u/EonitDoNot

A while back, I made a post (through my past account) about buying a ~€230 smartphone without reading the description properly, turns out it was listed as used. I asked if I could just refuse the package and get a refund. Thanks Reddit, I now know that refusing delivery means losing buyer protection.

Then an AliExpress agent actually reached out to me, thinking I’d been misled by false advertising and offering to help.

After deciding I’d just keep the item, my package got stuck in customs. They asked me to declare the purchase price (because of the +€150 taxes, and the seller making a low declaration), and then hit me with over €80 in import taxes. At that point, I went back to the agent and explained that the item was already overpriced for something second-hand.

The agent kindly explained I could wait for the package to be returned to the seller, then process a refund. All I had to do was provide the customs assessment from the postal service and later proof that the package was sent back to China.

As soon as my package was confirmed to be on its way back (by then, over 90 days had passed since it was shipped), they processed my refund, no dispute needed on my end.

Honestly, I’m grateful to AliExpress customer service, they answered all my questions and guided me through a pretty stressful situation. Also I would recommend to anyone in a difficult situation with a seller to reach to the customer service first, it may save you a dispute.