How to Open and Win an AliExpress Dispute or Refund (2026)

Welcome back to AliCoinsDeals! Finding great prices with coin discounts and promo codes is only half the job. The other half is knowing exactly what to do on the rare order that arrives broken, wrong, or never shows up at all.

Here’s the short version: you open a dispute from inside the order itself, you pick the truthful reason, and you back it with clear evidence before the deadline. Do that and most disputes resolve in your favour. This is the procedural playbook. For the policy itself, what’s covered, how escrow works, and the full deadline rules, see our AliExpress Buyer Protection guide. This post is about the actions that actually win.

Key Takeaways

• You have 15 days after an order is marked delivered to open a dispute. Miss it and the order closes for good.
• Open the dispute from Orders → the order → Open Dispute, then pick a truthful reason and submit evidence.
• The evidence that wins: a single unedited unboxing video, well-lit photos, listing-vs-reality screenshots, and tracking proof for non-delivery.
• Never close an active dispute on a seller’s spoken promise. If they want to refund you, they can do it officially inside the platform.

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When can you open an AliExpress dispute?

You can open a dispute as soon as something goes wrong with an order that’s still inside its protection window. The two common triggers are an item that doesn’t match the listing and a package that never arrives. The exact policy, what’s covered and what isn’t, lives in our Buyer Protection guide, so this section is just the timing you need before you act.

The deadline is the part that catches people out. Once an order shows as Delivered, or you tap Confirm Receipt yourself, a 15-day countdown starts. Open your dispute inside that window. After it closes, the order is finalized, the seller is paid, and Buyer Protection ends.

One nuance for non-delivery: you generally can’t claim “item not received” until the seller’s maximum delivery window has passed. AliExpress shows that window on the order before you buy. So the rule of thumb is simple. For a wrong or damaged item, file the moment you’ve inspected it. For a missing parcel, wait for the delivery window to lapse, then file with your tracking evidence ready.

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How do you open a dispute on AliExpress? (step by step)

Opening a dispute takes about two minutes once you know the path. Whether you use the app or the website, the flow is the same, and you start it from the order you’re unhappy with on your AliExpress orders page. Follow these steps in order and don’t skip the evidence step.

1. Open the order

Go to My Orders, find the order in question, and open it. You’re looking for a button labelled Open Dispute or Returns & refunds. If you don’t see it yet, the order may still be in transit and outside the claimable window.

2. Choose your dispute type

AliExpress asks whether you want a refund only or a return and refund. We’ll cover how to choose in the next section. Pick deliberately, because it shapes the whole case.

3. Select the truthful reason

You’ll get a dropdown of reasons: “item not received”, “not as described”, “damaged”, “wrong item”, and so on. Choose the one that genuinely matches your situation. Accuracy here matters more than people think, and the wrong reason can sink an otherwise strong claim.

4. State the refund amount and a clear description

Enter the amount you’re claiming and write a short, factual description. Two or three plain sentences beat a paragraph of frustration. Say what you ordered, what arrived, and what you want.

5. Upload your evidence and submit

Attach your photos and video here, then submit. Once filed, the seller is notified and the clock starts on their response. You can track the status from the same order screen.

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What evidence wins an AliExpress dispute?

Evidence is what separates a won dispute from a denied one. Vague complaints with no proof tend to fail, while a clear, documented case usually settles fast. Mediators handle a high volume of claims, so make yours easy to judge at a glance. Below is the evidence that consistently carries the most weight, roughly in order of power.

The single continuous unboxing video

For anything broken, missing, or wrong, a video beats photos. Film one continuous, unedited clip: show the sealed package and shipping label first, then open it and inspect the item on camera without cutting. An unbroken recording is hard to dispute, and in our experience it’s the strongest single piece of evidence you can bring.

Clear, well-lit photos

Shoot the item in good light against a plain background. Capture the defect close up and the whole product in frame, plus the packaging and label. Blurry, dark, or cropped photos give a mediator a reason to hesitate, so don’t rush this.

Listing-versus-reality screenshots

When the item simply isn’t what was advertised, screenshot the original listing, the title, the photos, the specifications, and place it beside a photo of what actually arrived. Side-by-side proof that the product differs from its description is exactly what the “not as described” claim is built on.

Tracking proof for non-delivery

For a missing parcel, your evidence is the tracking record. Screenshot the carrier status showing the package stalled, returned, or never scanned as delivered. If tracking shows delivery to an address that isn’t yours, official carrier documentation of the misdelivery is what you need.

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Refund only vs return and refund: which should you pick?

Choosing the right dispute type saves time and avoids return-shipping headaches. The decision usually comes down to two things: whether you still have a usable item, and how much it’s worth versus the cost and hassle of shipping it back. The table makes the call simple.

Situation	Best choice	Why
Item never arrived	Refund only	There’s nothing to send back
Cheap item, broken or wrong, not worth returning	Refund only	Return postage can cost more than the item
Higher-value item you’d send back	Return and refund	The full refund is worth the return effort
Item is fine but you want to keep it with a partial refund	Refund only (partial)	Compensates a minor flaw without a return

Refund only is right when there’s nothing to return (a lost parcel) or when the item is too cheap to bother shipping back. You can also request a partial refund and keep a slightly flawed item. Return and refund makes sense on higher-value goods worth the return trip. Watch for the Free Return tag, which removes your return-shipping cost. Knowing how to read a listing before you buy helps here, which is why it pays to vet a seller in 60 seconds up front.

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What happens after you file a dispute?

After you submit, the case moves into a back-and-forth with the seller, and most are resolved at this stage without anyone else stepping in. The seller is given a set number of days to respond. They might accept your request outright, propose a partial amount, or reject it. Your job is to stay responsive and stick to your evidence.

If the seller counters with a lower offer, you can accept it or reject it and hold your position. As long as you keep replying inside the deadlines, the dispute stays active and protected. Silence is the only thing that hurts you here, so check the order screen and respond to messages promptly.

When the two of you can’t agree, AliExpress steps in to mediate. A platform mediator reviews the evidence from both sides and makes a binding decision. This is exactly why the documentation matters: the mediator rules on what they can see, not on what was promised in chat. Stay patient, keep the tone factual, and let your evidence do the talking. Forcing the issue rarely helps.

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The mistakes that lose AliExpress disputes

Most lost disputes aren’t lost on the facts. They’re lost on avoidable errors that hand the seller an advantage. If you sidestep the four traps below, you keep the odds firmly on your side. Each one comes up again and again in buyer communities, and each one is easy to dodge once you know it.

Closing the dispute on a verbal promise

This is the classic trap. The seller messages you, apologizes, and asks you to close the dispute in exchange for a promised refund or replacement. Don’t. Once you close it, your window has often expired and the seller can go quiet. A genuine seller can accept the refund officially inside the platform without you closing anything.

Picking a false “cancel” reason the seller suggests

When a seller is out of stock, they may push you to cancel and select “I no longer want the item” or “other”. That protects their metrics and pins the blame on you. Always choose the truthful reason, such as “item out of stock”, so your own account isn’t penalized for their problem.

Missing the 15-day window

The deadline is unforgiving. Once those 15 days lapse, the order finalizes and the seller is paid. Set a reminder the day a package is marked delivered, and inspect higher-value items the moment they arrive so you’ve time to act.

Writing a vague reason with no evidence

“Bad product, want money back” gives a mediator nothing to work with. State what you ordered, what arrived, and attach your photos or video. A specific, documented claim wins. A vague, empty one usually doesn’t.

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What’s the last resort if the dispute fails?

If AliExpress wrongly denies a legitimate claim and you’re out real money, a credit card or PayPal chargeback is your final backstop. This is why paying with a major card or PayPal at checkout is a smart habit: it gives you a layer of protection that sits outside the platform entirely, governed by your card issuer’s own rules.

Treat this as a genuine last resort, not a first move. Filing a chargeback can get your AliExpress account banned, since the platform views it as bypassing its own dispute system. So reserve it for serious losses where the internal process has genuinely failed you, not for a low-value order you could write off. Before you ever reach this point, choosing trustworthy sellers prevents most problems, and our look at whether AliExpress is safe and legit covers how to shop in a way that keeps disputes rare in the first place.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to open a dispute on AliExpress?

You have 15 days from the moment an order is marked “Delivered” or you tap “Confirm Receipt”. Open your dispute inside that window. For non-delivery, you generally must wait until the seller’s maximum delivery time has passed, then file before the 15-day window closes the order for good.

What evidence wins an AliExpress dispute?

A single continuous, unedited unboxing video is the strongest proof for broken, missing, or wrong items. Back it with clear, well-lit photos, screenshots comparing the listing to what arrived, and carrier tracking records for non-delivery. Specific, documented claims win far more often than vague complaints.

Should I choose refund only or return and refund?

Choose refund only when there’s nothing to send back, such as a lost parcel, or when the item is too cheap to be worth return postage. Pick return and refund for higher-value goods worth shipping back. Look for the Free Return tag, which removes your return-shipping cost entirely.

What if the seller refuses to refund me?

Stay responsive and don’t close the dispute. If you and the seller can’t agree, AliExpress steps in to mediate and makes a binding decision based on the evidence from both sides. Keep replying inside the deadlines so the case stays active and protected throughout.

Can I do a chargeback on AliExpress?

Yes, if you paid with a credit card or PayPal, you can request a chargeback as a last resort when a legitimate dispute fails. Be careful: chargebacks can get your AliExpress account banned, since the platform sees them as bypassing its own process. Reserve them for serious losses only.

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Winning an AliExpress dispute comes down to acting inside the 15-day window, choosing the truthful reason, and backing your claim with evidence a mediator can judge in seconds. Pick refund only or return and refund based on the item’s value, stay patient and responsive while the case runs, and keep a card or PayPal chargeback in reserve for the rare serious loss. Get those habits right and the occasional bad order stays a minor inconvenience rather than money lost.