AliExpress reviews
What users love and hate, from real reviews
A giant marketplace of cheap goods straight from China, where the lure of penny prices constantly collides with the risk of never getting your order or your money back.
What users love
You really can find great things for pennies, and that pays off
When it works out, the delight is huge: people praise unbelievable prices and a giant selection of cosplay, clothes, gadgets and cute little things you can't get cheaper anywhere else.
I just got the best headphones I've ever owned for $6 , and the battery is so good, I haven't charged it once in the week I've had them
It has everything you could possibly think of. I honestly think this app is better than temu.
I usually buy cosplay items like shoes, outfits, wigs, and accessories, and I love that there are so many options to choose from.
Buyer protection does work — but only for some
Some long-term loyal customers praise free returns, money back when an order is late, and the platform holding payment until confirmation — for them protection genuinely works.
I completely trust AliExpress with free returns, money back if your order is late.
I have been ordering from them for years I would say maybe since 2013 if not longer and Ive never had a problem with them
I've had one problem and it was sorted within 24hours which was awesome.
What users hate
The refund dispute is a maze you almost never escape
When an item never arrives, comes broken or is wrong, the platform rejects refund claims again and again, demands ever more proof and stalls until the buyer gives up.
Getting a refund is impossible. I would not recommend this app even to my worst enemy
It's been two weeks and I still haven't received my refund. I've followed up 5-6 times, but they just keep giving me the same excuse that it's been "escalated to a higher level."
They refused to issue a refund on an order because usps marked it as delivered. usps never did actually delivered the package, so I am just out of the money.
The advertised price turns into something else at checkout
The price in the ad, the email or the product card is one thing, but in the cart and at payment it jumps up or a completely different sum is charged — classic bait-and-switch.
after you see the price of a product and then you add it to cart, the price automatically increases by 30% to 40%. this is a total scam.
scam change the price just before you press purchase to make more money
I got an offer but once I made the purchase, it charged me full price
The "3 items for 99 cents" deal works as bait, not an offer
The penny welcome deals either get cancelled after payment, or the coupon is killed for "account security", or finished off with extortionate shipping.
3 items for 99 cents is a scam. I tried to order any 3 items and shipping and handling was $50 per item. fat lie.
They offer customers a 99p first order deal so you can get 1 item for 99p. This is a scam to entice you to order.
within 12 hours I had a notification that my 99p item had been cancelled
Support is a bot that exhausts you but never helps
Instead of a human there's an AI bot and templated replies; no phone, no real help center, and users say support is built to wear you down.
Extremely poor customer service, trained to exhaust you.
they do not have a call center but just a bot that tells you to wait until the dispute process is complete in 48 days
all customer service are like robots no one will be even able to help you. they don't even have a phone number to contact
Parcels vanish, and a "delivered" stamp kills any chance of a refund
Orders get lost by couriers, marked delivered when they weren't, or sent to the wrong address — and the platform hides behind that stamp to deny refunds.
They won't help you if you don't receive the package. You likely won't get any refund or help you with the courier.
I placed two orders and never received them, they claimed they were delivered even the post office said they were but they weren't.
got scammed I had clearly put my address and they delivered to another house
To return a defect, you're forced to pay return shipping to China
Even with proven defects or fakes, the buyer is made to pay for tracked return shipping themselves, often costing more than the item, and offered coupons instead of cash.
they force you to return it WITH A TRACKED LABEL and make YOU, THE BUYER, PAY FOR THE RETURN
They will sent you damaged products and even if you provide video as proof AliExpress customer service will force you to pay return fee in order to take your money back
if you get a damaged guitar ,, you will have to pay for return shipping,, refund promised but they will not pay , just coupon
Ads forcibly launch the app from inside other programs
AliExpress ads pop up inside other apps, and the slightest tap or swipe launches it on its own, knocking you out of a game or task — users call it spyware-level behavior.
When installed, all Ali ads will automatically open this app EVEN IF you didn't tab it, but merely swiped it over. Spyware level move.
any app you open there's an advertisement from AliExpress. It's getting on my nerves.
tired of it force opening every time your stupid ads pop up on other apps and then makes me lose what I'm doing
The new age check demands a selfie and a scan of your ID
A sudden mandatory age verification demands biometrics and both sides of an ID even from decade-long customers, seen as data harvesting and a leak risk.
Forced age verification that requires a selfie AND both sides of your ID/drivers license.
The new age verification is ridiculous and there is zero data protection. You're expected to send your biometric information to a company known to leak this information
Requires sending scans of your official documents and images of your face as a form of age verification.
Gamification and popups get in the way of simply buying what you need
Endless games, coins, popups and notifications turn buying into chaos: people switch to the browser or accidentally order the wrong thing just to reach what they wanted.
it's so hard to actually buy anything or see product details because you have to go through so many menus and deals and offers and popups. I have to use the browser on my phone instead so I don't go insane.
Gamified, prices keep changing, annoying popups, unclear instructions. now i accidentally purchased 3 items i didnt want.. stupid.
the app is simply too confusing to use these days, keep it simple for goodness sakes!
Hidden taxes and duties only surface on delivery
Tax, duties and extra shipping aren't shown at purchase and land on the buyer at delivery, making a cheap item end up far costlier than promised.
they add hidden costs and tax at the end that is never shown when looking for an item
bad service hidden fees from adding shipping and tax requesting to pay it when it deliver the item without show it at time of purchase
you are not notified that this this this this is going to be taxed on to the item for example a $2.07 shirt ended up being $6.87
Endless delays and slow shipping draw complaints
Delivery dates slip routinely: items run weeks past estimate, tracking is useless, and couriers fake failed delivery attempts.
takes forever to get your items and the tracking info is a joke
too slow it takes more than two weeks to deliver
be super patient because goods never arrived on time
What arrives isn't what was pictured: fakes and wrong items
Sellers send brand fakes, the wrong item or a stripped-down version, photos and descriptions mislead, and reviews look faked.
Pictures are used for name brands and not really the actual brand.
Thought I purchased a solar windmill BUT what I got was just the blades. Description and photo was totally misleading.
Received a fake — 5.5 kg instead of 27 kg. box with a token cell pack inside.
"Scam" has become the platform's defining label
Buyers en masse describe the platform as fraudulent: money taken, item never sent or an empty box shipped, then the case closed — trust in the brand is shattered.
Aliexpress will steal from you, then lie, lie and lie.
This is how AliExpress scams you. 1. Wrong item shipped. 2. asked for a return. 3. The seller never provided their shipping address. 4. Then they closed the case.
they shipped a package with my item not in it they said since the package arrived I must have the item
Payment methods break: G Pay and PayPal often fail
Google Pay and PayPal payments regularly fail — the button does nothing, forcing a switch to PC or another method; many also miss local mobile-money options.
I cannot pay with G pay, does not do anything!
Checking out with paypal on this app never works. I have to get on my ipad or PC to actually check out.
Buy with GPay is not working. Nothing happens when I click on the button