I don't like using AliExpress because delivery can be dodgy, often tracking goes into a black hole when it reaches Thailand and may or may not emerge again.

Happened last week, something finally arrived after a month, AliExpress wanted me to wait another 35 days for a refund.

I'm going to avoid it in future and stick with Lazada and Shopee

Has anyone else any recent experiences? I have been using aliexpress for components and items for various different projects for many years. Very rarely an issue, but since the import tax changes, I seem to have issues all the time.

One time - Flash turned up with a consolidated package, and claimed it was COD - we make a rule, no COD, no matter what - my wife and I worked out it was an aliexpress delivery but the guy had no invoice, the amount was just handwritten on the parcel. I found a receipt from some company beginning Ali on my flash app. My wife explained that we dont do COD and that if he came back again, we needed a tax invoice or receipt. The online invoice wasn't itemized, and it appeared a little expensive - like I had 3 items to get the choice option, maybe total 100B and the duty was almost the same.

I had a subsequent order of 3 items totaling 1000B - enter the country and then vanish. Refund came, but I had to apply on three different occasions and wait for investigation, refund was instantly to my bank card.

I don't feel like making any more orders, it's the uncertainty rather than any financial loss - I have always used Ali to get stock, often cheaper to buy 5 of the same component that one in Thailand.

2 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Has anyone else any recent experiences? I have been using aliexpress for components and items for various different projects for many years. Very rarely an issue, but since the import tax changes, I seem to have issues all the time.

One time - Flash turned up with a consolidated package, and claimed it was COD - we make a rule, no COD, no matter what - my wife and I worked out it was an aliexpress delivery but the guy had no invoice, the amount was just handwritten on the parcel. I found a receipt from some company beginning Ali on my flash app. My wife explained that we dont do COD and that if he came back again, we needed a tax invoice or receipt. The online invoice wasn't itemized, and it appeared a little expensive - like I had 3 items to get the choice option, maybe total 100B and the duty was almost the same.

I had a subsequent order of 3 items totaling 1000B - enter the country and then vanish. Refund came, but I had to apply on three different occasions and wait for investigation, refund was instantly to my bank card.

I don't feel like making any more orders, it's the uncertainty rather than any financial loss - I have always used Ali to get stock, often cheaper to buy 5 of the same component that one in Thailand.

AliExpress doesn't do COD? I haven't seen that option

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

AliExpress doesn't do COD? I haven't seen that option

Flash came to the gate saying they had a COD parcel - we sensed a scam, because we make a point of not using COD.

The goods were paid in as normal with a Thai debit card, the flash guy was confused, he was collecting the duty - there was a recipt on my flash phone app from a Thai company, it must be a handling agent. He let us open the parcel, the gear was a consolidated delivery from Aliexpress, so I either paid or he just took the package away. I just paid it, and did some investigating.

21 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Flash came to the gate saying they had a COD parcel - we sensed a scam, because we make a point of not using COD.

The goods were paid in as normal with a Thai debit card, the flash guy was confused, he was collecting the duty - there was a recipt on my flash phone app from a Thai company, it must be a handling agent. He let us open the parcel, the gear was a consolidated delivery from Aliexpress, so I either paid or he just took the package away. I just paid it, and did some investigating.

Maybe it's the additional import tax payable is COD, if you search AliExpress there is no COD option when ordering = you've paid already, don't pay again on delivery = scam