General Warning for Buying Expensive Items on AliExpress

Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 09:06

Hello hopefully this is in the correct category

Just want to warn people not to buy expensive items from aliexpress. If it does not arrive and the tracking says it did, you have no recourse on the platform

I filed a dispute and immediately recieved a notification with subject title "Case result of your dispute order"

Final Result

Problems with the order.
Purchase Protection is running out, but package is still in transit

Judgement from AE
Invalid

Invalid reason
We're really sorry for what has happened and we totally understand your feeling. As shipping information shows package delivered and you didn't provide us with valid evidence to prove you haven't received the package, we assume you have received the package and will release full payment to seller accordingly.

Proof guide
empty

so they don't even have a proof guide but how do you proof you never recieved something? take a picture of my empty door step or what?

what a complete joke

General Discussion

Related Stores

AliExpress
AliExpress
Marketplace

Comments

  • zonra on 16/01/2023 - 09:09
    +3

    Did seller provide tracking?
    The last time this happened to someone I know we pointed out that tracking showed it was delivered to a different postcode and got our refund.

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:02

      yes and there is a line in the tracking saying

      Delivery failed
      Delivery failed. Delivery address is incorrect

      then a few days later updated to

      Package delivered
      Carrier note: Delivered

      I called the post office, they dont know, there is no signature or nothing

  • Flying Ace on 16/01/2023 - 09:10
    +2

    take a picture of my empty door step or what?

    You'd have to get evidence from the delivery company of where it was actually delivered. If they say it was delivered to some other address, there's your evidence.

    • thlunasa on 16/01/2023 - 11:00

      Yeah, I ran into the AE scam of "they give you a tracking number to a different address".
      I got written confirmation from TNT that "the provided tracking number was not to your address" and AE gave me a refund.
      Probably helps that that AE seller had already been banned (likely for scamming) before I filed my case.

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:02

      I tried they dont have anything , so pretty much hopeless situation I am thinking

  • Clear on 16/01/2023 - 09:11
    +2

    Did you check with delivery company? Normally it's Auspost and they'd be able to tell you more information. If it was indeed lost, stolen or delivered elsewhere they can provide the proof AliExpress require.

    • Transient on 16/01/2023 - 13:43

      YMMV. See my post below. The tracker was stuck at "Awaiting Collection" but it had not reached my post office. When I enquired, AP said:

      we are unable to update the tracking on this item as it has been deemed Lost in Transit. … As we are unable to locate the physical item, any further scans or requests for this item will not be able to be fulfilled

      So they could not change it to lost which was what AE were after for my case.

      • Clear on 16/01/2023 - 14:28

        You just need that in writing for AliExpress

        • Transient on 16/01/2023 - 14:43

          I sent the AP emails to AE and the vendor and they still would not provide a refund as tracking said it was awaiting collection.
          Vendor:

          We can not contact Australia Post, if the parcel lost, please contact the post office, because according to the tracking news, the parcel arrived at the post office
          AE just closed the dispute saying it was not lost.

      • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:04

        I cant even reopen a dispute on their platform, once the original one auto closed within 2minutes of submitting

        • Transient on 16/01/2023 - 16:25

          Same. I raised another dispute with same result. AE probably thought the email from AP was fake or didn't care. They only relied on what the tracker stated.

  • JPMelb on 16/01/2023 - 09:22
    +1

    I've purchased a lot from AE and in general never had a problem. Sometimes shipping is a bit long.

    I had one purchase to a PO box where the post code is covered by 3 suburbs and it went to a different suburb PO. I eventually got the item, but it was a $4 part!

    Certainly safer than any Facebook trader. Will never buy off a FB ad.

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:05

      you are right and me too, but in the case something does happen, id rather be out of pocket 4$ then 800$

  • CyberMurning on 16/01/2023 - 09:23

    what is expensive?
    i bought xiaomi mobile phone $400, arrived super fast (but this is loooong time ago).
    also some massage gun $100ish, no problem
    basically i have very good exp. with ali. will and will buy again and again

    the last purchases, bought 26 Dec 2022, 5 items from 5 diff. sellers, arrived 13 JAN 2023, surprisingly all 5 small packets were inside 1 big envelope. very good!

  • Mokr on 16/01/2023 - 10:40
    +5

    Ali express is like eBay. Buy from the bigger sellers

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:05

      I agree

  • Gunnar on 16/01/2023 - 10:59

    I've bought lots of stuff from Ali and not had too many issues (apart from very long delivery times) but I've only stuck to cheap things. Expensive stuff I will use other means (generally a large store, preferably in Australia, or Amazon); electronics I stick to Australian sellers because it is a lot easier to solve the issue if something goes wrong with the product.

    The only notable exception was some guitar gear that was 1/3 the price of what it was in Australia, this goes back 10 years when we were above parity with the US dollar

  • Thrawn on 16/01/2023 - 11:36

    I won the dispute on this just yesterday on a $50 item. "Shipped" DHL and tracking shows delivered to Brisbane whilst I am in Sydney. Seller never responded to the dispute request and AE immediately refunded, easy.

  • Seraphin7 on 16/01/2023 - 12:55
    +1

    I've only ever used AE for very small value items (less than $10 per order) so that if there's a problem I don't really care.

    That said, have given up on AE as too many things started disappearing.

  • Transient on 16/01/2023 - 13:31

    I bought an item from a seller on Ali with tracking. Item was tracked by AustPost. I nominated it to be picked up from my post office. It was lost by Aust Post somewhere between Chullora and my post office. I filed an enquiry with AP and they acknowledged by email that they lost it and can't find it. Get this: I asked them to change the tracking notification to lost but they said they can't do this. So it remained as awaiting collection from collection centre. Ali and seller wouldn't refund as it said awaiting collection and not lost. I sent them the emails from Aust Post and they still wouldn't change their mind.

    Aust Post were actually good and informed me that if the seller could not help then I could make a claim from AustPost under ACL even though I was the recipient. I didn't know that. I put in all the details to apply for a refund. Just as I was about to send it to AP, the AP tracker was updated and said it was awaiting collection at my post office. So full marks to AP for their speedy responses and allowing me to apply for a claim. Not so good for losing and failing to track my package in the first place.

    Applying for a full refund from AP might work for you. But YMMV.

    • andresampras on 16/01/2023 - 13:40

      so you got the item in the end?

      • Transient on 16/01/2023 - 13:40

        Yes, Aust Post found it again

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 15:06

      that is good advice thank you I will try

  • muzzamo on 16/01/2023 - 14:37
    +1

    One thing that I have noticed with aliexpress tracking is that it shows as "delivered" when it has simply been handed over to Australia Post for final-country delivery.

    I've noticed this on more than one occasion. It might be worth waiting another 2 weeks (as this is roughly the maximum australia post takes to deliver stuff) for your parcel to arrive.

    • blitz on 16/01/2023 - 17:01

      This has been my experience too - it can sometimes take a few weeks to arrive after the system says, "delivered". In one case it took about two months after the system said "delivered" for the item to actually arrive. In that case, I contacted the seller who responded with a sage, "please wait, it will definitely arrive", and lo and behold it did.

  • c64 on 16/01/2023 - 18:56

    the rare times i've had a problem, i've managed to get a refund, even without tracking.

    i'm about to find out how good aliexpress' refund process is because a tracked consolidated package with 30 orders has gone awol in australia post and buyer protection is about to end

    • Jakobson on 16/01/2023 - 22:48

      as long as tracking is undelivered I guess you will be ok

  • bobjane on 19/01/2023 - 04:52

    I've learned the hard way that Aliexpress is one of those "I've never had a problem…" until you do mobs.

    After hundreds of orders of which a small handful didn't arrive and I got refunds without problems, I've now had a $450 parcel go missing. NEXAU##########YQ parcels are sent via PF Logistics and Freightster, both of which are absolute shitshows. PFL says it's been passed to Freightster, Freightster says they never got it from PFL. Aliexpress auto closed my dispute instantly even though tracking has been stuck at "local delivery center" for a month and does NOT show delivered.

    In my experience Aliexpress will refund low value items but if your expensive purchase goes missing, you're in trouble.

    Paypal dispute is next, but then I'll almost certainly lose any possibility of recourse through Aliexpress. Also I don't like my chances of Paypal deciding against such a massive source of income as Aliexpress.

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