Choosing Shipping Method on AliExpress

It is safe to say that delivery on Aliexpress is the cornerstone that troubles many buyers. Which of the shipping methods available on Aliexpress.com should you choose not to cry over the money you will never get back again?

We wrote this article to clarify this issue and help you learn how to choose the BEST delivery on Aliexpress.

What delivery options are available on AliExpress?

All types of delivery fall into two categories:

  1. Free shipping
  2. Paid shipping 

To see what types of delivery are available, you need to open the product page and go to the SHIPPING tab:

As you can see, both paid and free shipping are available for this product.

Not so long ago, most products were available through free shipping, as it was up to the sellers to choose the shipping method. People tend to try to save money, and sellers tried (if possible) to offer free delivery.

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Why isn't shipping on AliExpress free anymore?

The explanation is very simple: when the seller sent the goods via free shipping, they usually did not provide any tracking number for the package. Alternatively, they provided a free Chinese tracking number which did not work outside of China. Since the delivery is free, the seller did not want to pay for tracking, which makes sense.

Meanwhile the seller would usually be the person at the receiving end in case something went wrong. If you open a dispute and select "The package did not arrive, the track number doesn't work" as the reason for the dispute, 9 times out of 10 you will win it and get your money back.

In addition, many unscrupulous customers took advantage of this loophole: they ordered packages without track numbers and after receiving them, they still opened a dispute as if they didn't receive anything, and got a refund for the order.

Now the seller does not need to save on tracking. If the package does not arrive, it is easy to track at which point it went missing and make claims to the delivery service.

In addition, now sellers don’tn need to try to make delivery cheaper by sending packages via cheaper yet lengthier delivery routes. After all, this caused the packages to travel for a very long time, and sometimes they arrived when the customers had already won the dispute and got their money back.

Therefore, the paid express delivery of Ali Express is GOOD, not BAD, because you have to pay very little extra, and in return you get fast and reliable delivery service.

Companies that deliver from AliExpress

It is also very useful to know that goods from Aliexpress can be shipped by many different delivery companies. Some of them deliver for free (for you, but not the seller), while others charge good money for their services. Here is a table of the main transport companies working with Aliexpress and their prices with estimated delivery time.

Transport company Rates Delivery time
Yanwen Economic Air Mail USD 0.34  14-90 days
China Post Ordinary Small Packet USD 0.5 20-60 days
AliExpress Saver Shipping USD 1.18 15-20 days
China Post Registered Air Mail USD 2.11 30-60 days
AliExpress Standard Shipping USD 2.11 30 days
ePacket USD 3.39 15-45 days
HongKong Post Air Mail USD 4.24 30-60 days
China Post Air Parcel USD 22.94 30-60 days
HongKong Post Air Parcel USD 25.62 15-30 days
EMS USD 45.17 30 days
TNT USD 49.53  15-60 days
Fedex IE USD 63.79 25 days
Fedex IP USD 69.59  25 days
UPS Express Saver USD 114.5 7-14 days


All delivery terms in the table are approximate. Most delivery companies provide a tool to calculate rates and time of delivery to your city on their websites.

As you can see, there is a clear correlation between the price and the delivery time (although there are exceptions for each country), which, again, makes perfect sense. It's also important to note that the standard paid shipping on Aliexpress is not the best value for money. However, even the most expensive delivery cannot guarantee exceptional speed 100% of the time, because if customs does not release the goods fast, even the fastest plane is powerless.

What delivery option on AliExpress is the best?

If you are choosing between paid and free shipping, paid is definitely a better option. If you are choosing between paid delivery options, you can see from the table above the price is directly proportional to the quality. If there is an exception in a particular case, you should use it.

If you are in doubt, google reviews for the transport company you’re considering by searching for something like 'Fedex IP reviews'. 

See what people have to say and then decide if you should go with this company. In any case, MOST OFTEN the worst paid shipping option is better than the best free shipping option.

Do not be afraid that the package will not reach you. In the RARE case it happens, you can be sure you will get your money back because paid delivery is always tracked and it will be clearly visible that the goods did not reach you, be it by land, air or sea.

How to speed up delivery from AliExpress?

As you can see from the information above, the only way to speed up delivery is to PAY MORE.

Another option is to ask the seller to ship the package AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: sometimes it takes them a very long time. THERE ARE NO OTHER OPTIONS.

How to extend the delivery period on AliExpress?

You can't do it yourself, but the seller can. If you see that the delivery period is about to run out, and the tracking service says the package is already somewhere nearby, just MESSAGE the SELLER and ask them to extend the delivery time. That's all...

How many times can the seller extend the delivery time on AliExpress? As many as is necessary until you get tired of listening to their promises and open a dispute to break this vicious circle.

If you do not like the fact that there is no universal free delivery on Aliexpress anymore, check out Chinese analogues of Aliexpress with free delivery. They are excellent Chinese stores with a whole bunch of goods.

If you have any more questions, please ask them in the comments, I always answer to everyone.

P.S. These days Aliexpress does offer free shipping. However, if you were paying attention, you have already noticed that prices on Aliexpress have gone up. Well, what else could you expect? After all, the seller still has to pay for delivery somehow.

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