ALPAKA Reviews 99

Very awful. A massive disappointment with their customer service. I bought a few pieces from them so this is not just a random review. I bought the 2L flow satchel and when I received it I realized how small it was. I immediately contacted their customer support so I can exchange it for the 4L and I never heard back. The bag is now collecting dust coz I don't use it. What a huge disappointment.

I can't understand why I've been subscribed to your newsletters when I haven't bought anything, I'm just add something to the cart check how much it will cost to send it to Denmark I think it was a bit too expensive so I didn't buy the item. It is actually illegal in Denmark to send emails to people as consent is required.

The bag itself seems to be well made. However, once I saw it in person, it just wasn’t going to work for the intended purpose. Trying to process a return has been arduous and frustrating and after a week of attempts, I still don’t have this thing returned so I can purchase something in its place.

👍The quality is good - no complaints there. However, the big question is whether it justifies the extreme premium price.

💸 I purchased mine at almost a 40% discount and still feel it was barely worth it at that price. At full retail, I would personally struggle to justify the cost.

🚚⏳Shipping was also very slow, which didn’t help the overall experience.

ENGLISH VERSION
To be clear: this 1-star rating is not a reflection of the product's quality, but a direct consequence of unacceptable order management and a lack of proper consumer support. Looking at other reviews, it is evident that my experience is part of a recurring pattern rather than an isolated incident.

I placed an order on Friday, Jan 9th (9:56 PM). On Saturday, Jan 10th (7:21 PM), less than 24 hours later, I sent a formal cancellation request. I was told it was too late as the order had "already shipped." However, there is a major logistical inconsistency: Saturday evening in Italy is Sunday, 5:21 AM in Melbourne (or 2:21 AM in China). It is standard industry knowledge that international couriers do not process or collect shipments at those hours on a Sunday morning. This suggests a failure to honor a timely cancellation, resulting in a forced purchase.

Furthermore, ALPAKA collects 22% Italian VAT at checkout (IOSS system), yet fails to provide a viable return solution for the EU market. Requiring a return to Australia at a cost of over €50 for a €76 item (+ taxes) creates a prohibitive financial barrier that effectively denies the legal right of withdrawal. If a brand acts as a tax collector in the EU, it should respect EU consumer protections. I strongly advise European customers to be aware of these barriers before purchasing.
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VERSIONE ITALIANA
Questa valutazione a una stella non riguarda la qualità del prodotto, ma esclusivamente la gestione dell'ordine e le politiche di supporto, che ritengo non conformi agli standard di tutela del consumatore. Leggendo le altre testimonianze, è chiaro che la mia esperienza non è un caso isolato.

Ho ordinato una borsa venerdì 9 gennaio (ore 21:56). Sabato 10 gennaio (ore 19:21), meno di 24 ore dopo, ho richiesto l’annullamento. Mi è stato risposto che non era possibile perché l'ordine risultava "già spedito". Sussiste però un'evidente incoerenza logistica: il sabato sera italiano corrisponde alla notte fonda di domenica in Asia/Australia (tra le 02:21 e le 05:21 del mattino). È oggettivamente improbabile che un corriere internazionale effettui ritiri in quelle ore di domenica. Questa gestione ha di fatto trasformato un acquisto annullabile in un obbligo d'acquisto forzato.

Inoltre, ALPAKA riscuote l'IVA italiana al 22% (regime IOSS), ma non fornisce una soluzione di reso sostenibile in Europa. Per restituire l'articolo, viene imposto l'invio in Australia con costi superiori ai 50-60€ per un bene da 76€ (+ tasse). Tale politica costituisce un onere sproporzionato che annulla il diritto di recesso garantito dalle normative europee sotto le quali l'azienda opera riscuotendo le tasse locali. Fortemente sconsigliato agli acquirenti UE.

UPDATE after ALPAKA's reply:
I take note of your reply, which however confirms the reported logistical inconsistencies. You state that the order was shipped on January 10th at 7:56 PM and that my request arrived on January 11th at 2:21 AM. I noticed that in your response you intentionally avoid mentioning the days of the week to mask the fact that these occurred on a Saturday night and a Sunday morning respectively. It is a fact that no international courier physically collects goods on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings: a label is generated, but the parcel remains in the warehouse. Refusing a cancellation that arrived a few hours after a label was created during the weekend, just to force a sale, is a short-sighted business choice that is damaging to your brand's image, which already has a low average on this platform. As a professional who sells his own work, I would never dream of sacrificing a customer's satisfaction and global reputation for the negligible cost of a return label. It is not an economic issue related to the money spent, but a matter of principle: one cannot benefit from the EU market by collecting VAT and then trample on its consumer protection laws. I am writing this update to prevent other European citizens from making the same mistake. Management should reflect on how support is compromising the company's image for an insignificant value.

This bag was exactly what I was looking for - except the seams started unraveling after one day of light use. I contacted Alpaka customer service to let them know about their poor quality control, and also let them know that Amazon accepted a return and issued a full refund no questions asked. Alpaka then offered to send me a bag (which I didn’t ask for, but how great is that?) They then withdrew the offer because I had returned the bag (which I had told them before they made the offer). Their customer service team then lied to make it seem like I hadn’t told them. No wonder they have 58% 1-Star reviews. I look forward to the additional lies they reply with - this company is garbage and they have no clue what they’re doing.

Beware folks !

This company is a joke ! We made a purchase of £230 for 2 backpacks and they are not as what you seen on the website. The colour of the green is completely different and poor quality. We then submit the return right away and they did NOT send any email at all saying the Returns RMA has been issued. Upon checking it, they are asking us to send these bags back at our own cost, to a shop address in AUSTRALIA !!! Yes Australia, despite the order was sent from UK address..the shipping cost alone would be over the cost of our purchase.

Avoid at all cost !!!!!

Was told it would be delivered on Dec. 11th. Shows being delivered today Dec. 29. The actual shipping dates are not communicated properly to what is shown at the beginning so allow an extra 2 weeks minimum for it to actually arrive. I had no idea where it was until it showed as being delivered today especially if using Canada Post which is not reliable. Just buy it on Amazon and not direct so you know it will show up when you want it and they use reliable shipping companies.

Ordered a Tote and as expected it's quite nice. But unfortunately my copy was being delivered with scratches on it (which can happen). After getting in touch and sending photos Alpaka claimed that dirt could be wiped off. Sounds reasonable... except that doesn't work with scratches. Why? Because scratches are not dirt. They still kindly offered a gift card in return which is nice but also forces you into another purchase while my Tote is still scratched. I think this is not the correct way to balance inadequate quality control. Still three stars from my side because I like most of their stuff and have to give kudos for the sustainable materials and nice design patterns.

Here in the south of Spain they use CTT, and they always do something strange with deliveries: they either leave packages at the door or mark attempted delivery when they clearly haven’t made one.
Today they’ve really outdone themselves: they delivered to me a Shein sweater that wasn’t even mine instead my Alpaka order. My label had been placed over the original one belonging to the person who was actually expecting that sweater.

I’m still waiting for customer support to offer a solution, because I don’t want just a refund; I want to receive the products I paid for. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been robbed.

Edit with response:
"We’ve already emailed you"
You only emailed me asking for more details, but never shared with me a solution.

"and will be reshipping your Alpaka order to ensure you receive the products you purchased."
Great news, you could have shared this over my non answered email thread. Waiting for the new tracking details.

Last edit:
After all they re-delivered my order and finally got it. Thanks, updating from 1 to 4 stars

They are using a shady delivery company, that’s does not follow instructions, and allows themselves to let the package outside for anyone to pick up. Then they ask you to file a police report in order to get a refund.
They went from being a company I trusted to one of the worst after sale I have seen.
I highly recommend to reconsider any order at Alpaka.

The company lies about their shipping times- it said "4-5 business days" in the email I got, it took 6 to say it was in Chicago, but I confirmed with the shipping company it hasn't even made it to the port yet- it's just saying where the package will end up. I received an email saying they were "delayed", but how can they be delayed when the product isn't even in America yet? I was led to believe that even though their products are based in China, they have some semblance of inventory in the USA. This is a bold-faced lie on their part. They have ZERO inventory in the USA, the UK or even their "native" Australia.

Like their bags, good quality

Extremely slow delivery and poorly designed items. As other users have said, waiting over two weeks for delivery is considered perfectly acceptable by this company and their products are poorly designed with basic usability problems which make them frustrating and clunky in day to day use. This is a very low effort service.

Bought ALPAKA Flight Pouch - Compact Travel Bag from Amazon.Was missing the wrist strap.I mailed them and got it in Sweden in 6 days.
What a service!

Ordered their wallet, which was delivered promptly from a UK address. The product isn't bad, well constructed just way larger than expected, way larger than a credit card or similar products from Belroy.
I requested a return which they agreed to, but offering no alternative but a return to Australia. Tracking to Australia would have made the return more expensive than the wallet, so it was sent back using standard mail. The wallet "never arrived". The company "conveniently" recognizes the problem of only having one return address, interesting tactic in 2025. Avoid unless you're sure the product is 100% right.

I believed the advertising and thought Alpaka were a premium manufacturer. This led to me spending nearly £40 on their 8L packing cube.

The product seemed great initially but after using it for only 3 or 4 trips the inner seem failed. I contacted customer services and got a reply in minutes, a very promising start. This begun an email conversation that kept going back and forth with the conversation now being 28 emails.

On multiple instances they asked for information that I had already provided. Then, after all this time and effort I receive an email stating they would offer me a gift card because my item was no longer stocked. However, the gift card value is approximately £26, a fraction of the price I paid.

I questioned whether a refund would be more appropriate but according to Alpaka that cannot be done. So the premium price isn't worth it. I'll stick to cheap items and just replace them when/if they break.

I submitted a Warranty claim 40+ days ago. I received an immediate response, and informed me that I have submitted everything necessary for them to provide me with a clear path to satisfaction. After an additional 15+ emails, they responded with a gift card to replace my broken bag. Ultimately, this was a satisfactory resolution; however, it was very arduous to obtain this final resolution.