There’s no doubt that Aliexpress is a great marketplace to find the cheapest gadgets and the best deals. It has a huge selection of products, and a good buyer protection system, through its Escrow AliPay system.
This system, in case you never heard of it, makes sure that the funds are released to the seller only after the product is received by the buyer.
Having said that, there are a few things you must keep in mind. For example, you can never know if the products you buy are safe for use, or when they were made. You also have no idea what’s going on during shipment time. For example, you have no idea if the products were left out in the sun for a few hours, or even days.
As long as you’re buying gadgets or clothes, I guess you’re OK. But there are a few products however that I would never buy from Aliexpress. Of course that’s only my opinion 🙂 . Here goes:
- Food and food supplements
E-commerce has grown so much that people are starting to buy even the daily grocery online. Though it is highly unlikely that you would prefer to go online to buy your daily meals from china, folks like me who want an exotic taste of Chinese cuisine like special soy sauce, Chinese tea or any other Chinese food supplements may look into online stores that sell directly from China. But if you are thinking to do that, please rethink.
As I said earlier, you have no idea what will happen to your food on the long way from China to your country, and of course – there are both good sellers and scammers on Aliexpress. You can be okay with a broken phone, but you cannot go on with a bad stomach. Rather than take the risk, better refrain from buying food products from Aliexpress as there is a high chance that it could be adulterated.
- Drugs
Drugs have a great impact on our bodies, and you don’t want to experiment with your body with that magical drug that can reduce your weight in just 2 weeks. It is an all known fact that you must never get a drug unless it is prescribed by a doctor and is approved by the health department. The same goes for food items too. But checking the approval or authenticity of drugs sold by an online store is difficult and when it is shipped from a foreign country it becomes impossible.
- Hair dyes and other hair products containing chemicals
If you are looking for everything cheap, you might possibly think of buying hair products from Aliexpress too. Never make this mistake as you will never know how your hair is going to end up. Hair dyes and other chemical hair products are similar to drugs. If you can’t find their manufacturing details or ingredients or approval, you should not be buying them. As Aliexpress does not give you the guarantee for these things you can play safe by not buying them.
- Snacks for pets
If food for humans is not safe to buy online, it is best not to expect that it will be safe for your pets. Just as other food supplements, pet snacks must also undergo scrutiny and must be given approval certificates from food associations in a country. AliExpress acts only as a platform for meeting with sellers and gives you protection on the payment made. It does not guarantee whether the product is approved or unadulterated. Those things depend wholly upon the seller whom you have very little contact with. The email contact and other modes of contact provided are not sufficient enough to trust the seller with something that is related to the well being of a life. So it is better to walk down the street and get pet food from the nearby pet store than make an online purchase.
- Fleas and ticks removal products
Fleas and ticks removal products usually contain chemicals which could be harsh on both the pets as well as the owner. Whenever chemicals are included in a product, you have to look into its ingredients and its side effects. An Aliexpress seller does not necessarily provide you with that information.
- Pacifiers and toys
Babies are fragile and you need to take care of them very carefully. Taking care includes not letting them suffer from the consequences of our stupid mistakes. If you are thinking to buy a pacifier or biting toys for your baby from AliExpress just because it is too fancy and pretty, please don’t press the buy button. Pacifiers and toys must be non-toxic and safe for children to use. As mentioned so many times before in this article, you can never know these things from AliExpress. The seller will claim their toys to be the best and you will have no way to check it. Better make an enjoyable family shopping trip to get toxic-free and child safe toys from well known sellers or brick and mortar stores.
