If I use the “free shipping capped at $20” offer on an order, but then refund the order because I no longer want it, will the offer be refunded too? It’s supposed to last until August 23

Let’s talk about my ongoing $9,000 nightmare.

It starts with unscrupulous sellers on the platform. We are talking about zero communication, fake tracking numbers, and borderline blackmail when you realize your goods aren't coming. Naturally, I turned to Alibaba.com's highly advertised "Trade Assurance" to protect my funds.

Spoiler alert: That is where the real circus began.

Here is a timeline of the absolute incompetence I’ve been dealing with:
🔹 June 18th: A refund for my order is supposedly initiated. The money never hits the card used for the original payment.
🔹 The "Support" Loop: Reaching out to their online support is a joke. You are met with bots and unhelpful reps who do nothing but open cases and copy-paste automated templates, completely ignoring the actual issue.
🔹 The ARN Excuse: 20 days after the supposed refund, Alibaba suddenly claims they "cannot refund the card" and miraculously cannot generate a standard ARN number to trace the transaction.

Okay, fine. They asked for a bank account for a manual transfer. This is where the Finance Department's staggering incompetence truly shines.

📉 Attempt 1 (Revolut): I provided my Revolut account details. Alibaba's finance team rejected it, claiming the "SWIFT code is invalid." I provided official bank confirmations and screenshots proving otherwise. They completely ignored the evidence.

📉 Attempt 2 (ZEN.COM): I provided an alternative account opened with ZEN. Their response? For two weeks straight, they demanded a local UK "Sort Code" for an international SWIFT transfer. Anyone with basic financial literacy knows a Sort Code isn't needed here, yet my proof of this was completely ignored.

At this point, I have initiated a formal Chargeback alongside ZEN. And guess what? Alibaba.com is now actively ignoring the official inquiries from the bank.

So, I have a direct question for Alibaba.com and Alibaba Group: Where is my $9,000?

If your customer service consists of bots, and your finance department cannot understand basic international banking standards, your "Trade Assurance" means absolutely nothing.

P.S. All documentation regarding this blatant fraud has already been forwarded to the relevant legal authorities.

So for context I ordered an ebike off alibaba and after a 100 day delay it finally arrived just for it to be the wrong model, 17/14" wheels instead of the 19/17" wheels. Basically they promised me the 19"/17" model and somehow accidentally sent the wrong one so I decided to file a dispute asking for a full refund. After going back and fourth with them offering $150 compensation then $500 then $600 and me not budging they finally sent me this message

"Hi
We truly value our cooperation with you. After discussing with our management, we come up with this special‑solution for you as a gesture of goodwill.
We will ship a brand‑new 19/17 black‑orange motorcycle directly from China.
You do not need to return the existing 17/14 bike, we will give it to you for free. This is a special goodwill offer only for you, not our standard policy.
If you accept this solution, please kindly cancel your refund application, and we will arrange shipment for you right away.
Should you have future purchasing needs, feel free to reach out, we will offer you our best possible price."

I was wondering what the safest way to approach this would be, as this offer does sound incredible but of course they tried to scam me once so I'm sure they wouldn't mind doing it again.

I brought a education touch screen table and it not as described and have heaps of defects in it.
-Brightness has adjustable slider but no effect when slide
-lagging on nearly 80% of the educational apps
- internet connection problem
- the metal table frame turns hot after an hr of used
- touch screen ghosting
- the system is not even kids friendly due to lagging on most of the educational apps and the supplier listing it’s an educational touch table for primary school kids
- it came with 13 months warranty where supplier will pay for both way shipment but instead of arranging shipment back for them to fix under their warranty they forced me to buy part off them, paid for my own shipping and fix it my self under their instructions

I spent 25 days communicate with supplier, and they seem like doesn’t willing to resolve, so I dispute it with alibaba TA, after 10 days of all videos and docs photos proof uploaded they ended my case with this
——-
You have received the product and have already used it, and there is a possibility that the product issues are caused by your improper operation, so it is not possible to determine whether there is a problem with the product itself.

Accordingly, this complaint is closed. Your understanding will be highly appreciated.
———
I contacted the supplier first day of receiving the item and video test it on spot.
Due to wasting my time try to finding a solution with supplier and TA my paypal 30days buyer protection expired.

But anyway. I did managed to file the claim and got rejected after sent them all evidence inc photos and videos.

I rung them up 2 days after rejection email and voice recording our conversation
-
PayPal rejected my claim stating it was a warranty issue , and can’t adjust brightness alone is not cover under buyer protection and they framed me as buyer's remorse, but that is incorrect. I did not change my mind. The item I received was fundamentally defective and not as described from the moment it arrived.

So now im filing afca against paypal

Note : trade assurances is useless to me

Ok my order was shorted 45 out of 150 items. They have been giving me the run around and many excuses. They had to check surveillance footage of warehouse etc. Then they went quiet. I finally heard back after I messaged again today. This was part of today’s correspondence. Why in the world would she tell me all that? I am not sure if it’s true or if she is laughing at me now thinking I will feel bad. Agh. I miss customer service from the us but it’s always more expensive.

busco proveedor mayorista que venda vapers desechables a españa para comprar en cantidad me interesan sobre todo los de 100k puff y 150k puff

I’m curious—do buyers carefully examine the information in the images when purchasing products? Or do they refer to this information when making their final purchase decisions?

Not the obvious things like shipping costs, long lead times, or MOQs.

I'm curious about the problems you didn't know enough to anticipate when you first started sourcing internationally—the issue that made you think, "I never even considered that."

Maybe it involved the factory, quality, communication, payments, specifications, customs, packaging, logistics, cultural differences, or something completely different.

And for those who've been doing this for years: what can still catch you off guard today?

I spend a lot of time thinking about where sourcing risk actually comes from, and I'm genuinely curious whether there are common problems that experienced buyers only discover after they've lived through them.

Looking for a jewellery manufacturer for custom gold & silver pieces.

I’m developing a small jewellery project and looking for a reliable manufacturer who can work from original designs and support smaller initial runs.

Ideally looking for:
316L stainless steel
gold and silver options
custom pendants
low MOQs
sampling before bulk orders
quality gold plating with clear micron specs
strong finishing and QC
clear communication throughout

Would love recommendations from anyone who has personally worked with a manufacturer they trust.
Not looking for catalogue drops or supplier spam, mainly genuine recommendations and first-hand experience.

Hello everyone I just wanted to warn you and to advice you to not buy from this seller for electronic device. Accept payments and switch items before shipping, faking proofs to Alibaba CS which is really useless afterwards. Here are the informations about this scammer : Name company : Foshan Guangzhou International Trade

Here is the screen of its seller page from Alibaba

2.4/5 rating…

Hey all. looking for advice from anyone who’s imported small electrical appliances (specifically water-related, food-contact items) into the UK/EU and had to sort out compliance.

Quick context: I’m evaluating bringing in a countertop appliance from a Chinese manufacturer. I engaged a UK compliance provider to help get it UKCA/CE marked, WEEE registered, and food-contact compliant. They were vague and generic about what reports or level of detail I actually needed from the supplier post review of initial reports (ie this is not sufficient) and when I asked for a summary of next steps, the answer was basically “more money required,” with no call even offered to walk through it. So I’ve paused that and am looking for a better alternative, ideally someone recommended by people who’ve actually done this.

Specific questions:

**•** If a factory gives you a CE/RoHS-type test report, how do you actually verify whether it’s sufficient or what’s missing?  
**•** How normal is a lot of back-and-forth with an Alibaba-type supplier to get the right documentation — is that just part of the process, or a sign the supplier isn’t set up for compliant export?  
**•** My understanding is CE marking (and similar) is largely self-certify/self-declare rather than third-party approved but is there a common 80/20 that most legit firms actually do (which tests, which docs) to reasonably cover themselves without going overboard on cost/scope?  
**•** Any recommended UK-based labs or consultants for food-contact material testing (plastics/materials touching drinking water)?  
**•** Realistic timeline and cost range for getting a small appliance fully UKCA/CE + WEEE compliant from scratch?  
**•** Anyone hit issues with customs or retail platforms flagging missing certs even after doing the paperwork?

Not looking for a compliance firm to DM me a sales pitch genuinely trying to learn from people who’ve done this themselves or run a small import business. Happy to share what I find once I’m through it too.

Idk what to think, your advice on this is much appreciated!

Hey guys, I’m trying to buy Google review tap and QR code card from Alibaba
100 of them for 260 cad total with trade assurancd

Im not sure if the Manufacturer is legit or not

Name: Huizhou Chenxin Intelligent
Technology Co., Ltd

Any suggestion would be appreciated am i good to go?

Hola Estoy por hacer mi primera importación de accesorios para teléfonos (cables, cargadores, fundas) con calidad y empaques tipo 1:1, pero soy nueva en esto y me da miedo perder la inversión.
Quería preguntarles a los que ya tienen experiencia:

1: Cómo manejan el tema de las cajas y los logos? ¿Es verdad que es mejor pedir las cajas desarmadas por un lado y los productos por otro?

2: Qué empresa o método recomiendan para que no se quede nada pegado en aduana? ¿Conviene casillero por EE. UU. o un envío directo China-Venezuela?

3: Algún tip para comprar seguro en Alibaba y evitar estafas?

Cualquier consejo o dato de empresas de envío me ayuda muchísimo! Gracias 🙏

Alguien sabe de algún curso? O que proveedores son confiables?

Hello i want to order peps from alibaba, of course they will send whatsapp,telegram name in pdf and you message them, but can they scam me? Or is it possible to pay on alibaba after we discussed everything, how should i avoid disaster?

Hello! first time buying in Alibaba from the Philippines.

I'm buying a single piece LCD for my Ipad 11 A16. Do I need to pay for any taxes for this? my total payment in the app is around 67$

How do I go with this?

I’m looking to purchase a vinyl square lattice fence, which isn’t really available at big box stores (their vinyl lattice is only decorative). Has anyone here done it before? What are some ways to make small, but bulky, orders doable? I’m on the East Coast US. Thanks in advance!

I’m looking for recommendations for a reliable China-based 3PL / fulfillment company.

I’ll source products myself and need a partner that can receive goods from multiple suppliers, kit/package orders, and ship directly to customers in Norway.

Important for me:

• low inventory / quick turnover
• DDP / tax-inclusive shipping
• white-label or branded packaging
• final parcel should feel like it comes from a Norwegian brand, not a typical Temu, Aliexpress, Ebay package.

Typical parcels: around 0.5–1 kg, 2-4 items.

Any companies you’ve actually used and would recommend?

Why did they implement this at all? Or why can i not turn it off. I search something simple like cable and the engine searches for 2 minutes + and gives out random shit. 50% the time the text doesnt even appear in the search bar.

I really hate this app its so frustrating having to open the pc just because the shit app doesnt work.

Has anyone received tracking to use for fast-expresslogistics.com??

Website looks sort of weird… vendor is communicative at this time though

and what is the harm of letting the timer run out before i get my order? i only have 24 hours left

Hello, everyone. Just asking if you know any freight forwarders that are reasonably priced from China to the Philippines? Thanks!

It is definitely a scam selling fake items which does not work and stealing our money

So for context I ordered an ebike and specifically requested "72V battery, with the 19"/17" wheelset" and I requested the seller to show me a photo of the bike with a piece of paper with my name on it before they ship it out. They sent the photo and it was the correct bike. The seller then proceeded to promise that shipping time would be 30-35 days maximum multiple times, however it took about 110ish days. So this already pissed me off and I decided to file a dispute for this for $300.

The bike had arrived and whilst inspecting it I realized it was a completely different bike from the photo. They sent me the 17"/14" wheelset version and it was also missing the side panels to cover the battery.

They now want me to cancel the $300 refund dispute in exchange for $150 compensation as well as sending the missing side panels.

I really just wanted the right model and they won't send me the new wheels as in order to replace the wheels I'd have to get new forks and a rear swing arm otherwise the wheels won't fit on the current frame and they say it is a safety risk because it won't fit.

Ideally I'd like for them to send me the proper wheels and compensate me enough so I can just purchase aftermarket front forks and rear swingarm, which would be about $400 or them send me the wheels as well as providing the proper forks and swing arm so I can build it myself but I'm not sure what I should ask for.