It'south not always easy to stay safe while yous're shopping online. For every legitimate, reputable site, hundreds want to take your money and run for the hills, never to be seen or heard from once again.

If you desire to stay safe, it'due south important to research the site you're making your purchases on. Accept AliExpress, for instance. How does information technology protect buyers? Is it easy to avoid scams? How does the site handle disputes and refunds?

So, let's dive into the globe of AliExpress and answer some of those questions.

What Is AliExpress?

AliExpress is part of the Alibaba Group. The grouping is a Chinese eCommerce company that offers a variety of retail services to businesses and consumers around the world. In Apr 2016, it overtook Walmart to become the largest retailer in the world.

Alibaba launched its AliExpress subdivision in 2010. It's an online-only company that sells mainly Chinese products. Information technology functions more similar eBay than Amazon; it'southward a host platform that lets third-party companies sell their wares. Information technology doesn't sell products itself.

AliExpress is the virtually popular eCommerce site in Russia and is likewise widely used throughout Latin America.

one. Buying From AliExpress: Heir-apparent Protections

aliexpress buyer protections

Ownership online comes with inherent risks. Unlike doing your shopping in a concrete store, you can't see the item prior to buy.

This removes a pregnant part of the buying procedure. You tin can't experience a product to test for build quality or check an electronic item to make sure all the features work as described.

If you're buying a well-known brand, you tin read online reviews or even head to physical shops to negate the trouble.

But is AliExpress safety to use for purchases? After all, many of the cheap white-label Chinese products on AliExpress are not available in stores; you're on your own. Normally, y'all will be making your determination solely based on the description and a few photos. It's vital, therefore, that the site has a robust heir-apparent protection policy.

Luckily, it does. The company offers ii of import guarantees:

  1. A full refund if yous don't receive your order: if the item does not show upwards, or even if it does not arrive within the timescale the seller specifies, you can utilize for a full refund. You will become a full refund within 15 days.
  2. A full or partial refund if the particular is not as described: if your purchase differs significantly from what y'all expected, you have two options. You tin can either return the item for a full refund or keep the detail and receive a partial refund.

2. How to Resolve Disputes on AliExpress

aliexpress dispute process

Unfortunately, every bit with other eCommerce sites, getting a refund for a missing, defective, or incorrect item is not as simple as merely clicking a "Refund" button. At that place's an entire dispute procedure you need to work through.

On AliExpress, the dispute process involves three steps:

First, y'all need to contact the seller and raise your issue direct with them. If yous're raising a dispute either before the order has been completed, or more than xv days afterward completion, this is the only option open to you.

If you're nevertheless in the pre-completion phase and the seller refuses to cooperate, you have to expect until the order is closed and raise the consequence with AliExpress. Sadly, if you're across the 15-twenty-four hour period mark and the seller refuses to cooperate, you're out of options.

Second, if you lot're within the 15-day period and y'all're non happy with the seller's response, you can open a dispute ticket. This makes the process formal.

Tertiary, if you're unhappy with the formal discussions, you lot can escalate the issue to AliExpress. Information technology will then act every bit a mediator between you and the seller to achieve a resolution.

3. Finding a Reputable Seller: The Feedback Page

aliexpress reviews

The easiest fashion to avoid using the refund and dispute channels is to find a reputable seller. Information technology makes ordering from AliExpress much less worrisome. If thousands of satisfied customers have used the seller in the past, you're far less likely to meet bug.

The well-nigh obvious mode to check a seller is to look at their history. On whatsoever seller's page, click the Feedback tab for a complete breakdown. To safely buy cheap tech from Chinese sites, checking seller feedback is essential.

Each seller has a Positive Feedback per centum and Feedback Score. The Feedback Score is the sum of all ratings, converted into points. 4- and five-star ratings are worth one signal, iii stars are worth zero, and one- and 2-star ratings deduct one signal.

Further down the folio, you can see star ratings subdivided into Item equally Described, Communication, and Aircraft Speed. For each sub-category, yous can see whether the seller in question is above or below the site average.

Lastly, at the lesser of the page, y'all'll see a historical expect at their scores forth with buyer comments.

4. Cheque Seller Guarantees

aliexpress seller guarantees

Sellers can also offer buyers specific safeguards. As a general dominion, the more than guarantees provided, the more than confident you can be in your buy. Again, it helps to make AliExpress a more reliable store.

Sellers offer guarantees on a per-particular basis. Just because they offering lots of assurances on 1 product doesn't mean the aforementioned assurances are replicated across their entire catalog. Make sure you practice thorough inquiry before y'all commit.

There are four different guarantees sellers tin can offer:

  1. On-Time Commitment. The seller promises to provide a full refund if your purchase does not go far by a pre-agreed fourth dimension.
  2. Returns and Refund. The seller promises to offer a full refund if the production is not as described.
  3. Domestic Returns. The seller has a warehouse in your country. You can transport returns to it without needing to worry about shipping costs or customs fees.
  4. Guaranteed Genuine. If you're ownership a big-ticket electronic item, this is one to look out for. Information technology ways the detail has been verified equally genuine by AliExpress itself.

To see which guarantees are provided for an individual particular, check for the Heir-apparent Protection information in the Quick Info part of the production page, or click the Seller Guarantees tab below the production image.

5. Be a Smart Shopper to Avoid Fraud

No matter how much security the site puts in place, you always need to have some responsibility for your own actions.

AliExpress offers some helpful hints to make certain yous avert fraudulent sales. Most of them are common sense, but it'due south even so prudent to recap some of them:

  • If the price is too good to exist true, it probably is. Lamentable, only you're not going to get the latest iPhone for $x. Yous're probably buying an iPhone keyring instead. Check the minor print.
  • Never transport coin to a seller's depository financial institution business relationship. If a seller wants y'all to transport money directly to them rather than through AliExpress, exercise not go on. Sending money outside of AliExpress means the site will not encompass you lot under its buyer protection policies.
  • Do not confirm delivery before receiving the order. Never say you've received an item before it'southward in your possession and y'all've thoroughly checked it for bug.

You should also make yourself aware of something called formjacking, anytime you're shopping online. Check out exactly what formjacking is and how to avert it if you lot'd like to learn more.

Tin You Trust AliExpress?

Chinese products often accept an unfair reputation for being cheap and poor quality. Information technology's not truthful. Many of the products on AliExpress are well-fabricated and available for a fraction of the toll of what you would pay for an equivalent item in the shops of North America or Europe.

It's a bang-up way to buy online safely; you just demand to practice the same caution as you would when using any other online shopping site.

Is AliExpress Legit and Trustworthy? Is Information technology Safe to Shop In that location?

Read Next

Nearly The Author

Dan Toll (1604 Articles Published)

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Managing director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires well-nigh sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. Yous can also find him roaming the prove floor at CES in Las Vegas every twelvemonth, say hi if you lot're going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

More than From Dan Price