6 Tips on How to Buy through the AliExpress App

AliExpress is the giant of Chinese online retail, so no wonder customers from all over the world find something on it. Low prices, acceptable quality, and an almost unlimited list of goods – what a cave of wonders! But there are some rules that you should follow if you don’t want your money just wasted there.

Check the Rating of the Store

First of all, AliExpress is not a single store, but a marketplace for millions of merchants (yes, like Amazon). Though many stores may offer the same products, they are not equal. Some of them behave more honestly than others. Some use better (at least, for you) shipping methods. Some just describe their goods better, so you understand what you buy.

Customers, in their turn, can rate any store they have made a purchase at. The threshold you should keep in mind is at least 4.8 out of 5. The 0.2

Read Reviews

There are always ways to improve the rating if we’re speaking pure numbers. But the rules of the marketplace don’t allow merchants to edit user reviews. And these are the most informative. When you read the reviews, you can see what can go wrong with this merchant. Maybe it sends the wrong item, maybe just the wrong size or color, and refuses to replace or refund. It often happens that the item seems okay in the first days, but as you get to know it better, it shows its flaws.

So when reading the reviews, do the following:

  • Check the reviews by customers from your country. Location matters in terms of everything, from weather and time zone to power voltage and frequency licensing.
  • The most valuable are the reviews by users who wrote it after some time. Everything looks great when just unpacked.
  • Among reviews with photos and videos, unpacking ones are the first to see. They tell a lot about how it survives the shipping.
  • The fresher the review, the more relevant it is. Old ones may point at some flaws that the merchant has already fixed.
  • Rates with no review can be ignored.

Delivery: Be Patient and Calculate

With the logistics of AliExpress being global, delivery can take months. Prepare that sometimes you really have to wait (and take this into consideration if you’re ordering gifts for Christmas, St. Valentine’s, or other calendar dates). But sometimes you can shorten this time by choosing the right country to deliver from. The best option is yours, but if it’s not listed, then choose the closest.

For many items, shipping is free. But the price of these can be higher than if you pay for the delivery separately. Compare prices of the same item at different stores considering the delivery costs. And, again, read the reviews: they can tell you about how long you should expect your parcel.

Reread If You Misunderstand Something

As you’re reading this, and you do it in English, we may assume you don’t speak Chinese well enough. Most stores on AliExpress use an automatic translation, and from time to time it can misfire, which results in unreadable descriptions, sometimes absurdly funny, sometimes just misleading. So if you don’t understand something, just go to another store offering the same item. Maybe they will offer a comprehensible alternative description and support.

Claim Refund If Something’s Wrong

If there is a misunderstanding between you and the merchant, and you cannot get your refund or the right product instead of whatever they sent you, you can start a dispute. The moderators will quickly resolve it, and in most situations, you will get your satisfaction. Often it’s enough to threaten the merchant that you’ll start the dispute, and they change their manners. But don’t abuse this right, as you can also lose credibility, so further disputes will not end in your favor.

Use the App, Luke!

It may be more convenient to shop from your PC, but the official AliExpress app does the same job better. In addition, it unlocks for you the world of exclusive coupons and discounts for app users. Finally, it notifies you when something you have marked as a favorite is discounted. So mobile shopping is better in most aspects. And if the phone on your screen seems too small, you can use the same app on a tablet if you have one.

We wish you good shopping and fast shipping. If you want to share something about your experience with AliExpress or add your own advice, you can do it in the comments. We’ll appreciate your opinions and stories!