Aliexpress india review

   

Aliexpress india review – This Aliexpress India review is done through my personal shopping experience  after i bought a product from Ali express to India. After dabbling in imports for a short time, i was introduced to a website called Alibaba.com. I soon found out that the best deals from Alibaba.com would require a substantial amount of products to be imported, hence i turned my focus to Aliexpress.com which is specifically setup for consumers rather than importers.

Read – Customs duty import duty rates in India after GST

In India, big brand electronics majors like Micromax, Lava and Beyond that retail smartphones probably all source from the manufacturers on Aliexpress and it its not uncommon to find your favorite smartphone being showcased on Aliexpress without the brand signature. For all you guys who want to buy smartphones and other electronic gadgets directly from China via Aliexpress, read about my review and then decide.

After visiting dozens of profiles of sellers, i managed to zero in on a particular one as they were offering the lowest rates.Of course i had to bargain a bit, but that is common practice here.I was a little skeptical as this was my first time, and i had heard of  all the people who had got conned after buying online from chinese people.

aliexpress india review

 

Above is the actual product as it came couriered via Fedex. Along with it is the customs duty bill.

 ++++See the best Courier companies from China

What is buyer protection?

One of the best things about Aliexpress is the Buyer Protection that they have which safeguards the buyer against fraud. This is an Escrow service that uses Alipay.com to hold the funds in transit. One you receive the goods and if its not broken or damaged you can tell the escrow service that its ok to pay the seller, only then will the funds be transferred to the seller.

The first time i did a deal from Aliexpress, however i did not use this service and i wanted to use my credit card. Many sellers here did not want a credit card transaction and only wanted a bank transfer TT. I was against TT, so i paid a bit more and used my card. since i did not take buyer protection that time, i was  scared, but thankfully it turned out ok.

Delivery came in a bout 6 days with a customs bill which i had to pay on the spot. I had already paid for the product and for that particular model, the shipping was not  free. Remember this, the shipping maybe free for some items, but the customs duty and charges will definitely not be, even if the basic duty is free.

Look at it this way, there is NO WAY that you can buy anything outside the country without paying a certain duty and tax on it.If you think this Aliexpress india review was useful, you can go through other posts regarding customs duty, shipping and much more.

Below are some frequently asked questions i receive :

Can we pay cash on delivery COD in India for Aliexpress?

aliexpress india cash on delivery

 

 

 

 

Aliexpress india cash on delivery – Above are the modes of payment for buying anything from aliexpress. Currently there is no cash on delivery to India. The reason being is Alipay keeps our money secured till you receive your parcel, as safety for us customers and gives it to the seller after we get the parcel.

If you do not get the parcel, you can complain and you will be refunded the money.This process will not work if we paid in cash on delivery, think about it. If the seller loses the parcel in transit -{happens often} the seller loses money. This system works best as neither the customer loses nor seller.

How can you know if the seller is trustworthy?

There are a few way to know how genuine the seller is. Aliexpress also has its own Alipay escrow service that acts as a buffer and is “almost” full proof.But more on that later.

 

 

 

When you search your product this is the first indicator at the right side of the screen. Common sense tells you that you should buy a product that has high number of feedback reviews and high number of orders.

Aliexpress india review

 

 

 

Next you will click on the store name or seller name and check its history. s seen from the above picture, its been open for business on Aliexpress since 7 years and also has a high positive feedback.

How long will my parcel take and can i track it?

Most parcels can be expected in 32-60 days depending on factors like season rush, but there is  slight problem when you choose free delivery by China/Hong Kong Post.

Aliexpress india review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For small parcels the ordinary small packet plus service is very unreliable and it stops tracking randomly.This can be very confusing and scary, because you are not sure where your parcel has reached and how long it will take to come.

Even if you go to the China Post direct website and type in the tracking code it doesn’t show any new updates after it has left China. Sometimes it shows arrived in destination country, but internal tracking cannot be seen.

Have u ever paid for a product and not received it?

When i was new to the game i didn’t receive a product twice. Once i got refunded after messaging and arguing with the customer support and the second time i received  a refund directly form the seller in Paypal. My mistake? i didn’t focus on the “BUYER PROTECTION”

Aliexpress india review

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a feature by Aliexpress that holds your money safely till you get the product and when you do, you click on received product and then the seller gets paid.Even if you do not click on Confirmation received and your buyer protection ends {confirmation timeout}, the seller gets paid. Now , if your parcel is stuck in transit, you have an option to ask the seller to extend the Buyer Protection.

Remember that “If your Buyer Protection Ends” and you haven’t received your product,{and assuming its lost in transit} your seller will get paid and you will get nothing! Keep this in mind. In this case what you have to do is open a dispute before the protection period ends and ask for a refund.

This is a negative point for the seller as it hurts their trust rating and they will say anything to you so as to convince you to not open a dispute, but even after extending the period once if you haven’t got your parcel, and it is over 2 months, its better to go ahead with the refund.

Do i have to pay custom duty charges for my parcel?

This is the most asked question i have received and i dont have time to answer so may comments {sorry} so ill explain it here.

If you have a large parcel it can be imported free of duty if the value is up to Rs.10,000. This needs to marked as a gift or a sample.This is extended to 1 lac for someone having IEC.

If it is a small parcel and is intended for personal use, then it needs to be within the limit of Rs.2000 so that duty is not levied.

For more details read the government customs rules here

Hope this answer all queries about this Aliexpress india review, comment below if you need more answers.

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