Margaret W.

I have been a longtime deal-searcher so far as being able to find valubale and quality items at a lower price. Aliexpress is similar to eBay without the bidding. I liken it to Amazon or Wish as it is a huge, multinational website platform for sellers to reach a large demographic -the entire world. On Aliexpress, you will find items ranging from homemaking to automotive to beauty, including Remy Virgin Brazilian hair bundles that cost less than you would likely pay anywhere else.

If you're a fan of Amazon, you will adore Aliexpress which is the sister site of Alibaba (a wholesaler and product sourcing company.) Unlike Alibaba, you won't have to purchase lots or in bulk, unless you want to. Sellers sell by the piece, the lot or pallet. Of course, if you're buying by the pallet, you'll pay considerably less per piece. But if you see a cute statement necklace at Francesca's that costs $24 you can, with the right search, find it on Aliexpress for $1.32 with Free Shipping (if you are willing to wait around 2-4 weeks for delivery.)

Here are some tips:
1. Aliexpress is the sister platform for consumers of Alibaba.
2. Aliexpress is consistently less expensive versus other similar websites such as DHGate, Amazon, eBay and Wish.
3. Aliexpress has similar consumer protection as Amazon. If your items don't meet your expectations, arrive broken or don't arrive at all, Aliexpress acts as a go-between to remedy and solve the issue.
4. Aliexpress accepts all major credit cards, PayPal and other forms of payment. They also have Alipay which holds your funds for payment in escrow, so until you confirm that the goods were received, they do not release he funds to the seller. Ali also takes less of a cut versus eBay and Amazon, so you will pay less often for the same items you'll find on similar websites.
5. Aliexpress has an app as well as a website, similar to the way Amazon operates.

SHOPPING TIPS:

- When searching, remember that most sellers are from another country and English isn't their first language. That said, broaden your search.

- When shopping, remember that sellers pay extra to have their items listed first. The site, like Amazon, also has a listing protocol that will allow you to search by price, free shipping, highest rates items, and even color and style. You will often find one dress listed at $8.99 but also at $18.99 or even $1.86 -all by the same seller. I suggest searching then clicking ONE PIECE ONLY --> PRICE LOWEST --> FREE SHIPPING in order to yield the cheapest results.

- Newer sellers are listing expensive items at an even deeper discount because they want purchases and new reviews. ALWAYS search by cheapest price. Example: I found my favorite Melody Suzie wig ($16.99. Amazon) for only $6.87 on Aliexpress.

- There is a seller and consumer communication platform. Use it to ask questions.

- Because Ali doesn't investigate sellers unless there is an issue, sellers are rated through their review and feedback system which is similar to that on Amazon. Through this platform you can rate your experience, item and transaction including the seller's shipping and communication. The seller's feedback score is an indication at the top of each seller's listing for both the seller's store and the item. You will see written reviews, photos and videos posted by other buyers.

ALIEXPRESS ISSUES

Some consumers have accidentally purchased from sellers who are scams, or who have poor communication and business practices. If this is your fear, you can refer to the seller's feedback and review score for confirmation.

Aliexpress does not arrange returns or exchanges, so remember this is completed entirely through communication with each seller. Most sellers are quick to ensure your satisfaction, but as with any international, giant sales floor, there can be issues. One seller scammed a woman out of hundreds of dollars during a hair purchase. ALWAYS USE THE SHIPPING ADDRESS THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. The seller in this particular case did not ship to the right address, and she never received her hair and she left a review that reflected this issue. The seller agreed to send out another package in exchange for updating the review to positive, so this lady complied. But the seller had given her a different tracking number than her own; to another person's order in the same state and city, so the seller scammed this consumer. That said, ALWAYS USE THE SHIPPING ADDRESS THAT APPEARS ON YOUR STATEMENT TO AVOID THIS POSSIBLE ISSUE!

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MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES:
I have ordered more than 40 items from Aliexpress - some from sellers with stellar feedback and some were new sellers. ALL my orders arrived on time and were received in perfect shape within the time stated in the listings. I always order from different sellers, as I have heard that when you order many items from a single seller, there is a slight chance that one of the items may not make it into your package. This has never happened to me but I have never ordered more than 3 items form a single seller.

ALL my items have been exactly as described. I also remember to MEASURE MYSELF EXACTLY AS THE LISTING DESCRIBES to ensure a perfect fit.

Shipping has always been on time and packages have arrived in pristine condition.

While I have never spent more than $100 on this site, I have gotten 40 items for at least 80% less than I would have spent on Amazon or another site like Wish.

When I ask a question to a seller, they have always responded quickly. They seem to all ship orders within 24 hours.

Because Aliexpress hosts many sellers, DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE SELLER AS WELL AS THE ITEM YOU PURCHASE. Some sellers will reach out to buyers for reviews, so always review your purchase experience and item.

OVERALL: My honest opinion is, if you are willing to wait for an item to arrive it's amazing for deals (it's winter time... you need a hat,,,, are you willing to wait around 2 weeks for delivery?) If you are willing to wait, it's wonderful.

ON BRANDS: The site DOES offer sellers that sell knockoff and legitimate brands. Some sellers make the cosmetic item, for example, for the benefit company but will sell you the product in a different container, but it's the legit product. Other sellers make knockoff MAC and Channel or whatever brand, and they sell the knockoff at a deeply discounted price. Be careful when ordering knockoff cosmetics as it may cause a bad reaction with your skin. It is fun to have a MAC lipstick for the container but if it's not a nice experience to wear, this can ruin all of the fun. (I have never bought any knockoff cosmetics but they are available there.) it's great to find quality name brand items as well. The companies who make the swimwear for Victoria's Secret post the swimwear online here too. I have gotten several knockoff items and love them and I have found all the accessories, clothing and so on that Francesca's carries (if you live in New England, you likely love Francesca's!) I got one of the $18 scarves for $1.15 and a $16 head wrap for only $1.34! Awesome deals but yes, I had to wait several weeks for delivery.

You will find BOTH HIGH QUALITY & JUNK. RESEARCH YOUR ITEMS!
You will find that the return process means you have to ship back to another country often at your own expense upfront, so be prepared to remember that before making any major purchase.

Pictured: A pair of jeans I bought on Aliexpress. They were $3.04 with free shipping. They are the popular jeggings, butterfly print. They are size-free which means it's a US size small to medium.

Amazon is similar to an eBay without the bidding. They host many different sellers. I have, however, found that Aliexpress has many of these same items at a far lower price.

If you cannot make the drive to your local Walgreens or CVS this store is excellent -often with lower prices. If you combine eBates with the current DrugStore.com coupon codes you can get a lot off your purchase.

Some time back, my boyfriend had an LL Bean jacket that was several years-old that the zipper had broken. He contacted the company and they replaced the jacket with the newest version, free of charge. I have ordered many things from this store and have always had a good experience. They sort of remind me of Tupperware in the sense that when you purchase something from the company, it is for LIFE. They do stand by their products very well. The quality is excellent. I have worn the same sweater from LL Bean since I was 16 years-old and I am now 42! The quality lasts and lasts forever. I would definitely recommend this company.

My iPhone 4 stopped working properly about a year ago so I contacted A&T who said since I had their (useless) insurance, Apple would send out a new phone. I agreed. However, they billed my card on file with AT&T the FULL PRICE OF THE NEW PHONE. Upon arrival, I had to pick it up at the UPS store which I did... once I received it, I was told that I had to return my current, broken phone to my local AT&T store and once they received my old phone, my new one would be activated and my card would be refunded. I ended up in the hospital for 10 days after learning this. Upon trying to get my refund I was told I couldn't as the refund time had expired. I tried to convince them that I deserved the refund but they refused. I am now still out $415.00.

First of all, Wish is both a website and an online app through which you can login via social media email account and your device, so keep this in mind.

Wish is a "middle man" retail website that acts as a go-between for you to purchase items by-the-piece versus jobber lots from wholesalers at just over the wholesale prices. Example: The dress you see at the mall costs $50. That store likely purchased many dresses in various sizes in job lots for around $5 per dress/10 dresses per case. The wholesalers sell through Wish allowing you to buy the same dress for $8 (slightly over wholesale of $5) without having to purchase the entire case in order to get that lower price. Wish acts as the go-between so far as customer care and billing, as well.

Wish has fun benefits such as it allows you to "save" items to your Wish Lists using their intuitive account features. With various social plug-in's you can engage socially by posting your items, review items you have bought and keep track of your favorites. The site/app both have a PayPal plugin payment feature as well as an order history page which lets you track shipping.

I see many have had issues regarding the site. Here are some tips which will help:
1. READ THE DESCRIPTIONS COMPLETELY. Because most items are in Asian sizes, the description often lists the details and measurements as well as est shipping time.
2. CHECK ALL PHOTOS. Wish allows reviewers to add images of their received items to the review, which turn up in the listing photo lineup. Also, most sellers will add a photo image of their specific size chart.
3. Most sizing is in cm versus inches. Remember that Asian XL is a western M. There is at least 2 sizes difference and some are 1-3 cm off measurement, as well.
4. The shipping is rather cheap (usually around $1) but because it's coming from China, you'll need to allow around 12-30 days on average for delivery. Wish does have a tracking feature.
5. Wish says that if anything goes badly, they will ensure that you receive your item or a refund, and that you're a happy customer.

Because many sellers are selling things that appear to be returned (but still excellent new condition) high-end items (professional cosmetics, luxury brands, etc.) the search can be fun. My advice is to change the search up a lot. For example, "bride dress" will yield different results than "wedding gown." I also saw high end "Heavenly" popular women's clothing catalog items sold by the manufacturer. While Wish has some really amazing hidden gems (a $109 swim suit for only $14, a $1,000 wedding gown for $200, $32 scarves for $2, $48 dresses for $7 and so on) remember, you get what you pay for.

Personally, I find them to be about 25% less expensive than Amazon or eBay and look there before anywhere else. They also offer deals and discounts. I recently saw leather bracelets that I loved and wanted to get a matching set for my boyfriend and I to wear together. The bracelets were $12 in the store but they were $1 + $1 S/H on Wish. After adding them to my cart, they offered me a deal: checkout now and save. With the deals, both bracelets were $3.80 with shipping and arrived only 10 days later. (The listing said wait at least 2 weeks for shipping.) This was an excellent experience.

Wish is the go-between so remember that you are dealing with each seller, so when someone has a difficult time with a seller this doesn't mean that Wish is necessarily a bad site. I did read one person had trouble regarding duplicate billing. While I have never had an issue, remember, this is an online app which is accessed through your device. READ THE REVIEWS! Some items are reviewed well while others are not. In addition, check other sites for the same item and look for average pricing. For example I found a shirt I wanted on Wish for $3. The reviews were horrible and all said it arrived weeks after purchase and was way too small. When I read the listing and description, I noticed it showed it was in fact an Asian Small size (xxs in western US clothing) and listed the shipping time as being 27 days. This was, of course, in the "fine print" of the description. I later located the same item on Wish again from a seller who sold it in 4 different sizes, including Asian XL (which again, is the western US size M in clothing.)

In each description you can see: Store Ratings, Item Ratings & Reviews, Price, Shipping (time and costs) as well as Photos and Item Description. That said, read the listings carefully!