This isn't so much a review of the app but a walk through of how to get the best experience out of using AliExpress.
AliExpress gets a bad reputation due to the amount of low quality bootlegs, defective goods and nightmare fuel toys. However, there is a way to get a good experience out of shopping through the app, including getting free goods and discounts.
I highly recommend using the app over the browser website. If someone feels inclined to use the browser app, I suggest using it with the Honey browser add on installed. It will automatically add coupons to get you the best price.
Users can apply for up to 2 freebies a day. The daily reset is at the same time every day. Keep an eye on your Won tab as freebies won must be collected within 48 hours. You can also see unclaimed freebies in the Unpaid tab under your Account page. Technically the freebies aren't completely free. They require you to pay 1 cent (Or your country's equivalent). Now doing this can sometimes be tricky depending on how you are paying. If you have won a freebie but are having trouble claiming it I will give you a quick tutorial below. This is only if it isn't letting you claim your freebie. Most people won't need this.
Optional Freebie Claiming Tutorial: If a freebie is in your unpaid tab but it won't allow you to claim it due to being such a low amount (Usually happens with CC purchases) add any small item to your cart. Try something you were already planning to buy or just whatever the cheapest thing in your wish list was. Go to pay and as the Credit Card verification is loading exit out quickly so it won't go through. When you reload the app whatever you were trying to purchase i s now in your Unpaid tab with your freebie. You'll need to do this next part in a browser instead of the app. Log into AliExpress in your web browser and go to your Unpaid tab. Click the "Select all" box (This box is only visible in the browser version). Now pay for all of the items together. Allow it to process and boom. Your freebie is paid for and will be shipped to you soon.
Once you have your freebie make sure to go back to the Freebies page and write a review for the freebie. Whether it is a positive or negative review won't matter but writing a review will increase your odds of winning more freebies in the future. Not writing a review will hurt your chances of winning more. So remember to review! Take photos of the packaging as well as the product to add to the review. Popular reviews will work in your favour.
The app has features that the browser version does not such as... freebies.
Freebies
This feature is only available to users who access AliExpress via the app. You can find the Freebies tab in two places on the app. Towards the top of the Home page and in the Games section of your Account page.
Bootlegs
Whether you are against bootlegs or not, you can still use AliExpress. Remember that AliExpress is a marketplace like eBay and Amazon. There are a lot of knockoffs in all of those marketplaces. However, there are also legitimate store fronts. The trick is to finding the right ones if you want to avoid bootlegs. There are artists and small businesses with shops on AliExpress such as Zomo Plus, which sells custom keycaps. Wonderful Life store on AliExpress is the official seller of Zizai Orangebrush's Devil's Love goods.
If you are unsure whether something is a bootleg or not be sure to check the details. If they list the brand then they are stating it is not a bootleg. Reviews and photos that show tags, logos, etc are also good indications.
If you purchase something you believed was an official product and are shipped a bootleg, you can open a Dispute and receive a full refund from AliExpress. AliExpress does not condone false advertising and bootleggers and not only will they refund you but it will be a mark against the store you purchased it from. Stores with too many marks against them get closed. So doing this will help the community. I will explain the dispute process further down.
If you don't mind bootlegged goods but would prefer avoiding poorly made ones, that is also fairly easy if you know how.
Again, checking reviews is important. Not so much for what people wrote but to look at the photos. Fake reviews may give the product 5 stars but fake reviews don't add photos. And photos are a great way of checking the product quality. If there are no photos or you suspect the product may be of low quality, but really want that product there is a good way to handle that as well. This is also a great way to use AliExpress as a way to find cute stuff without actually shopping on the app at all. Because bootleggers will often use official product photos... Save the official product photo from the AliExpress page and go to Google. Click the little photo/camera icon in the search box to do an image search (Or use google lens). This should lead you to the official page where that image came from. Then you can purchase the genuine product without having to worry about quality. I have personally done this several times.
Things to Avoid: As a rule of thumb the following product categories should never be purchased from AliExpress unless you are 100% sure it is a genuine official branded product and not a cheap bootleg.
*Makeup
*Electronics
*Beauty/Skin Care
*Anything that goes in your mouth or eyes (Such as contacts or baby dummies)
**If purchasing goods for babies or children always wash and sanitise thoroughly before allowing the child to touch the item.
This is because many bootlegs are made in unhealthy conditions. These items could be dangerous and/or toxic. Electronics can often overheat and explode or burst into flames. It is best to avoid any chances of these situations occurring. Also, I shouldn't need to say this but please do not purchase bootlegs of official goods with the intent of reselling them.
Coins and Coupons
There are lots of ways to earn coins on the app. You can tap the Coins tab at the top of the Home page or on the Account page by scrolling down to the Games area.
There are multiple ways to use coins but the best way is to convert them into coupons. However! Do not convert them into store specific coupons unless you absolutely want to buy stuff from that shop. What you want is an AliExpress coupon. This will be applied to your entire order, no matter how many shops you are purchasing from. Though do not convert your coins until the day you intend to use the coupon. They expire quickly and you don't want to waste it.
To get an AliExpress coupon go to the Coins tab (Or Fantastic Farm under Games). Next to your farm plot you'll see some buttons on the left. Tasks and Coupons. Tasks is another way to earn coins but sometimes it doesn't work correctly. The Coupon tab is what you want to click. NOTE: Do not tap the Coupons tab on the Home page. This only takes you to the coupons you have And tapping Get Coupons from that page takes you to the Friend Invite Coupons only (Yes, it is designed to be confusing for some reason. But that is why I am here to help). When you are on the Coupon page accessed from the Fantastic Farm/Coins page you will see at the top a way to convert your coins into AliExpress coupons. There are a limited amount available, so if they are gone, wait until tomorrow and go to the page earlier. The AliExpress coupons ad the best coupons on the app because they can be used with any purchase.
Users can also get store specific coupons fairly easily. At checkout you can apply coupons to items in your cart directly from that page by tapping the Add Coupon option above each store you are purchasing from and selecting whichever applies to your purchase. These can be used together with AliExpress coupons. Just remember to activate your AliExpress coupons before completing checkout.
If you have a lot of friends who you would like to invite to AliExpress you can take advantage of the above mentioned Friend Invite Coupons. Tap Coupons from the Home page, then Get Coupons at the bottom of that page. You will see a way to invite friends to get coupons. For example inviting 2 friends will get you a 3 Dollar Off coupon. Or go to your Account Page and tap the Invite Friends box. Share your code and those who use it will get an 18 Dollar Off coupon and you'll get a 2 Dollar Off coupon (My Code is INQ97U2D). Only 20 AliExpress Platform coupons can be obtained per month.
You can also receive Cash Back if you are able to persuade others to purchase things that you have purchased. This is especially useful to influencers or people who have a lot of friends who buy similar types of stuff. Taping the Cash Back box from your Account page you will see a list of your recent qualifying purchases. Each will have an Invite button below it. Share the link with friends and if others purchase the item using your link, you get cash back on your purchase. This can be up to 100% of the purchase price.
There is another way of getting free stuff on AliExpress. At the bottom of the app tap the Feed tab. From there click Live (Or click the Live button from the top of the Home page). Any shops giving away free stuff during their live shows will usually have it printed on the thumbnail for their live show. These are pretty easy to use. Just tap the show and follow whatever instructions to get the free stuff. Sometimes just being logged into their live show will give you a chance of winning the free stuff, Other times they will require you to type a response when it is time to choose who gets the free items. Some will make it a game where you answer questions or they spin a wheel to see what you win. Whatever way that store does it, this is an easy way of getting free stuff. Especially if you join the live shows of people who have less viewers (Less competition increases your odds).
Refunds and Disputes
Whatever issue you had with your transaction can easily be addressed in the app. Item never arrived? Received defective goods? Fell for a bad bootleg? It is proper protocol to talk to the seller first. However, due to language barriers sometimes this doesn't go well. Still, one should always make the effort. Many sellers will offer coupons instead of a refund for poor quality products... I suggest not taking this option. You already purchased a bad product from them, why would you purchase more? If you believe you deserve a refund, insist on a refund.
Sellers can issue a refund themselves but some will pretend they are not able to (I have had sellers issue refunds). This is because issuing refunds will be a mark against their store. They may already have several marks against their store from selling low quality goods in the past. Sometimes they will give you a sad story about trying to feed their starving family (No joke, it has happened). If they refuse to refund you for a bootleg or defective product you can resort to the dispute system.
Take photos of the product, as well as screen shops from the sale page or shipping page, depending on what your dispute is about. Gather all the information required to prove that you have been wronged and deserve a refund. Go to your Shipped page and tap on the item. Or if you already confirmed the item was received, go to the To Be Reviewed page to find the purchased item. Tap on that item and click Open Dispute. There you can make your claim (Clear and concise. No one cares if it was meant to be a gift for your son or you were going to wear it to a party and have to buy something else now. Stick to why this product is not what the sale page presented it to be. How did it not work. What was broken, ripped, etc. How do you know it was not the official product and is a replica, etc. Add detailed photos and/or videos. I have never had AliExpress deny my a full refund for damaged, defective or knock off goods that I received. It will take a few days but they should issue you a full refund and you can dispose of the faulty product at your leisure.
Any open disputes can be viewed on your Account page.
