How to Sell on eBay: A Complete Guide for Beginners
eBay is known as a marketplace for new, used, or collectible items. We explain the steps, how much eBay charges to sell, and more.
In the world of e-commerce, platforms like AliExpress, Shopee, and Temu are popular options for their low prices. While they share some similarities, each offers a different experience, with advantages and challenges you should know before deciding.
That’s why today we’ll give you our opinion on each of them, considering shipping, guarantees, prices, and quality. We’ve also taken into account other customers’ opinions about Temu, AliExpress, and Shopee. In the end, you’ll have a useful comparison of the experience on each platform.
Let’s begin!
One of every online buyer’s main fears is the security of their financial data. However, AliExpress has advanced cybersecurity protocols, making such vulnerabilities almost impossible.
While there are complaints about AliExpress, none are related to security breaches or unauthorized charges.
Now let’s discuss AliExpress reviews on the most relevant points:
AliExpress has improved significantly in terms of international shipping.
A couple of years ago, buying on AliExpress meant waiting up to 2 months to receive your package. We must consider the distance, customs processes, and logistics involved.
While delays with free or low-cost methods can still happen, current timelines are more reasonable. International shipments can now take around 10 days to arrive.
The company’s buyer protection system includes 15-day refunds if the product doesn’t arrive or is defective.
The problem is that this period is very limited, starting the moment you mark the item as received. That means you only have 15 days to initiate a dispute, which is insufficient.
Also, free returns aren’t guaranteed for all products. Due to such limitations, the rating is moderate.
On AliExpress, you’ll undoubtedly find products at super low prices compared to other e-commerce platforms. Just search for the same item on Amazon or eBay to see the big difference.
In fact, it’s well-known that many suppliers from those companies buy their items on AliExpress to resell them, reinforcing its reputation as the cheapest option.
China is known as the world’s factory, and AliExpress hosts millions of options. Quality depends on the registered suppliers.
It’s true that some items are of poor quality, but many meet or exceed expectations, especially from reliable sellers with good ratings. The site shows photos and details in the descriptions, but buyer reviews and ratings will tell you how good a product is.
Temu is another attractive option for online shopping, especially due to its extremely low prices and wide variety of products.
Is it worth using the App?
Overall, yes, if you’re willing to research before buying, because you can find several drawbacks of Temu.
Temu Reviews:
Many Temu products include free shipping or minimal fees, a remarkable point for international purchases.
In terms of cost-benefit, it’s excellent. But delivery times can be around 16 days and can stretch to 3 weeks.
If you look up Temu complaints, most are about delivery times. Considering the low costs, we might justify it.
The warranty and return policies are clear but have notable restrictions.
You have 14 days to return the product once you start the process, similar to AliExpress’s timeframe. This is one of Temu’s major disadvantages, especially if your product arrives late.
Though it says you have 90 days, it counts from the purchase date, not from arrival. Also, in some cases, you must pay return costs, even if it’s defective or not as described. Ideally, returns should be free. This area needs improvement as it limits the experience.
Chinese online platforms like Temu are the cheapest options. Here, you’ll find prices even lower than those on rival stores like Shein, Shopee, and AliExpress.
Most products have super low costs, but always check the reviews for each item.
If you’re going to buy on Temu, don’t expect top-quality clothing. The site isn’t known for selling high-end products.
Quality is average, depending on what you order and who you buy from. If you research well, you can find products with a good price-quality ratio.
You’ll see many complaints in Temu opinions, but it depends on each person’s experience.
Now let’s talk about Shopee, another popular e-commerce platform with a presence in at least 13 countries, including Mexico.
How safe is it to buy from their site?
Shopee also uses advanced encryption technologies to protect your financial information. Additionally, sellers undergo a verification process to operate on the platform, so fraudulent accounts are rare.
This suggests Shopee is reliable, even more so than Temu and AliExpress, but let’s look more closely.
Shopee Reviews:
When buying on Shopee, packages can take weeks or more than a month for international shipments. However, for local orders, the waiting time is up to 8 business days. It also offers very beneficial free shipping promotions, though they vary by region and seller.
In general, you receive packages faster than from AliExpress or Temu, especially if you buy from Shopee MX. They can arrive in about 5 days.
Shopee offers effective protection policies. Generally, they provide satisfactory solutions if products are damaged or not received.
The downside is you only have 7 to 15 days to return them, but the good news is that refunds are usually very fast.
Also, you can leave reviews and check the sellers’ ratings. This system helps a lot when choosing products.
Shopee’s prices aren’t as cheap as the two previous stores, but they’re still lower than Amazon, for example. Frequent discounts and coupons compensate for this difference.
Of course, the most expensive products are those from well-known brands. Still, thanks to constant offers, you’ll find cheaper options than physical stores.
In Shopee, quality stands out compared to similar platforms.
The fact that sellers go through a verification process gives you more confidence. This means fewer chances of receiving damaged or poor-quality items. Remember that quality standards vary by seller.
If you choose brand products from official stores, you’ll likely get the quality you expect.
While problems are less frequent, they can still occur if you don’t check the reviews.
Platform | Shipping (1-5) | Guarantee (1-5) | Prices (1-5) | Quality (1-5) | Keys comments |
AliExpress | 4 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.5 | Significant improvements in shipping times, although delays still occur with economical methods. |
Temu | 4 | 3.0 | 5 | 4.0 | Extremely low prices, but long shipping times and return costs can apply. |
Shopee | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 4.0 | Faster local shipping times and seller verification processes. |
AliExpress, Temu, and Shopee compete to offer low-priced products in the global e-commerce market. However, all three have their strengths and limitations.
But generally, if you’re a bargain hunter and not in a hurry, AliExpress is the ideal site. On the other hand, Shopee is excellent for faster and safer purchases, especially if you shop at Shopee MX.
Temu works best for those looking for extreme savings—just keep in mind it’s worthwhile for everyday products that don’t require high quality.
Despite all this, among these three platforms, AliExpress stands out as the favorite for Mexican online consumers.
Good news for you: by linking the DolarCard provided by DolarApp, you’ll save on currency conversion fees at any of them. We offer a digital dollar account so you can make your online purchases easily.
Just send your MXN to USDc from the app to have a positive balance on your DolarCard.
The world has borders. Your finances don’t have to.
eBay is known as a marketplace for new, used, or collectible items. We explain the steps, how much eBay charges to sell, and more.
Still not sure if it’s better to shop on Amazon or AliExpress? Find out in this post which platform is more convenient for you in 2024.