If you’ve been shopping at AliExpress for a long time, you know the complicated relationship with PayPal: Years ago AliExpress allowed you to make all payments with this platform, then this option disappeared, and after a short time it reappeared, but only in some sellers. What is the current status of PayPal and AliExpress? Let’s see.
When can I pay with PayPal?
Initially, not all sellers accepted payment with PayPal and you could tell by the fact that it was displayed on the product page with this badge that had already disappeared: As of today, it no longer depends on the seller whether or not they accept PayPal, but on the country to which you are placing the order.
In which countries is PayPal accepted?
This is the list of major countries that accept PayPal:
- Spain
- Mexico
- Brazil
- United States of America
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Austria
- Belgium
- Swiss
- Sweden
- Norway
- Turkey
- Israel
- Holland
And here are the ones who DO NOT accept it:
- chili
- Colombia
- Argentina
- Peru
- Poland
- Ukraine
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- South Korea
- Malaysia
- Sri Lanka
If your country is not on either list, drop us a line in the comments and we will add it.
How to Pay with PayPal
Paying with PayPal is very easy: When you have your purchase in the shopping cart and click on “Buy”, a window opens in which you can select a payment method (PayPal, bank card, Apple Pay, …)
If you choose this secure payment method, AliExpress will redirect you to the PayPal website: Now enter your email address, your password, confirm the payment and that’s it, you will receive your purchase shortly.
Will AliExpress charge me a commission?
In the past, AliExpress charged an additional fee for using PayPal. While it also offered discounts for this payment method, the commissions often exceeded the bonuses and in the end it was not worth using. Today that additional fee is gone and it no longer costs us any money to use PayPal, which is another reason to use it as a payment method.
Note, however, that our bank may charge us some sort of commission for currency exchange, even though AliExpress and PayPal don’t charge us commission (this is paid by the sellers). While this rarely happens in EE.UU, if you read us from another country you should keep in mind that it can happen to you. So if you have any questions, we encourage you to contact your bank.
Benefits of using PayPal
When paying with PayPal, you have two major advantages:
- If you don’t win the dispute, you can claim again
- They will reimburse you for the return shipping costs
Now let’s explain both things in more detail.
Disputes when paying with Paypal
If you pay with PayPal, you are better protected as you have two options for requesting a refund: first, by opening a dispute with AliExpress, and if you are not convinced of the solution, claiming again from your PayPal account.
Let’s see how to open a PayPal dispute
- First go to your Paypal account and click on “See all my activity” on the main page.
- Find the payment you want to request and click on it.
- When your purchase statement opens, click Report a Problem.
Now all you have to do is fill out the dispute describing the problems you have had and wait for PayPal to review and accept it. Between 6 and 10 days after your claim has been accepted, the refund will be sent to the bank account you linked in PayPal.
Request a Free return
As we explained to you on the AliExpress Returns Item, some products have free returns and some don’t. If the product you want to return does so, you don’t need to use PayPal: just print the label, take it to the post office and you won’t be charged.
However, if you don’t have a free return, you can use PayPal to get a refund for the return shipping cost. The process is very simple: first you open the dispute and request a return, then you dispatch the goods and finally ask PayPal to reimburse you for the shipping costs. But now we will explain it to you step by step.
Steps to follow
Make sure you have activated the PayPal returns service. On the PayPal page, just as you did before, find the purchase you want to return and click “Refund Return”. PayPal will ask you to upload a number of documents with your return (if you miss any, you have 14 days to fill them out).
Can I use free returns at any time?
No, you can only use this service up to 12 times a year (which seems sufficient and very sensible to avoid misuse). If you return several items from the same order at different times (a maximum of three), these will be counted as different returns.
If my AliExpress order already has a “free return” option, can I request it through PayPal?
If the AliExpress seller is already offering you a free return, you will no longer be able to request it through PayPal. You won’t need it either, as items labeled “Free Returns” are always accepted for return (for whatever reason)
Maximum amount PayPal will take to reimburse you for the return of an order
The maximum reimbursement is $ 30. Usually this is sufficient, but it will depend on the size and weight of the package so you can get a quote from several courier companies and choose the one that best suits you.
In order to reduce costs, we recommend that if the package weighs less than 2 kg, it is sent as registered mail instead of a certified package.
Alipay: the alternative
First of all, you need to know that each of the payment methods AliExpress offers are completely secure, although one may be more secure for you than another. Now let’s compare PayPal to another of the Asian giant’s most popular payment methods, Alipay
PayPal vs Alipay
AliExpress created Alipay to offer a secure, self-controlled payment method, and it has already become the main payment method for Asian retailers (they call it “Chinese PayPal”). Both payment methods are said to offer buyer protection, and although Alipay is less well known, AliExpress is increasingly trying to push its use.
The benefits that Alipay offers are very similar:
- Immediate Refunds
- Secure payments with 24-hour control of all your transactions to avoid fraud.
- Get bonuses when you pay on AliExpress (this is the only thing that makes it different from Paypal)
As we have already told you, AliExpress wants to increase the awareness of Alipay and achieve this with very interesting bonuses. For example $ 2 for setting up your account and $ 1 for adding a bank card or paying with Alipay three times a month.
Opinions: Is it worth paying with PayPal?
As you already know, AliExpress’s relationship with PayPal isn’t as stable as we’d like it to be. The terms of use are constantly changing, and while it’s an excellent option to use right now, it can change at any time.
It is clear to us that all of these ups and downs are due to a clear strategy from AliExpress: Gradually leave PayPal in the background to strengthen Alipay. We recommend that you always use the payment method that suits you best, as both are completely secure. If you can take advantage of discounts on your purchases by paying with Alipay, do not hesitate and take the opportunity.
