Tips for newbie Aliexpress shoppers

Just placed my second order! I would say:

-plan on receiving an email from each seller for the purchase, then for the shipping
-have patience, some items came quick (2 weeks) others a bit slower (4 weeks for the last item from my first order)
-have a system to manage what you have received and not received if you order a lot. I have a separate email folder for Aliexpress. I delete the email once the item is received and I am satisfied. Then I can see what is left.

That was me.  I contacted them and told them I wouldn't send that info.  Another pea here said they sent their info with literally everything blacked out, so I tried it and they took it.  They were fine with a copy of my license that ONLY showed my name and address (which they had anyway)--I blacked out my height, weight, license number, birthdate, signature, etc.  They were fine with an online copy of my bank transaction that showed no account number, just the date, time and amount of transaction with the bank header.  

I still think you buy at your own risk because you have minimal buyer protection.  I got 3 packages today, one was correct.  I ordered 2 halloween dies, they were awesome.  I ordered a fake mft set and a die, the mft set is the Polynesian hula girl...and none of the animal eyeballs will stamp on the whole sheet and the girl has a bubble in her head that leaves her faceless.  The last one was supposed to be 2 dies...they sent one.  I also got a stamp a few weeks ago that was the wrong stamp, but ALL the info is in Chinese except my name/addy.  I contacted Ali support, sent them photos, and they still can't figure out who sent it to me, so I'm just waiting it out until I don't get something I wanted, and it's all I can do.  I do have to say I like the way Ali will re-start the time to complete the purchase if a replacement is sent, and the sellers have been nicer and more communicative than ebay sellers, but I can't say I feel more secure.

So my advice is don't spend more than you're willing to just flat-out lose, and hope for the best, but be prepared to spend time following up.  Also, test all your items immediately.  My hula sheet animal stamps have eyeballs, so I never would have known they won't stamp if I didn't check them.

My biggest tip would be to check the size of what you're buying! I just received a set of Mama Elephant knock off dies yesterday that were much smaller than I was expecting. I checked the size today on the website and it was totally my mistake because all of the information was right there but I didn't look closely enough to pick it up. Now I did pay less than $4 for the set, and I'm sure I'll use them but if I had been more careful I could have ordered the larger set right from the start and been happy with the order! C'est la vie... no big deal... just paid another $5 for what would have cost over $35 so it's still a win/win situation.

As for keeping track of my orders, I use the app and it shows me everything all in one spot: what I've ordered, how long the buyer protection is in place, when I receive the order and confirm receipt. If the app didn't keep track of this for me, I'd be lost!

I would not use that seller anyway. I'd look for another. I see no reason to do this and have not been asked so far to do it.

streetscrapper Would you link the BIG set you rebought? That was the one I was supposed to get and didn't, so I'm going to have to reorder. I'm not sure I want to go with the same seller, since they can't count to 2.

leeny It wasn't the store that required it, it's Ali as the "host" or whatever you want to call them. Since they're the payment processor, they require the verification, it's some kind of Chinese law thing, which is why eventually everyone has to do it. I was really upset over it when they asked, but since ultimately it was only address verification (they never got any new info from me), I didn't mind so much. They aren't clear that they'll take the stripped down ID, though. They ask for ALL of it, and no one in their right mind would send all that!

nicolep From what I can tell, you can't search by payment processor, but if someone can figure that out, I'd love to know how. You basically just have to stumble from store to store and check the list. Most of the sellers I've seen don't take it. One thing to note, though, if they DO take Paypal, they charge an additional fee for "Marketplace Protection". On the one I looked at, it was an extra .75 or 1.00 on a fairly small purchase ($5-10).

What other types of stuff are you ladies buying besides does?

I see some letter stickers but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to navigate as there doesn't seem to be a scrapbooking category?

What kind of search terms are you using?

moraie, here is the link to what I bought:


Large Knock Off Die

It's not the exact size I was hoping for, but it's not the tiny one that I just received. I wish I could find the "wonky stitched" rectangles or squares on Ali. I love them, but I'm not prepared to pay full price!

streetscrapper

Thank you. That was exactly the die I wanted.

There are several companies that make wonky stitched rectangles right now. SSS, Avery Elle, MFT, Whimsy Stamps, and I've seen at least one other set, but I'm drawing a blank on the name. I figure Ali will get at least one of them before long because it's becoming a basic die.

I fell in love with these. LINK They aren't stitched, but I love the framed look they make.

I just placed my first order thanks to all you enablers (!) I tried the first time last evening, when I reached the last bit (after putting in cc number and all of that) and got the message "can't send to your location" or similar. I'm in the UK and knew others in Europe had managed to buy successfully, so was a bit confused, but hey ho, just thought I could manage without those cute stamps. Today, I tried again. Same thing. But shortly afterwards I got an email with "confirm"...which I did. That appeared to be the key to opening up the system, because when I went back (and filled in all my cc details for a third or fourth time) it all went through and I received confirmation of my order.

I suppose, what I wanted to contribute to the hive mind here is that it's not always clear what's up when an order doesn't go through - the error messages don't always make sense! It's worth persevering though

Hmmmm.

Can you post a link for those dies please? 

I am a newbie to Aliexpress and placed my 1st order of enamel dots. How long does it usually take for orders to arrive? 

Thanks for your reply ellewood. I thought that pinkfresh dies are available on aliexpress. I have been eyeing few of their dies but have no money to spend

And that sneak looks adorable and could make an awesome background builder. It looks like a stamp to me.

Btt. I just don't want this thread to die lol...