Playbook

Pick a seller you can actually trust

The product listing looks perfect. But the seller makes or breaks your AliExpress experience. This 3-step check takes 8 minutes and has saved buyers from delayed, damaged, and missing orders.

8 minutes·3 steps

1
Check the seller's dispute history
~3 min
Open tool
Paste the seller's AliExpress store URL into the seller checker. Three numbers to read immediately:
- Dispute rate — the percentage of orders that resulted in buyer disputes. Under 1% is excellent. 1–2% is acceptable. Above 2% means this seller has a recurring pattern of problems.
- Response time — how quickly the seller responds to buyer messages. Under 12 hours is good. Over 48 hours means they're either overwhelmed or unresponsive when things go wrong.
- Account age — sellers under 6 months old have no track record. A brand-new account with 5-star ratings and hundreds of reviews is a warning sign (reviews may have been migrated or purchased).
A low dispute rate is the single most reliable signal of seller quality. It means the seller ships what they promise, on time.
Exit criteria: You can see the seller's dispute rate, response time, and account age. Dispute rate under 2% = proceed to Step 2.
2
Read their negative reviews
~3 min
Open tool
Open the product listing and filter reviews to 1-star and 2-star only. You're not looking for isolated bad experiences — you're looking for patterns.
Three patterns that matter: - "Arrived broken" or "wrong item" — the seller's packing and QC process is unreliable - "Never shipped" or "took 8 weeks" — shipping promises are not kept - "Seller ignored my messages" or "refused refund" — post-sale support is absent
One complaint can be bad luck. If you see the same complaint from 3 or more different buyers, assume it will happen to you too. The best predictor of your experience is the experience of buyers who came before you.
Exit criteria: You have read at least 5 negative reviews and can identify any recurring complaint patterns.
3
Run the risk assessment
~2 min
Open tool
Enter the seller URL and run the risk assessment. The tool aggregates signals that are hard to read manually:
- Order volume consistency — genuine sellers have steady order flow. Sudden spikes followed by drops can indicate gaming.
- Review authenticity — cross-referenced against known paid-review patterns.
- Red flag count — explicit risk signals identified across the seller's listing history.
How to read the result: - Low risk: safe to order - Medium risk: acceptable with caution — check AliExpress buyer protection terms before ordering - High risk: find a different seller for the same product. The listing may look perfect but the odds of a smooth delivery are low.
You can always find the same product from a safer seller. AliExpress has hundreds of factories making identical items. Never feel locked in to a high-risk seller.
Exit criteria: You have a risk rating. Combined with the dispute check and review read, you can make a confident decision about whether this seller is worth trusting.

Playbook

Pick a seller you can actually trust

The product listing looks perfect. But the seller makes or breaks your AliExpress experience. This 3-step check takes 8 minutes and has saved buyers from delayed, damaged, and missing orders.

8 minutes·3 steps

1
Check the seller's dispute history
~3 min
Open tool
Paste the seller's AliExpress store URL into the seller checker. Three numbers to read immediately:
- Dispute rate — the percentage of orders that resulted in buyer disputes. Under 1% is excellent. 1–2% is acceptable. Above 2% means this seller has a recurring pattern of problems.
- Response time — how quickly the seller responds to buyer messages. Under 12 hours is good. Over 48 hours means they're either overwhelmed or unresponsive when things go wrong.
- Account age — sellers under 6 months old have no track record. A brand-new account with 5-star ratings and hundreds of reviews is a warning sign (reviews may have been migrated or purchased).
A low dispute rate is the single most reliable signal of seller quality. It means the seller ships what they promise, on time.
Exit criteria: You can see the seller's dispute rate, response time, and account age. Dispute rate under 2% = proceed to Step 2.
2
Read their negative reviews
~3 min
Open tool
Open the product listing and filter reviews to 1-star and 2-star only. You're not looking for isolated bad experiences — you're looking for patterns.
Three patterns that matter: - "Arrived broken" or "wrong item" — the seller's packing and QC process is unreliable - "Never shipped" or "took 8 weeks" — shipping promises are not kept - "Seller ignored my messages" or "refused refund" — post-sale support is absent
One complaint can be bad luck. If you see the same complaint from 3 or more different buyers, assume it will happen to you too. The best predictor of your experience is the experience of buyers who came before you.
Exit criteria: You have read at least 5 negative reviews and can identify any recurring complaint patterns.
3
Run the risk assessment
~2 min
Open tool
Enter the seller URL and run the risk assessment. The tool aggregates signals that are hard to read manually:
- Order volume consistency — genuine sellers have steady order flow. Sudden spikes followed by drops can indicate gaming.
- Review authenticity — cross-referenced against known paid-review patterns.
- Red flag count — explicit risk signals identified across the seller's listing history.
How to read the result: - Low risk: safe to order - Medium risk: acceptable with caution — check AliExpress buyer protection terms before ordering - High risk: find a different seller for the same product. The listing may look perfect but the odds of a smooth delivery are low.
You can always find the same product from a safer seller. AliExpress has hundreds of factories making identical items. Never feel locked in to a high-risk seller.
Exit criteria: You have a risk rating. Combined with the dispute check and review read, you can make a confident decision about whether this seller is worth trusting.