What are the rules for buying on AliExpress?

Accessories, clothing, cell phones, computers, construction tools. All packaged with promotional banners. It looks like the energy of 25 de Março, in São Paulo (SP), only on the Internet. This is the about shopping experience AliExpress.

The site is one of those that seems to have it all and with generally very attractive prices. But you need to know why the prices are below average and what the conditions are for this. So, to help you orient yourself, the showtech prepared a list of the main buying rules on AliExpress. Take a look below:

What is AliExpress?

or AliExpress is an e-commerce and marketplace (read: site where shops and sellers can use as a platform to market their items) for imported products. It’s the same logic, for example, as Shopee and Amazon.

The site, founded in 2010, is present in more than 200 countries and is part of the Ali Baba, a giant in China. In fact, most of the AliExpress sellers are there. They buy directly from the manufacturers and sell on the website, so the price is often what drives people to buy on AliExpress.

E-commerce also has sellers from Brazil. And it is precisely because the products are imported that the delivery takes longer.

How to buy on AliExpress?

Woman with mobile phone in hand to buy on aliexpress
There are several ways to browse to shop on AliExpress (Photo: Playback)

The site offers thousands of products for sale. If you want to shop on AliExpress, the first step is to create an account. The website requires an email address, CPF (Brazilian Federal Department of Revenue requirement from January 1, 2020 for purchases from abroad), and a mobile number.

To browse the site you can scroll the home page, choose the categories that interest you (products and promotions) or use the search bar (where you can filter by price, free delivery, etc.).

At some point, you will find something that interests you. When that happens, it is good that you know how to shop on AliExpress. Do this:

  • Click (or tap) the product to go to its page;
  • Select the available specifications (color, model, etc.);
  • If you already want to finalize the purchase and proceed with the payment, click on “Buy now“; but if you want to add other products to your virtual cart before finalizing the purchase, click on “Add to Cart“;
  • Click on it “to order“;
  • Fill out the form to add the delivery address;
  • Choose the payment method (Pix, installments, credit card, boleto, PayPal and bank transfer);
  • Click again on “Make a wish“.

The site will then calculate the order and send you a confirmation email. As for the products themselves, there are some tips on the site to help you “buy better”. Are they:

  1. Consider the delivery times (which are usually longer than those of stores in Brazil);
  2. Read the product description carefully (the photos are illustrative);
  3. Compare the value of the product (with shipping costs included) with its price in Brazil;
  4. Use coupons;
  5. View Buyer Reviews;
  6. Check the seller’s profile.

What is the value not to be taxed on AliExpress?

By law, when the value of the product plus shipping costs is less than US $ 50 (R $ 270.50, current price) – and if the shipment is made by a private individual – your package will not be taxed. Being taxed, in this case, means paying the import tax, collected by the Revenue Agency. But there is also the luck factor.

On average, 500,000 orders arrive in Brazil per day. Even though customs are automated, there aren’t enough hands and heads to inspect all orders. So some of them end up not being taxed. In short, there is no formula to evade taxes. If the limit value is exceeded, it becomes a matter of luck.

In addition, the importation of books, newspapers, periodicals and medicines by private individuals, or a purchase made using a CPF, rather than a CNPJ, is not subject to tax. However, in the case of medicines, the items must meet the requirements of the Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency).

How to buy on AliExpress in real and other currencies?

Person holding credit card in front of laptop
When shopping on AliExpress, you can find offers in reais and other currencies (Photo: Playback)

To buy Real products on AliExpress, the seller must be from Brazil. When you click the “From Brazil” option (on the website and app home page) or choose “Shipping from Brazil”, it filters the offers so that only those from domestic sellers are displayed.

You can also find offers from international sellers, where payments are made in other currencies (for example: dollar and euro). In this case, the Revenue Agency charges a fee of R $ 15 for sending the product, carried out by the Post Office, and, when the purchase exceeds US $ 50, it collects an import tax of 60% on the value.

Another important point: for international purchases made by credit card, a commission of 6.3% of the IOF (Tax on Financial Operations) is deducted from the purchase price.

Is it safe to buy from AliExpress?

Yes, because the site has minimum security requirements to protect your data when shopping. But in the analysis made by the site Complain herein January 2022, AliExpress received a rating of 5.7 / 10, considered poor.

The bad rating stems from the platform being not responsible for the products it sells. Additionally, this analysis revealed that 16,484 AliExpress complaints were filed between July 1 and December 31, 2021.

See also:

AliExpress announces the opening of the platform to Brazilian retailers and How to buy on AliExpress

Sources: FazComex, Brazil and Wise delivery

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