When Alibaba Group decided to launch its new global wholesale platform AliExpress.com, many e-commerce experts in China shed doubts on the big move Alibaba was going to take. However, since AliExpress made its official debut in April 2010, all doubts have gradually gone. Today, as a giant in the arena of small wholesale business, AliExpress speaks another huge success of Alibaba.
AliExpress.com & Alibaba.com
Over the past decade since its inception in 1999, Alibaba.com has established an unbeatably big name on the global market of wholesale trade and almost all merchants know well about Alibaba.com. Comparatively, AliExpress.com may be still a little bit strange to some businesses. If you are looking for orders in small quantities with fast shipment and secure protection, you are encouraged to learn more about AliExpress, right from here.
As the brand name indicates, AliExpress is composed of “Ali + Express”. Yes, from the very beginning, AliExpress is intended to be Alibaba’s express channel for wholesale transactions. We know, Alibaba.com charges membership fees on suppliers and mainly provides information service between sellers and buyers. Different from Alibaba.com, AliExpress.com does not charge any fees on registered members (either suppliers or buyers) and inspects the whole transaction process between the two transaction parties. It’s a wholesale platform targeting small and medium-sized suppliers and buyers. There minimum orders as low as 1 item are accepted and express delivery, in some cases, fast and free shipping is offered. In addition, a vast array of item categories can be found on AliExpress—it truly is a one-stop-shop for small wholesale orders.
AliExpress Escrow
AliExpress uses the Escrow service to provide complete protection on each transaction. Under the protection, buyers don’t need to worry that what they order will never arrive or what they purchase is not as described. Let’s make it simple enough: AliExpress only releases payment to the seller when the buyer is happy with the order received. Learn more about AliExpress Escrow >>
AliExpress Credibility
On the internet, we may occasionally find a few unhappy customers complaining about “AliExpress scam”. Just think about what a successful image Alibaba has built in the world, you would instantly realize that a reputed international company like Alibaba can’t in any possible rip its customers off. Some buyers may have some unpleasant experience with some individual sellers and fail to resort to AliExpress for a solution. That’s how most “AliExpress scam” complaints come out.
Here we would remind you that though AliExpress conducts a very strict policy to verify each supplier before authorizing their membership qualifications, not all suppliers are in practice qualified enough and some of them may be even dishonest. To avoid being scammed by such suppliers, you need to check the credibility of the supplier who offers items that interest you, in terms of feedback scores and ratings, supplier level and other details listed on the product detail page. If by any chance you are unhappy with the transaction, do remember to ask AliExpress for help in time.
AliExpress Shipping
On each product detail page, you can find all the shipping carriers available for the item under the “Shipping & Packing” tab. Each shipping company is listed there with detailed information including shipping cost, discount and delivery time. AliExpress provides a variety of shipping companies for buyers to choose from based on their preferences. For express delivery, the China wholesale platform offers EMS (China Post), UPS, DHL, FedEx, TNT, SF and more; for postal service, Air Mail (China Post) is available. However, not all these shipping methods are available on all items. It may also depend on whether the seller uses them to ship out orders. So just check the “Shipping & Packing” section as mentioned earlier.
AliExpress Payment
Currently, AliExpress accepts PayPal, Moneybookers, Visa, MasterCard and bank transfer. Some select debit cards are also accepted, including Maestro, Solo, Carte Bleue, PostePay, CartaSi, 4B and Euro6000. Meanwhile, AliExpress is adding more payment options. For details, click here >>
AliExpress Coupons
Discounts and special offers are frequently launched on AliExpress.com, but coupons are rarely issued to all buyers, though from time to time AliExpress may send some coupons to its select customers. On the homepage of AliExpress.com, you can see a “Promotional Products” page and an “All Promotions” page, where items on sale are all showcased there. To get the latest AliExpress coupons, you can see our updates on our AliExpress & Coupons page.
As a conclusion, I should say, I myself have full confidence in AliExpress and believe it is the best China wholesale platform for small and medium-size transactions. By using AliExpress, buyers can enjoy secure and pleasant shopping with minimum costs and get quality items. Isn’t it exactly what most buyers are seeking for?
I was excited to find AliExpress and jumped on board. Bad mistake. This is just a front for Chinese businesses to make people feel safe. When push comes to shove, they side with the seller and you can kiss your escrow goodbye. The continuous ink supply I ordered for my printer would not even work in the printer. The seller wanted me to make modifications to the printer to see if I could make it work. I told him I wouldn’t do that. The product was represented as being for my printer and it clearly was not. With modifications, I could make a lot of ink cartridges work in my printer – ridiculous. In the end, I escalated the complaint and got $9 of my $60 back. That doesn’t begin to even pay me for the weeks I spent trying to work with the seller to make the thing work. I wasn’t about to pay to return the product, and the seller refused to do so, saying it cost too much. He didn’t bother to say that during the sale. The invoice that arrived with the product states that it cost $20. So, instead of paying $60 for the product with free shipping, I was paying $20 for the product and $40 for shipping (something I would have never done). Bottom line – the seller still made money on the deal and I got soaked for $51 plus all the time and effort I spent trying to make their product work. I thought the Chinese were supposed to be honorable people, but it is obvious that AliExpress and its vendors are not.
Have previously purchased Phones via Chinese suppliers and all went great, Had seen Ali Express mentioned so thought I would try them out, all seem to happen efficiently and quickly to start with. Then I realised I had a fake tracking numbers, trying to contact Ali Express is virtually impossible their auto system stops you actually talking to a human being at Ali express.
Luckily have only spent £50 which it looks like I may have lost, even though not fully explored the so called Ali Express Dispute system comments here and in other places suggest that it will get me nowhere ………. Do not use Ali Express …..you have been warned
First of all, you know you should be weary when the “testimonies” of satisfied customers with pictures, are pictures ripped off other websites :
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/article.aspx?center=AutoCenter&top=89967&id=55418 vs
http://www.aliexpress.com/buyerprotection/
This aliexpress’s doing, not it’s sellers.
Second, yes you may have a good experience here and there. But the important point is reliability. And it is not reliable. Even the positive reviewers here cannot say different. It’s hit and miss and so far the odds are fifty fifty at best.
Sellers can and will swindle you. Forget about warranty at the end of the sale, the seller is free to ignore you and you have no recourse. Dispute “process” is automated and a joke. Anything outside their pre-programmed cases and you are on your own with someone that is not at all motivated by repeat customers.
They have literally thousands of sellers ready to find a way to manipulate the system.
It’s a great concept, just very badly implemented. There is a reason they refuse Paypal now, because Paypal would intercede in the customer’s behalf and withdraw payment is Aliexpress didn’t respond. And well do you really want to take the odd chance of saving a few bucks, to get completely ripped off? Well flip a coin and those are your chances.
Oh and if there is a Seller you should avoid, I can name at least one: Lydia Liu.
Perfect Place to buy item if you are smart! most of the review are mostly only form people who need to vent their anger because had bad luck with the site! Or blind buyers who just buy because it’s cheep XD (then get a bad item)
As for me, every thing was great! All you need to do is look for ratings and comments! NONE is faked! Yes you can have something bad happen even from a seller with a 99% rating. It can happen in any online store! The item are real as-well if you do your research! people forget all online stores in any country is an open place for bad and good people to sell and scam!
What’s really funny is Most of the buyers that like the site Aliexpress do no comment of review on many sites like these because they are happy browsing Aliexpress for items. The people with their time consumed in sites like these are people who are not too smart and think everything is bad because they had a bad run in with shady sellers…. *sigh* -_-
Do us all a favor and stick to shopping, buy going to the actual store. if it’s not their then be TOUGH! Your only gonna be scammed online!
Aliexpress is just a SCAM. Never buy there.
Never never again Aliexpress. Never had any problems with Ebay for 12 years now but as Aliexpress had good prices I tried it and bought 2 android tablets 108.00$ received I with a screen defect, the seller asked to return it for replacement and even if they had a one year waranty they charge 10$ plus 28$ shipping to replace it, practicly the price of the tablet so I bought another one from another Aliexpress 5 stars seller on June 17 and now it’s July 31 and it never got out of China and today it disapered from the ChinaPost site, I asked for a refund but they say that it’s too late as I have waited to long so as I want a tablet I bought it last week from Ebay for 10$ more also in China and surprise it’s arrived in Vancouver Canada this morning, I think that there is a lot of bad, I will not use the other word, sellers at Aliexpress and you undestand that I will never never buy anything from them anymore.
You can take the money and stuff it where you want. I have no respect for ALIEXPRESS
I have sent proof that the seller had sent an used item instead of a new item as advertised but you say that is ok to cheat the costumers this way.
Therefore it is a waste of time to complain to you and all that you say about costumer protection is nothing of value.
To tell me to that i am a liar and take the word of a dishonest seller would seem to be acceptable to you.
NOT HAPPY COSTUMER
Rene Andreasen