AliExpress is a popular online retail shop that is based in China and is owned by the e-commerce company, Alibaba. It was launched back in 2010 and was made to become an opportunity for small businesses in China and many other parts of the world.
This online retail shop is immensely popular among small businesses, especially in Russia, and is the 10th most popular and visited website in Brazil.
This platform facilitates small businesses to sell to consumers around the world.
AliExpress with time has made certain changes to the website like having information in English, Dutch, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Indonesian, and many other Russian Languages.
Sellers on this website can be either individuals or businesses. The concept of AliExpress is much different from Amazon because it is just an e-commerce platform and does not sell anything by itself.
From a consumer perspective, AliExpress is an affordable platform as compared to Amazon or any other website. AliExpress, which is one of the biggest online selling and purchasing platforms in the world, has an emphasis on computing as well.
This platform is considered safe among consumers as you would get much better rates than domestic.
You can shop for a wide range of products like men’s and women’s clothing, house decor items, children’s toys, hair tools and electronics, furniture, jewelry, cars, and even more.
You won’t be able to find any software, weapons, ebooks, and digital media.
Merchants on this online retail shop source most of their products from China, hence the reason why it is so affordable unlike Amazon or other retailers.
This sourcing keeps the cost of products quiet down and gives a chance to sellers to offer reasonable shipping on items.
What To Expect At AliExpress?
- It Is Affordable – whether you are shopping for clothes or any kitchen electronics, you’ll get to see low prices as compared to the physical stores.
- Payment And Address – while shopping on the other sites you have to add your payment method and shipping address while you are setting up your account.
With AliExpress you enter your details while placing an order and you save it for placing future orders.
- Locations – sometimes while entering your shipping details you don’t get the drop down menu for your address. You can enter your details manually to fix this missing location issue.
While going for an affordable shopping experience here, you might want to get some tips on it.
- The best thing about AliExpress is that it doesn’t accept Paypal, cheques or cash on delivery while placing orders for you. All the transactions are credit card based.
This is super helpful for everyone as in some parts of the world Paypal is not operational and makes it a lot easier for people to shop with credit cards.
- You might come across some fake sellers pretending to have branded products. Mostly this scenario happens with famous American brands.
This bootleg thing is not a problem if you are looking for a duplicate item or clothing. Researching a seller’s profile before buying anything is really important.
Always read the reviews as some products are really good and some are not.
- One of the downsides of shopping at AliExpress is that you don’t really get to track your order. Once you have placed an order, it can take more than a month to arrive.
You do not get a tracking code or link and the only way you can get it is by paying extra for fast delivery. While placing an order, the option of fast delivery can be selected.
AliExpress also has mobile apps for Android and iOS where you can easily manage your shopping. You get to experience the same results as the website on your AliExpress mobile app.
During these times of pandemic, not only shopping online is a huge part of everyone’s lives but is helpful as well. AliExpress has been a great source for people who want to start their small businesses.
Is AliExpress Unethical?
AliExpress is not unethical at all. It is a simple e-commerce website where you find multiple sellers with different kinds of products.
The seller information is always stated on the website. There is a complete product description available with each and every kind of product on the website.
You can always make sure whether the product is good or not by reading the review that has pictures of the product as well.
Not every seller, but there are some unethical sellers on the website who turn this platform into a quick money-making machine. This online retailer is totally fine to shop on but you need to watch out for the scammers.
Is AliExpress Legal?
Yes, AliExpress is very legal and safe for you to have your shopping spree on. If you have any questions in case of loss of your products during the delivery time, you can always contact AliExpress customer support for help.
Shopping from here is actually much safer than eBay due to the buyer protection program. AliExpress actually gives its buyers a guarantee that if the product is lost or not delivered according to their listing, the total amount of the product is refunded.
About the quality of the products, you see here, making any positive and solid claims would be a stretch. Since there are a lot of sellers on this e-commerce website, the quality differs from seller to seller.
You can always dive into the given seller’s feedback section and know what kind of experience people have had. One way to check is to see the number of the particular products that have been sold.
You can always check out the product pictures in the review section where people post how they have received the product and how it looks.
Overall whether you are looking to shop on a budget or start a business, AliExpress is the place where you should be visiting online.
