Is aliexpress a scam? I saw amazing shoes there that I would love to buy but online store from china just scares the heel of me. I have lost mymoney once I do not want to loose again

asked by Esther M. on 2/4/16

41 Answers
Thumbnail of user dirkv5

Those swindlers sell what they don't have... forget about it... they are a bunch of Chinese thieves!

Helpful  (2)
Thumbnail of user johnd492

Aliexpress is a scam. Received a rock in a box instead of the item I ordered, seller still was able to keep the money even after i opened a dispute.

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Thumbnail of user danielley2

Do not buy from aliexpress the quality is terrible and lots of sellers never send the items. Also they sell counterfeit designs too which is illegal to purchase.

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Thumbnail of user vladimirk12

They are not real scam. But the chance is high the product is poor quality and you have zero chance to claim your money back.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user leahs16

50-50 shot, seems more of a scam to me. Wouldnt chance it

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user lorraynem

It didn't work for me. I noticed... too late... that they post pictures off the internet or popular magazines and try to replicate the product. Sometimes things are of quality and sometimes... not. I don't know if it's the language problem or not. For jewelry, a no go. For clothing, the style/design on point, size way off. If your shoe size is small, still double check the comparable size. If they are stating that the product is leather, make sure you copy the description. Because sometimes the article you order "disappears" after your receipt. Finally, make sure you can afford the financial loss if the item is not what you want. Three reasons, if you use Paypal, the refund takes a long time, 2- Aliexpress will not refund without the backing of a large bank, so use a card connected to a bank here in the U.S. that is not afraid to go after your funds. Finally, you cannot sell the product with a clear conscience (if you feel it's below par, why would you try to perpetuate that disappointment?). The items seem cheap because they are cheaply made with low quality materials. The products that are of quality, are reflected in the price. As a result, not much difference from what you will pay at an outlet designer store. One more thing to keep in mind, returns will be absorbed by you. The cheapest cost to send the product back is $13.57 for a 3 ounce package. Without a guarantee of receipt from China. The price for signature or confirmation starts at $30.00.
Are they a scam? You get a product but not what is advertised. They try to make what looks like the product. I hate to disqualify the entire service, but each time I dealt with them (multiple merchants come under this banner-Aliexpress is like a cheap reflection of Ebay), I was deeply disappointed, and angry because of the response and lack of responsibility taken by Aliexpress. I plan to blog about the experiences, to help others.
Did this information help?
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Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user sourg2

I bought boots from Eeay-Shopping (Sty Chess), advertising showed "genuine leather boots". The only genuine leather was the tag on the back of the boots!
Filing a dispute with AliExpress was totally useless.
Don't waste your time or money.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user rodrigod5

I bought from AliExpress once and never again. You can't trust what's advertised. I ordered stainless steel dishes and got something cheaper than recycled sheet metal. It's an old trick of showing you pictures of high end products as a bait and then sending you crappy stuff not worth your money and patience. DO NOT BUY! You're only feeding those crooks and make other sellers and companies from China look bad. Look how many bad reviews there are on this site, check out AliExpress' Facebook page where negative comments get deleted every seconds (mine included).
I recommend buying from eBay even if you get a fake at least you're protected by PayPal.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user janv12

Esther, AliExpress is no scam. It takes some time for the packages to arrive, but most of the time they do. If not, or the item is not as described by the seller, you will receive a partial or full refund. After 150 things I bought on AliExpress, I sure it's as save as Ebay or Amazon. But one note to remember. Be careful with shoes or clothing, the sizes won't always match American/European standards.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user erikl18

You've been warned! Chinese theivs!

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Thumbnail of user tamarag13

Your taking a chance of losing your money. You are better off shopping with a reputable company.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user jaydenr4

Well I received my Gucci belt it's perfect idk about anything else.

Helpful  (1)
Thumbnail of user debrap1312

CROOKS!
I ordered 2 pieces that come together, only 1 item arrived. Not only does the link description state the 2 pieces included it also shows the 2 pieces along with individual pieces when you click on the link. Never received a piece and the refuse to refund or even send the missing piece! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!
They even tried to get me to click on "ITEM RECEIVED" so she could process a new order. IT CLEARLY STATES THAT IF YOU DO, YOU AGREE YOU RECEIVED ALL ITEMS! I refused, and she lied and said she sent a new item. NEVER RECEIVED new info or tracking info, and they closed out the order saying I received! HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!

Helpful  (0)
Thumbnail of user scottr755

You just need to be careful is all. Check how long a store has been there. Read the feedback on the seller and product. The feedback and reviews are pretty honest. It's a lot more honest review system then Amazon that for sure. Every single angry person here could have avoided getting ripped off if they paid attention to what they were buying. AliExpress has sided with me more then once and against me only once.

Sometimes they will insist on you returning an item and it might be out of your pocket. Also some stores can can take over a month to get your product to you. I have always gotten what I ordered but it hasn't always been timely. I was lucky enough to have contacts there who showed me the ropes. I hope I am able to help others through this.

Helpful  (0)
Thumbnail of user masamunec

The site is a legitimate B2C platform. It's the sellers you have to choose carefully. The saying, "the computer doesn't lie, it's the person using the computer lied". Choose the Sellers carefully. Look at the customers ratings of their products, 96% or more positive ratings is a good sign; look at the number of orders of that pair of shoes you like (higher number the better; take your own risk if zero order); ask the Seller questions if you are not sure about the size, material, etc. I have good and bad experience. I received refunds for products didn't arrive. Keep in touch with the Seller, particularly when the Purchase Protection is about to end and your order hasn't arrived. Sellers are willing extend the P. P. until you received the product. Lastly, be super super patient. All my orders arrived in Canada in 3 months. No kidding. It's a lot of work but you'll be giggling when you actually receive the products.

Helpful  (0)
Thumbnail of user boc103

They are not scram, but most unsafe and cheating place to buy thing, they cheat on fake to be genius, bad second return thing to be good, foreigners are often to be best target, as they can not chase back the lost and claim back money, it is all because Alliexpress is like a tool for them to sell rubbish, Alliexpress should be banned

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Thumbnail of user julianp10

Yes sometimes you will get the products and sometimes you won't but it will take a very long time if you do but if you don't get what you ordered don't expect the money back just call it a lost

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Thumbnail of user aniroodhr

Well not really... There are good sellers and there are fake... Now u need I decide reading the seller reviews and be ready to take the risk.

At times the import rules also play a major role in your product delivery. U should be aware of the same as well.

Hope this answers your question.

Rgds,

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Thumbnail of user misterp

Is aliexpress/alibaba a scam - depends. Ali* is a company acting as an intermediary for money for small businesses selling stuff internationally via web - in theory! My experience is that the way Ali* operate when it comes to refunds, and the way sellers advertise and then send the wrong items etc is far from ideal. I would say that to them we are stupid westerners waiting to be conned, and thats conned in one way or another. Never give a sucker an even break. Problems is that once you have paid for an item the buyer is entirely at their mercy, as the buyer has lost any leverage or control that they had buy handing over the cash. From this point on their is nothing but trust left that you will not be scammed - no control, just hope or hopium. Look at the situation this way - you want a 100% chance of getting what you have ordered and not be the victim. There is only however a 50/50 chance that you will get what you want. Does the maths work out? I would say no.

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Thumbnail of user arthurp1

Then don't lose it again! It depends on the sellers. Some of them are scam. Besides, everyone knows the "quality" of chinese production. My only advice is to read buyers reviews before ordering.

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Thumbnail of user vinays4

Sir, Since you have already lost money, It would not be wise to loose again. Please read other contributors comments and act accordingly. No point in wasting hard earned Money, Is there! Yes DO NOT BUY BIG TICKET ITEMS FROM THIS SITE... :(

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Thumbnail of user glenc18

Dont buy from them

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Thumbnail of user bliav

Not a scam! But good sellers are good sellers. There's few bad apples in the mix. I still order from them, but I contact by email the seller first to see how responsive he/she is. If he/she reply quickly than I know that the seller is responsible and good. I always ask if he/she still have the product before placing the order and request to send confirmation email once product is shipped. I bought tons of shoes from them. Make sure you look at their size chart for each seller site b/c they're not uniformly size like the US. I wear a 6, but I always ordered a 5 b/c their measurement chart for my feet is 22.5 cm in their chart which a size 5 then. They fit perfectly if you measure your feet and compare it to their chart before ordering the size. Clothing also same by measuring your waist, bust, hips to their chart. Many shoes you won't find in the US or styles we don't have here in the states. Read the product description of what the material is made of before buying so you know what you're getting. Hope this helps you. I have bought tons from them. Another company called DHgate.com is a good one too.

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Thumbnail of user ivanv7

These people are swindlers and thieves they will take your money and run, also they sell counterfeit items/broken items and can even send you a fake tracking number for them to be able to keep your money, If they give you a refund they will only give you a 1% of the order total, 20-30 cents at the very most, also there have also been cases of sending the items to a wrong address and when contacted they don't want to claim any responsibility or they will simply not respond to any e-mail messages or act if they understand/but in reality they don't(with a little bit of luck they will respond to 1 e-mail message after that they will simply quit responding, these people have got 2 faces(before you pay they will answer all inquiries that you can ever imagine, however, once you've submitted to them the payment they don't want to know anything(money makes the world go round)

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Thumbnail of user perryr7

It is not a scam you will receive your product. Most of the shoes are replicas or counterfeit but some are really good. Be sure to read the customer reviews and number of orders.

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Thumbnail of user chriss268

They are bootleggers that sell in Chinese sizes

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Thumbnail of user tammyb45

Don't fool with them. It takes 2 months to receive what you didn't order. Sizes are for kids not adults. Open a dispute and they become an enemy real fast. Stay away if you don't want to lose money.

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Thumbnail of user deborahw27

You'd get better value from your money by wiping your butt with it. RUN! Sometimes their employees get on here and try to assure you that it's legit. Scammers, liars, and thieves. You'll either get a $#*! product that is nothing like what's promised or get nothing at all; either way kiss your money goodbye.

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Thumbnail of user peters212

Save your money. They don't deliver and you never get your money back

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Thumbnail of user jamalf3

No it's not a scam but after what they did to me I lost confidence. Though they gave me full refund but that's after I made a complaint to the visa and took couple of months.

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Thumbnail of user elzbietam

I did the same mistake of buying shoes... They might look amazing... I bought gym shoes and after 2 weeks of wearing them the sole got from 3cm to about half he thickness... It was foam sole! It was not worth the money

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Thumbnail of user kathyk42

I believe they are. I would never Order from them again. I would also tell anyone wanting to buy from there not to.

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Thumbnail of user waltert18

From the reviews I see a lot of sellers are dishonest. I bought replica $20 dollar gold pieces liberty head and st gaudains from Nostaligia store no. 1264153 with goldplate that look exactly like the real gold piece. People tell me you can buy $295 air jordan shoes for $90 dollars, guccui hand bags with serial number for $90 dollars $1000 dollar I phones for $387. I looked at the loose stones like simulated rubies, emeralds, sapphires. They have oils like lavender oil they are cheaper than any prices I have seen I do not know if they put water in it.Its almost like you have to know where you can get somehting at a cheap price of good qaulity when you are on this site to make it work for you.

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Thumbnail of user vanessab36

100% not real but might look close won't b the same comfort

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Thumbnail of user rachaelh12

I've only had good experiences on aliexpress. Bought about 30 items. Mostly they are great but when I have opened a dispute either because item didn't arrive or was not good quality I've always had a full refund. Haven't bought shoes because I wouldn't be confident about sizing but have bought clothes bags and jewelry and it's been great.

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Thumbnail of user angelab47

Look elsewhere aliexpress a total rip off!

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Thumbnail of user gregoryb36

I always received my orders it's all based on who you are purchasing from. I have plenty of orders on aliexpress and I only have to complained 2 or 3 times yet that's less than 5% of all my orders

Helpful  (-1)
Thumbnail of user gloriag14

I have been buying from Ali for 2 1/2 years! I've lost some money not bad. But what I get I worth more to me than the little bit of money I have lost. I've bought shoes for me my kids and NEVER had any problems with any of the seller. When you pick what you want go to shipping and pick Regerster Mail so you have to sign for it and talk to the seller before you buy and tell him what you want? It worked for me

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Thumbnail of user bonnier27

Not a scam. Only thing can be really slow post from china. Really good shopping.

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Thumbnail of user cy784

I can say most of them are scams. The worse is even you open a dispute, Aliexpress team will only help sellers. I tell you one more of my experience: once I bought a few dollar digital watch. It arrived with most of the features are not there. Seller never reply to my complaint.
I opened a dispute, but Aliexpress want me to send the watch to a Canadian licence abbreviation company to get an official report before they willing to believe on me. I checked to get such a report will cost me $100 to $150. That watch only cost a few dollar. This is a way they hesitated you to claim their sellers. DO NOT buy from Aliexpress.

Helpful  (-1)
Thumbnail of user christinab29

Can you send me link to the store and the shoes and I will give my thoughts after I look into the store

Helpful  (-1)

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