AliExpress is one of the largest ecommerce retail platforms in the world. It’s a website where you can find products ranging from electric scooters to essential oils, all primarily sourced from manufacturers based in China. AliExpress is a popular platform for customers looking for low prices and for dropshipping merchants— who source products from AliExpress for their online stores.
Despite its popularity, buying and selling on AliExpress comes with some risks, and it’s up to buyers to choose reliable suppliers on the marketplace and avoid scams.
Ahead, learn how AliExpress works, the security features it offers, and how you can identify and avoid AliExpress scams when using the platform.
What is AliExpress?
AliExpress is a business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce retail platform and marketplace that hosts thousands of suppliers who sell products directly to customers and via dropshipping merchants all over the globe. When you purchase a product on AliExpress, the platform processes the order and sends it directly to the supplier of that product for order fulfillment (picking, packing, and shipping your order). Since these orders typically involve international shipments, standard shipping times can range from 15 to 45 business days.
AliExpress is owned by Alibaba Group, a Chinese conglomerate that owns several ecommerce platforms, including Taobao (an online marketplace focused on the domestic Chinese market) and Alibaba.com, a business-to-business marketplace for suppliers that sell bulk inventory.
The appeal of AliExpress is cheap products from third-party sellers. Ecommerce merchants can use AliExpress’s dropshipping portal to research and select products to sell online. These businesses can focus on marketing and selling their chosen products while third-party suppliers cover the sourcing and shipping of those products.
Is AliExpress legit?
AliExpress is generally safe. However, since AliExpress is a large online marketplace hosting thousands of suppliers, there is the risk of purchasing a product from a supplier who uses misleading product listings or profiles, sells fraudulent or defective items, or is even trying to run some sort of scam. When buying on AliExpress, you can evaluate suppliers based on customer reviews, seller ratings, and certifications like the “Guaranteed Genuine” badge (which ensures a full refund if a product is counterfeit) on product listings to decide whether or not they are legitimate.
Does AliExpress have security features?
AliExpress offers two main security features: a buyer protection program and payment information security.
1. Buyer protection
AliExpress offers a buyer protection program that covers most products on its platform, except items damaged by the customer, custom-made items, and perishable items. The buyer protection period lasts for 15 days starting from the moment a customer confirms receipt of an item.
If an item arrives damaged or is different from the product listing, the first step is to directly reach out to the seller to request a partial or full refund. If the purchaser and seller can’t come to an agreement or the seller won’t respond to messages, the purchaser can make a refund request directly with AliExpress.
When submitting your request, choose the reason and include any supporting information like photos, videos, or screenshots related to the purchase and refund request. Once AliExpress processes your application, it will determine whether you will receive a partial or full refund within 15 days. You can also apply for a refund if your order hasn’t arrived within 60 days of purchase.
2. Payment information security
AliExpress keeps customer payment information secure in accordance with its privacy policy. The platform offers several payment methods, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and buy now, pay later (BNLP) providers like Klarna.
Since AliExpress handles payment processing for platform transactions, buyer payment information and card details aren’t shared with suppliers, legitimate or fraudulent—as long as buyers don’t provide their payment information directly to suppliers. As a further security measure, AliExpress uses an escrow system, holding onto a buyer’s payment and only transferring the money to the supplier once the buyer confirms receipt of the order.
Top AliExpress scams and how to avoid them
If you’re using AliExpress to buy or sell products, it’s important to be mindful of these four types of scams and know how to avoid them:
Misleading listings
Misleading listings include photos, descriptions, and prices designed to trick a customer into making a purchase. For example, a misleading supplier may add a photo of an expensive electric toothbrush, though the listing is just for a cheap toothbrush travel case.
Other examples include product descriptions with inconsistent, ambiguous, or incorrect information about product size, quality, or functionality. Another misleading listing strategy is price switching, where the advertised price increases at checkout.
To suss out misleading listings, read product listings carefully and notice any vague descriptions, inconsistent details, or unrealistic claims about features. Compare product descriptions with every photo available for that listing to ensure consistency. Avoid listings where you notice differences between a description and a product photo, or where each product photo features a slightly different product or model.
Check the supplier profile for sellers before making a purchase, and choose suppliers with long-standing AliExpress seller profiles and high seller ratings. Avoid suppliers with brand-new accounts and no seller ratings or multiple similar positive reviews posted within a short time frame, as this may suggest a scammer trying to create the appearance of a legitimate supplier profile. Double-check your order summary and review all associated costs before making a final purchase (including the shipping cost).
Counterfeit items
Counterfeit products are goods designed to resemble a recognizable brand or product. Scammers present these fake items as genuine to trick customers. Generally speaking, it can be a good rule of thumb to avoid branded items on AliExpress. If a price for a recognizable product or brand seems too good to be true, odds are it’s a fake. If multiple sellers offer the same product, and one has a noticeably cheaper price, it may indicate that it’s a counterfeit. Look for products with “Guaranteed Genuine” badges provided by AliExpress to verify the authenticity of the listed product.
Brushing scams
A brushing scam involves a scammer using a fake account to purchase products from their own product listings. They then leave fake positive reviews to create the appearance of a legitimate supplier. Scammers can create multiple online accounts pretending to be different customers, or even steal legitimate customer profile information and use it on their fraudulent accounts.
To identify this scam, look out for multiple five-star reviews using similar phrases or writing styles as you review supplier profiles and product reviews. Repetitive, similar phrasing is a good indicator that scammers are acting as previous buyers.
Another sign of a brushing scam is if you receive the wrong item or an item that you didn’t purchase yourself; this can indicate that your account has been hacked and used to purchase a product without your knowledge in order to post a positive review.
Some practical steps you can take include enabling two-step authentication for your AliExpress account and regularly checking your AliExpress order history to ensure no orders have been placed without your knowledge.
Payment fraud
In an effort to obtain customer payment details, scammers sometimes offer discounted rates if you pay them directly rather than pay through the AliExpress platform. Avoid working with any AliExpress suppliers who ask you to send money directly, either by asking for your credit or debit card details, proposing a direct bank transfer, or requesting payment through systems such as PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.
Purchasing products from suppliers through the AliExpress platform not only helps you avoid scammers looking to gain access to your payment details, but also allows you to request a refund directly from AliExpress if there’s an issue with your order.
Is AliExpress legit? FAQ
Is it safe to buy from AliExpress?
It is generally safe to buy products from AliExpress, but it’s still important to vet the legitimacy of the individual suppliers on the platform—look for reviews, seller ratings, and certifications such as the “Guaranteed Genuine” badge.
Why is AliExpress so cheap?
AliExpress offers low-cost products because it primarily sources items from Chinese suppliers that have low manufacturing and labor costs.
How can I tell if an AliExpress seller is legit?
Identify legitimate suppliers using customer reviews, seller ratings, and certifications. Avoid purchasing products from listings with generic product photos, vague product descriptions, or suspicious positive reviews on a recently created seller profile. Legitimate sellers will accept payment through the AliExpress platform, rather than asking you to share your payment details directly.
