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Top 4 Picks
Four picks. One of them is yours.

AliExpress vs DHgate

Both hold your money until you confirm receipt. AliExpress is built for finding one specific item, DHgate for buying twenty of the same one.

AliExpress

The deepest catalogue in the category, and fifteen days to complain about it.

7.9/10
BRecommended with a reservation

DHgate

Real escrow, and a complaint window that closes far earlier than the headline says.

7.0/10
BRecommended with a reservation

Who should pick which

Choose AliExpress if

  • Specific parts, components and anything with a part number
  • Buyers who will open the parcel the day it arrives

Choose DHgate if

  • Buying at quantity, which is what the pricing is built for
  • Anyone who wants the money held until the parcel is checked

Feature by feature

AliExpress compared with DHgate
AttributeAliExpressDHgate
Starting priceBudget pricesBudget prices
Ships fromChina, Local warehouses in some marketsChina
Ships toAlmost everywhereMost countries
Avg deliveryNot measured by usNot measured by us
Buyer protection15 days30 days
Return window15 days21 days
Return shipping paid byvariesvaries
Customs handlingEU VAT collected at checkout under EUR 150. Duties collected by the carrier on deliveryEU VAT collected under EUR 150. Duties never covered
Seller verificationSeller ratings and store history, no third-party inspectionFeedback percentage and order counts, plus unexplained 5-Star Stores and Source Factory sections
Catalog sizeThe largest consumer catalogue in this comparison
Mobile app
Support channels24/7 live chat, Dispute centre, Help centreDispute centre, Help centre
Dispute window15 days from receiving the item30 days after confirming receipt, 60 for VIP. But 7 or 21 days for a not-as-described claim
Dispute clock startsdeliveryconfirmed receipt
First return free
Refund without returnNot stated as a standing policyYes, stated for seller-fault claims within 21 days
Payment held in escrow
Import VAT at checkoutEU: yes, under EUR 150, under the AliExpress IOSS number. US: sales tax by stateEU: yes, under EUR 150. US: not stated for consumers
Duties at checkoutNo, and stated as never coveredNo, and stated as never covered
States an IOSS registration
Customs pages updated for 2026
Seller modelIndependent third-party sellersIndependent wholesale sellers, each with its own return policy

Pricing side by side

AliExpress

Price level: Budget

Independent sellers list the same item at several prices on the same day, so there is no price to quote.

EU: AliExpress collects VAT on orders up to EUR 150, and its sellers declare the AliExpress IOSS number. Customs duties are "never covered by AliExpress", and the carrier collects them on delivery. Its guidance still promises a duty exemption on parcels up to EUR 150 that ended on 1 July 2026.

US: sales tax follows a state-by-state list whose most recent entry is dated July 2021, and nothing on the page reflects the 2026 changes.

DHgate

Price level: Budget

Listings are priced in tiers that fall as the quantity grows, so there is no single figure worth quoting.

EU: DHgate collects VAT itself on goods up to EUR 150, and above that you pay it yourself. Customs duties are "never covered by DHgate", so the carrier collects them on delivery. The guidance still splits at EUR 150, which stopped being the line for duties on 1 July 2026.

US: its tax article is written for resellers and says nothing about sales tax at checkout or about the 2026 changes.

Strengths and weaknesses

AliExpress

What works

  • The deepest catalogue in the category, and the only place to find specific parts
  • Payment held in escrow until you confirm receipt
  • The only platform here that states it holds an IOSS registration for EU VAT
  • 24/7 live chat and a dispute process that has been running for over a decade

What does not

  • Fifteen days from delivery to raise a problem, against ninety at Temu
  • Customs guidance still describes the EU exemption that ended on 1 July 2026
  • Duties are explicitly never covered, and arrive as a bill from the carrier
  • Seller quality varies enormously and nobody inspects them

DHgate

What works

  • Payment held in escrow and released only when you confirm receipt
  • A refund without returning the item, stated for seller-fault claims within 21 days
  • Wholesale tier pricing that beats the retail marketplaces at quantity
  • Green Shipping Protection covering lost, delayed or damaged parcels in eight named countries

What does not

  • The not-as-described window is 7 or 21 days, not the 30 the headline suggests
  • One dispute per order, once the seller has shipped
  • The category lists that decide which window applies are published as images
  • No platform rule on who pays return shipping, so it is set per seller in each listing

Try them

Visit AliExpressVisit DHgateaffiliate link

Frequently asked questions

Is DHgate cheaper than AliExpress?
At quantity, usually yes. On a single item, usually not. DHgate prices its listings in tiers, so the unit price falls as the order grows, while AliExpress relies on competition between sellers on the same item. Compare the two at the quantity you actually need, not at one unit.
Which one gives me more time to complain?
AliExpress, in practice. It gives 15 days from receiving the item for a not-as-described or damaged claim, stated in plain text. DHgate leads with 30 days after you confirm receipt, but its not-as-described route closes 7 or 21 days after delivery depending on the category, and the category lists are published as images. Verified on 30 August 2026.
Is my money safer on DHgate or AliExpress?
Equally safe at the moment of payment: both hold the money until you confirm receipt, so no seller is paid before you have checked the parcel. The difference is the rules around it. DHgate allows one dispute per order once the seller has shipped. AliExpress runs 24/7 live chat and one of the longest-running dispute systems in the category.
Who pays return shipping?
On AliExpress, nobody, if a faulty item goes back within the 15 days, because free return runs on the same clock. A change of mind is on you. On DHgate it depends on the seller: there is no platform rule, and each listing sets its own policy. DHgate does state a refund without returning the item for seller-fault claims raised within 21 days.
Will I pay customs on an order to the EU?
Probably, on both, and not at checkout. Each collects EU VAT itself on orders up to EUR 150, and AliExpress is the only one of the two that states an IOSS registration. Neither covers customs duties, which the carrier collects on delivery. Both help centres still describe the rules from before 1 July 2026, when the EU removed the duty relief on parcels up to EUR 150.
Which one should I use?
AliExpress for a part number, a spare or one particular thing, because its catalogue is the deepest in the category. DHgate when you want ten or a hundred of the same item and value the money staying in escrow while you check them. On either, open the parcel the day it arrives.