The Consumers Union of Korea (CUK) revealed on Feb. 1 that consumer complaints related to AliExpress, an e-commerce platform operated by China’s Alibaba, have surged significantly.
According to the CUK, the Consumer Consultation recorded a fivefold increase in complaints related to AliExpress last year, reaching 465 cases compared to the previous year’s 93 cases. In January of this year alone, the center received over 150 cases, constituting one-third of the total complaints from the entire previous year.
Looking at the reported cases by category for this year, clothing and shoes had the highest number with 130 cases, followed by electronics and electrical products with 124 cases, cultural goods with 54 cases, automotive parts with 51 cases, communication and office supplies with 22 cases, furniture with 11 cases, and cosmetics and health products with 42 cases.
In terms of types of complaints, contract non-compliance, including delivery delays, misdelivery, missing items, and loss during delivery, accounted for 226 cases, representing 49 percent of the total.
The primary grievances centered around issues where cancellations due to delivery delays were not reflected or commitments to free returns were not honored after the products were delivered. Complaints also included dissatisfaction with the lack of guidance on customs clearance timelines and the frustration of not being able to track deliveries.
In addition, there were 143 cases of refusal for refunds after contract termination, accounting for 31 percent of the total, and 82 cases related to quality issues such as counterfeit goods, product defects, or damages, making up 18 percent of the total.
Some sellers on AliExpress have become embroiled in disputes by claiming that the returned items are missing or that different items have been returned despite consumers returning items and providing shipping receipts.
The CUK noted that, due to the nature of platforms with a high proportion of low-cost purchases, there are cases where sellers on AliExpress immediately process refunds upon consumer complaints without requiring returns or consumers ultimately giving up on refunds. As a result, the actual scale of damage is believed to be larger. The union also criticized AliExpress for maintaining a passive stance in handling consumer complaints.