Technically, Lightinthebox.com and Aliexpress.com are completely different from each other. Aliexpress is a transaction platform connecting lots of Chinese suppliers and global buyers while Lightinthebox itself is a super big supplier. However, if you are looking for best websites to shop for wholesale or retail products from China, you can’t afford to miss out either of them. Below let’s see what are the respective advantages and disadvantages of buying from the two sites.
Who is more popular on the global market?
In terms of global popularity, Lightinthebox and Aliexpress are equally famous. Lightinthebox is more extensively known among end consumers although the online store also does wholesale business. Comparatively, as an express channel for wholesale transactions, Aliexpress is more popular among merchants, resellers or retailers, though it also has a great number of customers who shop there regularly for personal needs.
While both sites have established their names on the global market as reliable and legitimate online shopping websites, complaints against them are also seen everywhere on the internet. When you search by terms like “Aliexpress scam” or “Lightinthebox scam”, you will get a long list of results, most of which are real customer reviews. So far no Chinese international online stores are perfect to the extent that they are completely free from complaints and Lightinthebox and Aliexpress are typical examples. Quality problems and customer services are generally the major sources of the bad reviews and ratings.
How do they run their businesses?
Products for sale at Lightinthebox.com are sourced by the site’s professional team of experts who have expertise knowledge about the market trends. After quality verification, they are stocked into the store’s warehouses before they are listed on the site. Also, the Lightinthebox warehouse staff verify the condition and quality of each product before it is shipped out to customers. So each product there goes through double checks and quality is thus better assured.
On the contrary, products available on Aliexpress.com do not belong to the website. Instead, they are offered directly by various suppliers who have registered with the site. Most products there are sent from suppliers after they are ordered. Although Aliexpress provides payment protection service and some customer services, it does not hold responsible for product quality. If any dispute occurs between the seller and the customer because of quality issues or any other related problems, Aliexpress customer service representatives will help rule the dispute by investigating the evidences collected from both ends. To reduce the risks of getting poor quality products from Aliexpress.com, you can choose suppliers who have a higher feedback score and a higher membership tier, e.g. Gold Supplier.
What products do they offer?
As Aliexpress.com is more like a wholesale supermarket, its product directory is definitely much bigger than Lightinthebox’s. Basically, Aliexpress has almost all categories Lightinthebox has, including wedding & events, cell phones, electronics, car electronics, home and garden, beauty, fashion, gadgets and more. In addition to these major categories, Aliexpress also carries luggage & bags, sports & entertainment, toys & hobbies, home improvement, lights & lighting and a wide range of minor categories such as baby clothing, kids’ clothing, sewing supplies and furniture.
Let’s put it this way: when you find something you want at Lightinthebox.com and decide to look for websites like Lightinthebox to compare deals and prices, always try Aliexpress; on the other hand, if you are interested in certain products (especially fashion products, electronic gadgets and cell phones) available on AliExpress.com and want to find sites similar to Aliexpress, search Lightinthebox for the same or similar products.
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