few bad ones. So I agree it is NOT fair to call it scam.
So how to protect yourself when ordering from it? Always use Credit card for the payment, so in case the dispute fails in Aliexpress, or no way to dispute, you can always do a charge back
Aliexpress is a big scam site. I lost 129$ in a dispute. don’t ever buy from them..
Hi all,
i’ve been shopping on aliexpress.com for many years. Of course it happened that the product was of a low quality, but all such cases were resolved via disputes.
In the rest cases i used to get a satisfactory product for a terribly low price.
For instance i like to buy clothes for my dog there, things for my bike and etc.
My advice is to read some product reviews to pick the right product on independant websites
People write their own experience about purchase and the product.
THEY DO NOT EXCEPT PAYPAL !!
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY !!
After not receiving the goods.I was asked to supply EVIDENCE for NOT receiving the goods !!! and they call it a buyer protection system ! This is a seller protection system.
How do you prove you did NOT GET anything ???
THIS IS NOT A BUYER FRIENDLY SITE !
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE !!
What can I say…. I am a cheap arse bastard looking for cheap stuff. Nuff’ said. For me AliExpress is a literal godsend- stuff I want that is cheap and has free shipping, as well as cheap bootlegs which I buy l and show off to my mates – and we find the cheap engrish manuals and overall shoddy quality most amusing! I can say this. All my aliexpress orders have arrived, all were what I wanted, and it suits me. It’s not for everyone but it certainly suits me
Aliexpress is a total disgrace.
I ordered a Noth Face jacket from
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1129098
Katherine Outdoor Store
On receiving the jacket i noticed all the feathers from inside it coming through the fabric (the listing states it is 90% Down Lining)
So i sent a message asking why all these feathers were coming through the outer fabric, i was told that it is normal for a few feathers to come out.
I wore it for about an hour and when i took it off my clothes were covered in feathers and the outside of the jacket had then sticking out everywhere.
I opened a dispute for item not as described and asked for a refund, The seller said they would give partial refund which i accepted.
I then went to leave negative feedback but was unable to leave any feedback, I contacted CS but was told that because i opened a dispute then i could not leave feedback, There feedback policy says that feedback can be left when a dispute has been closed, When i send the CS a picture of this policy they say that it does not matter what it says in the policy. These are the rules. I only purchased this item because i saw that the item had 30 previous orders but no feedback yet. i thought that if people where not happy with the item then they would have left negative feedback, Now i know exactly why there was no feedback left, it was because they had all opened a dispute about the quality of this item and then not been able to leave any feedback.
I have looked at other items on this website and have found most items some with over 100 orders and no feedback left for any of them.
Aliexpress do not let you leave feedback if you are not happy with an item, you are not allowed to warn other buyers about the quality of the item, To me this is a disgrace for this company to be allowed to operate under these circumstances and something should be done about it.
So to all potential customers only purchase an item if there is a lot of positive feedback been left for it.
Andy
Guangzhou Qstar Hair Products: Store No.1020184 Stole $225 US dollars from me.
SHE: The Owner of Guangzhou Qstar Hair Products
I came on aliexpress.com to make a purchase. I saw an item I wanted, I paid for it and Guangzhou Qstar shipped it. When i received it, I realized it looked completely diffrent from the product I purchased. I told them I wanted and exchange or return. She said I had to click on that I received the item then they will give me a refund or exchange for which i did click on I received the order. Then she said for me to lie and give her excellent feedback rating, i refused. This is when she started to call my house nonstop and threatening me both over the phone and in writing stating that If I did not change the feedback rating she will not give me a refund and it is up to me if I want my money because she will not give me my money unless i change the rating.
Someone contacted me and stated this company did the same thing to them. She decided to give them good feedback when they decided not to give her money back. So, even if I lie and change the feedback, they will still steal my money– it’s a lose lose situation.
I purchased 3 full lace wigs after research and based on the advertisement, pictures and description from the following merchant:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/536702 owner name Evan Hu.
I received the wigs within 3 business days which was very impressive, but I should have known that hurry, hurry has no blessings.
Problem is, the quality of the hair and the density is not even closed to what was advertised. It was supposed to be 130% density, but for all 3 units, its not even 90%. I have to purchase weave hair to add to the wigs to make them a little fuller.
I provided neutral feedback which prompted vendor to contact me. He sent me a couple of emails pleading that I change the feedback and he would in turn refund me $30.00.
I ought to know better, but I fell for his scam and changed the feedback. I have sent several emails with no response. I can’t go back and change my feedback which is unfair. They should allow the buyer enough time to test the merchandise before closing an order.
Now I am stuck with very bad wigs and I’m beyond pissed.
Do not Purchase from this vendor- evanhu201314@gmail.com
Kian Zhou, whose shop is found via http://www.aliexpress.com/store/504327 runs a really loose ship. Ordered a product to be shipped to Malaysia. Inquire as to why tracking information has not been updated by the postal service for 2 weeks. Sends me a tracking number where the consignment is sent to Russia! Spoke to him about the matter. Tracking information exists in the postal service’s system for only two days. A month plus later, tracking information hasn’t changed, claiming that the consignment is still held in customs. Asks him for a refund, and he has the gall to tell me not to give him terrible feedback. Open a dispute and got my refund days later. Find out that I can no longer leave feedback for his store, and am very disappointed. Ruins my very good experiences with other sellers on Aliexpress. Will continue to use the platform but Geek TM store 504327 is a shady operator.
The website is not a scam, but many sellers are, and the website does not care much about scams. That is my experience.
I bought ozon cleaner for car use, opened the product and inside the nice looking exterior was 1 diod light, 1 resistor and 1 transistor. That was all. No way this product can produce ozon and clean air. I told aliexpress this, and also send them pictures I had taken of the electronics, they told me they needed more proof for my claim, so I explained again why it is not possible that the product can produce ozon. Aliexpressed closes the case telling me in one sentence that my claim was wrong. I an certain that aliexpress knows it was a lie, since very basic knowledge of electronics is needed to understand that I was right. I even chatted with a representative from aliexpress at their website that comfirmed that I was right. But the people you chat with have no authority, it is the so called “expert team” that makes the decisions. The people you chat with tells you they will contact the expert team and also the seller but I did not get any answers from the expert team or the seller. I also chat with a person telling me that all that aliexpress do is connect buyer and seller and that they take no responsibility. It is only the seller that is responsible for a fraud. I argued that the problem in my case is the factory that produce the fake item, and that this item is sold by hundreds of shops at aliexpress, but aliexpress will not act to stop the product. It is up to each seller if they want to sell a fake item or not, and obviously very many sellers want to do that …
aliexpress is a scam….i order lug nut till then more than a month i didn’t receive it….so u guyz don’t trust this scam site aliepxress (BOCO ZHANG) is wasted time and money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are buying Rolex replica from Aliexpress: Be warned, there are many cheats there!
Firstly, Aliexpress online form doesn’t work if you want to file a complaint.
After repeated attempts to seek refund from the seller & Aliexpress to refund with no luck. I have decided to warn you guys if you want to buy replica Rolex from Aliexpress.
Recently, I went to make enquiry on a couple of Rolex replica watches on Aliexpress. The merchant got me away from paying them on Aliexpress and go to their direct site to make payment.
Some of their Aliexpress store links are (they have more than 10 stores):
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/724218
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1309098
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1334127
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1380094
etc….
Their direct store is
http://www.watchbuy.us
I was told to go to the watchbuy.us site for payment using my credit card.
However, the payment wasn’t successful though I tried for 4 times. I was then told to do a wire transfer directly via Western Union to the person.
The Western Union payment Detail Information is:
First name: Qihui
Last name: Wang
Shenzhen City , China
Please make sure you do not buy from this merchant as I was cheated of the 187USD wired to them.
The seller’s emails are:
alicewangsales@qq.com
253861103@qq.com
alicewangsales@foxmail.com
I found qq account is tag to another person by the name of Micheal Wang
wqhmichael@hotmail.com michaelwang2012@foxmail.com
I’m not sure if this seller is a male or female anymore.
Upon successful fund transfer, the seller stopped responding to my emails all together. It is obvious the seller is out to cheat buyers.
It is unfortunate that I was cheated of USD187
I do not wish that the other customers also fall victim to such dishonest merchant.
Lastly, Aliexpress has a long way to go compared with eBay. The dispute resolution on eBay works. The complaints are easy to lodge. The buyer protection there works.
If you really must buy from Aliexpress, buy through their escrow. DO NOT wire money to the merchant directly.
GOOD LUCK!
I see this site compared Ebay with AliExpress. Ebay has rules, the sellers have phone numbers and email addresses. AliExpress is a benefit for the sellers, not buyers. I don’t care what they say about refunds, you have no recourse if unhappy, etc., it is a big run around. I ordered from AliExpress, its been 3 months… No pkg, no refund, told my time to apply for a refund ran out, close account, etc. They wanted me to leave feedback for my item. I never received the item. I told the seller, no feedback until I get the item. Seems no feedback meant my time to file complaint was “timed out”. Now website says basically….”too bad, we can’t do anything”. Excellent strategy for site to keep your money with no recourse. The shipping number NEVER worked in China or elsewhere. I will assume item was never shipped but yet they took my money. I wrote to the seller 5 times, no answer. The supplier/seller name: Lin Tang. My advice… don’t be lured by inexpensive products, you get what you pay for OR you don’t even get what you payed for! My money doesn’t come easy to me, and to have someone take it, hide behind a website of run around links is criminal. Even this complaint site is clearly on the side of AliExpress.
Admin – are you being paid by Aliexpress? Your comments seem a bit slanted or you have never had any firsthand experience with them. I for one will never do business on that platform again. They make it too easy for con artists to rip off unsuspecting customers. The dispute process is a complete joke where they try and haggle you for a refund to waste time (don’t do this folks; just cancel your cc payment immediately). It is also very difficult to leave negative feedback which in turn makes it impossible to get an accurate picture of the seller you wish to research. After my experience with attempted extortion form an Aliexpress seller and lack of clear avenues for dispute through their forum, I have decided I will never shop through them again. You can get much of the same merchandise through ebay and I feel that their user ratings system is more honest.