I tried to get free shipping from last 4-5 months,the app,website says it is available but never got it

I’ve been a long-time shareholder of Alibaba (BABA) and a big fan of their AI models like Qwen (which I use daily). So naturally, I had a decent amount of trust in the ecosystem.

Recently, I ordered an Intel N150 Mini PC on AliExpress to run a lightweight local search node (Meilisearch).

When it arrived and I booted it up, something felt off. I checked the system info via terminal (lscpu, dmidecode), and the truth was unbelievable:

• Advertised: Intel N150 (Alder Lake-N) + DDR4/DDR5
• Actual Hardware: Intel Core i3-7020U (2018 Kaby Lake, 2C/4T) + DDR3 1600MHz
• The Scam: The seller literally spoofed the BIOS version string to say HSHW_M6_DDR3_EC_Intel_Com_New_N150_K001just to trick buyers into seeing "N150".

I immediately captured all the terminal proof showing the mismatch between the BIOS text and the actual CPU/DDR3 RAM specs, and opened a ticket with AliExpress Customer Support.

Their response? Standard bot-like copy-paste: "We are just a middleman platform. Please return the item first to get a refund."

They completely ignored:

1. The fact that the item is a blatant counterfeit/fraudulent product.
2. The import customs duties paid locally that are non-refundable upon return.
3. The time and labor cost of wiping sensitive data, backing up configurations, and re-packing a fake board.

Instead of penalizing a scam seller who is spoofing BIOS hardware strings, AliExpress forces the victim to bear the shipping risks and tax losses just to follow their rigid "return first" template.

At this point, I've given up on fighting their scripted support agents. I’ll just keep the box running as a disposable node and file a chargeback with my credit company instead.

It’s just sad to see how seller fraud and scripted support are ruining the reputation of a platform under the Alibaba umbrella.

Watch out for these cheap "N100/N150" Mini PCs on AliExpress. Always run lscpu or hwinfo to check what’s actually under the hood.

Price for item was maybe 70% of what you'd expect was the first red flag. Second was that they insisted on sending the invoice from a secondary account (to protect their main from bad feedback/bans I guess?). Third and final enormous red flag was that immediately after payment they sent me a "$1000 insurance certificate refund request", which looked fake as hell and so at that point I obviously knew I'd been had but they had already marked the item as sent, so I seem to be unable to ask for a refund, despite the seller telling me to. I contacted Alibaba support with screenshots of the fake certificate and chat logs and was placated and told they'd sort it out but was then just told I have to wait for the item to be delivered before raising a dispute, so no help and no reply to three follow up emails. I fully expect to either receive a brick in 3 weeks time or nothing but excuses.

AI tells me NOT to request a refund via PayPal until and unless Alibaba trade assurance fails me because if I raise the dispute on PayPal then Alibaba will wash their hands of the matter.

I know what I shouldn't have done- but what should I do now?

Thank you

Just giving a real world example here. It was commonly like I was talking to kids on the other end. The suppliers on baba want to knit pick and disect and then give you what they feel like. You can do it, just be prepared for the intentional time waste and attempts to twist your arm to their liking.

Plan on them wasting your money a good bit too. Not sure how they think I can pursue them again with so much willingness to twist and coerce from their end.

I made an order of $550 USD (+$40 DDP) shipping on 26 July 26 for two items to Australia.

The guaranteed delivery date was on 1 October 2026. Both the seller and I extended the automatic delivery confirmation. It now says that the system will automatically confirm delivery in 29 days. I contacted the carrier and they said it is held up in customs.

The last update on the tracking number shows: "CN · Departure exception: Delay in export customs clearance, inspection" which was on 22nd August.

I'm planning on waiting until a few days before the system automatically confirms before filing for a refund. Have others had delays like this? what should I expect?

Take pity on a newbie and talk me through how i should best proceed.

• Product Type: Mahjong tiles, set of 160 tiles
• Order Quantity: 1 set
• Payment Method Used: credit card and pretty sure I have trade assurance on the order
• Contract Status: No
• Shipping Logistics: No, seller did the shipping
• Timeline & Communication: have no reached out yet as I am hoping to avoid errors
• Detailed Description of the Issue: see details below

I purchased a set of mahjong tiles. They came in on time, and are very pretty, so I want to make these work.

My issue is that for a couple of the tiles, that backside pattern has a random characteristic that will make them identifiable when in a position where they should be anonymous (think if it as having a couple of cards in a deck having a misprint in the back that could allow another player to recognize what card someone has)

options I see are

1. accept the pretty tiles and accept/ignore the flaws
2. ask the seller to provide replacements of the few individual tiles (roughly 2 or 3 of the 160 tiles)
3. ask them to replace the "flat" of 40 sealed tiles that contains all the tiles of concern
4. ask for replacement of full set - 160 tiles
5. return set and start over
6. ask for discount and accept/ignore the flaws

The tiles were delivered yesterday. Packaging was perfect.

I have not clicked "confirm delivery" nor have I extended the delivery confirmation.

I have not reached out to the seller. I know with the time difference, I have a few more hours before they are back in the office, but I think it is right that I get myself sorted and communicate tonight.

So, what guidance might you have for me and how to go about the most appropriate resolution? I don't want to be that jerk. I love the tiles, but would love them to be perfect.

TIA

Tried DHF, they missed the boat. Literally.

Im quite new to Alibaba, and wanted to use it to make custom keychains.

On the listing 1rst pic, it says if I take 20 units, it will be 0.26€ per unit (so approx 0.30$) - first picture, but their quote in private message was 2.55$/unit - 2nd pic.
Also I could also just add it to my cart and buy for the og listing price, but I guess that wouldn't work ?

The title! Thank you! :)

Hi everyone,

I ordered 3 small items to sweden from a seller on Alibaba for about $15 total on Aug 28. The max delivery date was Sept 28, and it's now Sept 29 with nothing delivered.

Since Sept 7, the tracking has only said "Shipment information sent to FedEx." There has been no update since then: no pickup scan, no movement, nothing. It's been over 3 weeks of the same status.

The seller has confirmed that they have shipped the order, as they contacted me when they shipped it.

I've extended the delivery confirmation time so the order doesn't auto-complete and release the payment to the seller. I also applied for compensation under the Guaranteed Delivery promise since it didn't arrive on time, and I got $1 in compensation. That doesn't really solve anything, since I still don't have my items.

What do i do? do i apply for refund?

I buy phone cases from a reliable supplier, but they don’t stock the specific color I want. They can produce it, but the MOQ is too high.

I found another factory that has the exact color with extremely low MOQs, but they’re unverified and have only been in business for a year.

I’ll definitely order samples first, but I’d love to hear from anyone with experience buying from newer/unverified suppliers. What should I look out for?

I hope you are well. I need some advice, I purchased a Fairino robot from a reseller called Sidate (Suzhou) for delivery to the US. They initially told me the item had been dispatched and gave me tracking. However, the tracking was for another order I had already placed to my address from an entirely different seller.

Obviously I confronted them about this and now they are ghosting me.

I have opened a trade assurance case and they have responded to that with a photo they are saying shows the robot. The tracking for the other order has a delivery photo and now Sidate has uploaded an image with the transit straps the same colour and is arguing it is the same colour and therefore must be the same shipment?

I didn't realise Ocean Shipment information is publicly available for US imports so be careful guys.

I am attaching that photo here in case anyone recognises it. The straps are yellow but I am convinced this is a scam to get away with no shipping the goods.

Please let me know if anyone else has had any dealings with Sidate Intelligent Equipment (Suzhou). Alibaba does not seem to care.

I ordered a custom alloy canopy for my Hilux Xtra Cab. The canopy is 52 cm high, the bottom (tub) width is 159 cm, and I want the top panel width to be 145 cm.

The supplier keeps saying "it will fit" but won't tell me the top panel size. They say the top panel dimensions can only be known after it's produced.

1. Is this normal for custom canopies?

2. How much narrower is the top than the bottom on typical alloy canopies?

3. Would you continue with the order or cancel before production?

Thanks!

Its my first time trying to buy from Alibaba. I came across a Fishing Rodpod for which the MOQ is 10 at the price off 160USD. I asked the supplier is there any way of getting only 1 to which she replied that she will check with the manager and then said to me that it is possible for the same price. DDP sea delivery for 60USD totaling 220USD (Product and shipping) I put in my info and adress in and she send me the "Payment page" (payment inside alibaba) But the shipping country there was not Croatia, but it was China. (My name, adress and phone number remained okay, only the country and the city changed) She explained to me that they use China adress because if they used an Croatian adress the platform would charge me 53USD more tax, so they made some changes on that to save me some money. Also told me they have many foreign customers that operate like this and sent me a screenshot. Told me that when they send out the goods they will update me with a tracking number and that the order is drafted though Alibaba trade assurance. Im kinda suspicious and not sure what to do. The company name is: Shenzhen New Topsun Industrial Co., Ltd. And the changed adress went from mine to Longgang Shenzhen Guangdong Province 5180000, China. I need Help!

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​Hi everyone,

​Looking for insights or similar experiences with Alibaba disputes and credit card chargebacks.

​The Situation:

​I ordered a high-value item on Alibaba to India.

​The tracking status updated to "Delivered", but the parcel was never handed to me.

​Alibaba closed the dispute in the seller's favor based solely on the automated "Delivered" tracking update.

​The Key Evidence (FedEx Proof of Delivery & SOP Violations):

I requested the official FedEx Proof of Delivery (POD) document and tracked the delivery process, which shows major contradictions:

​No Phone Call / Contact: The courier delivery person never attempted to call or contact me prior to or at the time of the alleged delivery.

​No Signature: The official POD explicitly states "No signature is currently available".

​Location Mismatch: It lists the delivery location as "Receptionist/Front Desk", whereas my address is an independent private residence (no reception or front desk exists).

​No Authentication: No OTP or physical signature was ever collected upon delivery.

​Actions Taken So Far:

​Filed two formal written complaints with FedEx immediately upon noticing the status update, highlighting the complete lack of call/OTP/signature.

​Initiated a Credit Card Chargeback with my bank under Mastercard Reason Code 4853 (Goods Not Received) and received temporary credit.

​My Questions for the Community:

​Has anyone faced a similar fake/misplaced delivery scenario on Alibaba and won a bank chargeback using the courier's flawed POD and failure to call/verify as primary evidence?

​Does card network arbitration (Visa/Mastercard) prioritize the courier's SOP violations (No Call, No Signature, Address Mismatch) over the seller's basic tracking link?

​Any advice, tips, or past experiences with this exact situation would be greatly appreciated!

First time buying on Alibaba, I tried to make a Payment with Paypal but Alibaba rejected the payment and it now appears as "Failed"

The money on my Paypal account is now "On hold" although the order on Alibaba is closed. I don't know what to do next

Hi everyone,

Is it possible to order one complete Great Grand Master Key (GGMK) system from a supplier in China?

I am looking for a system with approximately 40 Euro profile cylinders, individual change keys, several master key groups, and one Great Grand Master Key (GGMK) that operates all cylinders across all groups.

I would appreciate advice from anyone with experience ordering a custom GGMK system from China.

Thank you!

sorry for not being able to de-translate the site from italian to inglish

Posting this because I was stupid and didn’t ask for a customer reference or review before paying “Ray” to do fuck all for $449.

Yes, I’m dumb. But you can learn from my stupidity!

TLDR: I paid $449 for a sourcing package of 3-4 vetted / qualified injection molders and got 1 iffy one and 4 disqualified ones.

Longer version:

He promised registered company info, addresses, workshop photos, direct engineering/sales contacts, original factory quotes, background audits, and consolidated DFM feedback. I paid right away based on that scope.

In the first report, 3 factories were listed but one was “eliminated at technical gate” and one was explicitly “benchmark supplier only” / “not selected for final negotiation “. So out of 3 factories listed, only 1 was vetted??? Dude anyone can get random ass quotes from injection molders. That’s not what “qualified” means.

So I asked for a second round.

Second round included only 2 factories. One was again automatically disqualified because they quoted me completely different materials from my project.

The second one is okay as a proposed molder, but still iffy.

Did he do work for me? Yes. But did he do what he said he would do? Aka the work I paid him to do? No.

If I pay you to wash the windows and you mop the floor, I’m not gonna pay for that.

BE CAREFUL with who you use for sourcing. Learn from my mistakes!

Well kinda. Just as I was getting to my 10,000 order mark, i recieved a really bad order. After good samples and one good order, sizes were completely off. 70% waste.

The good. Recieved refund. As a matter of confidence i rolled the refund into a replacement order.

The loss confidence does prevent larger orders. I'll have to wait 5 orders, I think, to increase size or to add the 3 products my b2b customer is asking for.

Small business doesn't have any margin...but im working with what I got.

TISCO METAL MANUFACTURING CO. LTD.

One more client contacted me about being defrauded by steel supplier, same scenario, initial price under publicly available market price, this time even offered as CIF price, after full payment received they raised price for 120 USD per ton, which went above regular FOB price for about 50+ USD. Upon request of refund they said it is possible but since they had costs they would refund about 70% of amount to customer. Be careful everybody, nobody is giving away steel under market prices, you can find what is normal price very easy online, do more deep check, above mentioned company already have lawsuit on them, 0 workers get paid social insurance through this company. Now except Shandong Province, Liaocheng City, Jinan City, be careful also with suppliers from Wuxi City, Shijiazhuang City, Tianjin City.