The single most important skill for shopping on AliExpress is evaluating sellers. Unlike Amazon, where a centralized fulfillment system provides a baseline of consistency, AliExpress is a marketplace of independent sellers with varying levels of quality, reliability, and customer service. Learning to distinguish excellent sellers from mediocre ones will save you money, time, and frustration. Here is how we do it.
Every AliExpress store has an overall positive feedback percentage, visible on the store's main page. We use 95% as our minimum threshold. Stores below this level have too many unresolved customer issues to be reliable. Stores above 98% are generally excellent — they have a strong track record of accurate product descriptions, timely shipping, and responsive customer service.
New stores are not necessarily bad, but they lack the track record needed for confident evaluation. Stores that have been operating for two or more years have survived multiple AliExpress policy changes, seasonal demand fluctuations, and customer service challenges. They have demonstrated staying power, which correlates strongly with reliability.
A store's overall rating and a specific product's rating are two different things. A store with a 97% overall rating might sell one particular product that has a 3.8-star rating due to a recent quality issue. Always check the specific product rating, not just the store rating. We require 4.5 stars or higher for any product we recommend.
Order volume is a proxy for market validation. A product with 100+ orders has been purchased, received, and (in most cases) not returned by at least 100 people. This does not guarantee you will have a perfect experience, but it dramatically reduces the odds of receiving a completely different product than what was advertised.
The most valuable reviews are those with photos. Photo reviews show the actual product received — its real size, color, quality, and packaging — rather than the idealized product listing photos. Read at least 10-15 reviews for any purchase over $10, paying particular attention to reviews from buyers in your country (shipping reliability varies by destination).
AliExpress designates some stores as "Official Stores" or "Top Brand" stores. These designations require verification from AliExpress and typically indicate that the store is operated by the brand itself or an authorized distributor. Products from official stores are almost always genuine and come with manufacturer warranty support. The prices may be slightly higher than from unbranded sellers, but the confidence level is significantly higher.
AliExpress has a built-in messaging system that lets you contact sellers before placing an order. We recommend doing this for any purchase over $20. Ask specific questions about the product (dimensions, compatibility, included accessories), and evaluate the response time and quality. A seller who responds within 24 hours with detailed, accurate information is likely to provide good post-purchase support as well.
For every product we recommend on SecretAli, we follow this evaluation process: verify the store rating (95%+), confirm the store age (2+ years when possible), check the product-specific rating (4.5+ stars), validate order volume (100+ orders), and read at least 20 reviews including photo reviews. Products that pass all five criteria make it into our Deal Scanner and Hidden Gems collection. Products that fail any criterion are excluded, regardless of how attractive the price appears.