using visa to buy item from China

November2

Ok, am going to take the plunge and purchase several items from a Chinese store. They do not unfortunately accept paypal so will have to pay using a visa card. How safe is this? What if the items don't arrive, can I claim my money back? It isn't through Ebay but through a site called Aliexpress. Aliexpress have a buyer protection programme in place that offer a refund if items don't arrive but I'm still a bit wary of using my card rather than paypal.

jonesMUFCforever

How much are we talking about - for s75 you need the transaction to be for more than £100.
You can ask for a chargeback if goods do not arrive but must be made within a certain number of days.

chattychappy

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

How much are we talking about - for s75 you need the transaction to be for more than £100

In fact the individual item value has to be more than £100.

But it seems here that the purchase is being made via a third party, so S75 would only help if Aliexpress failed in some way.

OP: not sure if you've ever traded with China before. But whatever protection you might theoretically have via CCs, it can be a real uphill struggle to make a claim. And don't forget stuff like VAT, duty, handling costs, safety issues etc.

grumbler

November2 wrote: »

...will have to pay using a visa card. How safe is this? ...

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

How much are we talking about - for s75 you need the transaction to be for more than £100.

...and the card needs to be a credit card.

You can ask for a chargeback if goods do not arrive but must be made within a certain number of days.

Yes, the chargeback works for both debit and credit card purchases.

MSE articles:

• Section 75 refunds
• Visa, Mastercard & Amex Chargeback Protection

November2

Thankyou for advice. Aliexpress is a site where traders can advertise their items for sale it does say they offer buyer protection for items not received. Items damaged isn't too good as you have to pay to return the items! I've delved into the site's terms a little and it does say they hold onto the payment until items are confirmed as delivered, which is a bit odd as most seem to post using regular untracked China post, my items will be sent by DHL for free. Not too high a cost around £110. Which is much cheaper than buying in UK or from Ebay China sellers.

Tiny_Tina

November2 wrote: »

Ok, am going to take the plunge and purchase several items from a Chinese store. They do not unfortunately accept paypal so will have to pay using a visa card. How safe is this? What if the items don't arrive, can I claim my money back? It isn't through Ebay but through a site called Aliexpress. Aliexpress have a buyer protection programme in place that offer a refund if items don't arrive but I'm still a bit wary of using my card rather than paypal.

I would suggest that if, despite the site having it's own buyer protection policy in place, you are still at all worried from buying from a particular seller, then don't buy from them.

Voyager2002

November2 wrote: »

. Which is much cheaper than buying in UK or from Ebay China sellers.

There has to be a reason why it is cheaper than Ebay...

Remember that DHL is expensive, so if that is included they are trading on a wafer-thin profit margin. If it seems too good to be true...

Oh: don't forget that you will need to pay VAT, import duty and probably a Customs handling fee, so add another 35 pounds on to the total cost.

Ive_A_Horse_Outside

Ive used AliExpress a number of times. No issues at all. Payment is held in escrow until you have received your goods (fyi you pay more for DHL shipping; the free post option takes almost a month and is untracked China Post). If you dont receive your items or they turn up damaged you dont release the payment and its investigated.

Just a note AliExpress' credentials. The company is part of Alibaba group that is heading towards a $20 billion IPO in the states in a few weeks so they will be one of the biggest corporations in the world very soon. I havent used eBay since discovering this site.

Kernow666

i have used AliExpress lots of times always paying with my mastercard CC and never had a problem with delivery or customer service , yes it takes a while but still very efficient

November2

Thankyou. I'd not heard of them before a couple of days ago so was a bit wary. I get free DHL shipping from this trader because I'm ordering more than 10 items. All the prices are I believe cheaper than Ebay due to suppliers being wholesalers, factories etc selling directly to public. Even with duty on top its cheaper than UK and Ebay!