It often happens that when we purchase a product online, it turns out that it’s not what we expected, and we want to return it. This can be due to both the lack of information in the product description, and our lack of interest in reading the details.
But that’s okay because AliExpress has implemented a new feature that allows you to return orders for free, and here we’ll explain everything you need to know about returns on AliExpress:
What should I do to make a return on AliExpress?
Identifying a product with free returns on AliExpress isn’t very difficult. To do so, you only need to enter any product you’re interested in buying on the search engine and once you see Free Returns, click on it to discover its features.
Currently, within the platform, there are only two types of orders: those with free returns and those without.
Orders without free return
Orders without free returns are the most common in AliExpress stock, which means that if you want to return the product you purchased, you’ll have to pay the shipping costs.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should resign yourself to accepting a product that you didn’t like, in fact, to solve this inconvenience we recommend you to do any of the following options:
- Open a dispute with a full refund and no refund. In case you’ve received a product in bad condition, damaged, or it’s simply not what the seller had promised, you can request a dispute with a full refund to get your money back.
- Open a dispute with a partial refund and no refund. This can be in case it fits the product description, and you can get some use out of it, without the need to return it.
- Open dispute with refund and return. Finally, you can request a dispute with a full refund and return if you received what was described, but you no longer want it.
The last option is highly recommended only when the order is really not to your liking, is useless, and you want to get your money back. When you choose this option you will have to pay the shipping costs, and, being shipped so far away, it’s quite a high cost that is not worth paying if the product turns out to be cheaper than that.
How can I return a cheap shipping cost product?
In case you want to return your order under shipping costs, you will have to perform the following steps:
- Find the product and select the option to open a dispute requesting a full refund with the return of the product.
- Pack the product in its original box.
- Write down the shipping address provided by the seller.
- When you ship the product, do it through a certified courier so that you can track it and make sure that the order arrives at its destination.
- Once shipped, provide the tracking number to the courier and the seller provided by AliExpress.
Our tips when returning a product
Here is our list of tips that will help you when you decide to return an AliExpress product:
Check the budget in different courier companies
This will help you choose the cheapest option. You’ll have 15 days to make the return, which will be enough time to go through several courier companies, analyze the prices and choose the one that suits you best.
Once you have processed the return, AliExpress will refund your money in an estimated time of 3 to 20 days through the same payment method you used to pay for the package.
Pay insurance for your shipment if it’s a high-value product
It’s important that you insure your shipment if it’s of considerable value, since, in case of loss during the return, you could lose your money.
Use a letter-certified shipment instead of a registered package
In case it’s a light package less than 2 kg, you can request a registered mail instead of an approved package, thus achieving that the shipping costs are reduced by half.
How to return AliExpress products for free?
Now, if you purchased a product with free return, all you have to do is the following:
How to return a product on AliExpress free of charge
- Go to your user’s order history and click on the product you are going to return and then click on “Return Product”.
- Choose one of the reasons for the return.
- As soon as AliExpress accepts the dispute, you’ll only have to enter the “Get tracking number” option to acquire the label and then send it to the seller.
Then, download and print your label and take the order perfectly packaged to your nearest post office. Save the label on your smartphone and showing it to the office will be more than enough.
They will then scan it and take your order.
When the seller receives your return, AliExpress will refund your money within an estimated 15 days.
How can I be sure that the seller got my order back?
To find out if the seller got your product or not, you can check the tracking of the order by clicking here.
You will get two statuses:
- When you send it: “The package is returned by national express and the collection is successful”.
- When it’s received by the seller: “The package is returned by national express and the merchant signs it successfully”.
Once it’s in the second state, it’ll take a few days to receive the refund.
Tip to avoid paying for the return of your order
Some time ago, AliExpress restored the PayPal payment system, so if you use it to pay for the orders you place, you’ll have an extra guarantee, because you can claim directly to PayPal to get your money back.
The PayPal payment system has excellent buyer protection and to make the claim you only need to access your PayPal account.
If you want to know more about this, we invite you to read our article PayPal on AliExpress.
Frequently asked questions about returns on AliExpress
Here’s a list of the most frequently asked questions from consumers regarding the return of products on AliExpress:
Is it possible to request a product exchange instead of a refund?
The answer to this question is no. You can’t request a product exchange instead of a refund when returning the item.
If you plan to use a coupon or discount code, be sure to carefully read all the product features so that you don’t need to return the product.
One solution to this question is to wait for a refund and request a new product or size from the seller. It’ll take some time, but it’s not impossible.
Is it possible to return several products to a single seller?
If you wish to return several items to the same seller or store, you should know that you’ll only be able to make one return because you’ll have received only one package.
In this case, you’ll have to open a dispute for each product and generate a single label with one of the open disputes, and then manually type in the rest of the tracking numbers that AliExpress will give you. It’s not mandatory, but it’ll be the safest way to get a refund.
In this sense, you’ll be the one who will take a single package to the Post Office in the same way it was delivered to you.
What happens if I don’t get a return label?
In some cases, it may happen that when you request the return label, it’s not generated. But don’t worry, this is due to the fact that this function may be faulty, and therefore you may have to wait until it’s restored.
Is it possible to refuse a free return order when it arrives at my home?
Yes, it’s possible, but this can only be accepted in cases where you have a free return, and you’ve reached an agreement with the seller. The most common is that they will tell you not to accept the package at home so that it’ll be returned directly.
Once you’ve refused, open a dispute on AliExpress requesting a refund.
Is it possible to return any product?
Some products can’t be returned to China such as batteries and recordable storage media such as USB flash drives, hard drives, and external memories, among others.
If you buy it from a local store, nothing will happen, but if you try to return it to China, you’ll run the risk of being rejected or confiscated by customs and lose your money as a result.