AliExpress is a lawful marketplace, and its own pages set out a Buyer Protection Program for orders that do not match the listing. AliExpress pages were read on 17 October 2026 from a UK location and are undated; wording and options can differ by country and order. General information, not legal advice.
The rule: three situations Buyer Protection is built for
AliExpress says an order qualifies if it does not match the item descriptions or photos, or arrived damaged or short, within 15 days from receiving the items. It also qualifies if the item did not arrive, or was lost in transit, within the guaranteed delivery window shown on the order detail page. AliExpress states that this guarantee is in addition to, and does not limit, statutory rights under the law of the buyer’s country of residence.
How a claim runs, in order
- Select the order and use “contact seller” to discuss the issue.
- Go to My orders, order detail, Return/refund; give a reason, upload evidence and submit. If the return is for change of mind, the buyer pays the return shipping.
- If the order is eligible, the refund goes either to AliExpress’s fast refund bonus (conditions apply) or to the original payment method, with a confirmation when done.
AliExpress describes a Free Return service within 15 days of receipt of delivery, with a full refund once warehouse quality control is complete and the returned items meet the refund conditions. Check whether the specific item qualifies for Free Return, and follow the deadline and conditions displayed for that order; change-of-mind return shipping is paid by the buyer.
Exception one: goods outside the return policy
AliExpress notes that prohibited items, underwear, socks, food, batteries and customised items are not applicable to its return policy. That excludes them from the return service only: the same page says the guarantee does not limit statutory rights and that sellers must meet other legal requirements where the buyer lives. Check the order page for such an item.
Exception two: the dispute clock for items that do not arrive
The Buyer Protection page ties non-arrival to the guaranteed delivery window on the order page. A separate Help Center answer says a refund dispute can be opened on the 11th day after the order is marked as shipped, that AliExpress steps in if buyer and seller cannot agree within 5 days, and that opening a dispute secures the payment without stopping delivery. A buyer who did not open a dispute within the protection period can no longer do so and must ask the seller for help. As the two pages describe the clock differently, follow the dates on the order page.
Exception three: parcels held by customs
AliExpress’s customs answer says the buyer is obliged to carry out customs clearance: ask local customs why the parcel is held, then pay the tax or provide the document, or obtain a missing document from the seller. If the seller does not cooperate, a dispute can be opened on the order page with the official customs document.
What the platform rule does not replace
AliExpress’s EU consumer page says that for EU buyers statutory rights apply alongside Buyer Protection: a 14-day right to cancel (the buyer bears return costs unless they were not raised before ordering or the seller offers to pay) and a minimum two-year legal conformity guarantee from the seller (three years for Spain). A dispute can go to the platform, then to the Hong Kong Arbitration Centre, without prejudice to a claim in the buyer’s own EU country.
That page speaks of EU law. For England only, Citizens Advice says legal rights exist if an item is broken, unusable or not what was advertised, and that a consumer can ask the card provider for Section 75 (more than £100 up to £30,000 per item) or chargeback; Section 75 usually does not apply where the buyer did not buy directly from the trader. See paying safely online and counterfeit goods on marketplaces.
Getting help: where to send it, and in what order
- Within the claim window, use the Buyer Protection page and the Help Center; dispute and report tools sit under Disputes & Reports (sign-in required).
- In the first hour, photograph the item beside its packaging, label and order screen, and screenshot the listing, the order page and every message with the seller.
- If fraud or exposed payment details are suspected, call the bank at once. For an ordinary order dispute, use the AliExpress claim process first. The AliExpress pages read do not say how a card dispute affects a claim, so ask AliExpress and the card provider first, and note both sets of deadlines. Ask about chargeback; UK buyers can also ask whether Section 75 applies (Citizens Advice guide).
- Complain to the seller in writing and keep copies.
- Use strong, unshared passwords on shopping and banking accounts, and never pay a third party offering to recover money.
UK. Citizens Advice’s helpline for England and Wales is 0808 223 1133 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), listed on GOV.UK; it can refer a complaint to Trading Standards. If fraud is suspected, Report Fraud is on 0300 123 2040.
Ireland. The CCPC helpline is +353 (0)1 402 5555 (CCPC guidance); ECC Ireland covers businesses in another EU country, Iceland or Norway.
United States. The FTC’s card dispute guide gives 60 days from the first bill with the error for the billing-error process (for example, things not delivered as agreed), but for a problem with the quality of an item it says to contact the seller first, so 60 days is not the clock for every quality complaint; report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general.
Canada. The Competition Bureau takes complaints about misleading representations; the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is 1-888-495-8501.
Australia. The ACCC accepts reports but does not resolve individual disputes; the state consumer protection agency helps with complaints; scams go to Scamwatch.
The bottom line
File within 15 days of receipt, dispute non-delivery once the order page allows, and expect clearance duties to be the buyer’s task. Statutory rights stay alongside the platform route; check a card dispute’s effect on the AliExpress claim first. See online shopping and delivery scams.
Sources
- Buyer Protection, AliExpress, undated page read 17 October 2026 (aliexpress.com)
- I have not received goods. What can I do?, AliExpress Help Center, undated page read 17 October 2026 (service.aliexpress.com)
- What if the package is held by customs?, AliExpress Help Center, undated page read 17 October 2026 (service.aliexpress.com)
- Legal Information & EU Consumer Rights (Statutory Rights For EU Consumers), AliExpress, undated page read 17 October 2026 (cdn.contract.alibaba.com)
- Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal; Return faulty goods, Citizens Advice (England), undated pages read 17 October 2026 (citizensadvice.org.uk)
- Consumer rights, GOV.UK, undated page read 17 October 2026 (gov.uk)
- Auction fraud & Online shopping fraud, Report Fraud (City of London Police), undated page read 17 October 2026 (reportfraud.police.uk)
- Dealing with a scam, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, undated page read 17 October 2026 (ccpc.ie)
- European Consumer Centre Ireland home page, undated page read 17 October 2026 (eccireland.ie)
- Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges; Buying From an Online Marketplace, Federal Trade Commission, undated page read 17 October 2026 and November 2024 (consumer.ftc.gov)
- Shop with confidence, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, modified 24 March 2026 (ised-isde.canada.ca)
- Report fraud and cybercrime, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, modified 27 November 2025 (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)
- Problem with a product or service you bought, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, undated page read 17 October 2026 (accc.gov.au)
- What to do if you’ve been scammed, Scamwatch, undated page read 17 October 2026 (scamwatch.gov.au)