Standard shipping is the most common means through which buyers ship their items on Aliexpress. For security reasons and to avoid paying more than you should for a single product, there are few things you shouldn’t ship through Aliexpress Standard Shipping.
Shipping some of these things through Aliexpress Standard Shipping could have a negative effect on both the product and the buyer.
Below are few of those things.
1. Fragile items (smartphones, flat screen tv, glass,etc)
Smartphones are some of the common things on Aliexpress and they are very cheap compared to the price on the local market here in my country.
Most sellers when shipping items through Aliexpress Standard Shipping mark the item as ‘gift’. Gift means that the item will skip some custom duties but on the other hand, if the item should go through some sorting process to separate the fragile items from the non-fragile ones, your item can’t be sorted.
Smartphones we all know are made of fragile screen and touch so mixing them with other hard and heavy items could mean that you will get a problem when it arrives.
Aliexpress can handle the shipping process safely but when it gets to the national post office warehouse, the way they transport the shipped packages to the local post office will give you broken heart should you witness.
The local post office just don’t care whether there are fragile items in the package or not. They just throw all into the bucket of a pickup and move them around anyhow they like.
In my country, apart from DHL, EMS and FedEx all the other similar logistics companies deliver directly through the local post office( Meaning yo will have to pick your package at the local post office.)
Shipping through DHL, EMS or FedEx is safer in my country than the local post office because you will have to pick the package at their office by yourself or through door to door delivery for an extra fee. Packages shipped through these means are handled properly since you will be paying more and the companies will also do everything for good reputation.
2. Sofa sets
Sofa sets on Aliexpress are really expensive when shipping. Sometimes the shipping price is more than half of the cost.
The best shipping method I suggest you use when buying sofa sets should be DHL or FedEx. The reason why I suggest this methods is because these two companies take a one time shipping fee unlike some other methods that you will pay extra fees including custom duties after the item has arrived at the destination country.
With these methods all the custom duties are taken care of within the one time shipping you pay during the purchase unlike other methods that you don’t even know how much you will be paying as custom duty when the goods arrive.
I have seen a lot of people abandon their goods because of custom duties.
3. Laptops
Laptops are quite expensive no matter where you are buying them. Buying a laptop online is one of the best experiences I have ever had.
When buying laptops online, there are few things you have to check and one of the most important things you should be checking is your shipping method. Aside the fact that laptop screens are very fragile, they are also quite expensive so I’m sure you wouldn’t want your $1,000+ laptop to get stuck in transit forever after paying a lot for shipping.
I recommend you don’t ship laptops through the Aliexpress standard shipping. FedEx I know are really good when you are shipping expensive items like iPhone, Laptops and LCD Flat screen tvs.
Conclusion
I can’t tell you what is good but out of experience I decided to tell you some of the best ways to get your goods delivered safe and in good condition as you want it.
Maybe you have already had a little problem with my suggested shipping methods, there is nothing to worry about at all. There are a lot of shipping methods so you just have to check the one that works for you and start using.
For questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.
Hey i have a question. This is my first time purchasing an item from ailexpress. And i purchased Tape to check whether I’m going to get it or not. If it arrives at the post office, am i going to pay custom duties on that particular product or it will be given to me free? Thank you.
Depending on the size and weight of the package, it could pass through customs but if it doesn’t go through customs, then you don’t have to pay anything. The post office will call you when it arrives
aha yes pls how do i know if my product will pass thru customs
hello sir pls i wanted to ask . how do we know if wed be charged customs on a product wed buy from aliexpress.
The weight and size of the product determine whether customs will charge you on pickup. I ordered a drone and I paid Ghc 30 because the package was big and heavy.
But I ordered a mobile phone and didn’t pay any charges because the package wasn’t heavy and that big in size. All these experiences were about 7 years ago tho…. things might change now that everything is way up.