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AliExpress Buyer's Protection

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  • Sep 20th, 2014 1:48 pm
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Deal Expert
Dec 4, 2010
19536 posts
2260 upvotes
Quarantine Bubble

AliExpress Buyer's Protection

I recently purchased something from AliExpress for the first time and was surprised they have a buyer's protection policy where you can file a dispute if anything is wrong with the purchase; either if the product was not received or not as expected. I fall under the latter category and I've been in contact with the seller who has had some good feedback on his product feedback page but so far he seems to be stalling and asking me to post pictures and videos of the defect to send to the manufacturer.


The policy has 23 days shelf life and if you don't file within that period, AliExpress consummates the deal. What I'm curious about is will they refund me my money if I file? Just wondering if anyone has gone through this process before.
4 replies
Deal Fanatic
Aug 29, 2006
7750 posts
1635 upvotes
No, but I gave a low star review once on items that are counterfeit but advertised as real and the seller had contacted me multiple times to try to get me to remove the feedback, even offered a full refund so I would may be do that first and see.
The Devil made me buy it - RFD. :twisted:
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Aug 19, 2003
5497 posts
2325 upvotes
I received an order last week from a seller on Aliexpress.

I ordered a jacket and got pants instead. Messaged them many times and did not answer once. I filed a dispute and still no message from them. They agreed to the dispute (still no reply) and now I have to ship it back within 8 days to get my refund. They are making me pay for shipping! The seller should be responsible, I bet they just sent off product they want to get rid of hoping someone will keep it and not send it back. Why not, no loss to them. So ridiculous! Im sure it will be expensive to ship to china. Probably better off just selling on Kijji!
Newbie
Oct 14, 2008
40 posts
74 upvotes
I've purchased many times from AliExpress, and, for the most part, I have received merchandise that was exactly as described and in working condition. There have been a few times when I have had issues with products, such as it not being the wrong item or defective. For all of these issues, I opened a dispute with the seller, and in all cases, I have received a refund without having to mail the items back.

After you have confirmed, on your orders page, that you have received your item(s), there is an option to "Open Dispute". This will allow you to officially tell the seller what issues there are with your product. You will be asked how much of a refund you want (e.g. if you ordered multiple items, and you only need part of your order refunded). They also ask if you are willing to ship the item(s) back to the seller. If you don't want to pay to have it shipped back, just add a note saying that you are willing to ship the item back but only if the seller covers the shipping cost. I have always offered to ship the items back only at the seller's expense, but I have never had to do so, even in the cases where I have received working/good condition items that were sent in error.

The dispute process also asks that you include photos and/or videos as proof of the issue. This is (1) so, as the seller said, that they can verify your issue and report the issue to the manufacturer, but also (2) so that AliExpress can see that your issue is valid. The policy is in place to ensure that neither the seller nor the buyer is trying to pull a scam. You may feel right now that the seller may be trying to pull a fast one, but remember that the seller hasn't actually received payment yet for the sale. Sellers only receive payment from AliExpress after the buyer has confirmed that the purchase has been received and no open disputes exist for the order. However, the seller (and AliExpress, too) may be trying to protect themselves, since there are probably many people that order from the site and pretend to have problems just so that they can be issued a refund and get the items for free.

If you haven't done it already, just confirm the order and open a dispute with the seller. They are obviously willing to try to resolve the matter if they are asking for photos/videos, which you will need anyways for the official dispute process. They photos/video don't have to be fancy; it is just to prove that you aren't making false claims. I've found that once the dispute process is opened and proof is provided, sellers are quick to approve the refund. If you and the seller do not reach an agreement, then AliExpress steps in, verifies the issue, and will issue a refund if necessary.

As mentioned, I have always received refunds for any issues that I have had, and the AliExpress policy is one of the biggest reasons why I continue to purchase items from the site, even if it means waiting an insanely long time for my items to arrive.
Deal Expert
Dec 4, 2010
19536 posts
2260 upvotes
Quarantine Bubble
Alibaba which I take it is the nead company of Aliexpress recently issued an IPO so I dont think they want to mickey mouse about stuff like this fwiw seller has sent out replacements and extended the days i can file a dispute. Pretty decent experience all things considered.

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