Buying on AliExpress in Italy; how convenient and is it safe?

AliExpressfor those unfamiliar with it, is the European and Italian reference site of the Chinese online shopping giant, Ali Baba. Alibaba is a huge online store, which even surpasses Amazon in volume of business and number of shipments (although this is influenced by the fact that Alibaba in China dominates the online shopping market while Amazon is absent).

With AliExpress, Alibaba expands its market to countries around the world, including Italy, and becomes an interesting opportunity to shop online, perhaps looking for products that are not on Amazon or lower prices.

In the guide that follows we will show you how how to buy on AliExpress without riskshowing you how to recognize scams and how to always choose the best shipping to shorten shipping times (true Achilles heel of the e-commerce site).

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What is AliExpress

AliExpress is an online store aimed at international buyers who want to buy in China.
Basically, it allows small and medium-sized enterprises in China to sell to customers around the world. For this reason, AliExpress is more like eBay than Amazonbecause it simply serves as a sales portal for other companies and is not a direct seller.

Why are the prices so low?

AliExpress is a lot convenient and advantageous to buy electronic and computer products cheap Chinese and clothing. If you browse some of the products on AliExpress you will immediately notice how they are phones and computers are available at very low pricesso much so as to raise the question of whether they are real savings opportunities or sensational rip-offs.

Actually there are two reasons why there are very low prices of almost every product for sale: the first reason for the low prices is due to the fact that you can buy it directly from the manufacturer, buying without intermediaries. The costs of production (and labor) in China are much lower than in any other country in the civilized and seen world and the little control over imitations and intellectual property protection also contributes a lot. This is the basic reason why almost every electronic device costs half as much as normal, because they are made in China and can be purchased directly from those who made it.

The second reason for the exceptionally low prices is the counterfeiting of products. Like any Chinese market, you can also find counterfeit iPhones, fake jeans and a lot of non-original branded stuff in AliExpress, especially in electronics and clothing stores. By doing some research, you can discover that in AliExpress cases of scams are not that rare and that some products at bargain prices were, in fact, non-existent.

How to avoid scams on AliExpress

In general, if it seems incredible, it would be better to be wary and avoid buying even if every purchase is protected. Purchases made on AliExpressindeed, are guaranteedin the sense that if nothing should arrive or if something other than what was described arrives, it is possible ask for a full refund directly to AliExpress, without having to chase after the dishonest seller.

The payment is in fact suspended by AliExpress until delivery is completed, so if there are problems or if you are a victim of scam, you can immediately report it on the site and make sure you get an immediate refund without particular difficulties. As in eBay there are i feedback scores which give clear indications on the reliability or otherwise of a seller. If there are no reviews yet, or if there is negative feedback, better move on.

How to register on AliExpress

A valid and verifiable email address is sufficient to register on AliExpress. After retrieving the email we open the site, press the icon in the shape of a little man at the top right, press on Sign inclick on Register with email and fill in the required fields.
At the end of the compilation, click on Create my account, confirm the account from the email that will arrive in the mailbox chosen for AliExpress and proceed with the purchases, sure that they will now be immediately associated with our account.

Payment methods supported by AliExpress

On AliExpress we can use PayPal as a payment method for all purchases: it is convenient and safe and, in the event of disputes, we can also request a return from PayPal. In addition to PayPal, AliExpress supports credit / debit cards from the Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Diners Club circuits (including rechargeable cards such as PostePay).

As an additional payment method you can take advantage of Google Pay ed Apple Paythe payment systems integrated on phones and provided by Google and Apple.

Shipping times on AliExpress

Unfortunately, the sore point of AliExpress are the shipping times: since the products must arrive directly from China (by air flight or by transport ship) delivery times vary from 15 days to 90 daysbased on the product chosen and the type of courier we selected at the time of purchase.

If we want to save a lot and are not in a hurry we can choose the standard delivery (always free) and wait patiently for the package to arrive within 3 months; if, on the other hand, we are in a hurry, it is better to choose one of the express couriers supported by AliExpress (DHL or UPS), paying a small amount of extra money to get much faster shipping (3-5 business days on average).

In the event that the package with economy shipping does not arrive at its destination within 90 days or is considered lost, we need not worry: AliExpress buyer protection is very fast and efficient (even more than the customer protection offered by PayPal on eBay) and, after reporting to the assistance, will reimburse the customer for the amount spent.

How to make a safe purchase on AliExpress

To avoid errors during the purchase let’s see together what are the steps to follow for avoid scams and for get fast shipping on AliExpress too. First we open the e-commerce site and log in, by pressing on the top right on the little man and pressing on Sign in.

After logging in, we use the search bar to search for the desired product or browse through the offers and categories on the site to broaden the search. After finding the right product, let’s reward ourselves on it and check the actual price of the product and the delivery costs: often the shipping method is indicated as standard but, by clicking on it, it is possible to check if there are other types of express courier.
If we cannot choose any alternative shipping, we will have to stick to the one offered by the seller; if we don’t like it or it costs too much, nothing prevents us from changing vendors.

After checking the price and shipping costs, we scroll down the page and check the seller feedback: we immediately identify the seller’s page (among the information provided we will find the button See my shop), click on it and press on the tab Feedbackso you can check all the feedback from other people who bought from the same seller.
Given the volume of business that can be obtained on an international site like AliExpress, having over the 90% positive feedback (on a grade basis of at least 10,000 feedbacks in the last 6 months) is indicative: we are faced with an honest seller who sends the goods and tries to get them to our home as soon as possible.

After checking the seller, it’s time to proceed with the actual purchase: let’s go back to the product page, click on Buy nowwe choose a payment method and the shipping address and confirm by pressing the button Buy. Now all that remains is to get comfortable and wait for the expected shipping time (on average 15 days, but it always depends on the seller and the shipping method offered or chosen at the time of purchase).

Conclusions

AliExpress is convenient, safe and guaranteed and there should be no problems whatsoever in buying online from China from this global giant. You can buy clothes at bargain and branded prices, used iPhones, Android smartphones for 100 Euros or less and, above all, you can buy spare parts for mobile phones to do DIY repairs, such as the LCD screen or the battery. iPhone.

We therefore advise everyone to register on AliExpress and search above all for special or low-cost electronics products, in search of the bargain of a lifetime. When purchasing, we always check the shipping methods offered by the seller and the feedback from users who have already purchased from the chosen store, in order to avoid scams.

To learn more we can read our guides on sites for buying online and giving gifts over the internet come on how to buy online safely and with guarantee.