AliExpress Symbols Guide

Often you may have wondered what a particular symbol on AliExpress means. Each market possesses a set of symbols with which it introduces its services, identifies itself or try to improve on buyer’s experience. AliExpress sets of symbols are no different.

This guide on symbols used in AliExpress attempts to introduce to you and explain what each symbol that you may have encountered on AliExpress means and how to maximize its given function. 

There are a number of symbols on AliExpress that are more commonly encountered on the platform such as the medals (crowns and diamonds) that indicates a particular seller’s reputation, the Guaranteed Authenticity stamp and other less popular ones like the local shipping, domestic returns etc. Let’s begin unraveling the mystery behind each symbol.

1. AliExpress medals of reputation

We kick off with the most popular of AliExpress symbols- The Medals. These are not your regular medals of honor but they do serve a similar purpose. On AliExpress, the credibility and reputation of sellers and buyers alike are graded by medals, with each set of medals representing a level of credibility. Six medals equal a diamond, six diamond makes a crown, six crowns makes…

The grading of a particular set of medal is based majorly on buyers’ feedback on the quality of products a seller offers.

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TIP: Always look out for a buyers rating before making an order, chances are you are more likely to purchase quality items from sellers with good ratings.

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It is important to mention at this point that the rating of a seller is an accumulation of feedbacks points he has received on all available items put up for sale. This means a good rating does not necessarily mean perfect products, as a seller with a good rating on a particular product may not have such reviews on others. So what do you do? Always check out the feedbacks and comment on a particular item before making a purchase, that way you are sure of a great buy!

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All of the medals of reputation are located on the product page on the left side (see pic below).

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2. AliExpress symbol of Originality 

Although not present on all items on AliExpress, the Guaranteed Genuine symbol displayed above confers a high degree of trust on the product of choice. This icon was created by AliExpress to help buyers differentiate original items from replicas. A seller who has this mark of originality displayed on his product is certain to be selling genuine products. You may wonder if sellers can’t use the symbol fraudulently. In such cases, such shops are closed down indefinitely and duly sanctioned. The only requirement is for the shop to be reported to and investigated by AliExpress.

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TIP: Look out for the Guaranteed Genuine icon on products where available, chances are you are definitely getting an original. But if you don’t (which is highly unlikely), you are sure of a full refund most times up to double and the seller penalized.

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In case you purchased a counterfeit item, you can submit a refund requests up to 15 days after your order has been completed. You can do this by opening a dispute in the order details page on AliExpress.

The Guaranteed Genuine is an additional guarantee that sellers may offer for some of their products sold on AliExpress.com. If the item you purchased under this guarantee is confirmed to be counterfeit, you will get a full refund (shipping costs included), more on this topic can be found here.

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3. AliExpress symbol of Local Shipping

The local shipping icon shown above is one of the less popular AliExpress symbols. Local shipping on AliExpress is a very effective method of receiving products. It basically means that a particular product can be delivered to your doorstep within 72 hours. This is made possible by the presence of local warehouses within your own country. Compared to having purchased items shipped from Asia, local shipping makes for faster express deliveries and returns where applicable.

TIP: Not all products would have local shipping available, but in cases where express delivery is desired and local shipping available, be sure to use it. When in doubt, you can always inquire from your seller if they offer local shipping for a particular item.

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4. AliExpress Symbol of Domestic Returns

Not all purchases made on online shops meet buyers’ specification, hence the need for returns. AliExpress offers returns on virtually all products put up for sale on the platform provided the item is returned within 7 days of receipt, has not been opened and/or sent in its original packaging. AliExpress promises refund of up to a full refund or a replaced package sent.

Domestic return makes it easier for buyers to return items that didn’t meet a buyer’s requirement. All the products sent from your own country are contained in the area of Domestic Returns. It saves the extra cost of resending back to Asia and is less stressful.

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Here's the return domestic return process in three steps:

A. Apply for refund: This is done by applying to send the item back to the warehouse. To do this open a dispute from your account through the “See details” on the product page.

B. Choose easy returns (Domestic returns): Easy return is contained in the dropdown menu offered on the dispute page. Usually, a buyer is allowed to modify the dispute up to five times, during which he is allowed to cancel the dispute if he deems necessary.

After opening a dispute and selecting a refund, a seller has five days to respond to the dispute. If he fails to respond, AliExpress would intervene and process the dispute on its own terms. 

C. The seller’s Response: This is the final step of resolving a dispute. Once a seller Respond, you are given four options to accept his response, reject his response modify your dispute or cancel the dispute. Following a successful resolution with the seller, AliExpress provides 10 days for returning the disputed product. It is advisable to send the product to the seller within this timeframe. Failure would attract a cancellation of the dispute with no refund made. When the seller confirms receipt of the products, refunds is made immediately. More about this can be found here.  

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5.   AliExpress buyers’ protection seal

The AliExpress buyer protection seal aims to offer buyers a protected experience from the point of purchase to item delivery. It offers coverage for when products don’t get delivered or if the item is not as described. So whichever the scenario, whether buying for personal or business purposes, you are rest assured your money is safe.

Below the full process flow of how a return would work on AliExpress. 

CONCLUSION

AliExpress offers limitless opportunities to get quality items at a cheap price and with the protection it offers, there is no reason not to give it a trial. Stay away from deals too good to be true, check out the seller’s rating. Review buyers’ feedbacks and comments on products before making purchases and if your product isn’t as described, feel free to contact the seller. Enjoy the experience!