Check out our latest communities fighting
AI scams on Reddit and Facebook

business logo of Alibaba

Alibaba

3.5

On SmartCustomer, businesses may not offer incentives or pay to remove reviews. Learn more about our Review Guidelines.

How would you rate Alibaba?
grey stargrey stargrey stargrey stargrey star

Alibaba Reviews Summary

The overall reputation of the company is mixed, with some customers appreciating the variety and affordability of products offered. However, significant concerns dominate the feedback, particularly regarding customer service and support. Many users report frustrating experiences with delayed refunds, ineffective communication, and unresolved product quality issues, often feeling misled by the company's assurances. The Trade Assurance program is frequently described as inadequate, failing to protect buyers effectively. This combination of positive product experiences and pervasive service challenges suggests a need for improved customer support and better oversight of suppliers to enhance overall customer satisfaction.

This summary is generated by AI, based on text from customer reviews

service
1,331
value
1,311
shipping
1,304
returns
769
quality
1,284
This company does not typically respond to reviews

Instant Feedback

202 reviews

We monitor reviews for authenticity

California
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Shabbir K.
Unfollow Shabbir K.
Share Review
Report Review

ZERO STAR NOT EVEN 1 STAR PLEASE ZERO STAR THIS MESSAGE REVIEWS FOR ALL MY FELLOW CITIZENS UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN NEVER EVER BUY OR TRUST ALIBABA PLATFORM SELLER OR THE ALIBABA.COM SCAMERS. LARGEST WORLD NUMBER 1 (ONE) DANGEROUS CRIMINALS SCAMERS I BOUGHT A TABLET 12.9 SCREEN THEN THEY SEND ME THE TABLET ON 9 INCHES (LIKELY I MEASURED THE TABLET) QUALITY IS THIRD GRADE (3RD) I HAVE CHATT WITH ABOUT 32 CUSTOMER SERVICE CHATTING REPRESENTATIVE ALIBABA.COM. EVERY TIME THEY WAIST YOUR TIME THEN THEY MY SUPERIOR TEAM WILL CONTACT YOU VIA EMAIL THAT'S IT

+1
Date of experience: February 28, 2025
North Dakota
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Roger H.
Unfollow Roger H.
Share Review
Report Review

Stop wiring cash to this company. If they cannot accept a legitimate credit card payment, then they are not safe to do business with. They say offer a money back guarantee but will not help the buyer get their money back or product delivered.

Date of experience: February 28, 2025
Turkiye
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Segah G.
Unfollow Segah G.
Share Review
Report Review

**Title:** Order Not Delivered, No Refund – Alibaba Customer Service is Unresponsive!

**Review:**
I placed an order on Alibaba, but **the product was never delivered**. Despite providing the correct address and phone number, the seller falsely claimed that an incorrect number was given, causing the package to be returned. Then, they demanded an **additional $89 payment** to resend the product, which I refused because I had never received it in the first place.

Later, the seller stated that the **items were destroyed in Alibaba's warehouse** and took no responsibility. I have been **contacting Alibaba customer service for two months**, but every time I reach out, they tell me that the refund period has expired—even though I reported the issue **on time and followed up continuously**. Representatives repeatedly assured me that **they would reactivate the refund request button and investigate the issue**, but **nothing has been done**.

Now, I am left **without the product and without a refund**. Alibaba's customer service is **completely unhelpful**, and the seller is **scamming buyers**. It's extremely frustrating to experience this on such a large global platform. Think twice before purchasing from Alibaba!

Date of experience: January 7, 2025
Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow K. M.
Unfollow K. M.
Share Review
Report Review

I requested a refund after receiving a damaged arcade game. Despite providing photos, videos, and a signed acknowledgment of the damage from the delivery driver, my claim was denied. Alibaba initially offered me only $400 for a $7,200 purchase, which I declined, expecting a proper resolution. Instead of holding the seller accountable or facilitating an exchange, they outright rejected my claim—including the $400 they had originally proposed—simply because we couldn't agree. Thankfully, American Express is actually advocating for me. Alibaba is a complete scam, with the majority of sellers being dishonest. Avoid them at all costs, and don't be fooled by the low prices—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

+5
Date of experience: February 17, 2025
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow J K.
Unfollow J K.
Share Review
Report Review

Do not buy anything on Alibaba. I chose a seller who never sent the item only empty boxes or broken items. When I tried to resolve this through the Trade Assurance team, it was a nightmare. They close your window to post evidence, making it impossible to get a fair resolution. Meanwhile, the seller can post evidence from their own warehouse.

To make matters worse, when I finally received a partial refund which is not even 1/4 of what my wife spend, they sent it to the wrong card and the wrong person. They even sent me the paperwork with another person's card number, which is completely illegal. I've been trying to resolve this issue with customer service for a week, but the language barrier makes communication impossible, even when I wrote in Chinese. As you see by one of the customer service representatives they used the same translator.

This is a serious issue – they sent the refund to another person and exposed personal information. Please avoid buying from Alibaba or AliExpress, as they are the same company with the same customer service and owner.

Date of experience: February 4, 2025
Australia
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Aaron T.
Unfollow Aaron T.
Share Review
Report Review

The process of trade assurance is heavily weighted in favour of the Chineses suppliers. You need to jump through hoops and spend hours and hours in order to get refund (mostly partial) from suppliers. There's also no recourse for any assistance after the trade assurance period which usually is hijacked by suppliers claiming the goods are finished before they are to short this window. It's very important to check all your goods as soon as they arrive and before the money has been released to the supplier to ensure you get any sort of decent refund or after sales customer service. And from my current experience even when this is done it's hard to get a decent result from them. They certainly need to improve and also offer a better after sales review system so when products fail within their agreed warranty period buyers can review the supplier and let people know of their faults as currently there's only a way to review your suppliers at the point of sale and not say 11 months later when the product falls to pieces and there's no protection even though you'd agreed on a 2 year warranty.

Date of experience: February 1, 2025
Canada
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Levent E.
Unfollow Levent E.
Share Review
Report Review

Alibaba.com 's Trade Assurance is a fraud! I've been waiting 7+ weeks for my dispute to be resolved, and your Mediation Team does NOTHING while protecting scammers! No response, no refund, just excuses! You can't reach anyone except Customer Service message service, which keeps repeating itself. Buyers, BEWARE! Fix my case NOW! #AlibabaScam #TradeAssuranceScam

Date of experience: December 29, 2024
Australia
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Dean A.
Unfollow Dean A.
Share Review
Report Review

Ask for quote, price doubled in 24 hors, the frieght is insane, forget it, may as well use temu and I was looking to spend 15k per unit item

Date of experience: January 26, 2025
Missouri
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
Follow Destinee C.
Unfollow Destinee C.
Share Review
Report Review

Horrible!
January 18, 2025

I waited a very long time for my purchase. The payment was debited instantly, but the parcel was delayed. There were a few things missing from the box. The staff responded rudely to all my arguments. In the end, everything was resolved, but it took a month.

Date of experience: December 10, 2024
Japan
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Hide M.
Unfollow Hide M.
Share Review
Report Review

ここの商品の価格は安いと思うが、家具などの搬送費用が製品価格以上で高くて購入できない。
海外への搬送ルートや方法などをよく計画して欲しい。
一般ユーザー向けの、Temuなどのサイトは非常に運送コストが安くて使いやすい。

Date of experience: November 4, 2024
Costa Rica
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Brooke B.
Unfollow Brooke B.
Share Review
Report Review

Don't used this company!
January 5, 2025
Updated review

Alibaba would not assist when my order was hung up in Nicaragua, and customs was trying to extort a $9200 exit fee. It was supposed to be delivered to Costa Rica, not crooked Nicaragua. I contacted them numerous times with little or no response.

+2
Date of experience: January 5, 2025

Goods not delivered as promised by seller, Silveira Michele SC
September 8, 2024
Previous review

I ordered an UTV from Alibaba, through a company called Silveira Michele SC, and their salesman, Carver Randall. My total purchase was made in the amount of $1249 on July 23. Upon shipping the UTV, the product traveled to many countries before being off loaded in Nicaragua, instead of Costa Rica. It is now being held there, and various fees have been extorted by Carver Randall totalling $5890 and $4770. After paying a total of $11,909, Carver informed me the I owed another $9200 in order for my UTV to be released from Nicaragua! I refused and my delivery has not been made. After each payment, Carver promised that there would be no more fees. He lied throughout the transaction. I am unable, and unwilling to pay any additional money. I doubt the shipper is legitimate, having an identical website as another shipper that is easy to research. However, Wavers Shipping Company does not come up at all when searched. It appears they have hi-jacked the website. To date, September 7,2024, I have not received the UTV. I am being extorted for more money and the shipment, which was supposed to arrive within 2 weeks, has not been delivered. It's been 6 weeks. Don't risk your money! It is difficult to report any issue with Alibaba. I have filled out a review on their site, and we contacted to be told I had to file a formal complaint. I have spent hours on their website trying to do so. It's frustrating and I have been unsuccessful in doing so.

Date of experience: September 7, 2024
Hawaii
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Jimmy F.
Unfollow Jimmy F.
Share Review
Report Review

Alibad-a acts as a moderator but there really is no guarantee that I can see when it comes to poor quality, even if completely not functional. The drop down menu to file a claim doesn't include quality, only things like non-receipt, really slow etc. 5 plus years on Alibad-a and I have 2 claims. First took a year to resolve with 2 of 3 products being remade but still far from perfect. The current fiasco product is so crappy that an entire page is required to list the ridiculousness of it. Beware of Nanchang Keda Stationery Gifts Industrial Co

Date of experience: December 18, 2024
GB
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow darren b.
Unfollow darren b.
Share Review
Report Review

I am extremely dissatisfied with the service I have received from Alibaba. I placed an order under the Trade Assurance program, but over a month later, I have still not received my refund, despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue.

The customer service has been unhelpful and evasive, offering no clear timeline for resolution. My case has been escalated multiple times, yet there has been no follow-up or action taken. I feel misled and taken advantage of, as Alibaba has failed to honor its own policies and protect its customers.

The lack of communication, the ongoing delays, and the overall disregard for my concerns have left me with no choice but to pursue legal action. I strongly advise caution when using Alibaba, as their service does not live up to the promises made under the Trade Assurance program.

Date of experience: December 1, 2024
GB
3 reviews
2 helpful votes
Follow Gary C.
Unfollow Gary C.
Share Review
Report Review

Do NOT buy any electrical goods from Alibaba. I bought a laptop, which arrived with the wrong plug, even though I specifically stated a UK plug. They sent out the correct plug and within a few days the screen stopped working. They sent out a new screen, which I had to replace myself and that didn't sort out the fault, so I asked for a refund, which they refused because it had gone past the 30 day deadline. It had gone past the 30 day deadline because the supplier had took so long to rectify the original order. So, once again, DO NOT BUY ELECTRICAL GOODS FROM ALIBABA.

Date of experience: December 17, 2024
Texas
3 reviews
0 helpful votes
Follow Nikolai P.
Unfollow Nikolai P.
Share Review
Report Review

I've ordered twice from Alibaba and the products themselves were okay. The shipping and added fees caught me off guard. A $3 item quickly became $7 after shipping and customs were factored in! Its a great platform if you're buying in large quantities but for smaller orders, the costs can add up

Date of experience: October 21, 2024
Switzerland
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow P F.
Unfollow P F.
Share Review
Report Review

My experience with this furniture supplier, started in july 2023, has been a frustrating and draining journey from start to finish. If you are considering working with them, I strongly advise you to reconsider. Their business practices, which center around low-bidding tactics, may appear appealing to novice buyers or retail clients. However, once the deposit is paid, the nightmare begins.

After paying the deposit, the problems started almost immediately. The technical drawing process was slow and riddled with delays, causing frustration and eroding trust. Then, despite no changes to the drawings, they raised the price. Attempts to cancel the order before production were futile, as the Alibaba platform appeared to side with the supplier, dismissing my complaints and allowing the dispute to drag on without resolution.

Production brought more headaches. They discontinued several wardrobe colors I had selected, including those for the master bedroom—colors they had claimed to have already procured during the Alibaba dispute. Faced with such bad faith, I was forced to hire my own furniture expert in China to monitor their progress. Despite this additional effort, significant issues were missed, including a catastrophic design flaw where a cabinet's carcass was larger than the outer panels, making assembly impossible.

Shipping was no better. They refused to assist in optimizing my container load, leaving it three-quarters empty and costing me unnecessary expense. Their excuse of "unknown volume" was unconvincing, and their lack of support further highlighted their unprofessionalism and disregard for clients.

Finally, during assembly, the flaws in their workmanship became glaringly obvious. After lengthy video calls and empty promises to send corrected parts, they shifted the blame onto me and demanded additional shipping costs for their mistakes. This level of bad faith and poor service drained my energy and spirit, leaving me feeling as petty and mistrustful as they were—constantly questioning every step and decision.

While you might save 30% upfront, the hidden costs in stress, time, and additional resources will far outweigh any savings. If I had known, I would have either chosen an economical solution with Noremax, a Norwegian company offering customizable wardrobe fronts for IKEA systems, or worked with reliable local furniture companies who understand good faith and professionalism.

To learn more about Noremax, visit: https://www.noremax.com/eu/productcategory/wardrobes/

Date of experience: September 9, 2024
Washington
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Laura J.
Unfollow Laura J.
Share Review
Report Review

Scam
December 1, 2024

Do not buy anything from Alibaba. My husband n I are trying to buy some side by sides for over a year now we have been promised more times then I can count they will be delivered they keep asking for more money. No side by sides no refund xiemen trading co is a bunch of liars

Date of experience: December 1, 2024
Kentucky
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Charles T.
Unfollow Charles T.
Share Review
Report Review

I buy monthly, dozens of items, and nearly always get good products at a good price with good shipping for free, really the best overall anywhere. But, when it goes wrong, you submit your information to customer service reps who usually misunderstand and then someone else makes the wrong decision based on the wrong information. And, as far as I can tell, the website is not at all concerned that numerous sellers are hawking fraudulent "4 TB, 8TB, 16 TB, and even 64TB" USB drives (no such things exist), as I have reported them muliple times in several ways and I have not got any response to indicate concern, and zero action. Perhaps word will get from this review to someone who cares about the reputation of the business and they will act to clean it up.

Date of experience: November 21, 2024
California
3 reviews
2 helpful votes
Follow rick l.
Unfollow rick l.
Share Review
Report Review

SCAM WEBSITE!
November 4, 2024

Aliibaba is a SCAM SITE! The site supports companies that take your money, and won't help you to get a refund, they just blow smoke up your $#*!, someone should ban them from rippin people off in this country.

Date of experience: November 4, 2024
New Zealand
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
Follow Brett F.
Unfollow Brett F.
Share Review
Report Review

Started off well until the scamming came in
October 27, 2024
Updated review

I have some lovely people to deal with,
But do not trade with "Michael Wang" at Colorpro Technology co. Ltd, Sold me Ink cartridges knowing they were obsolete before sending them. He waited till the 30 days warranty was up untill he stopped communicating with me. 2 months later will not refund or contact. And I am easy going. He is a crooked shark. So do not trade with them at all. These people need jail time

Date of experience: October 26, 2024

I have been buying from Alibaba for several years and found 90% have been awesome. Vey helping sellers that deal with enthusianum and reply to questions quickly. Even giving other options. Shipping is usually reasonable but be careful if you hook a contract that takes many weeks. And thats before shipping. But overall I will happily buy again. Easy to track down what you are looking for many different prices from various companies. I have bought circa 50 different purchases.and met many friendly staff that are really the backbone of the companies. Their employees are the ones that make the difference to me. Try them and you will be mainly happy. From new Zealand

Date of experience: August 28, 2024

Great Trade!
November 8, 2021
Previous review

All up a superb trade, fast shipping and easy to deal with. Brilliant product. Highly Recomend! I would not hesitate to trade again

Date of experience: November 7, 2021

From the business

Alibaba.com is the world's leading wholesale trade platform that connects buyers and suppliers from around the world.


alibaba.com
Founded in 1999
Hangzhou, ZJ, China
+2086
See all photos