After trying in vain to find what you want to buy in the stores in your city and on the most famous online shopping sites, you’ve finally found what you want in AliExpress, in a thousand different versions and at an affordable price.
This Chinese e-commerce site, also available in English, Italian and a myriad of other languages, offers thousands of different products and at low and affordable prices. But if you’re not a great online shopper, or have never used AliExpress, you’ll want to learn about the options available and how to make a purchase payment. Remember that, on AliExpress, it is possible to complete a purchase either by computer or, thanks to the app, from smartphones and tablets. Note that you can use a promo code in both devices.
A question that is often asked by international buyers is “How to pay on AliExpress”. This question is normally asked by buyers who want to know the payment methods accepted on AliExpress, in particular accepted debit or credit cards. AliExpress is part of the Alibaba Group, founded by Jack Ma in 1999: a large Chinese company which in turn incorporates several companies, but is mainly famous for Alibaba.com and Aliexpress. Alibaba is a wholesale operation where people can buy large quantities of items, while AliExpress allows buyers to buy small quantities of goods from all over the world and offers international shipping.
It should be noted that AliExpress is not an online store, but a platform that connects sellers and buyers from all over the world. While remaining an outside observer, AliExpress still has a fundamental role in the trades that happen on the platform: it ensures that the sellers are respecting a set of rules and established rules, and is in charge of protecting the buyers, should there be some problem with the goods purchased. Consider, for example, that the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards those who sell products that do not comply with the description provided on the site, which are banned immediately and permanently.
Buy on AliExpress
Once you have chosen the products you wish to buy, you will need to create an account, or log in to the account that you have previously created, add your personal data for shipping the item, and choose the preferred payment method. Additional information needed to create the account is your email address, name, surname, password (minimum 6 and maximum 20 characters) and password confirmation, after which you will enter the displayed control code and click on the Create your account button AliExpress. Within a few moments, you will receive an email containing an activation link: once you click on it, you will be able to verify your account and complete the registration. At that point you can play around: AliExpress really has something for everyone!
After making the payment, you will be able to see the status of your order by clicking on your name at the top right of the AliExpress page, and selecting “My AliExpress” from the pop-up menu. At that point, you’ll need to select the “All orders” button, located in the left sidebar on the page that appears. So, you will be able to see all the orders placed (including those you haven’t paid yet) and their status.
Payment methods accepted on AliExpress
The user has many payment methods available for his purchases on AliExpress.com. The guide page “How to pay an item” that you can find on the site, indicates at least eleven different payment methods. Alipay is the most common method, followed by debit or credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, JBC, Diners Club and Discover (including rechargeable Hype, N26 and buddybank). Other options are wire transfer, Western Union transfer, Yandex Money, use a WebMoney or Paypal and electronic wallets, used to make or receive online payments). You can even pay for orders up to $ 50,000 by using a debit or credit card.
Once you have selected the payment method, fill in your details in the corresponding payment form that will appear once you have selected your preferred method.
What is AliPay?
Alipay.com is an online payment service owned by Alibaba. It is similar to the American PayPal.com, and can be used to pay for goods and services online only on AliExpress.
To use AliPay you may need a credit or debit card. The card is added to your Alipay account which is then used for payments on AliExpress. AliPay offers some form of buyer protection when buying goods from AliExpress, such as a guarantee deposit; which means that the money is released to the seller when the buyer has received the goods and is happy with what he has received.
Please note, however, that not all payment methods are available for every purchase: it depends on the seller and the services he offers. We therefore recommend that you check the available payment methods before proceeding with the payment for the item you are wanting to buy!
Specific withdrawal method
AliExpress withdraws the sum of money for the pre-established amount of your purchases in a rather unique way compared to other online shopping portals.
The site, in fact, will take a third of the total amount, instead of withdrawing the entire amount immediately: this, to make sure that the customer is actually satisfied with the products. Once you are assured that the goods are not damaged or different from what was listed in the description on AliExpress, staff members will pick up the rest of the amount. This will tend to happen after the buyer evaluates the goods on the site.
If for some reason the goods are not fully satisfactory, the customer will be reimbursed for the amount spent on his purchase. This will happen within three days, and the amount will be returned via the card used for the original payment. There’s time to waste: go shopping on AliExpress!
