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The reason you select when opening an AliExpress dispute works like a routing decision, not a description. In practice it shapes whether a return is requested, who pays the postage, and what you have to prove. Two buyers with the same broken item can end up with very different outcomes because of that dropdown.
AliExpress doesn’t publish a reason-by-reason rulebook, so part of this guide is based on how claims commonly play out rather than on official policy. We say which is which. Pick the reason that accurately matches the primary fault, and the rest of the process gets much easier.
Key Takeaways
- The reason field sets the kind of claim you are making. In practice, everything downstream, including return shipping, follows from it.
- Damaged, short or not-as-described claims must be raised within 15 days of receiving the item, per AliExpress’s Buyer Protection page.
- Defect and damage claims are usually the cheapest to run, because the fault is physical and demonstrable on video.
- Change-of-mind returns are at your cost unless the item carries a “Free Return” label, and authenticity or description claims often end in a paid return too.
- Pick the reason that is actually true. A mismatched reason is easy to reject on the evidence, and you generally get one clean shot per order.
Why Does the Dispute Reason Matter More Than the Description?
Because the reason decides which test your evidence is measured against. A damage claim is judged on whether the item is broken. A “not as described” claim is judged on whether the item differs from the listing, which means the listing text and photos are now part of the case, and sellers write listings carefully.
If you and the seller can’t agree, AliExpress decides. Its EU/EEA/UK terms say it can “rely on our records and request either or both of you and seller to provide supporting documents”. The free-text description you add is read in the context of the reason. If you select an authenticity claim and then describe a cracked casing, the two do not line up, and a claim that does not line up is the easiest kind to reject.
So the ordering matters. Work out what is actually wrong with the item first, decide which single fault is the strongest and most provable, then select the reason that matches it and write a description that supports exactly that. The full evidence checklist is in how to open and win an AliExpress dispute.
Which Reasons Usually Require You to Return the Item?
AliExpress’s own pages set the floor. Its Buyer Protection page says “If the return is made due to change of mind, you shall pay for related return shipping fee”. On items with a “Free Return” label, AliExpress’s current Free Returns terms let you send the item to the seller’s returns warehouse “free of charge”, once per order.
Beyond that, AliExpress publishes no table of which reasons need a return. Shoppers commonly report that claims about what the item is, fake or different from the listing, end with a request to ship it back, often at their own expense.
Claims that turn on the item never arriving require no return, because there is nothing to send. Claims that turn on a physical defect frequently resolve without a return, or with a prepaid label, because photographs and video settle it and the seller has little interest in paying freight for a broken unit.
That produces a rough cost hierarchy. It reflects common outcomes, not published rules, but it is worth knowing before you choose:
| Claim type | Return usually needed | What decides it | Practical cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item never arrived | No | Tracking and the delivery window | None |
| Arrived damaged or faulty | Sometimes | Photos and unedited video of the fault | Low, label often paid |
| Missing item or missing parts | Rarely | Packaging photos and the parcel weight | Low |
| Not as described | Often | The listing text and photos versus the item | Postage to China |
| Counterfeit or authenticity | Usually | Brand evidence, and the goods themselves | Postage to China |
EU buyers have a stronger position on genuinely faulty goods. The EU’s Your Europe guidance says that if goods are faulty or “do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them at no cost”.
What Does Each Reason Ask You to Prove?
A non-delivery claim asks for tracking that shows no delivery inside the guaranteed window. The Buyer Protection page covers an item that “didn’t arrive or was lost in transit within the guaranteed delivery window”. In the US, AliExpress’s August 2026 announcement puts that window, for eligible orders under its Fast Delivery guarantee, at “20 days after shipment for products stocked in the U.S. and 30 days after shipment for cross-border products”. It is the easiest claim on the platform, and it is covered in AliExpress package never arrived.
A damage or fault claim asks for visual proof. One continuous unedited video from sealed parcel to failed item is worth more than a dozen photos, because it removes the argument that the damage happened later. Film the label, the packaging, the unboxing and the fault in a single take.
A “not as described” claim asks you to line the listing up against the item, side by side, on the specific attribute that differs. Vague dissatisfaction fails here. A measured dimension, a stated capacity, a named material or a specified model number succeeds, because it is a factual mismatch rather than an opinion.
An authenticity claim asks for the most work: evidence the item is not what it claims to be, which usually means brand markings, serials, or a comparison against the genuine article. In shoppers’ experience, this is also the lane most likely to end with you paying freight.
What Happens If You Pick the Wrong Reason?
The claim is assessed against a test your evidence was never built for, and it can fail on that basis. A genuine complaint can be rejected simply because it was filed in the wrong lane.
Recovering from that is harder than getting it right first time. You can sometimes escalate, but you are now arguing about the process as well as the item, and your protection window keeps running while you do. AliExpress publishes no rule that pauses it, so if the window closes mid-argument, assume the claim ends.
There is also a quieter cost. Buyers who file an authenticity claim about an item that simply broke are sometimes offered a small partial refund, accept it out of fatigue, and never learn that a defect claim on the same item might have been resolved without a return at all.
Should You Change or Reopen a Dispute After Filing?
Treat the first filing as the real one. Depending on the stage of the order, the platform may let you edit details or add evidence, but the claim type is not something to experiment with, and repeatedly reframing the same complaint reads badly.
If new information genuinely appears, for example the item arrives after you filed for non-delivery, add it to the open dispute rather than opening a second one. Escalate inside the existing case if the seller stalls.
The one thing never worth doing is closing a dispute on a verbal promise so you can file a different one. AliExpress doesn’t publish a rule for reopening a closed dispute, so treat closing one as final, and the promised refund has no mechanism behind it once the case is shut.
When Is a Counterfeit Claim Still the Right Call?
When the item genuinely is a counterfeit and you want that recorded, and when the money is large enough to justify the return postage. A branded item at a fraction of retail that arrives with fake markings is exactly what the counterfeit route exists for.
Be clear-eyed about the trade-off. You may be asked to return it at your own cost, and on a low-value item that is not worth doing. On a high-value item it very much is, and brand evidence is among the strongest proof you can attach.
The better move is earlier: avoid the claim entirely by vetting the listing before you pay. The five-minute version of that is in vet an AliExpress seller in 60 seconds, and the return-cost mechanics are in AliExpress free returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AliExpress really treat dispute reasons differently?
In practice, yes. AliExpress doesn’t publish how each reason is handled, but each one points the claim at a different question, with different evidence and different handling of returns. That is why an identical complaint can resolve without a return under one reason and require postage to China under another. Choose based on what is actually wrong with the item.
What is the strongest evidence in any AliExpress dispute?
One continuous, unedited video that starts with the sealed parcel and the shipping label and ends with the fault on camera. It defeats the two most common seller arguments at once, that the wrong parcel is being shown and that the damage happened after delivery.
Can I claim a refund without returning a faulty item?
Often, yes, if the fault is clear on video and the item has little resale value to the seller. Ask explicitly for a refund without return and support it with the footage. The eligibility rules are set out in AliExpress refunds without returning the item.
Should I pick “not as described” if I am just disappointed?
No. Disappointment is not a mismatch. That reason needs a specific factual difference between the listing and the item, such as a wrong measurement, capacity, material or model. Without one, the claim usually fails. A plain change of mind is a different matter, and AliExpress’s Buyer Protection page says you pay the return shipping for it unless the item has a Free Return label.
How long do I have to open a dispute?
It depends on the problem. AliExpress’s Buyer Protection page covers an item that doesn’t match its description or photos or “arrived damaged/shortage, within 15days from receiving the item(s)”. A missing parcel is covered within the guaranteed delivery window shown on the order page. Free Return items have their own return window: 90 days from the order date for mainland-China sellers and 15 days from confirmed receipt for EU sellers, per the current Free Returns terms. The deadlines are laid out in AliExpress Buyer Protection.
Disputes on AliExpress are not decided by how firmly you argue. They are decided by whether your evidence matches the test attached to the reason you selected. Work out the single strongest, most provable fault with your item, file under the reason that describes it truthfully, and film the proof before you touch the dropdown. That order of operations is worth more than any wording trick.
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