Aliexpress free return with framesets?

[Sebastian]

It has been well discussed here on the forum how free returns work on Aliexpress, for instance when ordering cycling clothes. I've noticed that lately many sellers offer free return on their framesets. Has anyone ever tried or done this?

I'd be interested in ordering a frameset and return it if I don't like the quality/if I see something worrying in the layup or the measurements/weights are too out of spec for my liking.

[jonathanf2]

It has been well discussed here on the forum how free returns work on Aliexpress, for instance when ordering cycling clothes. I've noticed that lately many sellers offer free return on their framesets. Has anyone ever tried or done this?

I'd be interested in ordering a frameset and return it if I don't like the quality/if I see something worrying in the layup or the measurements/weights are too out of spec for my liking.

The safest bet is using a Choice return which seems to be automatically processed through AliEx/Alibaba's warehouse distribution network. I think a normal return in which the seller is the one who ships the product directly could pose potential problems if the seller isn't willing to accept the return. I've only seen a handful of framesets that are Choice items, most are sold direct from seller.

[00Garza]

Yeah, I don't foresee a seller making it easy to return a frame. Probably really strict parameters for that. Like damage upon opening the box with pics to verify or something like that.

[jonathanf2]

I actually film all big purchase item box openings and if everything checks out, I delete the video.

[Serge_K]

I've noticed that lately many sellers offer free return on their framesets.

Are you sure this is something new? Are you sure it's not an oversight, but rather a FEATURE of the deal?
Because for clothing and regular items, at least in europe, you can simply say you changed your mind, and they send you return information, free of charge.
Now if that really is the same mechanism, then nothing is stopping people from frivolously buying 2 different colours of the same frame and return 1, if not both, because they can?
Does this apply to custom paint jobs as well? If so, then i'd say it's an oversight / mistake, not a feature.
Also, with regular items, you have a long time (i think at least 30, if not 45, if not 60 days?) to request a return. On Temu i think it's 60 or even 90. So if the terms are the same, you can build the bike, really stress test it, and return it if something is off. Or if you just change your mind...

[Sebastian]

Are you sure this is something new? Are you sure it's not an oversight, but rather a FEATURE of the deal?

Not sure tbh. But I bought a gravel frame for my wife from BXT on Aliexpress just a few months ago and I’m pretty sure there was no return option available. I asked the seller how it works and he basically urged me to not order if I’m unsure whether I want the frame or not. He or she told me that if I return it through Aliexpress it’ll stay in a European warehouse and never make it back to them and they will “lose the package” and “have to bear a lot of costs”. So that sounds like it’s an Aliexpress feature that they impose upon the sellers? Maybe that stuff gets dumped like it happens with some of the stuff on Amazon? Wouldn’t totally surprise me tbh.

[Serge_K]

Interesting conundrum. Well, I wouldn't order frivolously, but if you receive something that's crap, send it back. Fundamentally, being able to return crap items should lead to higher sales because more people will make the jump. And if you can return it, it's an incentive for them not to ship garbage in the first place.