How they cheat on AliExpress and what to do about it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Lifehacker shares information about common methods of deception used by dishonest sellers on AliExpress, and tools that will help protect against fraudsters.

Rating boost

The rating of a store is the first thing a customer looks at. Read more about how it is calculated here. The bottom line is that the higher the rating, the higher the degree of trust in the seller. You are unlikely to buy an expensive phone from a retailer with 30 or 50 points. You will go to the one who has 4-5 crystals, or better - a couple of crowns.

Sellers want to build a rating quickly and earn the trust of their customers. To this end, some of them trade at first in any hundred-ruble little things, and when the rating rises, they sharply re-profile and start selling expensive electronics.

This is not prohibited by the rules. It seems to be even no deception. But, you see, the points earned in this way have a fake taste.

Hazard level: short.

What to do? Go to the store page, select "Products" → "View all products" → "Number of orders".

You will see what the store has been selling and is doing. Things that are sharply out of the current range are an indirect sign of a rating boost.

Substitution of goods on the lot page

Headlines on AliExpress are like charades. Will you notice if a couple of words change? This is also used by some sellers.

For example, there was a page selling watches with a genuine leather strap and Swarovski crystals. The product was in demand. Many people bought it and left grateful reviews. But the seller changed the description a little, changed a couple of photos - and now this is a watch with a leatherette strap and the most common beads.

In fact, the product is different, but the URL remains the same. This means that the product will be higher in the search results, and most importantly, it will have a lot of positive reviews. This can provoke a rash purchase.

Hazard level: short.

What to do? Go to the last testimonial page and read carefully what people have written. Pay attention to the nuances. If you notice a discrepancy between the review and the product description, abandon the purchase.

Browser extensions will help you quickly find a similar product.

With their help, you can find a product by the picture, and the former also simplifies the search for keywords.

"Typo" in the delivery address

Suppose you live on Stroiteley Street, house number 2. But the seller sends (if he sends) an order to the following address: Stroiteley Street, house number 222. The most shameless send polystyrene instead of real things. What for?

It's simple. The longer the package will wander through the post offices in search of the addressee, the better for the dishonest seller. The expectation that the buyer will not follow the timer on AliExpress and open a dispute. When the buyer's protection period expires, the deal is closed, the seller will receive the money.

Hazard level: average.

What to do? Follow the Buyer Protection Timeline. This can be done through notifications that come to regular customers by mail, or by looking at "My orders" on the site.

You can open a dispute on AliExpress no earlier than 5 days from the moment the seller confirms the dispatch and no later than 15 days from the closing date of the order.

Having started a dispute, do not agree to resend the goods. Only demand a full refund.

Extensions for tracking the location of the parcel also help to control the status of the goods. It is convenient with them, since you do not need to copy and paste tracking numbers back and forth.

Spoofing tracking numbers

Even cheap goods are now assigned a track number, but not all of them work. Sometimes for technical reasons, sometimes for the malicious intent of the seller.

The calculation is again on the inattention of the buyer. If you miss the protection period and do not open a dispute on time, the deal will be closed automatically and the seller will receive his unfairly earned.

If you have time to catch yourself, such a would-be salesperson may begin to put pressure on pity. “Please close the dispute, the goods are about to arrive,” he will cry. In no case should this be done. If the dispute is canceled, the money will go to the seller and nothing can be done. If the seller really sent the goods and there were delivery problems, he himself would have extended the protection period.

Hazard level: average.

What to do? Keep track of the buyer's protection period, ask the seller for a working track number and watch the movement of the parcel.

Change of shipping method and partial refund

This kind of deception can be encountered when purchasing goods with express delivery. Since the Russian Post does not differ in its careful handling of parcels, paid delivery is usually chosen when ordering expensive status items.

Let's say you bought a phone for $ 200. The fee for EMS or DHL was $ 50. And soon you receive a letter: “Dear customer, unfortunately, the express delivery service did not take the goods due to problems with customs. Don't worry, I'll send you your phone number by regular mail. Let me return the shipping money. Open a dispute and ask for a $ 50 refund."

Caring, right? In fact, such a message is a reason to be on your guard, and not to be touched by the cordiality of the seller. The trick is that by closing the dispute, you will get your fifty dollars back, but the phone may never come to you.

Hazard level: high.

What to do? Scrupulously check the seller's reliability. What's his rating? Are there any complaints about him?

Browser extensions will help out again. So, AliExpress Tools and AliExpress Seller Check warn about complaints when entering the page of this or that seller.

Alitools shopping assistant from BigData Technologies Ltd. The developer

Change in the value of goods after placing an order

In an article about discounts on AliExpress, Lifehacker said that you can negotiate a price reduction with some sellers. To do this, you need to register, but do not pay for the goods yet. The retailer will see it and change the price.

Unfortunately, there are also impudent people who change the price tag in their favor.

Hazard level: high.

What to do? Take a screenshot of the correspondence with the seller and report the dishonest seller via AliExpress support chat or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Don't like to haggle? Then just install a couple of extensions and get notifications about the price drop for the products you like.

Aliexpress Shopping Assistant chnprice

Also, do not be lazy to track price dynamics. This will help these two extensions, as well as the above-mentioned AliExpress Tools and AliExpress Seller Check.

Inconsistency of the item with the description

Products from China are sometimes so long-awaited that buyers give the seller five stars without testing the item. Everything has come, everything is whole - what else is needed? This is what the scammers are counting on.

You may get a product that does not meet the declared characteristics. For example, instead of a USB 3.0 stick, get only USB 2.0. At risk are goods whose properties are manifested only during operation: memory cards, hard drives, seeds, and so on.

Hazard level: high.

What to do? Take your time with feedback. Check if the item meets all the requirements stated when ordering. If you find flaws, open a dispute. Partial or full compensation may be received when an item is not as described. In the latter case, it will have to be sent back to the seller.

Be careful, save your money! And if you come across the described or other methods of deception on AliExpress, be sure to write about it in the comments.