How to Buy on AliExpress: Payment, Buyer Protection and US Duties

AliExpress is Alibaba Group’s consumer marketplace: you can buy a single unit from independent sellers, and the order ships internationally. Buying is simple. What’s worth understanding is how the platform works, what protection you get, how to read a store before paying and what import charges apply where you live.

Based on AliExpress’s Buyer Protection page, its terms for the EU and its Terms of Use, Alibaba Group, and rules from the AEAT (Spain’s tax agency), the European Commission, Mexico’s SAT, the Federal Register, CBP, the FTC and the CFPB. The US facts come from the same sources we verified for our Is AliExpress legit? guide on October 3, 2026; the Mexico and Spain facts were verified on September 29, 2026. AliExpress’s Help Center doesn’t let us read all its rules without logging in, so confirm payment methods and coupons at checkout. Anything specific to Mexico or Spain is labeled with the country.

How does AliExpress work?

AliExpress is a marketplace, not a single store. Independent sellers list products, you pick one, and AliExpress provides the platform, the checkout and the dispute process. The Terms of Use say AliExpress.com “does not control and is not liable or responsible for the quality, safety, lawfulness or availability of the products or services offered for sale,” which is why quality varies so much from one store to the next. If you’re a user in the United States, the same Terms say you contract with AliExpress E-Commerce One Pte. Ltd.

In the EU, the purchase contract is between you and the seller, and AliExpress provides the platform.

How to buy on AliExpress step by step

1. Create your account in the app or on the website.
2. Search for the product and check the store: rating, how long it has been open, number of sales and photo reviews from buyers in your country.
3. Choose the variant (color, size, plug type) carefully; it’s the most common reason for returns.
4. Check shipping: the estimated delivery time and whether the product is AliExpress Choice.
5. Apply coupons in the cart or at payment and check the total including taxes and duties.
6. Pay and follow the order under “My orders.” To follow a package in transit, see how to track an AliExpress, Temu or Shein order.

How to pay on AliExpress

• United States: the payment methods offered appear at checkout, and I couldn’t verify the current list from an official page. Our legit guide recommends a credit card: the FTC says paying by credit card “best protects you and your money in case of a scam, or if something else goes wrong,” and the CFPB’s billing-error rules apply to credit card charges.
• Mexico: AliExpress announced a partnership with OXXO in 2024 so you can pay in cash without sharing your card. Check at checkout whether it’s available for your order.
• Spain and Mexico: the methods available for your order appear at checkout. According to AliExpress’s EU terms, they are provided by partners such as Alipay.

Do you pay customs or taxes on AliExpress orders?

United States: the $800 exemption is suspended

For years, shipments valued at $800 or less entered the US duty-free under the “de minimis” exemption. That has changed.

What that means for your order:

• The amount depends on the product and where it was made. We couldn’t verify a single rate that applies to AliExpress purchases, so don’t rely on a number from a blog. Look at the total at checkout.
• Who collects it varies. Under the postal process, qualified filers pay through Pay.gov; the Federal Register says USPS and carriers don’t collect directly. We couldn’t confirm from an official page how AliExpress or its logistics partner currently handles it.
• If you’re charged at delivery, keep the receipt. CBP states that it “does not return taxes/charges” and tells buyers to check the retailer’s return policy for refunds. The pages we read don’t say whether a duty you paid is refunded when you return an item, so ask before you send back something you were taxed on.

The full timeline and what we could and couldn’t verify are in our Is AliExpress legit? guide.

Mexico (if your package is going there)

Mexico’s 2026 General Foreign Trade Rules set a flat 33.5% rate for imports by courier and mail, with special treatment for countries that have trade agreements with Mexico. AliExpress announced that since August 15, 2025, orders shipped from outside Mexico carry an estimated 33.5% tax, applied in the cart.

Spain (if your package is going there)

Since July 1, 2021, all purchases from outside the EU pay VAT. When the store collects VAT at the source (the IOSS system), you pay it when you pay for the order; according to press reports, AliExpress has added it at checkout since July 2021. Above €150, customs duties are added. And since July 1, 2026, the EU applies a flat customs duty of €3 per item on shipments of up to €150, as a transitional measure until 2028. Correos can charge it to you before delivery when it is the one that has to collect it.

AliExpress buyer protection

AliExpress’s official Buyer Protection page covers two cases:

• The order isn’t as described in the listing or photos, or arrives damaged or incomplete: you claim within 15 days of receiving it.
• The order doesn’t arrive or gets lost within the guaranteed delivery window shown in the order details.

The refund goes to your original payment method or as an AliExpress fast refund bonus (with conditions). AliExpress also offers free returns within 15 days of delivery, although if you return something because you changed your mind you pay the shipping. Underwear, socks, food, batteries and customized items are not covered by the return policy.

In the EU (Spain) this comes on top of your legal rights: a 14-day withdrawal right and a 2-year legal warranty of conformity. With a withdrawal, you pay to send the item back to the seller. US buyers get the platform’s program; the Buyer Protection page doesn’t list a statutory withdrawal right for the US.

1. Go to My orders → order details.
2. Contact the seller from the order page first.
3. If you can’t resolve it, open the claim under Return/refund with photos or video.

Want to cancel before it ships? The steps are in how to cancel an AliExpress order.

If AliExpress doesn’t resolve it and you paid by credit card, the CFPB says you must send your issuer a written billing error notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement, and the issuer has 30 days to confirm it received your dispute.

What is AliExpress Choice?

Choice is the AliExpress service launched on March 1, 2023, backed by its own supply chain. According to Alibaba Group (data from February 2024), it offers free shipping in most markets on orders of more than $10 or three items, and since December 2023 free returns in more than 20 countries, including Spain. I couldn’t verify whether the US is among those countries, and these terms may have changed: check the product page and your cart.

AliExpress coupons and discounts

AliExpress offers store coupons, platform coupons and promo codes during campaigns such as 11.11 or Black Friday. In those campaigns, codes usually work in spending tiers, only on products carrying the promotion’s badge and only on specific dates. Before you pay, check in the cart which coupons apply and whether you reach the minimum.

Is it safe to buy on AliExpress?

AliExpress belongs to Alibaba Group, founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China. It’s a real platform with buyer protection, but quality depends on the seller. A few things to know:

• In June 2025, the European Commission accepted commitments from AliExpress and preliminarily concluded that it had not properly assessed the risk of illegal products.
• On July 20, 2026, the Commission fined AliExpress €550 million for failing to diligently assess and mitigate the risks of selling illegal, unsafe or counterfeit products.
• The two BBB profiles we read for our legit guide show a D- rating and no BBB accreditation. The USTR’s 2022 Notorious Markets review listed AliExpress over seller-vetting concerns.

Buy from well-rated stores, be wary of “too cheap” brand names, pay by credit card and keep proof of everything. To vet a store you don’t know, use the store legit checker.

Tips for buying better

• Work out the price with taxes and duties before comparing it with a local store.
• If you’re shipping to Spain, group identical items in one order: the €3 duty is charged per type of item.
• Film the unboxing of anything worth the trouble; it’s the best evidence in a claim.
• Check the product as soon as you receive it: the 15-day claim window starts at delivery.