AliExpress is an online shopping marketplace owned by Alibaba, with sellers worldwide (many based in China) offering products across many categories.
What it’s used for
- Buying imported and local products.
- Tracking shipping and requesting refunds.
How it works (high level)
- You buy from a seller on the platform.
- Delivery can take longer (international shipping/customs).
- If something goes wrong, there’s typically an in-app dispute/refund flow.
Common issues
- Payment not approved: card limits, fraud checks, temporary issues.
- Tracking not updating: some shipping stages update slowly.
- Late delivery: customs, logistics delays, high volume.
- Site/app won’t load: outages, cache/cookies, network blocks.
Best practices
- Check seller reputation and delivery estimates.
- Avoid off-platform payments.
- Keep evidence (photos) if you need to open a dispute.