Imagine: you have chosen some item on Aliexpress. You liked the seller who answered all your questions and his rating. But the reviews for this product are not clear: on the one hand, they are all positive.
But some are faceless and dry, limited only to standard words. Doubt creeps in: perhaps the owner of this store bought them or obtained them fraudulently?
What to do? Should you trust such a seller?
Oh, if only it were possible to write to people who have already received such a product and get answers to their questions! – you dreamed.
And not in vain!
There is such an opportunity, and you will learn about it from this article.
How to write to a buyer on Aliexpress?
Unfortunately, there is no such option on this portal. But don’t despair and rush to brand us as deceiving talkers. There is one little-known way.
When a new buyer registers on Aliexpress, he automatically receives a personal profile on alibaba.com.
On this Internet portal such an opportunity exists: in your profile there is a personal Message Center, with the help of which you have the opportunity to write to the buyer even in your native language.
One thing: for this to be possible, you must log in directly to Alibaba.com.
Buyer ID address
In order to be able to write to another buyer on alibaba.com, we need to know his ID address. There's nothing complicated about it.
We communicate with the buyer.
In order to write a letter to the person of your choice, paste the link below into the browser line:
message.alibaba.com/msgsend/contact.htm?action=contact_action&domain=4&id=xxxxxxxxx
replace xxxxxxxxx with the copied numbers (user id).
The message center alibaba page will open.
Please note that in the “From” item you will see your Email. Don’t worry about this: in the letter that your addressee receives, your Nickname will be indicated instead.
Conclusion.
Don’t be afraid to communicate with both the seller and his satisfied and dissatisfied customers to be sure that the product is worth its price and your attention.
Enjoy the shopping!
To protect buyers, Aliexpress has transaction protection and a full refund guarantee, but scammers still manage to deceive buyers and sometimes even experienced buyers.
It’s clear that no one wants to become a victim of a scammer (a sucker), so in this article we will tell you how to protect yourself from fraud and prevent yourself from being scammed on Aliexpress.
There are not many divorce schemes and we will consider in detail how you can be defrauded:
1. One of the first methods of fraud that appeared on Aliexpress is when the seller offers a good discount to the buyer or a bonus if the buyer pays for the goods directly to the seller to his PayPal account, to a card, or may offer some other payment option bypassing the standard procedure for paying for goods on Aliexpress. .
This usually happens after paying for the goods on the Ali Express website, the seller may write to you and offer to cancel the order and pay directly, or will try to sell you something to bypass Ali. Just don’t be fooled by such offers and it’s better to immediately complain to such a seller.
2. The seller, before sending the goods, may write to you that supposedly you may need to pay additional taxes, customs duties, or that there may even be some risks at customs, and before sending the goods you must confirm that you have been notified about this and say whether to send the goods or not.
Also, in order to avoid alleged problems at customs, the seller may offer to indicate in the declaration a price 2-3 times lower than the cost of the goods. Further, if you did not agree, the Chinese (huckster) will try to convince you, and if you agreed, he will then ask you to “pay extra” for supposedly some taxes or customs duties, or in extreme cases, he may say that customs or border guards confiscated the goods because that the price of the goods was very low.
Here is a real example of such a message from a seller on Aliexpress when purchasing a device for tuning satellite system for $84.95 ($64.95 per item and $20 for shipping via Swiss Post):
My friend
thank you for your order to yojia,
1.we will declare invoice:1pc digital meter,USD33.5.is it ok?
2.pls confirm will you pay tax if it is necessary?
3.pls confirm will you take risk from customs
goods will send out within 2days
waiting for your reply
best regards
Chris
If anyone doesn’t know English, you can translate using Google translator or on the website online translator translate.ru
3. This is probably the most cunning way to cheat the buyer, the seller sells the goods at a very low price and with free delivery by courier mail service DHL, FedEx, EMS, TNT... Then, after paying for the goods, the seller writes you a message that he stuck up, missed, wildly apologizes for that I accidentally sent the goods by regular mail. And he immediately offers you a refund for delivery, usually 20-30% of the cost of the goods.
And for this, he invites you to confirm receipt of the goods (mark the goods as received) and open a dispute (dispute), write about the return of XX bucks for “slow” delivery. The buyer happily opens a dispute (dispute), the seller returns the money for delivery. Well, actually, according to Aliexpress rules, after receiving the goods you can only demand a partial refund and, in fact, the seller has already returned something to you for delivery and you can forget about your goods and your money.
In general, on Ali you can open a dispute for each order only 1 time; if you opened and closed it for some reason, then it’s too late to complain about anything.
Here is a real example of such a misleading letter from a seller on Aliexpress, a couple of days after paying for the order (when purchasing a Minix NEO X7 phone for $127 and of course with free DHL shipping):
The shipping agency told us that the order has been processed and sent out for you. And you can trace it in a few days due to China customs are very busy during the last quarter of every year.(The system notices there are very bad logistic jams caused by seasonal rush, all information will be delayed by ten days or more. sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.)
Important information you should know, many shipments, especially the Trade Marked Items have got detained by China Customs these days according to latest Customs report data, so this parcel has to be shipped by post instead of dhl to avoid any detainment by Customs. Meanwhile it will cause slow delivery for this shipment, approximately the order will come to you in 3 or 4 weeks later, we will partially refund you for the shipping fee balance for the slow delivery.
Now you can open a dispute and ask for the shipping charge balance, fill in the amount to 55 as the reimbursement for the slow delivery, (you can find a dispute button and click it to open a dispute now, or may be in a few days later if you can"t find this button now.)We will accept it then you can get the money back immediately.
Thanks for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Please feel free to let me know if you have question.
Best regards.
Following this letter, another one arrived:
For the shipping charge balance refund of 55 usd, please find the dispute button of this order on your page, find it and click it, then you might have two questions to answer.
The first one is: Did you receive you goods? (Choose YES,if you choose NO,then the system stops you to continue)
The second one is: what is your solution? then you just need to fill in: refund the shipping charge balance caused by different slow delivery method.
please feel free to let me know if there is anything else i can do for you.
I think the diagram is clear, if anyone is weak in English, you can translate via translate.ru
4. This is also a good way how scammers on Aliexpress can deceive you. The seller sets a fast delivery time, for example 10 days by EMS, then after you have paid for the goods, he writes to you that he accidentally sent the goods by regular mail or does not write anything at all.
The calculation is made on the fact that you plug (miss) and after, for example, 10 days, the transaction will automatically close and receipt of the goods will be automatically confirmed, after which the seller will immediately receive the money and it will be difficult to get anything out. And if you write to the seller, he may answer that you need to wait and wait some more, and when the deal is closed, then the seller doesn’t give a damn about you, he’s already received his money by this time)
5. A simple way to get scammed on your bank card on Aliexpress, or rather to rob your bank account. After paying for the goods, the seller writes that the goods have become cheaper or that he accidentally sent the goods by the wrong mail and wants to compensate you for the difference in monetary terms. To do this, the seller asks you to provide your credit card information, number, name, expiration date and CVV2 code (Security Code) to back side cards (everything that you entered when paying for goods with a card).
It also happens that you paid for the goods, and the seller’s store temporarily froze Aliexpress for fraud or for some other reason, the seller starts writing to you and, under the pretext of closing the store or something else, offers to return your money for the product in full and asks you to provide information your Visa/MasterCard card.
Here is an example of a scam letter from a Chinese swindler who traded on Aliexpress:
Hello, friends, because we store freeze, we need refund your money, please send your credit card number, we wait for the refund to you, thank you.
In order to accurately refund your money, please send the correct credit card
(Credit Card Type:
(credit card number:
(Cardholder Name:
(Expiration Date:
(Security Code:
send it to us, we will refund to your credit card within one day!
Well, of course, if you tell the seller your card details, he will not deceive you, but will simply clean out your pockets “in one day”, that is, in 1 day... If anyone is weak in English, you can translate through any online translator.
6. It is quite normal when, when buying a product for up to 10 bucks, the seller gives a left track or a non-working track number by which the parcel is not tracked (often such numbers consist only of numbers, perhaps this is the number of the postal invoice) This does not mean that they want to scam you, often the parcel is all it does arrive, usually sending a package without a track allows you to save on delivery and reduce the price of the product.
There is another interesting scam: after paying for the goods, the seller gives an unusual tracking number and a link to a fake (dummy) site where your parcel will be perfectly tracked. The expectation is to wait for the transaction protection to automatically close, the seller gets his money, and you receive nothing, i.e. neither goods nor money.
If the seller gave you a link to some non-standard site for tracking a parcel by tracking number, then Google such a site, if there are no comments, topics on forums and other information about such a site, then this is most likely a fake site and they want you throw. In any case, 2-3 days before the end of the transaction protection, be sure to open a dispute and do not close it until you receive your product or until you get back all the money you spent.
7.
More arrogant sellers may, after paying for the goods, write that the payment has not arrived or the goods have not been paid for and ask to send them the loot to a card or PayPal account. And this, by the way, despite the fact that in the My orders section it will be written that the goods have been paid for.
Here is an example of a scam letter from a scammer seller:
Dear friend:
Thank you for your order.
But it seems that the order is still unpaid.
Could you please pay the money for the order?
Or Aliexpress will close the order for you.
If you want to pay by paypal.
You can directly send the money to my paypal account: [email protected]
and leave a message like this: "Order ***** from sunny’s store"
We will send the item to you upon we received your payment.
Best Regards
Sunny)
It seems like a primitive method, but there are suckers for this too.. If anyone doesn’t know English well, you can use Google translator.
8. This is probably a banal method, the seller writes one thing in the product description, another in the photos, and you receive something else in the package, either defective, counterfeit, non-working or of poor quality, or something missing from the package. To avoid getting into this situation, carefully study the product description and photos, read product reviews and pay attention to the seller’s rating.
9. There is also a scam for buying goods at exorbitant prices. The essence of the scam is that first the seller sells you a coupon for a large discount or even a cash coupon that is valid only for the goods of this seller (in his store on Aliexpress). Then, after you stock up (buy the goods), the seller will send you a message that the coupon is not valid and will try to push the price of the product as high as possible, he may give you a new coupon not for 50%, but for 15% or even less.
Of course, there will be a large markup on the goods, which will allow you to make some discounts, and if you fall for this scam, you will still end up buying the goods at a higher price than from other sellers on Ali Express. You can get such a shitty Coupon in two ways, it can be in the product description, or if you bought something from this seller, he can send you a personal message, although in very rare cases you can find such a coupon in foreign English. forums or on sites with discounts and coupons..
10. The most interesting thing is that the seller can cheat you, even returning the money to you. Let’s say you opened a dispute or confirmed receipt of an order on Aliexpress and left a bad review about the seller, then the seller will offer to resolve the issue with a full or partial refund of the money, or simply may offer a discount on their shitty goods. If a dispute is open, then it is best to make a full or partial refund through Aliexpress, but if you have confirmed receipt of the goods, then you will no longer be able to open a dispute and here you need to negotiate with the seller about the methods and methods of returning or compensating the money.
There is often an offer to return your money to your PayPal account (PP/Palk). Of course, the seller will urge you to close the dispute or correct the review before you receive the money, that is, before they supposedly send you the money. The nuance is that if you close the dispute, you will no longer be able to open it, and if you correct the review, you will no longer be able to correct it, and if you did not receive money before closing the dispute or changing the review about the seller, then you can forget about the mountains of gold that the cunning Chinese promised you.
The deception most often consists of the fact that it is proposed to transfer money to PayPal (from the CIS countries this option is only available for residents of the Russian Federation), even if the seller transfers you money to PP, then you need to look VERY carefully at the DETAILS of the payment/transfer of funds, if this just a transfer, everything is fine, if it is payment for goods or services or some kind of prepayment, then the Chinese will open a dispute/dispute on PayPal with one click and the stick will not figure out who owes what to whom and will return the money to the Chinese, and by that time you will be glad that the loot has arrived, you can write good review or close a dispute on Aliexpress..
According to Aliexpress rules, it is prohibited to encourage or bribe buyers for a good review (details here: http://help.aliexpress.com/feedback_policy_report_feedback_abuse.html), so as a last resort, you can complain and promote the seller for a full refund of the money in order to hush up the dispute. .
11. If the package has not arrived or a bullshit product has arrived, you need to return part or all of your money. To do this, a dispute is opened on Adiexpress and the issue is resolved, but even here a cunning Chinese can cheat you out of your hard-earned money. It often happens that when opening a dispute (dispute) on Aliexpress, the seller asks you to accept his terms of the dispute, you can Accept them, Modify them, or convert the dispute into a claim, i.e. escalate the dispute.
If you click Accept, the dispute will automatically close on the last proposed conditions and you will not be able to open a dispute again, and you can say goodbye to the money and the goods. Well, this is an insidious method, most often, simply under any pretext, the seller promises mountains of gold and asks to close the dispute. The seller will also be able to lure out your credit card information in order to allegedly send money (most likely they will also rob your card), then they will definitely ask about PayPal, and then, under any pretext, they will not send you money anywhere.
12. Many people probably don’t realize, but on Aliexpress they can also sell used or refurbished (repaired goods after repair). Since not everyone knows English perfectly and they don’t always read the description, I recommend paying attention to the words in the title or description “refubished” or “refurbished” (restored, that is, after repair and most likely used), “used” ( used), "without retail box" (without branded packaging).
Usually such goods cost an order of magnitude cheaper or are sold at a good discount, so if you are not a fan of consumer goods, it is better not to buy this, because if the Chinese have poor quality anyway, imagine if it is a refurbished or used Chinese item.. Actually the method is designed for suckers and those who like to save big, in the end the seller will make money on you, and you will be left a fool, often such junk can cost only 2-3 bucks cheaper than a similar new product..
13. Well, probably another popular method of scam in the Aliexpress online store is when the seller sets a very low price for the product or much lower than that of competitors, but only offers delivery for a fee and of course for an exorbitant price, hoping that the buyer will not notice the high price for delivery and pay without looking (this really happens often).
The catch is that the buyer sees an unrealistically low price, for example cool phone price 0.01$, after seeing a freebie, an inattentive buyer usually immediately clicks on the buy button and does not pay attention to the fact that delivery of this product costs, for example, 200-300$.
I think it’s not difficult to guess how much money such a cunning Chinese seller will earn from you, considering that few people know how to open a dispute and return money to Aliexpress. (by the way, sometimes a 75% or even 99% discount may be written next to the product and the promotion ends in a couple of hours or a couple of minutes, which worsens the vigilance of a greedy buyer).
14. There is also an unusual way of cheating on Aliexpress, essentially it is cheating the seller’s rating and at the same time throwing money away (in the worst case). This method of fraud is as simple as boots, very popular (I’ve encountered it myself twice) and not only beginners, but real scammers and deceiving sellers on Aliexpress can get scammed.
The seller essentially inflates his rating on Aliexpress, sets a very low price for the product and simply does not send the order, then in the BEST case, the seller will ask to open a dispute (when the order protection time ends) or waits for the buyer to open a dispute and return the money, and then asks to leave a good review (writes messages that are displayed in the order information).
Well, in the WORST case, the expectation is that you will miss the buyer protection time, the order protection time will end, the order will be closed, you will not be able to open a dispute and will be left without money and without goods, but the Chinese seller will be left with the goods and your hard-earned money money.
16. Many people have probably seen that on Aliexpress, immediately after placing an order, a snapshot (screenshot) of the page with the product is automatically created, so that the seller does not change the description there and does not send any wrong product (expectation and reality). So, sellers somehow get around this obstacle, but basically you can cheat like this if the product has options (size, color, capacity, model, etc.), which the seller can cunningly “replace” in the order snapshot.
Let’s say you bought a 5000mAh battery, and they send you a 2000mAh capacity and who the hell can you prove in a dispute (the snapshot will contain completely different information), or, for example, you order a case for an iPhone 5, and they send it for an iPhone 6. And another nuance, there was such a catch noticed not on text options (where it is clearly written in text what you choose), but on options with a picture (icon) where there are no inscriptions and when you hover the mouse, a pop-up information about what you are buying (tooltip) is shown, it is this tooltip that the seller changes in the snapshot. Perhaps sellers can replace other parameters and even the description, it is possible.
The only way to protect yourself from this is by taking a screenshot yourself, where you can see where each option is and what it does.
17. And probably the most old way fraud on Aliexpress is when the parcel is not there for a long time, the order protection ends and the seller asks not to open a dispute and wait for the parcel under any pretext, and in the meantime, while the buyer is waiting, he does not extend the order protection (if the seller actually sent the parcel, then he tries to extend the period order protection so that you can receive it before the end of buyer protection).
The most interesting thing is that even when the order protection has ended, the seller still asks to wait for the parcel, since the buyer has another +15 days to open a dispute (after the transaction is closed, i.e. after the order protection ends, +15 days are given to open a dispute)
As a result, the gullible buyer is left without money and without goods. But this method is more designed for newbie buyers, whom sellers calculate by “rating”, i.e. if they see that you are “new” on Aliexpress, then the Chinese can use this scheme against you.
18. More recently, a new scheme of deception on the part of sellers has appeared on Aliexpress, in which the parcel is sent to the wrong address and with a working track. The buyer buys one or more goods from the seller, the goods do not arrive, the buyer opens a dispute, then the dispute escalates and arbitration, i.e. the Aliexpress administration closes the dispute in favor of the seller, due to the fact that the seller allegedly provided documents from the post office stating that the package was supposedly sent and the buyer successfully received (picked up) the parcel at the post office.
As you already understood, the track given is real (working), but wrong (the parcel may arrive somewhere along the track, but not to you), and the postal documents are fake (fake). Also, due to the frequent opening of disputes, your account on Aliexpress may be banned and if some parcels do not reach you, you will no longer be able to open a dispute for all remaining orders.
19. I don’t even know what to call this scam on the part of Aliexpress, the scheme involves opening disputes and automatically blocking accounts on Aliexpress forever. Usually, after 3-5 disputes, the buyer’s account is blocked, especially if these are disputes due to non-delivery of the package (due to non-receipt of the goods).
In this case, the account is blocked completely and if there are still parcels on the way or not sent, then nothing can be done, i.e. if some of the parcels do not arrive, then you will not be able to open a dispute, but those. support suggests registering a new account.
20.
After opening a dispute, the seller offers to resend the goods, but for this he requires making a new order for $0.01, and offers to close the current order. Then, while you are waiting for the parcel, the old order is completely closed, order protection or insurance ends there + 15 days to open a dispute. And as you already guessed, no one will return the money for the old order, but for the new “resent” order, the seller will return $0.01
This is the plan the seller writes (a real case):
"We will resend you 1 pcs. In order to help you tracking the new order, Now you can make a new order with 1 pcs again, When the system prompts you to pay, And please don"t pay for it, Then tell me your new order number, I will change order price to $ 0.01, When you pay $0.01, we will give you resend 1 pcs, then you will be able to track the new order, okay？ Jim NiceHCK"
21. The seller sets a cheap price for the product, say 1$-20$, and sets the price for delivery for example 10-50$ and in total the product including delivery is cheaper than other sellers, then the product does not arrive, the buyer opens a dispute and the buyer gets a penny back. This is the price of an undelivered product, and nothing is returned for paid delivery, since according to Aliexpress rules, delivery costs are NEVER reimbursed through a dispute.
In this case, the seller may add something to the parcel, inflate the estimated value of the goods (so that you get caught at customs clearance and refuse the goods, and in this case the goods will be returned to China), or the seller will specifically sell such goods that your customs will not allow countries!
22. Scheme of deception with repair and return of goods Lately very popular. Let’s say a product is not working or defective, or the product is broken X days or X months after purchase (often when order protection has already ended), the buyer usually contacts the seller, who in turn promises to repair or replace the product and asks to send the product back to China .
If order protection is still in effect, the seller, under any pretext, will ask you to confirm receipt of the order and ask you to send the goods to China without opening a dispute on Aliexpress. Next, the seller turns on the frost, pretends to be a hose, and in general the buyer is left without goods and without money.
23. Sending an empty parcel is when the parcel contains sand, stones, asphalt or some kind of debris. If you open a dispute and try to return the money, then in 99% of cases the arbitration and moderators (mediators) of Aliexpress take the seller’s side, even if the weight of the parcel and the weight of the goods do not match. Sometimes postmen replace the parcel and steal the goods (directly at the post office, from a warehouse or sorting center), so it’s difficult to be sure that this seller is 100% a scammer. In such cases, you need to refuse the parcel directly at the post office so that it is returned back to the seller, and in a dispute simply indicate that the parcel did not arrive.
24. Probably the most popular scam on Aliexpress is when the package has not arrived and the seller asks not to open a dispute or close the dispute and wait a couple more days, then another couple of days and then the buyer can no longer open a dispute, since the order protection has ended and the reserve +15 days have run out which are given to open a dispute after the end of order protection (the cunning Chinese are counting on this). As a result, the buyer is left without money and without goods, and the seller ignores all messages from the buyer and turns on the freeze (technical support in such cases simply shrugs and the money cannot be returned).
25. To begin with, the seller has a defective product. It doesn't matter how he got it. The seller significantly reduces the price of the product. 30-50 percent. The buyer orders a product, the seller sends an obviously defective product. If upon receipt the buyer does not open a dispute, then the seller is already a winner. And if it opens, then this is where the game begins.
The seller, after selling the defect, raises the price of this product in his store. When opening a dispute for a return, the seller offers to cancel the dispute, and he will give a discount in the store. If the buyer cancels the dispute, the seller gives a discount on the price of the purchased product. But the current price of the product is already higher!
The buyer believes that everything is fair, the money was returned, albeit in the form of a discount. But in fact, the prices in this store are higher than in others, and not only for this product. Therefore, if the buyer takes advantage of the “discount”, then in fact he will buy the product at an inflated price. That's the trick.
Conclusion: do not be fooled by the seller’s persuasion. If the product is defective, then either make a full refund through a dispute (and only through a dispute), or resend the product in the same order (the seller must extend the protection and give a new track number).
How to avoid becoming a victim of scammers on Aliexpress?
It turns out that there are entire exchanges for trading sellers’ accounts with Aliexpress and cheating ratings and reviews. So if the seller has a great rating, a lot of positive reviews, then don’t hang your ears, this one can also scam you. Basic rules so as not to get scammed on Aliexpress:1. Watch the transaction protection counter and if you do not receive the goods, you must open a dispute no later than the transaction guarantee ends.
2. Do not give your personal information in correspondence bank cards and passwords.
3. If you have opened a dispute, you cannot close it under any pretext until you receive the goods or until you receive all your money back.
4. Pay attention to product reviews and seller ratings
5. Do not agree to any additional costs, risks or other nonsense.
To avoid falling for a scammer, we recommend installing a special Aliexpress Seller Check plugin for your browser. Detailed data about the seller will be displayed automatically on the product description page. You will be able to find out when the seller is registered, how many sales he has, how many customers are satisfied with the seller, how quickly the seller ships the goods, the quality of the description of his goods, how sociable the seller is and how often he responds to messages, and much more... Aliexpress app Seller Check You can download here:
Aliexpress Seller Check for Chrome (Yandex.Browser/Mail.Ru browser):
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/aliexpress-seller-check/
Aliexpress Seller Check for Opera:
https://addons.opera.com/ru/extensions/details/aliexpress-seller-check/
Aliexpress Seller Check for Firefox (Mozilla):
https://addons.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/addon/aliexpress-seller-check/
This is what Aliexpress Seller Check looks like (information about the seller appears automatically on the product description page):
Where is the best place to look for products on Aliexpress with big discounts?
Do you want to buy goods for pennies? Not everyone knows, but sometimes for 10-15 dollars you can get completely dressed and put on shoes on the Aliexpress website. Now we will tell you in detail how to really save and buy clothes and electronics almost for free. The fact is that in the Aliexpress online store there are constantly various sales, there are entire sections and headings that constantly give discounts for buyers on Aliexpress (Aliexpress scam
So, we know what aliexpress.com is, so now it gets interesting: how does Aliexpress manage to control such a crowd of Chinese sellers, known for their, um, cunning? Even Ebay, with their “the buyer is always right” principle, did not immediately manage to eradicate fraud on their site. So, is Ali dominated by scammers, deceivers of all stripes? In part, yes.
Aliexpress likes to point out in its official news that fraud only occurs when buyers try to bypass its system, and in other cases, this system protects buyers with 100% Robocop efficiency. Despite the external appeal of such an idea, Ali is rather wishful thinking. There are a lot of scams on Aliexpress, they are sophisticated, cunning, sneaky, hidden, obvious, in a word - for every taste.
The most banal situations that Aliexpress does not hesitate to talk about: the buyer bypassed the Escrow system, paid the seller via PayPal or Western Union, the seller did not send the goods/sent the wrong thing, the buyer cries, Ali comes running on a white horse, with a sword - and the scammer’s store is closed. The buyer doesn't get any money back, but he gets a valuable lesson for life about the importance of using Escrow. The audience applauds, Ali bows gravely. There are a dozen stories like this that Aliexpress publishes in the “Shopping Safety” section. It seems that all you have to do is pay with this Escrow and that’s it: you are reliably protected.
So what scam schemes are there on aliexpress?
I do not at all pretend to disclose all fraud schemes; I will limit myself to the main ones. I will occasionally update this article with new patterns, so check back periodically.
A little theory: it seems impossible that a fraudster will steal your money for an unshipped item, because after payment the money does not go directly to the seller, but to Aliexpress, and only with the buyer’s go-ahead will the money be transferred to the seller. So how then can a fraudster obtain this consent?
Method 1: Greed does not lead to good.
An inexperienced scammer opens a new account and boosts it with fake reviews. An experienced one buys an old account with a high rating for, say, $200. Displays expensive items (necessarily expensive, over $80 each), usually electronics, cheaper than competitors or at the same price, offering free DHL shipping. This is the first bell: DHL from China cannot cost less than 40 euros (even for the smallest shipment), so it is obvious that the seller would have to work at a loss by sending DHL parcels for free. Further, dozens of fake reviews are left under this product.
After this, the scammer waits for inexperienced buyers who are “led” by low prices. He waits for payment, then writes to the buyer that he “sent” the parcel, but not by DHL, but by regular mail, and sends the wrong, “left” tracking code. If the buyer is experienced, he immediately checks the tracking and sees that it is incorrect. Sometimes, of course, it happens that tracking from China begins to be tracked only after a week from the moment of sending, so it is impossible to catch 100% at this moment. More experienced scammers actually send a parcel with something (a kilogram of rice, a stone, a book, or just empty), so the tracking can even be tracked.
Next, the buyer receives a letter: “Sorry, due to DHL workload/radiation leak at the sorting warehouse/Godzilla attack, we were unable to send you the DHL package, we sent it by regular mail. And since we indicated that we would ship by DHL, we would now like to compensate you for the difference in cost between regular mail and DHL in the amount of 10 to 20 dollars. Therefore, please request partial compensation through the Aliexpress system."
In order to receive compensation, you must mark the item as received. After this moment there is no turning back. You mark the item as received, you actually get 10-20 dollars and that’s it. The seller will deceive buyers for another 2-4 weeks, and then disappear with the money.
And it was the buyer who gave him the opportunity to steal the money.
Safety regulations:
1) There is no free DHL. Sometimes DHL is included in the price, but the cost will actually increase. The price is lower than everyone else's - a reason to be wary.
2) Never, never, never, never mark that you have received an item BEFORE YOU RECEIVE IT!
3) If the seller asks you to note that the goods have been received before receipt, he is a fraudster, you can safely open a dispute for the entire cost of the goods (the goods have not been received).
If you were deceived, you can try to return the money through the bank, but the chances are low, there is a lot of running around.
Method 2: Blind Rhino
Blind Rhino: Aliexpress Scam
The method is simple and stupid. But it still works. This method was still on Ebay and was called “iPhones from Nigeria.” Zero seller displays a bunch of goods for very, very low prices, sometimes coming up with an explanation for the cheapness, sometimes not. For example, Samsung Galaxy S4 for $120. The buyer is led in, orders the goods, the seller sets unrealistic delivery times - say, 15-20 days. If the buyer is new to Aliexpress, he may not notice this. The delivery period passes, the dispute cannot be opened, the seller disappears.
Only beginners fall for this method.
A variation of the method: the same sellers ask to pay directly, offering a discount of 10-20-30% of the price.
A variation of the method: the Chinese buy an old, promoted account. They put things out at prices 10-20% lower than elsewhere. They set realistic delivery times. And they ask you to pay directly, offering a discount of 10-20-30% of the price. Out of 500 buyers, 20-30 will pay directly. The rest will open a dispute and get their money back. For secrecy, they send 10-15 empty parcels to the countries from which the goods are ordered in order to receive the correct tracking codes, and send out these 10-15 tracking documents to customers.
Method 3. Fun algebra
A cunning method of fraud that even I fell for once (don’t worry, I gave the seller a fun life). The price of the product changes after placing an order. Let's say you place an order for a phone for $50. Usually, after placing an order, I wait a day to make sure that the seller does not send me a letter “La-la-la, the product is out of stock / it was but all came out / there is the same one, only different, blah blah blah” Then I pay for the order. I have learned from experience that the seller has the ability to increase the price of an order after you have placed it until you pay.
Yes, that's right: increase the price after placing an order. This is prohibited by Ali's rules, but possible. You can see the increase only until the moment of payment: in the adjust price column. After payment, you will only be shown the total price of the product (with an increase).
What to do:
1) If you haven’t paid, demand that the seller remove the extra charge or send him to hell.
2) If you paid, file a complaint with Aliexpress and try to return the money through the bank, because... through Ali it will be a long time.
Filing a complaint in the Help section - Submit a Complaint - Violation of AliExpress Trade Rules - Price Increased after Order Placed - describe the situation.
SHARES
It is no secret that unscrupulous sellers, as well as scammers who use all sorts of tricks and schemes to deceive buyers, are actively working within the Aliexpress trading platform. But only a few know that You can deceive the seller too Aliexpress, having received the ordered product absolutely free of charge.
How to cheat on Aliexpress?
There are several popular schemes by which you can scam a seller within Aliexpress. How to make money from Chinese sellers?
- The most accessible method is after receiving the order with the seller, indicating that the goods arrived damaged or defective. IN search engine you can find hundreds of similar products and, if you have direct hands, add a certain amount of damage.
In the same dispute, you need to start bargaining with the seller, choosing the optimal compensation. For example, you bought a phone worth $150, after which it needs to finish painting a small crack using any graphics editor. For such damage, you can count on a discount of $10-30. The situation is similar with other goods.
- There is a method using which you can count on reimbursement of 100% of the cost of the goods, having received the product absolutely free of charge. Its essence lies in the fact that many sellers send goods without a special tracking number, in pursuit of savings. In some cases they indicate left data. But the Chinese do not take risks with expensive goods and accurately indicate the corresponding number.
The essence of the deception: we receive a parcel at the post office and initiate a dispute, in which you indicate that you have not received the goods, are worried about its fate and demand its return cash. In such a situation, it will be extremely difficult for the seller to prove that he sent any product to someone or somewhere. If he values his own reputation, then he will certainly reimburse 100% of the cost of the parcel. In reality, you can expect compensation ranging from 50 to 80%. You can simply hint that you will leave negative feedback if some of the funds are not refunded.
Within the framework, upon purchase of which orders are sent without any tracking numbers. In accordance with Aliexpress policy, it is prohibited to open a transaction in the absence of a tracking number from the seller. In pursuit of savings, sellers of cheap products indicate tracks that do not correspond to reality.
In some cases, buyers open disputes without even waiting to receive the parcel, and the amount is so small that no one will even argue with the buyer.
- Third approach: select a product and place it in the cart, and after you click on the “buy” button, proceed to payment and when choosing payment options, click on the return button on home page. In the “My Orders” item the product will be presented, but only its status will be “not paid”. Immediately next to it you can open a chat window with the seller. The message says that they would like to buy the product, but there is simply no money to pay for it. At the final stage.
- An effective way is to leave negative feedback to the seller after receiving the ordered products. Naturally, he will start to move and offer a certain financial reward for correcting this message. This is prohibited according to Aliexpress rules. After this, we complain about the seller, providing the administration with screenshots of the correspondence.
However, if the seller compensates you for 50% of the order value, you can slightly correct the previously left review.
- It is prohibited to sell counterfeit products on Aliexpress. Despite this ban, up to 35% of the volume of products on this trading platform is counterfeit. Therefore, you can open a dispute and successfully win it, while part of the amount will be compensated to the buyer.
note: Despite the existence of a huge number effective ways scam of Chinese sellers, we do not recommend acting fraudulently. Citizens of the Celestial Empire are hard-working people who are accustomed to sweating hard for mere pennies. We recommend that you follow your own conscience. However, if you were deceived and you decide to deceive the offender, use one of the methods presented above. Remember that at a cheap price, you will receive the appropriate product.
The most purchased products on Aliexpress.
All current promotions for today.
Products with really big discounts.
New products on Aliexpress - things.
Branded goods- also read how to do it yourself
In this article we will tell you which products are the most popular on Aliexpress.
49th place. Invisible ink pen
Do you like to play spies? One of their main attributes is a pen with invisible ink! You can also use it to write cheat sheets. The main thing is not to write on the money that it is a bribe.
48th place. USB fan
This is a small fan that can help out in the heat. No matter where you are, just connect it to your gadgets and get refreshed.
47th place. Hunting matches
If you often spend time in nature, then you know exactly how important good matches are. For these matches, water and wind are no problem - they will burn in any weather.
46th place. Perfume bottles
Thanks to these bottles, you no longer have to carry large containers with you. Their body is made of metal. If you have several scents in your arsenal, then take several bottles at once.
45th place. Funnel for liquids
This is a very convenient silicone funnel. Its main advantage is that it folds up and does not take up much space.
44th place. Garlic press
This is an excellent replacement for a regular metal garlic press. It has a slightly different operating principle. It is light weight and washes well. Although, if you carefully study the reviews, it is quite difficult for fragile girls to use it.
43rd place. Egg timer
Although the tool is called a timer, it actually works a little differently. It allows you to check the degree of boiling of the egg and know when it is time to remove it from the pan.
42nd place. Orange Peeling Tool
Some people are used to cutting oranges into slices, while others peel them with their hands. This device allows you to easily separate oranges from the peel. This little thing is made of plastic and costs around 30 rubles. At the same time, it is very useful.
41st place. Meat tongs
If you are a fan of shish kebab or barbecue, then you know for sure that sometimes you have to turn the meat using improvised means. Thanks to special tongs, you will no longer be puzzled by this problem and you will not have to look for something to turn the food over.
40th place. Tea bag holder
This small snail-shaped silicone clip prevents bag tags from getting into the mug. And they look pretty cute too. They can be attached to any place, for example, on the body of a laptop screen.
39th place. Egg mold
This fun shape will help you make bunny-shaped scrambled eggs. If your child does not want to eat regular scrambled eggs, then in this format he will definitely not refuse it.
38th place. Egg separator
Thanks to this device, you will no longer have problems separating the white and yolk. This is very handy tool, which is sold at Aliexpress almost for nothing.
37th place. Phone lens
This set includes three phone lenses. With their help, you can take high-quality photographs - micro, widescreen and fisheye. The device is suitable for any phone.
36th place. Lens card
The purpose of this thing is not entirely clear, but it is effective. It has a built-in magnifying glass. Sold on Aliexpress in a set of 10 pieces. These cards will easily fit into your wallet.
35th place. Illuminated laces
With such laces you will definitely be noticed, especially in the dark. During the day these are simple laces and do not stand out in any way. Interesting thing for little money.
34th place. Rainbow laces
Although these laces do not glow in the dark, they are painted in several bright colors, which allows the shoes to look fashionable and expressive.
33rd place. Drain cleaning cable
Thanks to this simple tool, you can easily clean your pipes. You just need to insert it into the hole, rotating it around its axis, and then remove it. At the end of the cable there is a tenacious hook that will pull out a lot of dirt.
32nd place. Bag holder
This convenient holder makes it easy to carry multiple bags at once. Just place them on the hooks of this thing and you have a handle for carrying bags.
31st place. Housekeeper
If you always have to carry a lot of keys that always tear the lining of your pocket or bag, then this key holder will be the best option for you.
30th place. cat toy
Treat your pet with a special toy. This is a small ball with a rattle inside. You can chew it and sharpen your claws on it.
29th place. Volumetric stickers
Every child, and even adults, love stickers. Thanks to the presented option, you can decorate the space around you in bright and joyful colors.
28th place. Passport cover
27th place. Business card holder
A stylish business card holder with a metal coating securely stores business cards and discount cards. Despite the fact that they are inexpensive, the thing looks very beautiful. You can choose the color to suit your taste.
26th place. Mask for sleep
Some people need perfect darkness to fall asleep quickly. With a special mask, you can quickly fall asleep at any time of the day or night. It is comfortable and soft. You will always feel comfortable in it.
25th place. Button cover for smartphone
This is a very small but very interesting device. It is designed to cover the phone connector to prevent water and dust from entering there. In addition, it is also a convenient button. For example, on an iPhone it can work as a camera shutter. And Android users can assign any convenient function to the button.
24th place. Back scratcher
You can say why it is needed at all, but you immediately recognize that it is cool. And it’s convenient that now you don’t have to reach into hard-to-reach places or ask someone to scratch your back.
23rd place. Medicine case
These cute little metal cases allow you to store pills in them. You can take them with you anywhere and you don't have to carry pill packs. If you are often not at home, then be sure to pay attention to this little thing.
22nd place. Lock with code
Thanks to such a small lock, you can protect your box in any convenient place - it could be a locker in a swimming pool or gym. You can also close luggage zippers. You set the lock code yourself and you can change it too.
21st place. Earplugs
If you want to sleep, but the environment is very noisy, then you will definitely need earplugs. The presented model has a very convenient and strong plastic box, so you won’t lose them.
20th place. Folding scissors
These are lovely little folding metal scissors. You can take them with you on hikes or long trips for work. You don't have to worry about them tearing the lining of your bag or your pockets.
19th place. Camping lamp
This light bulb-shaped device runs on three regular batteries. It is very convenient to take with you outdoors or on a hike. All you have to do is hang it high and turn it on. It shines very brightly.
18th place. Lamp socket divider
Everything is simple here. If you have only one socket installed on the lamp, but this is not enough, then the cheapest solution to the situation would be to install a splitter. This way you can connect two light bulbs instead of one.
17th place. Lamp socket for socket
This socket can be connected to a power outlet and illuminate additional space. This product cannot be used as an ordinary paw, but it will be very useful for repairs. And if you take it with you to the hotel, you will have a personal lamp for reading books.
16th place. Laser pointer
Great laser pointer. It is much more powerful than regular key fobs that have been around since the 90s. It runs on batteries. Available in several colors - purple, red and green.
15th place. USB splitter
A simple splitter that allows you to make two from one input.
14th place. Headphone splitter
If you like to watch movies or listen to music with friends, then you will definitely like the splitter, as you can connect two pairs of headphones and enjoy the sound comfortably.
13th place. Universal card
It looks like a regular credit card, but it's actually a multifunctional tool that can easily fit into your wallet.
12th place. Knife card
This is also a tool in the form of a credit card, but it is only less functional. It folds into a small knife. It looks quite original, and user reviews say that it is quite sharp.
11th place. Stationery knife
This is a small stationery knife. It is perfect for creating all kinds of crafts. It cuts not only paper, but also cardboard and wood. Its blade is very sharp and strong. The kit additionally includes 5 blades.
10th place. Pizza knife
A simple knife for cutting pizza. If you really love this dish, then you simply cannot do without such a knife.
9th place. Handbag holder
This thing looks very interesting and even at first glance it is not entirely clear what its purpose is. But by placing your things on it, you can always keep them in sight and not worry about them.
8th place. Illumination for balls
Balloons are always suitable for any holiday, and if you also add lighting for them, they will look even more interesting.
7th place. Wallet for a child
Many children love to save money. This wallet will be a wonderful gift. It is inexpensive and looks very nice.
6th place. Creative ruler
This ruler allows you to make different graphic designs. It has three holes with teeth and gears. Alternate the elements and you will get great drawings.
5th place. Temporary tatoos
If you like to decorate yourself, but you don’t dare to get a real tattoo, then try a temporary option. Aliexpress offers a huge selection of tattoos for every taste.
4th place. Children's thermometer
It is very difficult to get a child to hold the thermometer correctly. Therefore, the ideal solution would be a thermometer on the forehead. Glue the film on the child's forehead and it will show his temperature.
2nd place. Knife Sharpener
A simple, cheap, but very effective knife sharpener. It is very easy to use - insert the knife into the special slot and move it back and forth several times to sharpen it.
1 place. Anti-stress chicken toy
This is a very cool and interesting toy. If you press on her stomach, an egg will come out. Remove your hands and the egg will crawl back in. This is a pretty fun toy; it will relieve stress and charge you with positivity for a long time.
Video: 10 coolest and most useful products on Aliexpress/Best from Aliexpress
