[Safety Tips]Things to Remember while Purchasing from AliExpress

Alibaba is a company that changed how online purchases worked. Soon after the incredible success of this site, we saw the rise of AliExpress. AliExpress is currently one of the most popular and trusted places to buy things from China and get it shipped to different parts of the world.

It does not matter if you are from Africa or America, AliExpress will find a way to get that brand-new Xiaomi phone or exclusive metal construction shipped to you. That having said, buying things from AliExpress has its own perks and problems. So, you have to follow some safety tips before, during and after the order.

In this article, we have listed some things you should remember while purchasing from AliExpress.

#1 Read As Much Details

You should be clear about what you are purchasing from AliExpress. The best way to do this is to check the product details on the website. In most cases, the description would contain more information that’s obvious to the eye. If you are concerned about detailed specifications or compatibility of the specific product, you’d want to keep reading the description as much as you can. This is a great way to avoid disputes in the future as well.

#2 Choose the Right Seller

There are thousands of sellers working via AliExpress and you have to choose the right one. Thankfully, the platform itself provides you a number of ways to filter out the options. For instance, you can pick one of the Top-Rated Sellers if you need the maximum quality and the best service. Similarly, you have to keep an eye on Feedback Score and Positive Feedback. These will help you understand how the seller’s performance was for the recent past period.

#3 Communicate First, Buy Second

If you have some doubts regarding the product, the shipping process or something else, you should have a talk with the seller. Depending on the seller you have chosen, it may take some time, but the effort will be a really good thing. This way, you would not waste your money by getting an unwanted product and making disputes all the way. Fortunately, there is a way on AliExpress to keep talking with the seller even before you place the order. Once again, Top-Rated Sellers are great when it comes to this communication as well.

#4 Go for Premium Shipping Whenever Possible

AliExpress has a few sellers that offer free shipping to products. Also, when the product is highly-priced, you may get the free shipping offer as well. However, in both cases, we don’t recommend going for the free-of-cost shipping option. Instead, you should choose premium shipping that is fast, reliable and may even offer some additional protection for the goods you are importing. The amount you are paying is like an insurance for whatever you have purchased.

#5 Use Your Sense Regarding Price

You should use some sense when it comes to convincing yourself about really low prices. There is an extent to which a genuine seller can reduce the price of the product. That is, if you see a product worth $1000 for just $10, there is something seriously wrong. Just because you are importing from China does not mean that you are getting the products for almost free prices. So, you should develop your own sense to tell apart the real deals and the scam-based ones. And of course, make sure that you stay away from scammers.

#6 Make Use of Disputes

AliExpress understands that there are issues regarding shipping delivery all the time. That is why they have devised a system named Disputes. The user will be able to raise a few disputes regarding an order. However, only a single dispute is available for a single order and it must be used in the right manner. For instance, do not waste your dispute chance when the seller is delaying the shipping. What happens in most cases is that the seller may indeed ship the product in sometime later and your dispute chance would be gone in vain. In that case, even if something goes wrong with the product, you cannot do anything. That is why you should be pretty careful while raising a dispute with the seller.

#7 Think about Customs and Duties

Every country has its own rules for customs and duties and you should know yours before making a purchase from AliExpress. What happens in most cases is that the lower-priced products would not be affected. That is not the case with the expensive items though. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to spend a lot of amount so that the amount you thought you had saved will be negligible. So, make sure you calculate the potential duties and customs charges before purchasing something.

#8 Don’t Confirm Until You’re Sure

Let’s first admit the fact that there are so many bad products available on AliExpress and you may not know all of them in the first place. so, it’s likely that you may end up with a faulty product and you would know it only after the delivery. At this point, however, make sure you use the power of Confirm Receipt. We suggest that you keep using the ordered products for potential troubles and faultiness before you confirm the receipt of the product. If something is wrong with the product, this will help you get a refund, replacement or even something better.

#10 Seller Guarantees

You can find AliExpress products with different types of seller guarantees and you have to choose the right one for your needs. All things actually depend on the type of product you are using. For instance, if you are purchasing a really expensive product like an iPhone, you should go for nothing less than the Guaranteed Genuine tag. This means that the product is completely genuine. What’s better? AliExpress would arrange a refund if the product turns out to be a fake. That’s something so confident to begin with, if you ask us.

The Bottom Line

These are some things you should pay attention while shopping from AliExpress. However, we cannot forget the fact that AliExpress is improving every day and transparency is one of its top priorities. So, in the future, you will be able to purchase things from AliExpress from all these worries. Even today, you can purchase all things, but make sure you note down the abovementioned points.