AliExpress

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 22 historical complaints about AliExpress, published between 2010 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Debit card used for two months of purchases never orderedPublished Aug 30, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Phone order canceled, refund requires ID and passport copiesPublished Jul 16, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Refund for 3 out-of-stock jackets offered only through PayPalPublished May 21, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Seller Sent a Different Item and I Lost the DisputePublished Mar 11, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Shoddy Merchandise, Kept Money and Runaround on ContactPublished Feb 17, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• No Buyer Protection, No Refunds on Returns, Total Rip OffPublished Jan 16, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Order Closed After Bank Approval and Documents DemandedPublished Dec 7, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Brazilian hair shipped as Peruvian, dispute denied twicePublished Nov 19, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Fake Minelab 4500 Metal Detector Bought for $1,300, No RefundPublished Nov 7, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Seller Demands 90-Day Wait After 60 Days Without DeliveryPublished Nov 6, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Ceramic watch order, only one watch sent, dispute favored sellerPublished Oct 31, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Paid $1,295.00 for Metal Detector, Return Refused, No RefundPublished Sep 22, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Handbags arrived damaged or missing in UK, $129 orderPublished Aug 27, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Order closed over demand for passport and card statementPublished Aug 25, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Counterfeit Purse Bought Online, Return and Chargeback RefusedPublished Jul 24, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Seller Sent Mediocre Product and Refund Refused, Money KeptPublished Nov 28, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation
• False Pictures and Payment Info, Provider Insulted MePublished Nov 26, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation
• Faulty Android Phone From Supplier, Missing 4 GB Memory CardPublished Sep 8, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation
• Suppliers Paid Only by Western Union Can Take the MoneyPublished Jun 20, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation
• Counterfeit 128GB and 64GB USB Sticks, Dispute IgnoredPublished Mar 14, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation

Complaint Themes

Each tag reflects a complaint's single primary theme (not every angle it raised), and complaints outside any problem theme — a positive report, or one later retracted by its author — aren't tagged. Counts may total less than the full complaint count above.

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website: https://www.aliexpress.com/
• Open a dispute / submit a report: https://www.aliexpress.com/p/seller-report/nav.html
• Return/Refund policy: https://www.aliexpress.com/ssr/300000437/PinKTaDpEb
• Customer service e-mail (imprint): [email protected]
• U.S. product recalls e-mail (CPSC notice): [email protected]

Locations

AliExpress complaints: how to dispute an order, get a refund and where else to complain

This page was checked on 2026-10-20. AliExpress is a marketplace on which third-party sellers list the goods; its Terms of Use say that "AliExpress.com does not represent either the seller or the buyer in specific transactions" (clause 7.1). The AliExpress pages we opened were served in a euro-localized version of the site, so pages shown to a U.S. shopper may differ in wording. The passages below are quoted as published at the URLs named.

• Open a dispute on the order. AliExpress's Disputes & Reports page says: "If you encounter any issues, we encourage you to contact the seller (or the buyer) first. If you can't reach an agreement, you can apply for a refund by opening a dispute." It shows an "Open Dispute" button and a separate "Submit a Report" route for a seller or buyer suspected of violating AliExpress trading rules.
• Return and refund window. The Return/Refund policy page says: "Under this policy, you may request a return/refund within the protection period if your item doesn't arrive, arrives damaged or defective, or not as described, or not satisfied" and "Usually, it lasts 15 days from the moment you confirm receipt of your item." Its table has one row that lists "America" together with Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Japan and Mexico: for a local seller "From purchase date to 15 days after delivery date", and for a cross-border seller "Within 90 days after order was placed". Keep order numbers and screenshots, and check the item page to see which kind of seller you bought from.
• Customer service. AliExpress's EU imprint page gives [email protected] and says users can "chat with us through our Online Service in the Help Center"; the Terms (clause 12.7A(B)) designate the same address for a written notice of dispute. We did not find a customer-service telephone number on the pages we read.
• Recalled or unsafe products. For the November 2025 stroller recall, CPSC's record lists AliExpress's e-mail [email protected], the AliExpress Buyer Help Center and the "Recalls" link at the bottom of www.aliexpress.com as contact routes, and states the remedy: "contact AliExpress to receive a full refund. Consumers will be required to cut the restraints and email a photo of the destroyed product" to that address. The same CPSC page offers a Recall Complaint form if a company is non-responsive on a recall remedy, SaferProducts.gov for reporting a dangerous product or injury, and the CPSC hotline at 800-638-2772.
• Federal route. The FTC's reportfraud.ftc.gov site, which shows a "Report Now" button, is the FTC's portal for consumer reports. State attorneys general also accept consumer complaints.
• Your card or payment provider. Any dispute right offered by the issuer of your card or by a payment provider is set by that company's own terms; check them for time limits.

Terms that apply to a dispute with the company. The Terms of Use (Part A, updated August 26, 2026 and effective September 26, 2026) set out the following in clause 12; the passages are quoted as published, in capitals. Clause 12.7, for users who contract with AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd. and the other named entities, states: "THESE TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY LAWS OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION", that a dispute "SHALL FIRST BE SUBJECT TO THE MANDATORY INFORMAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS SET FORTH IN SECTION 12.7A", and that if it is not resolved it "SHALL BE REFERRED TO AND FINALLY RESOLVED BY ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENTRE", conducted in English and in Hong Kong unless the parties agree otherwise. Clause 12.7A provides that the parties "SHALL THEN ENGAGE IN GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATIONS TO RESOLVE THE DISPUTE FOR A PERIOD OF SIXTY (60) CALENDAR DAYS" and that during that period AliExpress.com "MAY PROPOSE ONE OR MORE RESOLUTION OPTIONS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE REFUNDS, REPLACEMENTS, CREDITS, OR OTHER REMEDIES". Clause 12.8 (class action waiver) provides that each party "MAY BRING DISPUTES AGAINST THE OTHER PARTY ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY", and adds that "NOTHING IN THIS CLAUSE SHALL PREVENT YOU FROM PARTICIPATING IN A GOVERNMENT ENFORCEMENT ACTION BROUGHT BY A PUBLIC AUTHORITY". Clause 12.9 states that "YOU MAY ELECT TO BRING AN INDIVIDUAL CLAIM IN A SMALL CLAIMS COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION", subject to the conditions it sets. We have not analyzed how these clauses apply to any particular consumer claim.

Regulator actions: DOJ, European Commission, CPSC and USTR

U.S. Department of Justice, July 1, 2026. Press release 26-727 says Alibaba Group Holding Limited and AUS Merchant Services Inc. (formerly Alipay US, a subsidiary of Ant Group) "have entered a non-prosecution agreement to pay $600 million to resolve the Justice Department's allegations that they violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" by "failing to prevent merchants from selling and importing illegal pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, listed chemicals, and pill presses into the United States through the Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com e-commerce platforms." According to the release, Alibaba admitted that between January 2016 and December 2024 it failed to prevent merchants using its Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com platforms from engaging in approximately 80,000 product sales involving imports into the United States, with a combined gross merchandise value exceeding $200 million, and that federal law enforcement made over 40 undercover purchases. Alibaba agreed to pay a criminal monetary penalty of $125 million and forfeit $200 million; AUS agreed to pay $85 million and forfeit $190 million; both agreed to enhance compliance programs and cooperate. The release says DOJ reached the resolution "based on several factors, including their good-faith efforts to implement and refine compliance measures, engagement in remedial measures, absence of prior criminal history, commitment to cooperation with federal agencies, and the nature and seriousness of the offense", and that the companies "received some credit for their cooperation with the department's investigation and affirmative acceptance of responsibility." The agreements are with Alibaba Group Holding Limited and with AUS Merchant Services Inc., a subsidiary of Ant Group; the release does not name AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd. We also read the Alibaba agreement (a letter dated June 29, 2026) as posted by DOJ: it defines "Alibaba" to mean Alibaba Group Holding Limited and "all of its subsidiaries", naming AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd. among them, says its obligations have "a term of three years from the date on which the Agreement is executed" (with a possible extension of up to one year if the Government determines a knowing and material violation), and states in its statement of facts that AliExpress "was operated by Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Pte. Limited and AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Limited". We did not read the AUS agreement. The court docket that followed is listed in the litigation section.

European Commission, July 20, 2026. The Commission announced that it "fined AliExpress €550 million for breaching its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to diligently assess and mitigate risks relating to the sale of illegal, unsafe or counterfeit products on its e-commerce platform" and "ordered the platform to take action"; failure to comply "may lead to periodic penalty payments". The Commission's representation page says formal proceedings were opened on 14 March 2024, that AliExpress "now has until 20 October 2026 to submit an action plan", and that the Commission considered mitigating factors including "the novelty of the Digital Services Act". A law-firm summary dated 24 July 2026 says "AliExpress has reportedly said it will appeal", calling the fine disproportionate; we did not locate the company's own statement. The 20 October 2026 action-plan date is the day this page was checked: we found no public follow-up on 2026-10-20 and did not check whether the plan was submitted. This is a decision under EU law (the Digital Services Act); we do not state what it means for U.S. buyers.

CPSC recalls. CPSC's recall database, queried on 2026-10-20, returns eight notices with "AliExpress" in the title, dated May 30, 2024 through November 20, 2025: crib bumpers (suffocation hazard; banned under federal law), four hair-dryer notices (Jan. 30 and three on Apr. 3, 2025; lack of immersion protection), LED strip lights (coin-battery ingestion hazard), children's pajama sets (flammability standard) and, on November 20, 2025, a convertible stroller (restraint system can fail; remedy: refund). The stroller notice is titled "AliExpress Recalls Convertible Strollers"; it lists "AliExpress, of San Mateo, California" in the importer field, a China-based store as distributor, about 15 units, and "None reported" for injuries; the database lists the same firm in the importer field of five of the other notices. We did not review the remedy terms of the earlier notices. The count of eight covers notices with AliExpress in the title only: other recalls name AliExpress as a point of sale without the recalling firm being AliExpress, for example CPSC 26-379 (April 2, 2026; battery chargers made by a China-based manufacturer), whose retailer line begins "AliExpress.us, Amazon.com, Banggood.com". We found no CPSC recall naming AliExpress in the title between 2026-07-01 and 2026-10-20 (database query run 2026-10-20).

U.S. Trade Representative. USTR's 2022 Review of Notorious Markets (published January 2023) lists AliExpress, stating that right holders "report the continued lack of effective seller vetting and repeat infringer controls" and quoting Alibaba's statement that it requires business license or national identification information from sellers. The 2022 entry is the latest listing we found: the 2023, 2024 and 2025 reviews do not contain the word AliExpress (PDF text searched on 2026-10-20).

Who operates AliExpress

AliExpress's Terms of Use (Part A, updated August 26, 2026, effective September 26, 2026) say that a buyer from the United States contracts with AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd. and a seller from the United States with AliExpress International (United States) Corporation; users from other listed regions contract with other Alibaba entities, including Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Private Limited (company registration number 200720572D). AliExpress's EU imprint page, published under the E-Commerce Directive, names that company as the service provider of www.aliexpress.com, with a registered address at 51 Bras Basah Road, #01-21 Lazada One, Singapore 189554; it is an EU disclosure and not the U.S. buyers' contracting entity.

The Terms state that "ALIBABA" and "ALIEXPRESS" are trademarks of Alibaba Group Holding Limited. DOJ describes AliExpress.com as "a global business-to-consumer online marketplace" and Alibaba as the operator of both Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com; USTR's 2022 review says AliExpress "is owned by Alibaba". In the Reyes docket the U.S. seller entity's corporate disclosure statement identifies Alibaba Group Holding Limited as its corporate parent (entry 16), and the Alibaba non-prosecution agreement describes AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Limited as a Singapore-based subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Limited.

BBB lists a profile named Aliexpress (alternate name Aliexpress.com) at 525 Almanor Ave Fl 4, Sunnyvale, CA 94085-3542; CPSC lists a recalling firm "AliExpress, of San Mateo, California". We did not verify which legal entity each of these refers to. Under clause 7.1 of the Terms the sellers are separate parties: "AliExpress.com does not control and is not liable or responsible for the quality, safety, lawfulness or availability of the products or services offered for sale on the Sites".

Complaint record: BBB, Trustpilot and this site's archive

BBB (profile "Aliexpress", Online Retailer, Sunnyvale, CA), as displayed on 2026-10-20: not BBB accredited; BBB Rating D-, with the stated reason "Failure to respond to 1,487 complaint(s) filed against business"; "1,494 complaints in the last 3 years" and "403 complaints in the last 12 months"; customer reviews "1.06 /5 stars, Average of 425 Customer Reviews". BBB's raw page data gives a file-opened date of 2006-12-06 and a business-start date of 2006-04-16. BBB notes that complaint volume should be read with the size of the company's transaction volume in mind.

Trustpilot (profile "AliExpress", www.aliexpress.com), as displayed on 2026-10-20: 1.9 from 188,984 reviews; "Claimed profile" since April 2016 with a paid Trustpilot subscription; the page shows "Replied to 99% of negative reviews", "Typically replies within 24 hours" and "No recent history of asking for reviews"; Trustpilot states that it does not fact-check reviews. These platform figures are shown separately and are not added to each other, to the CPSC notices or to this site's count.

This site's archive. 28 approved posts from 2010 to 2013 are linked to this page. 22 are counted as this page's own complaints and 6 filed under Alibaba or Alibaba.com or naming another company as well are linked as related, not counted. They are individual buyers' accounts, and all predate 2014, so they describe the marketplace as it operated then rather than its current policies quoted above. Posts that name only a third-party seller or another website and merely mention AliExpress are not counted.

Court dockets naming AliExpress entities

Court dockets that name an AliExpress entity are listed below with only what the docket shows; a docket is a record of filings, not a finding. A Justia party-name search for "AliExpress" on 2026-10-20 returned 50 dockets; we reviewed the first 20 of them and list the ones that name an AliExpress entity as a party and do not concern copyright or trademark enforcement against third-party sellers. A second search restricted to dockets filed from 2026-07-01 found the removed Arkansas case listed below. Dockets that name only other Alibaba entities, and copyright matters, are not listed. Other matters may exist; CourtListener was not searched.

• United States v. $200,000,000 in United States Currency Surrendered by Alibaba Group Holding Limited, Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Pte. Limited, AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd., and Alibaba.com U.S. LLC et al. (D.R.I., filed August 12, 2026). A civil forfeiture action against funds, listed by Justia under 18 U.S.C. 981; its other in-rem defendant is $190,000,000 surrendered by AUS Merchant Services, Inc. The docket shows a warrant in rem issued on August 21, 2026 and the case reassigned to a magistrate judge on October 8, 2026. The amounts match those in DOJ's July 1, 2026 release; we did not see a final order of forfeiture.
• Reyes et al. v. AliExpress International (United States) Corporation (C.D. Cal., filed February 25, 2026). Three named plaintiffs sued the company; Justia lists the cause of action as 18 U.S.C. 2510 (wire interception). The defendant filed a motion to dismiss (docket entry 19); an order of August 19, 2026 continued its hearing to September 18, 2026. The docket copy we read was last retrieved on August 19, 2026, so later rulings were not checked, and the docket entries do not describe the claims.
• An individual plaintiff v. Alibaba Group Holding Limited et al. (E.D. Ark. 4:26-cv-00826, removed from the Pulaski County Circuit Court on August 13, 2026 and filed in federal court on August 14, 2026). Justia lists the nature of suit as "Other Fraud" and the defendants as including AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte Ltd, AUS Merchant Services Inc and several Alibaba entities; counsel appearances on the docket are listed for the Alibaba entities other than AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte Ltd. Entry 44 (October 8, 2026) denies a motion to remand and denies, without prejudice, a motion to consolidate. The docket copy was last retrieved on October 8, 2026; the claims are not described in the entries we read.
• Rogers v. AliExpress International (United States) Corporation (S.D. Tex., filed August 27, 2026). One plaintiff filed a complaint; Justia lists the nature of suit as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The docket copy we read showed only the complaint and a summons request.

Is AliExpress Legitimate?

AliExpress.com is an online marketplace whose Terms of Use (updated August 26, 2026) name AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd. as the company U.S. buyers contract with, and describe the sellers as separate parties. BBB lists the business as not accredited with a D- rating (as displayed 2026-10-20), and Trustpilot shows 1.9 from 188,984 reviews; both are described in the complaint-record section.

The documented regulatory record includes a July 2026 Justice Department non-prosecution agreement with Alibaba Group Holding Limited and AUS Merchant Services covering sales through Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com, a €550 million European Commission fine under the Digital Services Act that AliExpress has reportedly said it will appeal, and eight CPSC recall notices from 2024 and 2025 in which AliExpress is named in the title and, on the stroller notice, as the recalling firm. The same sources record steps in the company's favor: the DOJ release says the companies received some credit for their cooperation, the Commission cited the novelty of the DSA as a mitigating factor, and the recall notices we read report no incidents. Complaints, dockets and consumer reviews on this page are allegations or opinions unless a regulator or court says otherwise.

Verify the seller shown on the item page, keep your order records, and use the dispute and refund routes in the first section.

Court & Public Records

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

• Named as an affiliate: Seller Sent 4 Locks Worth $1.20 for $29 Order
• Named as an affiliate: Custom suit arrived wrinkled and shapeless, refund refused
• Named as an affiliate: Online store lured with $1 products, then refund never came
• Named as an affiliate: Listed 99.9% Silver and 18kt Gold Jewelry Is Not Genuine
• Named as an affiliate: Mediocre Products and Complaints Ignored Until Threatened
• Named as an affiliate: Seller Used My Watermarked Wig Photos in His Store Listings

Company Relationships

• Owned by: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
• Affiliated with: AliExpress International (United States) Corporation
• Affiliated with: Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Private Limited
• Affiliated with: AUS Merchant Services Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions