How to Cancel Order and Refund from AliExpress

When shopping on AliExpress, customers aim to buy good products for affordable prices. However, sometimes the quality of these products can disappoint. This can also extend to issues with the shipping process, such as cases where the parcel gets lost in transit and doesn’t reach its destination. As a result, customers might wonder how to get their money back when such situations occur.

Don’t worry about that. If you follow the correct procedures, getting a refund from AliExpress won’t be an issue at all. And we will discuss it in this article.

When can you apply for a refund?

You can apply for a refund in several cases:

1. Cancelling the order before the seller ships it. Even if the order is already paid for, the customer has a right to change their mind and cancel it. The only requirement is that the seller hasn’t yet shipped the parcel. In that case, once the seller confirms the cancellation, the system will process the refund request.
2. Buying items labeled with ‘Free Return’. This option allows you to return the item within 15 days after receiving it. It is safe and simple: you return the item and get your money back. You can read more about it in this article.
3. The seller did not ship the order in time. Once your order is paid for, the seller has a fixed timeframe to ship your package and issue a tracking number. If it doesn’t happen, the order is cancelled automatically, and the system will initiate a refund.
4. The AliExpress Support team identified seller fraud and blocked the store. In such cases, after security checks are finalized and fraudulent activities are confirmed, the system will issue your refund.
5. Issues with the order itself, such as if the item is damaged, defective, of poor quality, arrived in the wrong quantity, or did not arrive on time (or at all), then you can open a dispute to apply for a full or partial refund (depending on the circumstances).

What can prevent you from getting a refund?

• The seller has already shipped your order;
• The buyer protection period has expired, and the dispute was not initiated;
• The dispute is closed due to the lack of sufficient evidence.

How to open a dispute and apply for a refund

If there are any issues with your order or if it has not arrived at all, you should open a dispute before the buyer protection period expires. You can get your money back in full by providing photo or video evidence.

In the first stage, the dispute is handled by you and the seller. If the parties are unable to come to a solution, then the AliExpress dispute team will step in, study the evidence, and resolve the issue.

1. To open a dispute, first go to “My Orders”, find the order you need and click on “Order details”.

2. You will be redirected to a new page. There, click on the ‘Returns/Refunds’ button.

Pay attention! If you still have not received your package, but the buyer protection period is about to expire, you can extend it. Previously it was available as an individual function, but now you need to contact the seller. By doing so you can safely wait for your order for a little longer without initiating a dispute.

3. After clicking on the ‘Returns/Refunds’ button, you’ll be redirected to a new page where you can provide reasons for opening a dispute.

Here, you need to specify the delivery status: whether the package is not received or received in part or in full.

Based on that, you’ll be able to choose a specific reason from the next drop-down menu:

4. After that, you can specify the refund amount. You can request either a full or partial refund, but not more than the order’s total price, including shipping fees.

5. Next, you’ll be requested to describe the issue and upload photos or videos as evidence. The best way to approach this is to upload an unpacking vlog, where you can clearly show in which condition (or quantity) the order was received.

After that, click on the red “Submit” button.

5. Now you need to wait for the seller’s response to the dispute.

• The seller is given 5 days to respond, otherwise the dispute will be resolved in the customer’s favor.
• Quite often the seller agrees to issue a refund with no additional questions asked, especially if the evidence you provided is sufficient. By doing so sellers avoid the dispute escalation and AliExpress sanctions.
• Also, the seller can suggest closing the dispute and sending you a new item in exchange. This solution is viable if you are willing to wait for your order again but be careful when agreeing to these terms. You can read more about it in the following article – The seller offered to send a new product.

Those were the good outcomes—either getting your money back or waiting for a brand-new product. The following options are worse:

• The seller can disagree with the refund amount you specified. They will make a counteroffer with their proposed refund amount, which will be slightly lower than yours. You will have to either agree to that or decline;
• The seller will agree to issue you a refund, but you’ll have to ship the item back to them. You need to contemplate this one carefully, as you will be the one paying the shipping costs;
• Decline all proposals and escalate the dispute.

If the parties don’t come to a solution, then the AliExpress dispute team will step in to evaluate the case and make a verdict. If the reasoning and uploaded evidence are sufficient, then the AliExpress team will resolve the issue in the customer’s favor. If not, then they will support the seller.

This is important! If the dispute is not resolved in your favor and you strongly disagree with it, take a stand:

• Take new photos to ensure that product issues are visible;
• Film an additional video;
• In the text description of your issue, try to be more precise – don’t use overcomplicated sentences, be short and succinct. By doing so you’ll ensure that the AliExpress team will get your point.

Once the dispute is closed, where is the money refunded?

How does a refund work on AliExpress? Regardless of whether the order was cancelled or the dispute was won, AliExpress will send the money back to the same payment method you used. If you paid with your credit card, you’ll get refunded to the same balance. If you used PayPal, funds will be applied to the wallet you used. Refunds are not processed instantly, and you’ll have to wait around 3 to 20 working days, sometimes more.

Initially, the system will process the refund, check the relevant information, and then send the money back.

Where to check the refund status

To check your refund status, go to “My Orders”, then proceed to the “Refund and Return” tab on the left:

There you’ll see all the processing refunds. If AliExpress has already received your request, you’ll see the “Waiting Refund” status. Once the money is sent, the status will change to ‘Refund Processing’. Finally, after the money reaches your payment account, the status will update to ‘Refund’.

Pay attention! If your refund request has been approved, but the money was not returned within 3-30 days, you should contact the AliExpress Support team and inform them of the problem. They’ll check the information and help you to solve this issue.

Conclusion

Thanks to disputes and refunds, customers feel safer shopping on AliExpress. Getting your money back isn’t difficult as long as you provide sufficient photo or video evidence and make no mistakes.

Do you still have questions? Leave a comment below, and I’ll be happy to help.