A huge number of sellers trading on the largest Chinese trading platform is, of course, a blessing, because the higher the competition, the better the end consumer. But there are also pitfalls here – the same product can be sold by up to two or three dozen stores, so it’s not at all difficult to make a mistake with the optimal choice. Is it possible to cancel an order if, say, you have found a better offer?
It turns out, yes, but only under certain conditions. The availability of this option also depends on the status of the order. Let’s take a closer look at this issue.
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Cancellation of an order on AliExpress before payment is made
According to the current rules, you can place an order by adding the products you like to the basket. At the same time, you do not bear any obligations to AliExpress regarding payment for the goods, but after twenty days from the moment the last item was placed in the basket, if you do not pay for the goods, the order will be automatically canceled, the goods are removed from the basket, and the buyer will not be punished.
But he can cancel the confirmation of the order on AliExpress and independently, without waiting for the end of the period approved by the Rules, and also without applying sanctions from the service.
This is done very simply:
- select the tab “My orders”, and in the list that appears – the one that you want to cancel;
- now you have the opportunity to perform two opposite actions – pay for the goods by clicking the appropriate button, or refuse payment by selecting the “Cancel order” option.
Note that the options for canceling an order are exactly the same both in the mobile application and on the company’s website.
Features of order cancellation after payment
Here everything is a little more complicated – the “Cancel order” button is still available, but since the financial transaction has already been completed, a third party, the seller, also appears “in business”. And now it is he who decides whether to agree with the buyer or refuse to cancel the order and continue preparing it for shipment.
The procedure for canceling a purchase on AliExpress itself requires compliance with certain formalities, without which the application may not even be accepted for consideration.
First you need to find a commodity item in the list of orders, which you changed your mind to receive, and, as in the previous case, click the “Cancel order” button. Or go to the order itself and click the button “Request cancellation of the order” located opposite the desired item.
Then you will be asked to indicate the reason for such an act by choosing one of the following options:
- “I don’t need an order.”
- “It took an unacceptable amount of time to process the order.”
- “The seller has increased the value of the item over the original price.”
- “I am not satisfied with the delivery method offered by the online store.”
- “The seller does not answer questions.”
- “The product you want is out of stock.”
- “Other reasons.”
When choosing an answer, you need to take into account the following nuances. The first two answers qualify as clear buyer’s fault, so the seller acts as an innocent party and avoids penalties from the marketplace.
But if you choose one of the other answers, this threatens the seller with a fine, so he will not agree to confirm your application in order to continue sending, thereby avoiding punishment.
So if you want to get consent, choose the first options. And do not forget to contact the online store to explain why you decided to cancel the paid order and return the payment. Indicate, for example, that you simply made the wrong choice.
If your application is satisfied, you will be refunded to the account or card from which the payment was made. The maximum allowable return period is two weeks.
We figured out how to cancel an order paid by a buyer on AliExpress, but the algorithm that we gave concerns orders awaiting shipment. That is, you need to hurry, because the Chinese do not slow down with this and send quickly enough, you have only 2-3 days left.
How to cancel an order after shipment
The service does not provide such an opportunity to either the buyer or the seller. You can take some steps only after receiving the shipment. You may not even unpack the parcel, just send it back and immediately open a dispute for a refund, arguing your position. The second option is not to pick up the package from AliExpress at all, and after 30 days of storage, it will be sent back to China.
In the first case, the buyer is obliged to provide evidence of the fact of sending the parcel in the opposite direction, usually in the mail such items receive their track code, which they must inform you.
Refunds can be made either in full or minus shipping costs back to AliExpress.
Cancellation of an order due to the purchase of a poor quality product
When, after unpacking the parcel, the product turns out to be defective or does not correspond to the description, do not rush to make a mark on its receipt. For now, it will have the status of sent, and you can open a dispute with a request for a refund. But at the same time, you need to follow the deadline set for the delivery of the goods by the buyer – if it expires, there will be no opportunity to appeal it.
And one more important point: at first, the dispute is carried out only by correspondence between the buyer and the seller, without the participation of an intermediary, which is AliExpress.
You must tell the seller why you decided to cancel the order and suggest ways to resolve the conflict. For such a dispute, a special menu is intended.
The seller can agree, refuse or offer their own options for resolving the problem. If you provide a compelling argument, such as photos or videos after unpacking, the chances of the seller agreeing with you to avoid being fined are high.
But remember, if you did not take the photos during unpacking, it will be difficult for you to prove that the damage to the goods occurred not without your participation. If a consensus between you and the seller has not been reached within seven days, the marketplace intervenes in the dispute, and after a detailed consideration of all aspects, the verdict of AliExpress may be as follows:
- the seller undertakes to return the funds not in full, corresponding to how the product differs from the description and characteristics on the site;
- full refund if proof of shipment is provided. Shipping costs are usually paid by the party initiating the dispute, that is, the buyer;
- refusal to refund if the buyer’s arguments are insufficiently substantiated.
This situation is possible if you have already completed the payment, but the transaction itself has not yet been completed. Bank payments are not as fast as card payments, they can take up to several days to be processed. And during this time you will not be able to refuse the order. You just need to wait for the funds to be credited, then the order status will change and the desired button will appear.
As for the terms of the refund, they can also vary greatly depending on the payment method you choose, while it is guaranteed that the funds will return to where they were sent from (card, bank account, Webmoney wallet, etc.). This usually takes from three days to three weeks.
And one moment. There is no balance as such on AliExpress, so you will not be able to use these funds to pay for other goods until they are returned to your account.
What to do when the seller refuses to confirm order cancellation
After opening a dispute, the seller may inform you that he has just sent the package, therefore, the order cannot be returned. You must request a track code and a screenshot of the notification for sending from it. If your request remains unsatisfied, this is an obvious attempt by the seller to deceive you and take the time to really have time to send the order. In this case, you can complain to the administration, and it will take into account the speed of the seller’s response.
However, there are opportunities for fraud here as well. Some sellers stock up on a sufficient pool of track codes taken for future shipments. And when they send it to you, in a few days you will be surprised to find that the parcel is going in a completely different direction. Your actions are obvious: there is a clear deception of the buyer, inform the administration of the service as soon as possible, and the seller will definitely not be in good luck.
Sometimes it happens that the seller simply did not have time to send the order in due time, and then the refund will be made automatically, and the online store that made such a mistake will be punished with a fine. But such situations are rare.
So, we have considered all possible nuances, from which the following conclusions can be drawn:
- the chances of a refund will be high if your arguments are convincing, based on indisputable evidence;
- in all situations, you need to monitor compliance with the deadlines, otherwise the dispute is closed without the possibility of reopening it.
And although AliExpress often takes the side of the buyer, it is clearly not worth abusing the ability to cancel orders.