in Feb march and April of this year i bought some 13 item off aliexpress 7 have arrived 7 did not arrive
since 2012 i have bought 100's of items from aliexpress and only had one never turn up
the app i used was on my old phone and it wont turn on anymore and i have no idea what i used to log in to my aliexpress account
according to paypal the oldest order that never turned up is from 15 feb
and 3 orders are from may 30th so 35 days
and 3 others are in between those days
and out of the items that did turn up 2 item came with in like a week and a half
and almost everything i used to order on aliexpress last year and and before pandemic use to come within a month
and my friend also did order like 6 item and only got 1 of his item and then he bought something 3weeks ago and got it yesterday
has anybody ales had problems getting there items from aliexpress? do you think i will ever see my items i bought?
I purchase a bit from Aliexpress (50+ items last month). Some people put slow/no delivery down to bad luck, but it probably has more to do with the seller and shipping option they choose than luck. Don't just look for the absolute cheapest option - it can be more hassle than it's worth.
Some general rules I have to avoid scams and slow deliveries:
1) Check seller details not just their rating. eg a 92% rating with 3800 followers open for 3yrs with thousands of completed orders is less risky than a seller with 100% rating but only 10 followers, open for 1 month, with a few completed orders.
2) Check item rating and number of orders. A 4.7* rating from 2000 feedbacks with 5000+ completed orders is better than a 5* rating from 1 feedback and 3 completed orders.
3) Read the item description carefully. Is it clear and free of discrepancies? If multiple options are available is it clear what is included? A clear description can help in the event of a dispute.
4) Buy through Choice if available, it can save days in processing and dispatch times, lessens the needs of steps 1-3, free delivery.
5) For shipping I've found DHL the fastest (1 week) but too expensive for small items. I mostly use Aliexpress standard, usually 2-3 weeks. I've used Cainiao standard and Special Line-YW a few times and they have been around 2 weeks. I avoid all economy option including Aliexpress economy as they take months (up to 6 months!). I also avoid ePacket, they seem to get stuck in limbo in NZ for weeks.
Some other things to watch for (red flags) that aren't common but worth being aware of:
listings where every single feedback comment has the exact same date or where all photo's & comments look/sound the same or the exact same photo/comment is used on different listings.
If you open a dispute and the seller promises to resolve the issue but only if you cancel the dispute first, don't do it, you can't reopen it later. If they offer you a refund by direct payment don't accept it, eg through paypal as the payment can be reversed so you won't actually end up with a refund.