ALIEXPRESS VS PAYPAL
My wife bought a dress on AliExpress for about €115 in size XS. As soon as it arrived, we realized something was wrong: the label says XS, but it fits at least two sizes larger. So I opened a return request.
After days of arguing, AliExpress rejected the return, claiming the dress was "custom-made" and therefore non-returnable. The problem is, that's simply not true. It's just a regular dress sold like any other item on the platform.
At that point, I turned to PayPal and opened a dispute. They approved the claim but instructed me to return the item to China at my own expense. I agreed, even though it meant spending another €35 on shipping through Poste Italiane.
I shipped the package, kept all the documentation, and sent PayPal everything they asked for: the shipping receipt, photos of the package with the shipping label, and most importantly, the tracking number.
A few weeks later, PayPal replied:
"We have denied your claim because we did not receive valid proof or tracking information showing that you returned the merchandise."
Excuse me? The tracking number exists, it's the same one I've had from the beginning, and I had already provided it to them.
So I called PayPal customer support. I gave them the tracking number again and also showed them the tracking page from Poste Italiane, which states:
"According to checks carried out by the International Processing Center, an invoice is missing. Please contact customer support."
What invoice? This is a return shipment, not a commercial export. And more importantly, why should this become the customer's problem?
After more than twenty minutes on the phone with an agent whose Italian was honestly very difficult to understand, the conclusion was simply: the package is stuck, so it's my problem. I was told to contact Poste Italiane, hope they could resolve the issue, and only then try reopening the PayPal claim.
What really pisses me off is that when I first opened the dispute, I was assured that I would still be protected even if the return package was lost or never delivered. Now it seems like PayPal has completely washed its hands of the situation.
So, to sum it up:
- AliExpress sells an item that is clearly not as described and suddenly claims it's "custom-made" to avoid accepting the return.
- PayPal requires me to spend another €35 to ship the package back to China.
- The package gets stuck because of a customs issue that I have no direct control over.
- PayPal closes the case and tells me it's not their problem.
The end result? I could lose the €115 I paid for the dress, the €35 shipping cost, and the dress itself.
Has anyone here managed to get out of a situation like this? Is there any way to actually enforce PayPal Buyer Protection, or once a return is sent back to China, are customers basically on their own?