There is always a risk of shopping online. You may run into unscrupulous sellers who sell cheap but worthless junk. A lot of people have been cheated or have received worthless products. For dropshippers running a business through AliExpress, those unscrupulous sellers are like thorns affiliating you and your customers, or worse ruining your business. The best way for you to stay safe is to get prepared and learn how to avoid such sellers.

Before you shop from AliExpress, you should do more research about the sellers, such as supplier profile, reviews, ratings, etc. This will prevent you from being scammed by deceived sellers.

What is AliExpress?

AliExpress is a distribution division launched by Alibaba in 2010. It is known for providing a bunch of low-priced products with good quality. It has gained popularity very quickly and became one of the largest eCommerce retailers in the world in 2016.

AliExpress is an online retail marketplace based in China. It does not own products itself but working as a huge production-exhibiting website where online independent small sellers and factories in China can post their products for sale.

In brief, AliExpress is a marketplace where Chinese small sellers and factories can sell products directly to customers.

How AliExpress Works?

AliExpress can be compared to eBay and Amazon, meaning that AliExpress is a storage platform. As mentioned earlier, it doesn’t sell products but provides a list of categories of products in all niches. It helps sellers in China to sell and ship goods to customers worldwide.

It is a middle man between buyers and sellers, speeding up the match and promoting a deal. Given those products are not owned by themselves, the quality can vary from one and another and customers cannot have private label products. It is bad news for some dropshippers.

It sets no minimum order thresholds, meaning that you can order single-unit quantities of whatever you like. The most outstanding feature is that AliExpress provides products in all aspects with significantly lower prices than any other retailer in the globe. No wonder that numerous dropshippers and dropshipping platforms have cooperated with AliExpress to have thicker profit margins.

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Is AliExpress Safe?

On AliExpress, you cannot request a free sample to test the product quality. Some unscrupulous sellers may take advantage of it and sell low-quality products with fake delicate pictures.

In making it safe, AliExpress has developed its buyer protection program, which makes it safe to shop on AliExpress like shopping with other marketplaces. You can contact its support team if any issue occurs. Here’s how they help keep customers safe:

1. The support team is effective in keeping the buyers safe. Once you deal directly with AliExpress, you will stay protected.
2. If products are ineffective or delivered late, you can reach out to the support team. The seller will be contacted and will be notified regarding the situation.
3. If the seller isn’t willing to solve the situation, you can open a dispute with AliExpress.
4. Once you open a dispute, the seller will be contacted in the case. If the dispute is resolved on your side, you get a full refund for your purchase. 
5. You will get your money back within 15 days.

You can visit its website to check more conditions and see whether they apply to your situation. Even though there may be some back and forth before a final resolution, buyers are safely protected throughout the process.

How to Avoid Scams?

1. Stay Away from Products with Extremely Low Price

If the price is too low, it’s impossible to make a profit. If you find unbelievable low prices compared to other sellers, you may be about to buy a fake, worthless product or a certain trick. Scammers often attract customers with unbelievable low prices, preying buyers who are blindly pursuing after low costs. Watch out for those potential scammers.

Chinese sellers on AliExpress often compete on product price fiercely with each other, but there is a bottom line. AliExpress is a place where you can get good-quality products at relatively low prices. Sorting by price, you can see the average price of the product. Overall, very few suppliers can sell below the average.

2. Buy from Reputable Sellers

You should select the supplier carefully by checking their reliability and looking at the sellers’ feedback ratings to determine their reputation. There is a key aspect: the products are correct with the description. You can click in the store selling the products you want. Then you will see the detailed ratings, feedback history, and other detailed information. The statistics are trustworthy because they are recorded throughout the seller’s business.

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3. Contact the Sellers Before Placing an Order

After selecting a reliable seller, you can reach out to them for their guarantees. You can contact the buyers before you place an order from the store. You ask them for more detailed information about the products, shipping method, delivery time to make double-check its profession. Furthermore, you can ask them about guarantee policies in terms of on-time delivery, money-back guarantee, and domestic returns.

4. Make Payment Through AliExpress

In doing this, the merchant will not have your credit card information, your personal information can be protected. Besides, the seller will not receive the money until you confirm receipt of the product. In this case, if there is something wrong with the products or delivery, you can easily request a refund right from the platform.

5. Check Products Carefully when Receiving Them

Never rush to confirm delivery before you receive them. Even if the products do arrive, you need not hurry either. The most important thing you need to do is check the parcel first to see whether it is damaged or not and take photos as proof if necessary. Then, unpacking the parcel to inspect the products for problems and take photos when necessary.

6. Don’t Buy Branded Products

Branded products are often protected. AliExpress is known for its appealing prices, but don’t expect well-known products can be sold at extremely low prices. Most of the branded products can be counterfeit, which will be confiscated. Worse, if you buy them in bulk and sell them as genuine products, you can be in big trouble.

Conclusion

There is always a risk in shopping online. Even though using a popular and famous marketplace, like AliExpress, you still have to be cautious about what you will encounter and get prepared for challenges. Buying products should be careful but even mention running dropshipping through AliExpress. But there is always a way to avoid the risks.