AliExpress is a great Chinese eCommerce giant; it is the face of the Chinese industrial revolution in this modern era. AliExpress offers a diverse range of products at lower prices than Amazon or any other eCommerce store. It’s hard to believe that it provides quality products at such low prices for many people. AliExpress is a global phenomenon, yet there is a lot of confusion regarding its working model and legitimacy in the West. This blog will discuss the AliExpress working model, its legitimacy, and its tactics to shop from AliExpress.

What is AliExpress?

AliExpress is the sister company of Alibaba; it was founded back in 2010 to connect manufacturers & consumers. It is an eCommerce store with an approximately similar interface as Amazon & eBay. Manufacturers throughout the globe can register with this incredible platform to sell their products directly to consumers.

Most of the registered companies on AliExpress are Chinese; they sell a vast collection of products from clothing, household items, and electronics to luxury items.

Today, AliExpress is a global success with continuously growing sales throughout Europe & America. It is not the only Chinese eCommerce platform; there are others like Taobao, Tmall, JD, etc. But AliExpress targets the global consumers outside China, making AliExpress an exceptional Platform.

AliExpress Working Model

AliExpress is a B2C model that facilitates manufacturers, retailers, and small business owners to set up their profiles and sell their products to consumers globally.

Initially, AliExpress was launched with a B2B model to capture international clients. But it does not bring enough success for the company, and they have slightly changed their model from B2B to B2C. Yet many global businesses & drop shippers use AliExpress as a wholesale platform. You can introduce your businesses to sellers and ask for further discounts, and it works. In case you’re considering AliExpress to shop for your business. In that case, you may take the help of third-party agencies like Verifyfull to verify the manufacturers’ legitimacy and capability before sealing the deal.

Its B2C models prove a blessing to many Chinese small businesses & industries. It opens the gates of international markets to the small manufacturers & enterprises.

AliExpress has an easy-to-use interface; anyone familiar with eBay or Amazon can easily use AliExpress for shopping. You can browse the different categories & subcategories to find particular items on AliExpress.

Payment Methods – AliExpress supports nearly all the modern means of payment methods, from PayPal, Credit cards, and Western Union, to Alipay. So, you don’t need to worry about payment methods while shopping with AliExpress.

Product Cost Varies – You can see product prices while browsing a product page on AliExpress, but these prices are not final. The product’s final price is displayed on the checkout page with the shipping cost, taxes, VAT, etc. Products’ final cost could vary with consumer location because of varying shipping charges & taxes.

How to Shop with AliExpress

To shop with AliExpress, you may need to set up a free account on AliExpress. Browse https://www.aliexpress.com/ in your web browser and look for the Join button under the Account tab at the top right corner of the screen.

You can register with your account with Gmail, Facebook ID, Twitter ID, or Apple ID within seconds or give your name, email, and password to sign up.

After signing up to AliExpress, you’re ready to shop with this incredible platform. On the left side, you can look at the categories tab to browse a particular category and its subcategories. Add to the cart your favorite products with optional shipping times, and make an e-payment at the checkout to complete the transaction.

Is AliExpress a Legitimate and Safe Platform?

Yes, in general, AliExpress is a legitimate and safe eCommerce platform. You can trust it to shop the incredible quality at great prices than other eCommerce platforms and your domestic markets. AliExpress is part of the globally known Alibaba Group; its attachment with the Alibaba name is enough to consider it a legitimate eCommerce store.

But AliExpress does not sell products by itself; it only facilitates the sellers to connect with buyers throughout the globe. It is a third-party platform or marketplace supporting both consumers & manufacturers. That means your shopping experience with AliExpress could vary with varying sellers.

AliExpress supports buyers with its buyer protection program; You can return or claim any damaged or lately arrived the product. It gives shoppers a sense of protection, and they can shop without any worry. But you need to be a little careful if you’re a dropshipper, whole seller, or businessman. A bad shopping experience will directly impact your business & customers. You may take the help of third-party Chinese business verifying agencies before picking up a product for your dropshipping store or placing a bulk quantity order. These companies will help you verify the product quality and factory potential to manufacture a large order and deliver in a particular time scale.

AliExpress is a safe platform, but it’s one of the largest global e-commerce platforms. We’re not living in a Utopian land; filtering thousands & thousands of sellers’ transactions is not an easy task for the AliExpress team. Scammers find their way to hide in thousands of sellers and play their dirty games. It’s not about AliExpress; nearly every eCommerce platform struggles to filter out scammers from their legitimate seller lists.

That means you need to do little homework or take the help of companies like Verifyfull to verify the Chinese companies or manufacturers’ capabilities and legal status. These preventive measures are essential to avoid scams, whether shopping with AliExpress or any other Chinese eCommerce platform.

AliExpress Products Range

What products does AliExpress sell? AliExpress features a diverse & wide collection of products ranging from garments, jewelry, furniture, toys, and electronics to cars and bikes.

It’s not easy to write AliExpress products in every category and subcategories name here because of the extensive list. But we can let you know products that you may not find at AliExpress. Weapons, eBooks, Movies, media, and Software are not featured at AliExpress.

Why is AliExpress Cheap?

Why are AliExpress products way cheaper than other eCommerce stores and local markets throughout the globe? What makes AliExpress products more affordable? People doubt the AliExpress legitimacy and the quality of its products after looking at the low prices.

China is one of the largest economies in the world, with a cheaper labor force. Chinese manufactured products have lower manufacturing costs because of low labor wages and industry-favoring policies. AliExpress is a legitimate platform, and it’s real; Chinese manufacturers’ presence on AliExpress made it a cheaper platform than any other eCommerce Platform.

AliExpress Dropshipping and Wholesale

AliExpress is not a B2B platform; thus, not recommended to make B2B deals. However, it can be the best marketplace for dropshipping businesses. You can find quality products at wholesale rates on AliExpress and earn a reasonable profit from your dropshipping business. In fact, most of the AliExpress sellers offer exceptional support to dropshipping companies.

You need to follow the rules and stick to the AliExpress guidelines while making payments for your orders. AliExpress buyer protection program will always help you get your money back in case of any fraud if you have made payments by following the legitimate rules. This fraud-proof payment mechanism makes AliExpress the best wholesale marketplace for dropshipping companies.

But the actual problem is the custom department regulations, not payment fraud while shopping with AliExpress. If the customs department seized your ordered products, you would not get any refund. That’s why it’s essential to order certified products that comply with EEC legislation or with destination country regulations. We have enlisted a few certificates; you may look for particular products before sealing the deal,

• CE trademark – It is an essential certificate you may look for to import toys, cars & bikes accessories, and electronic accessories to Europe from China (AliExpress).
• REACH – Reach trademark is a ticket to import cosmetics, plastic products, and chemicals to Europe from AliExpress.
• RoHS – It is an essential requirement to import electronic products, metal products, wristwatches, etc., to Europe from AliExpress.

You may take the help of a professional Chinese agency to get all the details regarding your manufacturer and its capability to produce bulk orders and fulfill customer requirements. It will help you meet all the import requirements & quality standards to avoid inconvenience and financial loss.

Final Words | AliExpress Introductive Guide

AliExpress is a globally renowned eCommerce platform with a B2C business model. Its broad product range and lower prices made it exceptional among the other eCommerce platforms. It has connected the Chinese manufacturer with the international consumers and makes international trading for smaller businesses easier than ever.

We have discussed the AliExpress working model, legitimacy, and tips to avoid scams and frauds while shopping with AliExpress. It is not a wholesale platform, but its product quality, affordability, lower MOQ (Minimum order quantity) bar, and buyer protection program make it the perfect wholesale marketplace for small businesses & dropshipping companies. Chinese companies’ verifying agencies help make AliExpress an ideal wholesale market for finding trustworthy manufacturers or suppliers for small businesses.