Reading this in 2023, a very interesting article, thank you! I used to love shopping on Ali, but when I discovered I bought a knock-off product I was shocked. I’m much more careful now, and looking for shops on Ali who sell their own products.

Do you know of other shops than Alina Craft and KSCrafts that are legit? I’d love to support these types of sellers more in the future.

Hi Shannon,

Thank you very much for your comment. I hope that you haven’t had any negative experiences with this mega selling platform yourself.

Truth be told, there are dozens upon dozens of Ali Express sellers who rip off products from established paper crafting companies. I have not made a list thus far of the ones I have encountered. That’s a very good idea and something I will definitely keep in mind going forward.

I really try to only buy products on Ali where that isn’t a likely risk or from sellers who (thus far at least) I am 99 – 100% sure are only usual their own original designs or those sold generically and thus not copyrighted by any brands.

Regarding the times when my orders failed to arrive, I put the blame on the postal system substantially more than the sellers in most cases. It does not benefit sellers in to claim they sent an item and not do so – at least not if the buyer files a claim saying the item(s) didn’t arrive and then the seller usually has to refund the buyer.

Sure, if the seller claimed to send an item many times across many different transactions, some people would either forget to file a claim or feel it wasn’t worth the hassle for a small order (price) and thus, over time, a seller could scam some customers that way. I sincerely doubt many of them are doing that, though (at least not in terms of the types of products that I usually buy from Ali Express).

I’m sorry, I do not presently have a list (I was keeping one with the order transaction numbers, as I needed them to file claims, but once they were all resolved, I deleted the list quite some time ago now). I don’t buy from Ali that often these days, but have to say, the few purchases I have made there since the time this post was written have all reached me – and some got here faster, on average, than many of my previous Ali orders.

Likewise, going forward, if I do run into any orders failing to arrive, I can jot down the shop names – though, again, do feel that the overwhelming majority of the time the fault lies with the postal system and not the sellers themselves in this instance.

Many thanks again for your comment. Please feel free to keep any and all suggestions and other thoughts coming.

Wishing you a relaxing, wonderful weekend,
🖤 Autumn

Thank you deeply, dear Ivana. You’ve summed up the quandary that a fair number of us in the crafting world face with sites like AliExpress, Wish, and eBay sellers who list the same kinds of items sold on those platforms superbly.

There is so much potential for good in a platform like Ali, however the negatives are glaring and often unethical. These are not small things to overlook – nor should they be knowingly ignored.

I’ve scaled back purchasing there substantially and don’t think I’ve boughten anything on Ali yet this year. It’s possible I may never shop there again, though I’ve not written them off 100% yet (especially in terms of sellers who offer very generic craft supplies, where the risk of copyright issues is drastically decreased), but by the same token am not rushing to their virtual shelves by any means either.

I really appreciate your own fair, insightful take on the subject and would be majorly interested to hear how you experience(s) go if you do ever buy from AliExpress.

Many hugs & the happiest of wishes for a gorgeous last weekend of summer.

♥ Autumn

Thank you so much, sweet Donna. Granted, my posts on this site are rarely the shortest sized things in existence, but sometimes the flood gates are opened and thousands of words come tumbling out.

Having had such a mixed bag experience and holding very strong stances against things like copyright violations and the use of images without express permission, there was a lot I wanted to say on this subject. While still, al the while, trying to remain fair and evenhanded throughout my post.

When I began shopping on AliExpress, I searched far and wide for a post (or video) like this, but didn’t unearth anything as detailed or in-depth. I really hope this entry will benefit both my readers now and those who may find this post through search engines, social media, etc as time goes on – and that provides them with the info that proved elusive to me back then.

Many thanks again, lovely lady. I hope that you’re having a relaxing, beautiful weekend.

♥ Autumn

Thank you very much for sharing your honest take on sites like AliExpress and Wish, and the products many sellers offer up there. I too am troubled deeply by the rampant problems that plague such sites, from copyright infringement to (as you wisely pointed out) the highly questionable quality of things like cosmetics that are sold on such platforms.

It’s a sincere shame that Ali (and the like) couldn’t be more legitimate and ethical. There is a very real need in the world for budget-friendly products, but zero space (IMO) for forgeries, copyright violators and shady sellers. Hopefully, one day, a large site that cracks down ruthlessly on unscrupulous practices, while still offering lower-priced goods in a marketplace setting, will emerge.

I hope that your month is going positively and that you have a terrific final weekend of summer (mere days now until our most beloved of seasons returns – yippee!!! 🎃).

♥ Autumn

Thank you immensely for your feedback on this post, Tammy. I’m happy to know that you found this detailed look at AliExpress to be beneficial. If you do ever give shopping there a spin, I’d love to know your thoughts on the experience anytime.

Personally, while I have not 100% written them off at this point, I haven’t (best I can recall) ordered anything on Ali in many months now and may never do so again at this stage.

On a cheerier note, I hope that your month is going positively and that you have a relaxing, beautiful tail end of summer.

♥ Autumn