Products from China are very popular today. After all, only in China can you buy copies of the most famous brands, inexpensive appliances and unusual home accessories. However, now it’s not at all necessary to go to the Celestial Empire itself for purchases, it is enough to use the well-known online auction of Aliexpress. In this article, you will learn all about the largest trading platform in China, which is now available to all residents of Russia.
What is Aliexpress?
The online trading platform Aliexpress was established in 2009 on the basis of the Alibaba wholesale online store.
The working principle of Aliexpress is reminiscent of the well-known American auction Ebay, where thousands of profitable deals are made daily. "Aliexpress" gained its popularity in Russia after the interface of the site was completely translated into Russian. There is no analogue among the trading floors of China.
An online auction is not just a store with a specific set of products. At such a platform, various sellers sell their product range in various directions. In addition, sellers themselves regulate prices and decide when to arrange sales and how to carry out mailing. The trading platform in this case acts as an intermediary tool that helps the seller and the buyer meet to make safe and successful tracing.
The guarantee for the buyer is that the payment for the goods remains “hanging” in the system until the parcel is received. Only after confirming the quality and delivery time by the buyer, the money is transferred to the seller’s account. This scheme allows you to not only control your account, but also to discipline sellers who are required to monitor the quality of the goods. Making a refund on Aliexpress is also not difficult.
registration on the site
Before you start shopping at Aliexpress, you need to register in the system. To do this, you need to specify an e-mail, which will be the login for entering, and come up with a strong password.
After confirming the registration by e-mail, you need to fill in the basic data of the profile and specify the recipient address. In the Aliexpress personal account, you can specify several recipient addresses at once. This is true for organizers of joint purchases and for those who just travel often.
Fill in the delivery address as accurately as possible, because the seller is not responsible for this data. The address can be either translated into English, or simply written in transliteration, in Latin letters. The seller from China is interested in the country to which he sends the parcel, and all other data is written for the recipient's mail workers. For example, the Russian Federation is information for the seller, and Ufa, ulica Petrova, d.6 is for Russian Post. Be sure to include a contact phone number so that in case of delivery problems you can be contacted.
In December 2014, a new rule came into force that obliges citizens of the Russian Federation to indicate not only their last name and first name, but also their middle name. This is done for the accuracy and speed of delivery of parcels. In addition, finding a parcel with a full name will be much easier. If you didn’t indicate your middle name when registering for Aliexpress, send it by personal message to the seller after placing the order. Aliexpress sellers are aware of this rule and will be sure to enter the full name and address of the recipient.
Discounts, promotions and coupons
After registering on the trading platform, you can start online shopping. However, do not rush to buy the first thing you like. As a rule, the same product is available from different sellers.Accordingly, the price for it will also vary. In order to find the cheapest offer, you need to select the filter "Sort by price increase".
Sellers of online auctions regularly hold discounts and promotions that attract new buyers. Experienced shoppers of "Aliexpress" sometimes find goods with a 90% discount, which greatly saves the budget. In addition, when buying over $ 100, sellers often give their customers discount coupons for subsequent purchases in their stores. Such a discount system allows significant savings to wholesale buyers. However, it will not work to get a refund on Aliexpress for goods with a discount.
You can find out about all the advantageous offers on the main page of the site in the "Best Sellers" tab or by setting the "Sale" filter in the search. Offers about discounts and promotions also regularly come to the e-mail specified during registration on Aliexpress.
How to place an order for "Aliexpress"?
All products on the site are categorized, so finding what you want is very simple. However, it should be borne in mind that the Chinese sell copies of well-known brands under other names. Therefore, to search you need to use different variants of phrases and filter options.
For example, you need to buy a sundress for the summer. It should be borne in mind that when entering the words “summer sundress”, “beautiful sundress on the floor”, “maxi sundress” or “long sundress” the system will give out completely different goods. Therefore, do not despair if the first time you can’t find what you want. Try different ways to formulate the name of the desired product.
In order to buy a thing you like on Aliexpress, you need to select the desired color, size, quantity and click on the "Buy Now" button. After that, you will be asked to confirm and pay for the order.
Payment is made by credit card or any electronic currency (Qiwi Wallet, WebMoney). After payment and confirmation of the order by the seller, you need to wait for the order to be sent and get a track code for tracking the Aliexpress parcel. Cancellation, refund, dispute with the seller and many other functions also become available after the transaction.
Communication with the seller
To clarify the size or any other nuances of the product, you can contact the seller directly by clicking on the "Write a message to the seller" link near the product description.
You can conduct a dialogue with him in English. To do this, it is not necessary to own it perfectly, just use any online translator. As a rule, Aliexpress sellers themselves cannot boast of knowledge of English, but it is quite possible to understand the basic information from their answers.
If communication with the seller does not work out, or he does not respond to requests and messages, then it is better to refrain from placing an order. An honest seller will always make contact with the customer. But it so happens that the purpose of communication is a full refund with Aliexpress, and the seller does not respond to questions. In this case, you must contact technical support. Remember that a refund on "Aliexpress" is possible.
Cancellation Request
It happens that the goods are selected and paid for, but after a few days the client understands that he no longer needs the purchase, and he wants to refuse it. In this case, the function of cancellation of the order is provided, which is valid only if the seller has not yet sent the paid goods by mail. The purchase status can be tracked in your account in the "My Orders" tab.
When making a cancellation request, you must indicate a good reason for terminating the transaction. Sometimes there are sellers who are reluctant to return the money and persuade the buyer to cancel their request. In this case, you need to insist on your own or contact the technical support site. Administrators respond to customer emails within 12 hours and help resolve disputes at Aliexpress.Refunds for purchases are usually made within a few days after the cancellation of the order.
Parcel Tracking Methods
After sending the parcel, the seller must send the buyer a track code by which you can track the movement of goods to the specified address. In most cases, sellers use the China Post service, but there are exceptions in the form of private transport companies. In any case, along with the track code, a link is provided to track the mail. After the parcel is imported into the territory of the Russian Federation, the buyer can track it on the Russian Post website. This service is completely free.
However, if the purchased item is too cheap, then the seller may not give out a tracking code for tracking. To survive in this case is not worth it. For 2-3 dollars with free delivery, you do not need to expect a perfect service from the seller.
What to do if the package has not arrived?
Do not panic if the package does not arrive within one to two weeks, since such promptness is extremely rare. Sellers declare a delivery time of 30 to 50 days, so be patient. All this time, the buyer’s protection system will operate, allowing you to return your money in case the parcel has not arrived or its contents do not meet expectations.
Dispute with seller on Aliexpress
The dispute opens in several cases:
- The product was not delivered to the buyer.
- The product turned out to be defective or was deformed during transportation.
- The seller did not send the goods that the buyer ordered.
In the first case, the proof is a track code that does not show the delivery of goods to the destination. The remaining two points are more difficult to prove, but also possible. Experienced Aliexpress customers always recommend filming the process of receiving a parcel in the mail and opening it. Such a visual "alibi" will serve as the most important evidence of the condition of the "Aliexpress" parcel. A refund to the card can also be issued based on video and photography. In addition, you can always upload your review to the network so that other people can evaluate the purchase and, possibly, also purchase it from the same seller.
Can I get my money back?
If the buyer is right, the seller is obliged to compensate for the damage. After submission of evidence of marriage or non-conformity of the goods, the amount of damage shall be determined mutually. With the right approach, the buyer can return his money in full.
The terms for returning money to "Aliexpress" vary from 3 to 15 working days. This will depend on how the purchase was paid. For example, a refund to “Aliexpress” to a Sberbank card will take about a week. In this case, you will have to wait for the response of the bank manager and confirm the receipt of funds on the card. But managers of "Aliexpress" decide this question. Money back to Qiwi Wallet or WebMoney is much faster and takes no more than three business days.
Leave a review about the seller
After the transaction, each user of the system has the right to leave feedback on the work of the seller. It is commonly called feedback (from English feedback), and it should reflect the personal opinion of the buyer about the purchased product. Disputes about Aliexpress, money back, prompt delivery - all this can be written on the seller’s store page. Moreover, certain rules must be observed.
If the seller deceived the buyer and did not return the funds, then there is every reason to write a negative review, which will lower the store’s rating. But if the goods arrived quickly and there are no complaints against the seller, you can safely leave a positive review with a high rating. You should not put four stars out of five, if you personally did not fit the color of the blouse or delivery took about a month. Respect the work of the seller and help him develop his store on Aliexpress. The time for a refund does not depend on the seller, but on the payment system, so you should not remove the estimate if the funds were not returned to the account immediately.
