10 life hacks for shopping on AliExpress

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

AliExpress is one of the largest Asian online stores. Users love it for its colossal assortment (from a tablet to a safety pin), free international delivery, a convenient Russian website and a solid application. If you shop frequently on AliExpress, add this article to your favorites. The recommendations collected in it will make your online shopping more enjoyable, profitable and safer.

Tip 1. Search in English

Most Chinese retailers are so bad with Russian that it's easier to use the English interface.

Alibaba Group, on the other hand, can put a solid four for the Russian-language version of AliExpress. There are, of course, headlines that cause a smile, such as "Tiny small ultralight comfortable pocket hand warm". You will not immediately understand that we are talking about a portable heating pad.:) But in general, Russian-speaking users feel quite comfortable on AliExpress.

However, as practice shows, it is faster and easier to search for the desired product in English. For example, if you type auto curler into the AliExpress search line, the store will immediately give you what you need.

If you write "curling iron for automatic hair curling", curling irons of all stripes will be displayed.

In addition, use the "View title in English" button. This way you will find out the correct name of the product, and it will be easier for you to find an overview on it (see tip 4).

Tip 2. Consider seasonality

When to order is as important as what.

On the one hand, AliExpress always has holiday sales. And during such price drops, you can save money. If you do not forget to put hearts under the goods you like and keep your wish list, then when the prices for the lots you are interested in are reduced during the sale, you will receive a notification in your mail.

Just like any online store, AliExpress has Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

On the other hand, on pre-holiday and public holidays, the gears of the postal services rotate even more slowly and with an even greater creak. Ordering New Year's gifts in mid-December is as naive as believing in Santa Claus. It is highly likely that you will receive them only by March 8th.

In early February, the Celestial Empire celebrates the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). Many companies, including transport companies, do not work. The processing and dispatch of orders is often delayed.

Moral: When deciding to order something in China, look at the calendar.

Tip 3. Study the sellers

Don't hit the Buy button when you see the delicious price tag. In order not to run into an unscrupulous seller, take a close look at the following indicators:

1. Assortment and date of store opening. If the seller has just registered and there are only a couple of products in his catalog, you should be wary. Perhaps he is a beginner, or perhaps a one-day runner.
2. The number of orders, that is, how many people have bought this particular product from this particular seller over the past six months. The bigger, the better.
3. Percentage of positive reviews. It is calculated by dividing the total number of ratings for six months for all lots in the store by the number of positive feedbacks (four and five stars) for the same period. When buying electronics and other expensive things, it is desirable that the seller has this indicator at least 96–98%.
4. Feedback from buyers. The more meaningful, the more truthful. Continuous five stars without written feedback or responses like "OK!", "Super!", "Excellent!" should be suspicious. Focus on detailed reviews, where the buyer tells how the product was packaged, how long he waited for it, what his impressions of the purchase were.
5. Seller rating. The higher, the more reliable. The rating is displayed in the form of numbers, medals, crystals and crowns. If the seller receives a rating of four or five stars, they will be awarded one point. If a customer rates a product and service with a C grade, the store's rating does not change. And if the client was not satisfied and gave two or one stars, one point is taken away from the seller. Thus, in order to earn one crystal, the seller must receive a minimum of 500 points.

Tip 4. Read reviews, see reviews

Before you buy something, be it a sweater or a phone, check out the reviews for this product. Where can I get them?

• … This is a sister site to AliExpress, where buyers can leave their detailed reviews on purchases, upload photos of things.
• YouTube. You don't even know how many unboxing videos and other reviews on products from AliExpress are there. If there is no review in Russian, then for sure there is in English (see tip 1).
• VKontakte and other social networks have many communities where people show off their purchases.

Thanks to reviews from other buyers, you can understand how the product looks in reality, and not in the photos of the seller, and whether you need it at all.

Tip 5. Ask questions

Many users only contact the seller when a dispute arises. And in vain. You can and should communicate with the seller. To do this, AliExpress provides several communication methods: email, messages on the product page, messages on the order page and chat through the TradeManager program.

Ask the seller if the product of the specification you need is in stock; ask to send real photos of the product if you have not found a review; check if it is possible to send the order by Singapore post (it is not as busy as the Chinese one); ask for a discount (yes, sometimes you can bargain on AliExpress) and so on and so forth. Ask any clarifying questions and remember that by leaving feedback, you can also evaluate the quality of communication with the seller.

Tip 6. Be mindful of deadlines

Namely, by the date of dispatch, delivery time and the term of protection of the goods.

If you need an item urgently, you will probably be looking for an item with a minimum delivery period. But do not forget to look at how many days the seller undertakes to send the goods. Some stores take 15–20 business days for this.

The seller sent the product, a track number appeared on the order page, you hammered it into 17TRACK, but - oh, horror! - neither this nor any other tracking system sees it. What to do?

Do not panic. This often happens when the value of the product is less than $ 10. In this case, sellers try to reduce logistics costs as much as possible and send parcels in the cheapest way.

Just follow the protection period of the goods by AliExpress. If it is running out and the order has not arrived yet, request an extension of the protection period. Conscientious sellers are happy to do this (they will also flood you with letters of apology and requests to be patient). Unscrupulous people usually do not answer, and then you can safely open a dispute.

Tip 7. Follow the rule "one order - one package"

Going to the post office for small packages is annoying. It's also good if there are several goods in the package at once … But is it good? Firstly, if the parcel contains not one, but several things, difficulties may arise at customs. Secondly, if the package is lost, then completely.

It is more rational to adhere to the principle "one order - one package".

According to the rules of the Russian Post, unregistered small packages should be delivered by postmen to mailboxes (if they fit).

Tip 8. Use cashback services and promotional codes

Do you pick up change at the store? Then it is quite logical to get cashback and use promotional codes. With the help of cashback services, you can return from 5 to 30% of the purchase price. At the same time, it's good for everyone: the store sold the goods, the cashback site earned on the affiliate program, you saved money.

Popular cashback platforms working with AliExpress: ePN, Letyshops, Kopikot and others.

In addition, AliExpress is actively promoting its mobile apps. By ordering through them, you can get a discount.

Tip 9. Shoot the unpacking of the order on video

When ordering an expensive item, be sure to remove the unpacking of the parcel on video. If the inside turns out to be not what you expected, or a defective product, you will have strong evidence to dispute and refund.

You can even shoot with your phone. The main thing is that in one shot, the video should clearly show your address, address and name of the sender, as well as the shortcomings of the goods.

Tip 10: Manage your reviews

Sellers on AliExpress value customer reviews (see tip 3). Leave feedback wisely. You should not put five stars just for the fact that the goods came in one piece. Test the thing, use it for a few days. Sometimes flaws do not come up immediately.

Remember also that you can edit your review within 30 days. For example, if, after a couple of weeks of operation, the product breaks down. To do this, go to your profile: "My orders" → "Manage reviews" → "Published reviews". When a shopper's experience changes from positive to negative, sellers usually seek to iron out the negative by sending an affected customer a gift or offering a discount on a new purchase.

Just remember that the review system on AliExpress is reciprocal. You, like sellers, also have a rating.

If you have any secrets on how to buy products on AliExpress, welcome to comment. We will be useful to each other!