Aliexpress has always been my favorite online shopping website. Even though almost everything I want apart from perishable goods can be found on this website but it is not everything that I purchase on this platform.
I have shopped here over a countless number of times for myself, my friends and families. I have seen the ups and downs in the shopping process.
There are some few things that I prefer to buy locally than go get it on Aliexpress… That was just a recent decision tho…. At first I use to buy every single gadget on aliexpress until I realized it is not everything I should be buying online.
Here I have 7 things that you should be careful when buying from Aliexpress.
1. Perfumes
Perfumes are really great items when you buy them from a local supermarket especially when you know the brand of perfume you are buying very well.
The last time I bought a perfume online, I regretted a lot because even though it was cheaper than the one I bought from the local supermarket earlier, the scent was kinda so different from the one I bought earlier but the same brand and looked the same.
Why you should be careful
Most of these products could have been stored up in the company’s warehouse for a very long time and since you are not purchasing on a larger scale, you will get the ones that have aged a bit. That means the fragrance in them will reduce or change completely from the one that you know.
2. Single SD Cards
SD cards are quiet a gamble when buying them online. Most of them are just fake and some too have low storage capacity than the normal storage capacity specified by the seller. That is true but there are a lot of good shops there to get good and working SD cards that will satisfy your needs especially when you know the brand of SD card you are buying.
Why you should be careful
When buying a single SD card from Aliexpress, it is quiet a bad choice. Just imagine the size of an SD card and imagine how it is going to be packaged. Most of the time, this package doesn’t get to the buyer when shipped and it becomes a lost to either the buyer or the seller.
Buying a single SD card is not a good option. Buy at least three pieces and get it shipped. I have bought some few SD cards that never arrived.
3. Silicon Lifelike Dolls
Silicon life lifelike dolls. I bought quiet some few times for some friends.
Why you should be careful
Most of these dolls look really beautiful and lifelike in videos and photos but very ugly physically. I call that marketing strategy…. LOL!.
I don’t know why but most of the dolls there are very expensive. You might see them really big in the photos but immediately they arrive, you will see that they are as little as a key-chain. Very disappointing if you ask me.
For the safety of your money, make sure you investigate the doll very well before you buy and check the specs too to be very sure of what you are expecting.
Some of these dolls are very expensive so the seller could assume that you can’t return it for the money because you are going to be spending a lot on shipping so they send it even if they know perfectly well that it doesn’t match the specification on their product. To avoid that, check the feedback from other buyers well before you buy.
4. Paintings
Paintings are really beautiful when used in the living room. I have tried buying a painting on Aliexpress sometime way back and it kinda look like I misread the specifications.
Why you should be careful
Paintings as the name goes are supposed to be done with a paint and brush. Trust me, most of the paintings on Aliexpress are not that type of paintings. They are just like Photoshop (Edited) photos printed on a material.
When buying a painting online, expect nothing more than a printed photo. If you expect more than that, you will definitely get disappointed. You will see the photo or the artwork in the painting exactly as was showcased by the seller but it wasn’t painted. It was printed. I am a graphic and website designer by profession so I can easily tell the difference between a work done in Photoshop and a work done by hand painting.
5. Medicine
Medicines are one of the common things on Aliexpress aside electronic gadgets. Most of their medicines are herbal medicines. I have bought few of them myself.
Why you should be careful
In my country, the body of government in charge of everything that goes into the human body is The Food and Drugs Authority(FDA). Before any Food or medicine will get into the country, the FDA must inspect and approve it. I don’t know how things go in your country so before you buy a medicine online, check and be sure if such a medicine is legal or illegal before you make the purchase.
6. Sofa Set
There is no doubt the Sofa Sets on Aliexpress are way too beautiful to ignore. I have always watched photos of beautiful sofa sets on this platform but I couldn’t purchase any of them. I will tell you why.
Why you should be careful
There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a sofa set on Aliexpress but the problem comes after buying. From China to my country, that is a very long journey and the shipping is way too expensive. Most of the time, the shipping costs more than half of the purchase price.
If you want to get a Sofa Set online, just first check if you won’t get the same thing from your country before you start and if you are making a purchase, check the shipping first.
7. Pen Drives
If you ask me about the items I bought most online, I will definitely mention pen drives first. I have bought all types of Pen drives and I can say a lot about the experience.
Why you should be careful
Most of the pen drives online are not branded pen drives and they are the cheaper ones too. These pen drives go out of use in a very short period than you can imagine. These pen drives will work perfectly for a month or two and before you realize, they are no longer functioning well.
If you are buying pen drives online, make sure you read the feedback very well. Check out those who bought it a second time and their feedback. To be on the safer side, buy branded pen drives. Buy pen drives you have already used and know they are better than others.
I prefer Sandisk pendrives because that is the type of pendrive I have always used ever since I was growing up and that is the only brand of pendrive I have always bought online ever since some few other brands disappointed me.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of things you can buy on Aliexpress but you have to be careful about buying some of these things. Sometimes you might be losing or making somebody else lose when you try so hard to buy everything you need online. Try and find out more about an item before you make a purchase.
For suggestions and questions, leave a comment below.