"AliExpress" is a trading platform that operates according to the marketplace model. This means that when purchasing goods on AliExpress, you are buying it not from a specific legal entity of AliExpress LLC, but from one of the mass of sellers who have added their page to the site. Should I order with AliExpress and how to order goods on this platform? Let's talk about this further.
What is a marketplace
Marketplace is an e-commerce platform that provides information about services or products of third parties whose operations are processed by the general operator of the marketplace. In general, Marketplace plays the role of a special, smart, optimized online platform for selling products and providing services.
Can Ali be considered a marketplace?
"AliExpress" was created in 2010 by the powerful Chinese corporation "Alibaba" and was determined only for the sale of goods from China to other countries. Alibaba had other intermediaries for distribution in China.
This year, AliExpress is present in more than 230 countries and regions. The online platform offers consumers various categories of goods - jewelry, clothes for men and women, household goods, electronic devices, bags, shoes, household appliances, cosmetics, computers, phones, jewelry, auto products, various accessories, including watches and jewelry.
On Ali you can find products for every need. This is a huge, colossal platform. Almost every user can find there the necessary thing at the moment. And besides, the prices of goods pleasantly delight the buyer. This is one of the cheapest, currently, online resource.
These two huge pluses, perhaps, explain the unprecedented popularity of the portal.
Who is ordering?
The audience of the site in Russia has reached 20 million users. By the way, it was Russia that became the first country in terms of sales working with "AliExpress".
The United States came in second, and Brazil came in third. In addition, sales go to Europe and South America.
The sellers on AliExpress can be both large powerful corporations and private individuals who have just begun their commercial activities.
There is no definite answer to the question of how many years you can order on Aliexpress. Instructions for placing an order will be presented later.
How to buy on "AliExpress"?
Consider the entire procedure of the necessary actions, how to order on AliExpress an item that you like. First you need to register. It consists of simple actions: enter your first name, last name, address - so that the seller can send you the goods.
Next, select the product. You can search by category, you can drive the name in English or Russian into the search field. Next, you should go to the page of the product you like to study it in more detail. There you can see a thing closer, using the function to enlarge the picture, ask the price, find out the sizes and other parameters of the product. Many are interested in whether to order a phone on AliExpress. According to statistics, this is the most popular product on this site.
Delivery of goods may be paid, but may be free. It depends on the desire of the seller. In the filter for selecting goods, if you wish, you can immediately check the box âfree deliveryâ, then your eyes will see a list of goods with free delivery.
It is important to read reviews about this item from real buyers from Russia and other countries. These buyers describe in detail the purchased product, especially if the item came to them with a marriage. Only the latest reviews for six months are visible in the system, earlier ones are deleted by the system. Sometimes itâs these reviews that contain the necessary information that you wonât take from the entire page of this product and even after talking with the seller of the item. Therefore, you should definitely read them.
And do not be lazy to write reviews yourself after purchasing the goods and receiving. You can also leave updated reviews to, for example, tell everyone else how the Chinese blouse behaved after a month of heavy wear. Try not to choose products for which there are no reviews. The more popular and cheap the product, the more comments it should have. I would like to see the number of reviews close to the number of sales of this item. Be especially careful if there are few comments on a large number of sales.
So, after you have decided on the right product, the next stage goes: placing an order, filling in the address, if it was not indicated before the procedure (it will be enough to fill in the address field once, then it will be automatically indicated in the details).
Further payment for the order: you can use a card, or you can use electronic money. Then the AliExpress administration will verify your payment and a new stage will begin: waiting for the seller to send your order.
When the seller ships your item, he will give you a tracking code. By the way, you can chat with the seller on Ali. Chinese sellers are always happy to answer your questions, always polite and friendly.
AliExpress is also protected by the buyer, that is, if the goods do not arrive within the specified period (usually 30-60 days), you have the right to start a dispute and demand your money back.
If the parcel arrived on time and everything is fine, then you need to confirm receipt of the goods, if it didnât come or itâs not at all right, or the thing is defective, we open a dispute for the return of money (the whole amount or part).
That is, after you took the next order from "AliExpress" in the mail and made sure that your purchase meets the declared characteristics, the goods were not damaged during transportation and have no defect, you only have to confirm its receipt and write a review about perfect deal.
Order Confirmation
In order to confirm that you have received your goods, you need to log in to the AliExpress site, then go to My Orders. Then you need to select the received order, then click the "Confirm receipt of goods" button. Then you will see the order page. Tick ââoff the goods that you ordered and click âConfirm receipt of goodsâ again.
Make sure you are confident that you have received your item. Since, after clicking âSubmitâ, the protection of the order will end and it will receive the status âcompletedâ. But if you have no complaints about the quality of the product received, feel free to confirm the step.
After confirming that you have received the goods, the "AliExpress" system automatically transfers money to the seller and the transaction becomes completed. It will no longer be possible to open a dispute.
If you do not confirm receipt of the goods, then when the protection period determined by the seller ends, the money is automatically transferred to the seller.
Then you need to leave a review and tell other users about your experience of shopping for goods on AliExpress. This is not necessary, but nevertheless, it will not be out of place to share the joy of the purchase or to warn your partners on the AliExpress platform from wasting money.
Common mistakes
"AliExpress" presents just a huge amount of goods from China. Therefore, at the beginning of using the site, it will be quite difficult for beginners to navigate and opt for a quality product from China at a reasonable price. Someone will make a mistake with the size, another will choose a product with pseudo-discounts, and someone will forget to track the protection counter of their order.
What are the common mistakes when buying on "AliExpress" and how to avoid them?
All mistakes made by buyers of goods on "Ali" can be divided into four groups:
1) Errors when choosing a product.
2) Errors when placing an order.
3) Errors while waiting for the parcel.
4) Errors after receiving the order.
Errors in choosing a product
One of the most common mistakes is a complete belief in the discounts handed out by good sellers on the AliExpress site. Often the purchase of the desired product without a discount costs us somewhat cheaper than buying a similar product at a discount. It turns out that the cunning seller deliberately overestimated the cost of the goods in order to sell it supposedly at a discount, but also with a benefit for his wallet.
Another trick of sellers is the concealment of paid delivery. Suppose we select a product and mark the âFree Shippingâ filter in the top box of the site page. Then we place an order, send it for payment, without looking at the total price, and as a result we buy goods with a delivery cost exceeding the price of the goods.
For example, here we have found our treasured goods, and even with a big discount! Faster go to the product page, make sure that the delivery is free. The seller even included this phrase in the product name. Rather, click on the "Buy Now" button, then go to the checkout page, and there for some reason, free shipping suddenly became paid. The price of the goods is, for example, $ 1 at a discount, and delivery $ 2, which comes out twice as expensive.
Apparently, it is no accident that this page is written in large print "Check order details". Therefore, you should not absolutely trust filters and phrases such as âFree Shippingâ in the product names. Be sure to check the final purchase amount before payment.
Another common mistake when purchasing goods on the AliExpress website is the wrong size choice. These errors are often made by buyers of the Russian version of the "AliExpress" platform due to rush or carelessness. Some do not pay attention to the size plate, while others are too lazy to read existing reviews. And, in the end, we get not at all what we expected, we are upset, and we can even leave the site AliExpress.com.
Strange, but tables of dimensional series for identical items, but different sellers can vary significantly. Therefore, even if you already ordered a similar model, but from another seller, be sure to pay attention to the size chart. And besides this, do not be lazy to read reviews on this product. As a rule, they contain information about what parameters this size really suits. And in order not to lose money, try to contact the seller in order to clarify the measurements.
If the seller provides you with measurements of the goods, and upon receipt thereof, you find that the measurements are not correct, then your correspondence with the seller will be an excellent confirmation, in the event of a dispute, and the administration of the AliExpress website will decide in your favor.
If we talk about the material from which the product is made, then there are also small nuances. First you need to evaluate the approximate cost of this thing and the price that the seller offers. For example, a modern smartphone cannot cost $ 20, even if it is shown in the picture of the order. The Internet is filled with stories that instead of a chic dress, buyers received an extended âragâ made of artificial material. Yes, and it's silly to wait for a miracle for $ 3. And after reading the reviews for the product, you could find out many more interesting things. Suppose a seller does not want to accept a dispute because he needs to feed his family and children.
That's why, taking a chance and getting such a product, be prepared to open a dispute or even exacerbate it, or to charity in favor of the sellerâs family and children. Therefore, carefully check everything, read reviews. This is a significant part of the success of your choice of goods on the AliExpress website. It is also worth noting that special attention should be paid to the latest reviews, since it is likely that the early shipments of this product were of one quality, and subsequent ones of a different quality. As for shoes, here you should contact the supplier and find out from him the length of the sole and other relevant information. After all, a difference of just one centimeter can seriously let you down.
So, with how to order shoes and clothes on Aliexpress to Russia, everything is clear, now weâll note the main mistakes when choosing electronics, accessories and other related products.
Flash drives are a mega-popular and purchased product on the official website of "Aliexpress." Although the purchase of drives here is not always justified. And not only because of the price, but also because of the quality. Therefore, buying a drive on the AliExpress website, you can get either a device with a data volume less than the declared one, or a completely inoperative product.
Here you can give the following advice: be sure to film the process of opening the parcel and checking the goods on video. Otherwise, opening a dispute, it is difficult for you to prove that the flash drive is the one and you did not replace it and did not spoil it after receiving it.
Another of the most popular categories is smartphones and tablets. The main thing you need to think about when making such a purchase on AliExpress is to search for a bona fide seller offering goods in this direction. More precisely, before paying for an electronic device, look at the list of products of this store on "AliExpress". The store should be filled with products of this orientation, and for the most part with positive reviews.
In the event that a couple of smartphones are in the ranks of a cosmetics store, then you should think about whether to make such a purchase, even if the price is very favorable. And again, do not be too lazy to read reviews and write to the seller to clarify the characteristics of this electronic device. For example, will the tablet support 3G or is there a menu in Russian in it. And also it will not be superfluous to clarify the complete set. You can also ask the seller to pack the goods more carefully so that he does not break during transportation. If the seller promptly and clearly answers all your questions, then this indicates his conscientious attitude towards consumers.
Special attention should be paid to such a category of goods as plant seeds. Despite the mostly negative reviews, Russian customers order them again and again, dreaming of growing huge berries of green, purple and even black strawberries, rosebuds with petals of all shades of the rainbow and wonderful vegetables of various shapes and sizes. At best, daisies will come instead of orchids, and giant cucumbers will turn out to be field clovers. Itâs good that at least something came up in that case!
It is worth saying about which products can not be ordered with Aliexpress. Spyware and knives fall into this category. Everything else is permissible.
Errors when placing an order
An important rule in this case is the correct spelling of your address, phone number in the delivery field. Before ordering through Aliexpress, namely before paying for goods, be sure to check the correctness of the specified address and the correspondence of the surname and name. If you find a mistake after payment, then urgently write to the seller about it until he has sent you your goods. If the seller does not respond, then the only way out is to cancel the purchase of the goods.
Errors while waiting for the package
The main mistake in this section is to forget about the protection timer for your order. If you miss the end of the term of protection, you will no longer be able to open a dispute in the event that not what you expected comes. You need to track the time of the buyerâs protection on AliExpress in your account on the order page. It can be found at the top of the page.
If the order protection time is nearing the end (it remains less than one week), and the goods have not yet been brought to you, you should write to the seller about this. And it can extend the protection period of the order. If the Chinese seller does not get in touch or does not want to extend the time, then it is necessary to open a dispute, it is advisable to attach screenshots with tracking data of tracking numbers to it and accurately explain the sellerâs position (or his silence regarding you). But it is worth remembering how much you can order on the phone and other devices on AliExpress. And she in some countries is 20 euros. And so that there are no problems, sellers write on the parcel the price the buyer needs, and not the current one.
Errors after receiving the goods
In no case do not confirm that you have received the goods until you hold it in your hands and carefully examine it. And do not succumb to the entreaties of the seller to confirm receipt in advance in exchange for discounts and gifts.
Honest sellers will not ask you about this. As a rule, this is what newcomers do, who sell frankly low-quality goods and just want to get a rating, even if in this way.
Do not be afraid of mistakes, be careful and pay attention to even the smallest details when buying goods on the AliExpress website.
It is worth considering the reviews of those people who know how to order on Aliexpress and how much can be done. After a survey of many buyers, it was decided to stop on the order of dishes, because it is in this category that incidents happen. Most people say they ordered a saucepan on AliExpress, and it did not meet expectations. Often they come in parameters such that they can only be played in the sandbox with the kids.
Therefore, if you ordered a saucepan on AliExpress, go to the description and make sure its size. Otherwise, open a dispute upon receipt and non-compliance.