Alibaba.com Reviews 29,088

I have been a seller on Alibaba for a long time. 3 months ago I raised an issue with their API and since then I have contacted their support team countless times. Every single agent promises to escalate, promises a callback, promises a refund — and nothing ever happens. They keep saying the same scripted words with zero action. I have lost 3 months of business because of their negligence. Their support team is completely useless and has no power to resolve anything. I am still waiting for my refund till today. Do not trust their support team. They will waste your time with empty promises. Worst customer service experience I have ever had

Great service. Quick response to questions. Pleasure to deal with.

Trade Assurance case 100047477013 (order 287535363001022371) - Buyer: Belgium / EU.

SUPPLIER ON RECORD:
Shijiazhuang Aofeite Imp & Exp Co., Ltd. (Hebei, China)
Alibaba storefront name: adminaofit
Contact on Alibaba: "Demi Zhou"

FACTS (all verifiable in Alibaba's own dispute records and chat logs):

1) On 29 May 2026 at 02:20:20 (Alibaba system timestamp), the assigned mediator "Sunny" wrote in the case file, verbatim: "we've extended the dispute deadline to June 2nd, but please be aware that if we do not receive valid evidence from you by June 2nd, the dispute may be closed without a refund."

2) The same case file shows the case was closed on 01/06/2026 at 19:57:12 — ~25 hours BEFORE the deadline Sunny himself had promised. The evidence portal was closed at 17:17:35 — over 31 hours before that same deadline. Final resolution: USD 0.00 refund.

3) Evidence on file, IGNORED in the decision:
- Independent Forest Leopard AQL inspection (28-29 April 2026) — FAIL, 14% major defects (ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2008 General Inspection Level II)
- The SUPPLIER'S OWN written defense filed 14/05/2026, admitting in Chinese all 300 units fully produced
- Pre-payment quality protocol agreed in writing with Demi Zhou on 15-16 July 2025 (12 dated chat screenshots), supplier accepted on 16/07/2025 09:59: "we are willing to cover the price difference"
- Supplier's admission on 11/05/2026 04:49: "It has been decided by the company leadership that the costs of a second inspection can be covered"

4) Two parallel Trade Assurance orders for custom molds — paid in full to Shijiazhuang Aofeite via Alibaba, NEVER delivered to the buyer:
- Order 273822447501022371 — Mold S — USD 345 — paid 27/08/2025
- Order 279502134501022371 — Mold M — USD 345 — paid 16/10/2025
Total USD 690. Pro Forma Invoices issued by Alibaba.com Singapore explicitly label these "Mold cost" (= sold goods, not factory equipment). On 05/01/2026 09:51 Demi Zhou wrote on Alibaba chat, verbatim: "I completely understand your desire to get the mold back. After all, you invested in it initially, and anyone would have the same request." Despite this written admission, the supplier refused physical release. Mediator Sunny denied the mold refund citing unspecified "industry regulations" — while Alibaba's own platform had invoiced and collected payment for those molds as deliverable items.

5) No email notification was ever sent confirming the case closure or the USD 0.00 decision. The closure was only discovered by logging into the platform.

TOTAL UNRECOVERED: USD 2,660 (USD 1,970 deposit + USD 690 paid molds), approximately EUR 2,440. The 300 belts remain at Shijiazhuang Aofeite's factory in China, produced but not delivered, with two failed AQL inspections and no refund.

Channels already engaged:
- PayPal Buyer Protection (open)
- Mastercard chargeback via KBC Belgium / Worldline (filed 04/06/2026)
- GDPR Data Subject Access Request to Alibaba (pending)

POSTING THIS PUBLICLY because:
(a) Alibaba's "Anna" 24/7 chat is a bot that promises emails it never sends.
(b) The Complaint Center cannot reopen a closed case under Alibaba's own Rule 8882.
(c) Other EU buyers considering "premium custom production" via Trade Assurance should be able to find this case before paying a deposit to this supplier.

If anyone from Alibaba's senior trade assurance / customer excellence team can review case 100047477013 on procedural grounds (closure before the mediator's own written deadline), I remain reachable on the buyer account email.

Buyer: Judith Henriquez — Nantli Cinturones (Belgium)

good experience

Do not trust this platform. I ordered products and the supplier never even sent them. When I opened a dispute to get my money back, Alibaba started dragging their feet. They are taking way too long to process refunds and just keep delaying everything.

It feels like they just protect the sketchy suppliers while keeping your money on hold forever. If you want your products on time and your money safe, don't buy from here. Still waiting on my refund!

Easy ordering, fast delivery and perfect product with good quality.

all good, and perfect

This company and AliExpres both are trying to keep my $148.00 i paid on an order i place on Aliexpres June 3.Order ID: 8212434875995024 this order was sent to a place on San diego California was not sent to my Hometown Chicago Illinois.When the package was delivered i sent an E-mail letting know i did not have the package .They answer me and told me the package was delivered to check with the carrier .I did an i sent then a picture where in SanDiego this package was left.Even with the picture i still get a nother mail that my package was delivered but they did not look where it was delivered..This will be report to BBB.That way this companies get strait with customers.

Delivery service is too expensive compared to others

I purchased a product from a vendor on Alibaba. Trade Assurance Order # 297350067501023290
Case # 100048186345
The vendor in question sent me the item with a part missing. I contacted the vendor, and after going around in circles. Finally got them to understand what was missing. They then told me I would have to pay an additional $30.00 for shipping. And gave me a sob story about the cost....
I then applied to Alibaba for a refund. Still waiting.

You can find a lot of good OEM providers for a lot of different Items, normally the most annoying part is the negotiating and comparing prices from different Providers. But if you choose a certified one, and buy through the platform, you should have buyiers insurance or security, never needed it though.

very easy to order, and they have a great range of products

I wouldn’t even give 1 star, very disappointing experience. I enquired about a product via the chat button and was initially provided with pricing and a minimum order quantity. Within approximately 30 minutes of the enquiry, both the product price and the minimum order quantity were increased.
The supplier then asked how many units I intended to order and issued an invoice where the product cost was more than double the original quoted amount. Shipping costs were also increased to more than double for the exact same delivery. Be very weary, they are dodgy and deceitful

Alibaba made sourcing suppliers for my product easy and made handling international purchases a breeze.

Irritating website. Always asks for browser notifications, big popups that cover the screen, flashy graphics, pricing changes depending on if you log in or not. Just let me shop and get out of my way!

They do have some great products at great prices, and the sellers and factories are usually great to deal with, but the website itself is terrible.

Very bad experience. More than 6 months waiting for a shipment, and the support team only keeps giving explanations instead of solutions. If you have a problem, be prepared to wait and wait.

I have plenty of evidence regarding my case. I do not recommend Alibaba for businesses that depend on receiving their goods on time. Delays like these can cause serious financial losses.

Not recommended.

1) When the shipment arrived, the delivery company was unable to unload it from their truck. I contacted the seller for assistance, but they informed me that unloading the heavy shipping crate was the buyer’s responsibility. This requirement had not been clearly explained at the time of purchase. While reviewing my invoice, I noticed the term “DDP Shipping.” After much tedious researching online, I learned that it refers to a shipping term "Incoterms", but this was never explained to me in advance. I raised the issue with Alibaba, explaining that the seller should have clearly outlined my responsibilities, because I informed him repeatedly I was an individual buyer instead of a business. However, Alibaba responded with repeated, identical “mediation” messages stating that the seller had fulfilled their DDP obligations.
2) During the mediation process, I discovered that the delivery company had already disposed of the product from their warehouse. This occurred while both Alibaba and the seller were still urging me to arrange pickup from a warehouse address they said they would provide. Despite the confusing and contradictory situation, Alibaba ultimately closed the case and ruled it as the buyer’s fault. As a result, I lost the full payment without ever receiving or even seeing the product.
3) To make matters worse, Alibaba’s review policy prevented me from posting feedback about this experience. They stated that reviews are not allowed because the transaction was not considered “completed,” effectively leaving me without recourse or the ability to warn other buyers.

THE ALIEXPRESS SCAM MANIFESTO: HOW THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY USING AI LOOPS AND ILLEGAL TRAPS
WARNING TO ALL ONLINE SHOPPERS: ALIEXPRESS IS A CORPORATE DISASTER AND A CONSUMER TRAP! DO NOT BUY ANYTHING!

This is a case study of how a multi-billion dollar platform uses corporate gaslighting, systemic lies, and robotic evasion to legally rob its customers. They operate with a double-standard language, completely violating European Consumer Protection Laws.

THE TRIPLE DECEPTION MECHANISM (DOCUMENTED IN A SINGLE DAY):
THE PUBLIC LIE (Trustpilot Gaslighting): To protect their collapsing reputation on public review sites, their PR team falsely replies: "Good news! The dispute has entered the return process." This is a strategic, calculated lie designed to look cooperative to the public.

THE PRIVATE SCAM (The Blind AI Loop): On the exact same day, via email, their automated system sends a copy-paste rejection, claiming that the extensive software and video evidence provided is "insufficient to prove a quality issue." They don't look at videos. They don't read logs. They use a brainless AI programmed to reject refunds until the customer gives up.

THE LOGISTICAL EXTORTION (The Third-Party Trap): Inside the platform, the final trap is revealed. AliExpress demands that I contact a third-party manufacturer directly, pay massive international shipping fees out of my own pocket to send a dead-on-arrival camera back to China, film the entire packing process like a criminal, and pray for a resolution.

THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH ABOUT THIS FRAUD:
Who took my money? I paid AliExpress, not a random factory in China. My commercial contract is with AliExpress. Shifting financial and logistical liability to a third party is an illegal, abusive practice.

The "Double-Loss" Strategy: They know international shipping costs more than the item itself. They deliberately demand this so you, the customer, lose even more money on transport, or abandon the claim out of exhaustion. I refuse to fall for this repeated stupidity.

Destruction of Evidence: They want me to ship away the physical proof of their defective junk so I have no evidence left for legal actions. The non-functional camera will remain with me as exhibit A for the authorities.

A FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF EU CONSUMER RIGHTS
Under EU legislation for distance selling, consumers have an absolute right to a full refund for defective or non-compliant goods, without paying hidden penalties, without covering return costs for broken junk, and without jumping through arbitrary technical hoops invented by a broken algorithm.

CONCRETE ACTION PLAN TO DESTROY THEIR REPUTATION:
I know this platform thrives on automated evasion, but this is no longer about the money—it is about exposing a corrupt system.

Weekly Exposure: This exact, documented scam will be posted every single week across every tech forum, anti-fraud group, Reddit community, and consumer protection network on the internet.

Bank Blockade (Chargeback): My financial institution has been notified of this transaction under "Merchant Fraud and Non-Delivery of Functional Goods." The funds will be forcefully pulled back through Mastercard/Visa regulatory chargebacks.

EU Authorities Escalation: A formal complaint is being filed with the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) for systematic violation of the EU Consumer Rights Directive.

ALIEXPRESS IS A CORPORATE JUNK YARD. THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY, SEND YOU TRASH, AND USE ROBOTS TO LAUNDER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. STOP BUYING FROM THEM. LET'S HELP THEM GO BANKRUPT!

really helpful, will use a lot

I cannot believe Alibaba is offering such service. I paid for an order of airless bottles over 8 months ago. The supplier says she gave goods to forwarder but I never receive goods. The forwarder probably missed the goods (10.000 airless bottles 100 ml and 5000 airless bottles 50 ml). Anyway after 8 months no one know where is the goods. I spent over 6000 Euro and I missed all (money and clients). I open several dispute with alibaba. Nothing a wall gum. This is the support of alibaba ? We are not grant by Aliababa. We are simply number for his business.