If you've never heard of AliExpress, now's the time to get to know it because your bank balance and wardrobe will thank you. It’s an online marketplace – just like eBay (but usually even cheaper) – that sells products from manufacturers in Asia, mainly China.
With 1,000s of products, ranging from toilet brushes and coat hooks to hair extensions and headphones, you can pick up awesome stuff that not everyone and their grannies will have, for absolute pennies.
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We’ve taken a look at their huge range of fashion offerings and picked out these gems:
Khaki bomber jacket, £11.62
Faux blouse collar, £2.01
Faux fur vintage style coat, £15.80
Alien print cropped t-shirt, £2.84
Much like eBay, however, you’ve got to have your wits about you and there’s a knack to making savvy purchases.
Here’s how you can get the best out of Aliexpress without getting ripped off:
1. Buddy Up
With most items on AliExpress, the more you buy, the cheaper the cost per unit. This can be a massive bonus if you and your BFFs are after the same top. Who said friends can’t dress the same? If you know there’s something a few of you are after, check if the product has a ‘bulk price’ option. Some will offer some sort of percentage off for ridiculous amounts, so try and keep a level head here and realise that you actually don’t need 25 of the same vest top, no matter how cheap they are.
**2. Forget PayPal **
Aliexpress doesn’t list PayPal as an official form of payment (probably because eBay use it). Instead, you make your payment using your credit or debit card, and you automatically receive ‘buyer protection’ through a system called Escrow. This means that your money is ‘held’ by Escrow until you receive your goods. Only when you’ve confirmed that you’re happy with the transaction will the seller receive their payment.
3. Research The Seller
To be as sure as possible that you’re buying something that you'll be happy with, check out their previous transactions. Just like eBay there’s a feedback system which will help you with this. Look for the ‘positive feedback’ on the right hand side, as well as how much positive feedback the item itself has received (this is under the product headline). If it's less than 90% then move on and find another seller.
**4. Pay Attention To The Photos
**
Many sellers use stock photos to get you to click on to their product, which may be branded versions of the product you’re buying, rather than the actual product you will actually receive. More ‘real’ close-up images are usually included on the actual product page, so look at these. You can always email the seller asking for non-stock images of the item and they should send one over – this way you should get a much better idea of what you’re getting.
**5. Watch The Sizing
**
Be careful where sizing and measurements are concerned – clothes from Asia tend to come up small – so make sure you measure up and figure out the best size for you, working with the measurements they give. FYI, ‘Free size’ means ‘One size’. Who knew.
**6. Don’t Go For The First One You Meet **
It’s simple, shop around. Copy and paste the names of products to find other ones like it because similar items will probably be listed under the same descriptions. This way you can find the best one – you might find it cheaper, with less handling time, better quality (according to the pictures) or a higher feedback rate.
7. Shipping Can Take A While
If you want a last minute dress for Saturday night, you're in the wrong place: ce prepared to wait up to a month before receiving your items. Remember that items can sometimes get held in customs too, which will delay the delivery time even more, but there is a tracking system, which means you can check up on its progress. When you’re buying something make sure you check how long it says it will take to be shipped – 3-7 business days is about right, anything longer and you’ll probably be in a different season by the time you receive it.
8. Beware Of Hidden Taxes
When you order goods from abroad they may be liable to customs duty or tax. Sure, it's unlikely unless you’re ordering something that’s very expensive (unlikely on AliExpress, tbh), but i’s still worth checking out HM Revenue & Customs if you’re worried.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.