Aliexpress to America – Should you do it

Everyone in America knows about Amazon.com,but have you heard of Aliexpress.com or Alibaba.com?It is a huge e commerce platform in China that caters to users all over the globe and is owned by Jack Ma.Whats so special about Aliexpress you may ask-For one it is very cheap and you can get bargains on clothing,toys,electronics and just about anything.

How does it differ from Alibaba.com

Alibaba.com is for wholesale buyers and Aliexpress is for retail consumers – just like Amazon.You can buy something worth a few dollars on Aliexpress and you will get it delivered-maybe even for free- as some sellers offer free delivery

How does it work

Aliexpress has thousands of merchant sellers that offer wide variety of consumer goods and each one has their own store on the site.It is neatly arranged and you can easily find what you’re looking for – kitchen gadgets,gardening tools and everything in between.OF course the only drawback is that it takes a wee bit longer to get to you since it is being shipped from overseas.you can expect most orders to reach you within a span of 2 weeks.
 

Scammers or safe?

Talking from experience,after ordering numerous items over a period of 5 years,i can tell you that it is extremely safe.I have always got my orders delivered.Only once was the order lost in transit,and i was refunded the order value promptly.
Even though it is a daunting task to check the millions of order being shipped everyday from Aliexpress,there is a fail safe mechanism in place that lets you assures you receive the order on time,and without any glitches.How is this ensured?A- A little something called “Alipay”.
Alipay is an escrow service that ensures buyer protection in case you do not get items you ordered,if it was damaged or if the wrong items were sent to you.What Alipay does is withhold the money securely and will only release the payment to the merchant seller after you have confirmed you received it without any problems.
If you do not get the items you ordered,you will receive a full refund and if in case you get a damaged/incorrect item you can also keep it and avail a 50% value of the refund amount.
 

Advantages of Aliexpress

1.Extensive range of products for each category of shopping at extremely low prices.I repeat CHEAP.No where on Amazon or any other e commerce platform will you get items so cheap,and een if you do,rest assured – its coming from a warehouse in China.
2.Quality of the products is good.I wont say exceptional,but they are export quality – this means its better than what the locals in that country use.Getting these “better” quality products at one fifth of the price of an Amazon store is too good to be true.

Disadvantages of Aliexpress

1.Biggest problem for us westerners is that we tend to be bigger built than our asian counterparts.Asians in general are of smaller stature and so most of the apparel tends to be a tight fit.A way to get around this is to choose 2 sizes larger.there have been many disappointed customers who just cannot get into the clothing they order from Aliexpress.this is the reason that this is my number one point.
2.Late and lost orders – since the shipments come from across the world,there are bound to be late orders and delays across the timelines.To add to the mayhem,many a times some orders are lost in transition,of course you get a refund for it,but waiting for 2 weeks and then getting to know you wont be receiving your order-which you had been anxiously waiting for- can be a bummer.
Its worthy to note that orders that are use free delivery usually take longer-even upto a month,compared to Fedex or DHL etc that are paid services get you your order within a weeks time.