How does my AliExpress buyer protection deadline relate to a slow delivery?

The deadline is tied to the estimate rather than to reality, which is the part that catches people out. Your protection period is calculated from the order date and the expected delivery window, and it keeps running whether or not your package is actually moving — so a shipment that stalls in transit eats into the time you have to do anything about it. That makes the protection date more important to watch than the tracking. Find it on the order page early rather than looking for it in a panic, and treat it as a hard deadline. Sellers can usually extend it if you ask before it lapses, and most will, because a lapsed window followed by an angry buyer helps nobody.

My protection period is about to expire and my package hasn’t arrived — what should I do first?

Act today rather than tomorrow, and do it in this order. Message the seller and ask them to extend the protection period, which is quick, usually granted, and buys you room. If they don’t respond within a day or two, open a dispute before the window closes rather than after — that single step preserves everything, and it can be withdrawn if the package turns up. While you’re at it, screenshot the tracking as it stands, since that record supports whatever comes next. What you should not do is wait quietly out of politeness: once the window closes, the platform’s protection goes with it and you’re relying entirely on the seller’s goodwill.

How do I open a dispute, and does it stop the clock?

Opening one is straightforward: go to the order in your account, choose the option to report a problem or open a dispute, and select the reason — usually that the package hasn’t arrived. You’ll be asked what outcome you want, refund being the common choice. Once opened, the dispute effectively pauses your exposure, because the case is now live and the protection deadline stops being the thing that decides your fate. The seller gets a chance to respond, often by offering a partial refund or asking for more time, and you can accept or escalate to the platform. Packages that arrive mid-dispute are easily handled — just close the case.

Who actually carries my package, and who delivers it locally?

Two different companies, usually. The standard service is operated through the platform’s own logistics arm and its partners, who collect from the seller, consolidate, and handle the international leg. Once it reaches your country, a local carrier takes over for the doorstep — most often your national postal service, sometimes a domestic courier. That handover is why your updates change character partway through, and why a second tracking number often appears. It matters practically: anything about the delivery itself, from a missed attempt to a collection point, belongs to the local carrier rather than to the platform, while anything about the order and your money stays with the platform.

My tracking says delivered but nothing arrived — how do I prove it to AliExpress?

Evidence is what decides these cases, so gather it before opening anything. Screenshot the tracking record showing the delivery scan with its exact time. Contact the local carrier and ask what the delivery record actually says — the location, whether a signature was taken, whether a photo exists — because a scan that shows the wrong address or no signature strengthens your case considerably. Check with everyone at your address and the neighbours first, since a package found later makes for an awkward dispute. Then open the case, state clearly that the item was marked delivered but not received, and attach what you have. Specific detail beats a general complaint every time.

Can I get my money back if it never turns up?

Refunds are the normal outcome when a package genuinely never arrives, provided you raise it inside the protection window. That last part is the whole game: within the window, the platform's process is designed to resolve this and usually does; outside it, you're negotiating with a seller who no longer has to agree. If the tracking shows no delivery at all, the case is generally straightforward. Where it shows delivered but you didn't receive it, expect to provide more — the carrier's record, confirmation of what the scan says, and your account of the search. If the platform declines and you paid by card or a payment service, that route has its own protection and its own deadline worth checking.

Will I pay import tax, or was it collected at checkout?

Increasingly it’s collected at checkout, since many countries now require marketplaces to charge tax at the point of sale — and when that happens your package clears without a further bill. Check your order for a tax line, because that’s your evidence if anyone asks for money later. If it wasn’t taken at the time of sale, assessment happens on arrival and the local carrier holds the package until you’ve settled it, handling charge included. Two cautions. Fake customs texts are extremely common, so check any demand against your own tracking rather than following a link. And an unpaid genuine charge is the most frequent reason a package stops dead after arriving in your country.

Can I keep an eye on where I stand before the protection window runs out?

That’s worth doing, because the risk here is losing track of a deadline rather than losing a package. Add your number here and switch alerts on, and you’ll know when things move without having to check — particularly the arrival scan in your own country, which is the signal that the end is near. Keep the protection date somewhere you’ll see it and compare the two. Connecting your Gmail after a Google sign-in means order confirmations get picked up automatically, which helps when several slow orders are running at once and it’s easy to forget which is which. Everything sits in one list, whichever carrier ends up delivering.

Which countries can I track parcels in with Parcel Monitor?

You may also want to explore tracking for these other destinations:

• Your China orders, all in one place

• Waiting on something from Russian Federation?

• Keep an eye on Brazil deliveries

• Tracking made easy for Spain

• See deliveries to and from United States

• Where's your Poland parcel?

Which other carriers can I track with Parcel Monitor?

These carrier pages are worth a look too:

• China Post updates in one place

• Waiting on China EMS? Track it here

• Track your Yun Express parcels

• Following a 4PX delivery?

• CNE Express tracking, step by step

• See where your Yanwen package is