Scam #005: Fake tracking number
You bought something on Aliexpress and it was a great deal.
Step 1: the seller gives you a tracking number and all seems fine
Step 2: the tracking suddenly shows that the
package got delivered and you
didn’t get anything
Step 3a: if you’re lucky the tracking shows it was delivered to a place far away and you can dispute to get a refund using the tracking as proof.
Step 3b: Quite often you’re not so lucky and you end with no goods and no money
What actually happened is that the seller gave you a tracking number belonging to a different customer and didn’t ship anything to you. Eventually the real package gets delivered and your order is marked as completed also.
Solution:
- if tracking (on 17track, parcelsapp, ...) shows the place of delivery, open a dispute and use a screenshot of the tracking as proof. In the dispute text, explain that the delivery location is far away from your address.
- if tracking doesn't show the place of delivery, there's nothing much you can do at this point but take your loss. Next time be much more selective on choosing your sellers.
Check the FAQ on
how to select reliable sellers to avoid getting into this situation.
Scam #011 Please Cancel
You bought something on Ali. The seller contacts you with a sob story, telling you that she is unable to ship the product because he's out of stock, the product quality is not good, ... and asks you to cancel your order
Solution 1: (not recommended) Ignore the seller and hope he will ship anyway. Sometimes they do, but often they will do a scam #005 which could be the start of a lot of trouble and could eventually result in losing your money.
Solution 2: (recommended) Cancel your order like the seller asks. Some people think this is bad for your buyer profile, but it is not. it it still much better than ending up with scam #005. Which will happen if you don't cancel with the reason the seller asks you to. Cancel and look for a more reliable seller.
Scam #012 Please Cancel after product was shipped
You bought something on Ali and it was marked as "shipped". Tracking doesn't update and suddenly the seller asks you to cancel the order.
You can't really cancel an order after it is shipped, so the seller asks you to open a dispute to get a refund. In come cases he will ask you to confirm receiving the product (even if you didn't), to be able to give your money back.
Solution: Ignore any instructions by the seller. They will lead directly to you losing your money. Instead, wait until buyer protection nearly runs out and open a dispute with that as reason. If you do receive a package, make a video when you open the package as proof if they sent something else.
