Inside the dark world of AliExpress where dresses sell for £2 but refunds are denied as 200m customers shop each month
SELLING over 100 million products, including eyeliner for as little as 53p, ‘designer’ phone cases for £1.35 and £2.01 dresses, AliExpress is one of the cheapest and biggest online retailers in the world.
They’re a global marketplace that attracts over 200m visits every month, garnering approximately 2.7 billion visitors between November 2022 and April 2023 alone, according to Statista.
However, while it appears business is booming globally with users flocking to the site, the overall feedback from customers leaves a lot to be desired.
On TrustPilot, the site has been reviewed over 145,000 times by shoppers and scores an overall ‘poor’ rating, with 2.6 stars out of five.
And around 21,000 people rated it just one star, with disgruntled customers commenting: “If I could give 0 stars, I would.
“I got scammed where products I ordered were not delivered or not as [described], and AliExpress didn’t do anything to resolve the issue. I lost all of my money.”
‘Stay away from this bunch of cowboys’
Another wrote: “I bought a wig from a seller and the item isn’t at all as described…it’s very bad quality…So frustrated, disgusted and disappointed in my experience.”
Another added: “Complete rip-off merchants. I doubt very much they actually dispatch the goods. Take your money and claim the products have been delivered…Stay away from this bunch of cowboys.
“I cannot give zero stars, the minimum is one star. They don’t even deserve that.”
Not all customers report negative experiences on the site however, with many awarding the site five stars and raving about finding ‘amazing bargains’.
“Very cheap items, well described, and with the expected quality,” said one, showing customer experiences vary wildly, while another added: “AliExpress has the best prices, a huge selection of items, and a very easy navigating and purchasing experience.”
‘Customers first’
The company’s somewhat vague mission statement is “to make it easy to do business anywhere,” and they claim to put “customers first, employees second, shareholders third.”
And while the site isn’t as high profile as competitors such as Shein – who cleverly recruit celeb ambassadors to promote their brand – or Temu – who are the UK’s most downloaded app this year – AliExpress has been around and growing in influence for over a decade.
The vast array of products and the low price points were impressive, and in the end, I ordered eight items totalling just £27.14 in total, including delivery – a bargain.
Writer Miranda Knox
It’s a big operation, with the platform available in 18 languages and offering “competitive prices on more than 100 million items.”
It enables consumers to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China and around the world.
An overwhelming experience
Similarly to Temu and other marketplace sites, I found the shopping experience overwhelming.
As soon as I downloaded the app, I knew they weren’t exaggerating with the claim in their Instagram bio: “If you can imagine it, it’s on AliExpress.”
The whole homepage is awash with deals and different sales, from one section offering three items for $1.79, to a ‘first come’ 50 per cent off area, and a ‘super deals’ section, as well as additional offers such as £2 off for every £15 you spend (up to £6).
The vast array of products and the low price points were impressive, and in the end, I ordered eight items totalling just £27.14 in total, including delivery – a bargain.
This included a kids’ mini digital camera and an ‘Adidas’ style sports kit both costing £4.23 each, and a wireless mini wifi video recording camera for just £1.67.
‘The quality was predictably bad’
The items arrived pretty quickly considering how cheap it was, but in my experience the quality of the majority of the products was predictably bad – you do get what you pay for.
The £5.06 ‘smart sweeping’ mini robot vacuum – which I was actually quite excited about if it meant saying goodbye to having to clean -did nothing except move dust and dirt about the room and keep my cat entertained for a few minutes before running out of steam.
What I thought was a wireless vacuum cleaner for the too-good-to-be-true price of just 75p was only a filter – which I blame on the advert.
Admittedly I should have read the small print, however the advert – I would argue – was purposefully misleading with the imagery and item title.
I wasn’t the only one to make the error either, with another confused customer leaving a review saying: “Only the filter has arrived.”
ALIEXPRESS - THE FACTS
- The site is owned by the Alibaba Group, and was set up in 2010.
- AliExpress is available in 230 different countries and regions.
- The site welcomes over 200m visitors every month.
- The mobile app has been downloaded in excess of 600m times.
- The site sells everything from clothing, accessories, beauty and Health products, toys, lighting, home improvement to furniture and electronics.
‘Low prices mean low expectations’
As with most sites of this calibre, AliExpress also relies heavily on what experts term ‘gamification’ – a technique where game-like elements are used to enable customers to win ‘prizes’ and discounts are introduced to engage customers with a more exciting, ‘rewarding’ experience.
In AliExpress’ case, they use a ‘coin’ rewards system, where you’re rewarded with virtual currency if you play games in the app, place an order or sign in daily and accumulate a multiple day ‘streak’, which can be cashed in as discount.
Each coin is worth less than a penny (200 coins equates to $2 discount), so while the rewards are low, it’s still a clever technique designed to keep consumers coming back for more.
“The low price means consumers have low expectations, and it means the buyer is happier to wait longer for delivery.”
Retail Expert, Dr Amna Khan
Retail and consumer behavioural expert Dr Amna Khan from Manchester Metropolitan University says: “This lures you in to shop more.
“The high reductions instantly make the consumer think they’ve got an amazing deal, too.
“The low price means consumers have low expectations, and it means the buyer is happier to wait longer for delivery.”
£8.94 ‘knock off Kim K Skims dress’
There also appears to be a large array of counterfeit designer goods available on the site too – with some even brazenly using images of celebrities in the advert.
As reported by Business Insider, AliExpress – whose parent company is Alibaba.com – wound up on The Office of the United States Trade Representative’s annual ‘Notorious Markets List’ for the first time in 2021 – a US government watchlist of companies that “engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy”.
It seems nothing has changed since then, with a quick search for ‘designer luxury’ bringing up a whole host of knock-offs, including a ‘Guess’ phone case which would ordinarily set you back around £25, for just £1.32, and a £1.24 version of a £45 Karl Lagerfeld case.
A fake Dolce and Gabbana logo-embellished shoulder bag – usually worth upwards of £1,000 – can be purchased on AliExpress for £17.18, while an identikit pair of fake Louis Vuitton sunglasses – which usually cost upwards of £380 – can be bought for £5.38.
“Postings offering to sell or purchase replicas, counterfeits or other unauthorized items shall be subject to removal by Alibaba.com”, and repeat offenders are apparently immediately suspended.
AliExpress
One seller even uses a photo of David Beckham wearing a pair of his own brand sunglasses, advertising their own £1.43 version as “classic Beckham sunglasses”.
Another selling a £8.94 “Kardashian Skims dress” – a version of the £88 soft lounge long sleeve Skims dress – uses an image of Kim herself to sell their wares.
This is despite the site specifying counterfeits and non-licensed replicas being “strictly prohibited” on the site, with branded products only permitted if a certificate of authorisation being issued by the brand owner.
The site also states: “Postings offering to sell or purchase replicas, counterfeits or other unauthorized items shall be subject to removal by Alibaba.com”, and repeat offenders are apparently immediately suspended.
Working condition concerns in the industry
Unlike some of its competitors, AliExpress haven’t been named in reports concerning alleged human rights violations or slave labour – however serious questions have been raised across the industry generally.
AliExpress provides a platform for third parties to sell and don’t make the products themselves – so it would arguably be difficult for AliExpress to police and enforce policies.
As an aside, billionaire founder Jack Ma has previously publicly supported the 9am to 9pm working day, and a six-day week, calling the opportunity a “blessing” in 2019, claiming without the system, China’s economy was “very likely to lose vitality and impetus”.
Sites like AliExpress are able to thrive as they offer products that would otherwise be un-affordable to many at dirt-cheap prices.
Writer Miranda Knox
Additionally, in the report naming AliExpress for counterfeit concerns, it was claimed China was the “top country of origin for counterfeit goods” seized by customs – and also for goods made by forced labour.
The report said: “Existing data shows a correlation between the use of forced labour and child labour in the global production of certain products and the types of products that are most commonly counterfeited.”
Ambassador Katherine Tai added: “This illicit trade also increases the vulnerability of workers involved in the manufacturing of counterfeit goods to exploitative labor practices.
“Counterfeit goods can pose significant risks to the health and safety of consumers and workers around the world.”
Despite the industry-wide concerns, given the current financial climate it seems sites like AliExpress are able to thrive as they offer products that would otherwise be un-affordable to many at dirt-cheap prices.
A spokesperson for AliExpress said:
“AliExpress is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and prohibits our merchants from listing items that infringe upon the IP rights of third parties, and has in place measures to combat counterfeits.
“Rights owners may contact our platform and submit their claims through our Intellectual Property Protection Platform to report cases of infringement.
“Sellers found to be in breach will be penalised according to our platform policies, which may involve fines, suspension or termination.”
