Year 2024 and what to expect from Aliexpress market place

[Kiriakos GR]

Aliexpress / Ali-express

This is sales platform that at the year 2015 this was much different than of what it is today.

Back in time Aliexpress has a strategy to operate this platform according their own likes.
Your new Aliexpress account were paired with Alibaba platform with out any knowledge from your end.
Then you were becoming  a toy within one unfriendly system, in which small sellers and whole-sellers were mixed together.
First think to notice was piles of spam advertising emails from this platform were arriving at your email box.
And you were unable to stop that, with out deleting your account. 

At the year 2024 only few thinks changed to the better regarding EU customers.

a)  Aliexpress now does VAT collection automatically.
b)  Shipping logistics this is execute by their own company = Cainiao
c)  Aliexpress website this is not a unified software,  even at user profile page you will notice, that you are constantly redirected at different Aliexpress server.
d)  Aliexpress  still does not use PayPal 
e)  As soon you use your credit card once, Aliexpress will store your data automatically, and so far there is no easy way to delete this card from their system.
f)   Aliexpress platform at non logged visitors this deliver the delusion of low-price  / first deal.
The log-get users now facing the bare truth, of heavily inflated prices for 95% of products.   

Shipping cost policy.
Aliexpress use their own company Cainiao logistics and they decided to charge as minimum 2.5 Euro for any product sold below 10 USD/Euro
This is a major scam, because most other Slow Mail logistics they will charge  0.20 ~ 0.50 USD for the same purpose = lightweight small package


Sellers / Buyers and behavior
I have now very fresh experiences of my own, as I did make my first financial transaction with Aliexpress at the past 24 hours.

Spam email this arrived again, but it was relative to what listing's I did visit in there.
They record all your moves and clicks, you are 100% tracked.

The seller which I got the item from, he send me a direct message, I will won 3$ USD coupon if I deliver 5 Stars feedback.
So they throw at you the Bait so and you to become part of their corrupted system.
Most underage kids from third world countries, they will accept the bait, and they will add positive customer reviews.

In the positive side of things, customers from Europe and Russia, they do resist more, and they do speak the truth about the fate of their own transaction.       
And therefore be careful and read carefully detailed seller feedback before placing an order.

The coupon game in full extend.
They are several ways to earn a discount coupon.
If product shipping gets delayed?   Aliexpress will compensate you with a discount coupon
If you deliver 5 Stars feedback the seller he might bait you with their discount coupon.
If you accept paying huge amount at overpriced goods? They will happily deliver a discount code or coupon.
 
Gentlemen welcome at the Chinese trading system and philosophy.
For the western culture, trading by making strong bargaining at product price this is not within our training.
In contrast, at Asia if you refuse making strong bargaining at product price, then you are called officially as an idiot.     
In Asia always a product price this starts as inflated, then a strong bargaining at product price this will lower it down to a reasonable one.
 

Asian Market place and internet statistics.
China has many trading platforms over the internet that most western people cannot even register.

Now lets assume for a product, domestic price 0.10 $ USD
Aliexpress price for this product 1.20 $ USD
eBay price for this product 3.20 $ USD   
EU retail shop price for this product 5.50 $ USD

Next to be added this is shipping cost, from its location.
If you are sensitive at not be cheated when you buy from Asia?  Then you need to do an three hours research at all platforms. 

The Ugly part of trading with Asia.
China this is a communist country, and as such the normality this is everything from trading / banking / shipping to be in control of a group of people.
Its somewhat the concept of organized crime, several groups in control of everything.
The big problem starts when there is enforced pricing control over low cost products.

For example there is an digital hand watch with domestic price 1$ USD,  and this is sold as 9.99$ as minimum everywhere.
This is happening right now mostly at eBay.
All stores at eBay over this ugly umbrella (organized pricing control) they are welcome to offer this product at double or triple the price too.
But i f some one dare to sale cheaper?  then he will face consequences.

Its now time for a summary.
Neither eBay this is today a healthy marketplace regarding Asian sellers, and neither Aliexpress this is any better.
And if you are wise enough, then you should not demonstrate bling trust at any of them.


Aliexpress and card payments
All payments from EU will received in Euro due ALIEXPRESS.COM Luxembourg
And so, there is not any other charges due the banking system.

[Andrew-88]

I have mixed feelings about Aliexpress.
Neither their own search engine deliver accurate results at keywords search.
You are searching for tools and you get results about anything else. 

[Kiriakos GR]

I have mixed feelings about Aliexpress.
Neither their own search engine deliver accurate results at keywords search.
You are searching for tools and you get results about anything else. 

There is a interesting video over YouTube, this explaining of how communism works even at Aliexpress market place.
This platform has 10 million sellers but only few and favorite ones appear at the search engine. 
Aliexpress search engine, it is considered as advertising tool and not as a search tool.

With great difficulty I did succeed finding a seller, who had good product price, and also has reasonable shipping cost.
I am now waiting this order to get shipped so to discover more due the tracking number.   

[Kiriakos GR]

Time for feedback   ....    Cainiao tracked lightweight envelope = 13 Days to Greece,  and delivered due local company ACS.
And I bet that this is Cainiao high speed service.

I have now also two other tracked parcel and one without tracking.
 

[Kiriakos GR]

I made today a visual map:

1) Cainiao Fast corridor to Greece

2) Cainiao Priority corridor to Greece
3) Cainiao Low-Priority corridor to Greece

Due Cainiao tracking engine, it become immediately known of the service chosen due the Seller.
If the parcel this is classified as low-priority then this moves sluggish even within China and up to their last departure station.
And naturally anything  classified as low-priority it handled as that due entire mail system.

Within 2024 Cainiao selected as new EU partner they Hungary Port, and this is a strategical choice because of Hungary location over the map.
Hungary this is at the correct spot over the map for anything that moves over wheels, and the delivery time from Hungary to other EU countries will be almost identical.

I am now aware that Cainiao has their own warehouse in Hungary and they do also the importation to Europe customs clearance.
The entire shipping journey, from the seller in China and up to European CAINIAO warehouse this is now 18 Days.
Only CAINIAO search engine delivers reliable results up to that point, for your Hungary- Post tracking number.
Example :  UC………HU 
The actual Hungarian Post, does not have a clue of this tracking number until CAINIAO / Hungary, this actually deliver the parcel at the post office.    

Prediction of Shipping time for Greece:
a) From the seller in China and up to Hungarian CAINIAO warehouse = 18 Days
b) Hungarian Post and redirection to Greece = ?
c) Greece - Athens and handling due Greek post office along delivery = 14 Days 

====================================================================
In a few days I will confirm if Cainiao Fast corridor to Greece, this has stable rate of speed.

20 gr = Very lightweight envelope  = 13 Days to Greece
170 gr = lightweight carton box = ?

[Kiriakos GR]

In a few days I will confirm if Cainiao Fast corridor to Greece, this has stable rate of speed.

20 gr = Very lightweight envelope  = 13 Days to Greece
170 gr = lightweight carton box = ?

I have now evidence that small carton box instead of small envelope, this has different handling times.

For Greece they are four evolving shipping company,  CAINIAO China, DPD = Speedy.BG / DPD.GR / ACS.GR
And I did detect about five days added delay at the handling of carton box.

Is the root of delay the handling of CAINIAO to Bulgaria?
And or fault of Speedy.BG (time delay within Bulgaria).

What ever is the reason, my delivery date this is now 23 days after placing my order.