Price takes precedence over issues for Chinese e-commerce platform users

AliExpress was promoted in a subway ad in Seoul. [ALIEXPRESS]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]
AliExpress user Kim Sung-hee, 36, is skeptical of the government's promise to crack down on the rise in counterfeit goods originating from Chinese shopping platforms and platforms such as Temu, which is rapidly expanding its presence. Here he expanded into the local market in about a year.
Kim regularly uses the platform to purchase all kinds of items, from keychains to electronics, and claims to order from the platform once or twice a week.
Her recent purchases include an iPad stylus pen from the Goojodoq brand, which makes inexpensive electronic accessories that are an alternative to expensive Apple gadgets, such as the Apple Pencil, iPad keyboards, and cases.
“I've never used an Apple Pencil before, so I don't know which one is better, but the Goojodoq stylus works well for me,” she said, but if she's looking for something I also explained that I would never buy on AliExpress if I had one. High quality product. From a consumer's point of view, if you can buy something useful at a much lower price than on domestic platforms, the gain will be greater than the loss.
“Consumers don't care about government regulations, they just want to buy cheap,” she added.
Although the South Korean government and domestic e-commerce officials have questioned the credibility of Chinese shopping platforms, many South Korean consumers, like Kim, are primarily attracted to the low prices offered by the platforms. There is.
Another main bait for users is that the platform easily provides refunds without much fuss and without penalty. People tend to shrug their shoulders and forget about it, even if the refund process takes a long time depending on the situation. Either way, it's only a few bucks.
In fact, the consumer bar set on these platforms is so low that things like maintaining product quality, fast shipping, and customer hotlines are generally considered essential to success in the e-commerce industry. All that exists is lavishly ignored.
Users click on the app and purchase products that suit different needs. For example, some people want to buy consumables like hair bands, phone cases, and umbrellas, while others say they will never buy electronic products from these platforms because they are unreliable.
Elsewhere, some users so dissatisfied with their first purchases have vowed to leave the Chinese platform.
“I bought a tablet stand for my iPad on AliExpress, but it can't handle the weight and keeps sagging,” one user on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) wrote. “Everyone else seems to have gotten great deals, but it just doesn't work for me. He doesn't buy anything on AliExpress anymore.”
Users find purchasing from AliExpress or Temu similar to a loot box system, as product quality varies on a case-by-case basis. In some cases you may be fine with the result, in other cases you may have to ask for a refund or throw it away.If it's too much trouble, toss it in the trash.
“When I receive the products, some of them are incredibly high quality for the price, but sometimes I'm disappointed,” said Lee Joo-hyun, a 28-year-old AliExpress user. “It’s like a loot box system where you pay between 3,000 won ($2.22) and 5,000 won and you win a lottery to see which item you win, for better or for worse. [than expectations]. ”
Despite the risks, AliExpress is definitely on her list of top apps when shopping online.
“You can't ignore the low prices,” she says. “A similar product that is sold for 30,000 won on Coupang is sold for 10,000 won on AliExpress. I can't help but consider “every time I shop.” ”
Kim Eun-bi, a 27-year-old user of both AliExpress and Temu, says the quality of the products is not bad at all, once you ignore the “Made in China” label on Chinese platforms.
“Even within South Korea, we know that most of the industrial goods sold on platforms like Naver’s smart store and Coupang are manufactured in China, so we generally don’t expect much in terms of quality. So, when you need something and can't find it, [the dollar store chain] Daiso and AliExpress are my go-to platforms,” said Kim.
She has been using AliExpress for three years and has rarely been disappointed with a purchase. Additionally, she says she has developed a knack for sorting out defective products.
“I have been purchasing phone cases from AliExpress for about 3 years. I remember that it used to take about a month for delivery, but lately even the shipping has been faster. are increasing, making it easier to choose.”
In addition to pre-rating products through reviews within the platform, Koreans are also using other social media channels such as YouTube to share what products they should buy and what they should avoid on the Chinese platform.
In February, AliExpress ranked second in monthly active users (MAU) among Korean e-commerce platforms, jumping 130.42% year-on-year to 8.18 million, according to data from WiseApp, Retail, Goods. Coupang topped the list with his 30.1 million, an increase of 1.93 percent.
South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Monday it would investigate the e-commerce industry to examine market structure and competition following the rapid expansion of Chinese platform operators in recent years.
As the number of users has increased rapidly, so have the number of complaints. Last year, a total of 673 customer complaints were filed with the Korea Consumer Affairs Agency regarding AliExpress, triple the number from the previous year. In January 2024 alone, an additional 212 cases were filed, almost a third of last year's total.
However, different users have had mixed experiences with refunds, with some saying the process wasn't too troublesome.
A 36-year-old surnamed Jin, who claims to be a frequent user of both AliExpress and Temu, said: “I have purchased everyday items such as casual clothing and cleaning supplies from the Chinese platform.” “I don't know about other online retailers, but here the prices are so low that if something is defective or defective, we will offer a full refund instead of a replacement, without the need to return the product .”
She said AliExpress had been receiving refunds long before it submitted an investment plan that included a series of consumer protection policies early last month. However, Jin says he would never buy electronic products from such platforms.
“No matter how cheap it is, I would never buy it,” she says. “I don't know, but I think it will break soon.”
Kim, a 36-year-old AliExpress user, says she would have fallen for the app's scam if she were that gullible.
She said, “I once ordered a product worth 150,000 won, but it didn't arrive even after two months.'' “It turned out that the tracking number was also fake. I requested a refund from the seller, but they said they would refund my money if I confirmed the purchase in the app. Of course they didn't respond, and when I looked into it, I found out… I realized that this is a common scam on the platform, so I requested a refund directly from AliExpress and received a full refund without any hassle.”
AliExpress user Lee Joo-hyun considers slow shipping and lack of customer service to be the decisive drawbacks.
“Some products have a seven-day delivery guarantee option, but in some cases it can take longer than two to three weeks,” Lee said. “Lack of accurate delivery dates and efficient customer service makes waiting times vague and frustrating. Moreover, once you subscribe to the app, an overwhelming number of advertisements and promotional emails start arriving in your account, which disrupts the entire shopping process. It feels cluttered. Basically, too much information and too many choices can be exhausting.”

Written by Lee Jae Rim [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]