Returned to Sender: What Does it Mean on AliExpress?

It cannot be called an ordinary thing. But sometimes the order does not arrive for too long, and one of these statuses appears in the tracking:

·         The parcel is returned. Please contact the carrier;

·         The parcel is returned to the place of departure;

·         Not delivered. Parcel returned to sender;

·         Shipping returned.

All these statuses have only one meaning: for some reason, the delivery failed and is being returned back to the seller.

Causes

There can be several reasons:

Problems at customs

This is the most common case. Most likely, the order was delayed at customs and when no one took it, it was sent back.

Most often this happens due to the fact that many people are sure that if the order was detained at customs, then you just need to wait until the package returns to China, and then claim a refund. But it doesn't work that way.

The buyer is responsible for customs clearance. Therefore, an ignored notification threatens you with the return of the goods to the seller without a monetary refund for you.

Missing Carrier Notification

Very often, buyers receive a notification from the carrier and don't notice it or just ignore it.

If you are not at home during the delivery of your purchase, the courier will try again in a few days. But if this time you are not at home, you will receive an SMS or a notification in your mailbox. It will say that you must pick up your order at the post office.

Very often people miss it because many people rarely check their inbox. But the parcel will not be in the mail forever - you need to pick it up within 7-14 business days.

Address with an error

If you received a notification “shipment not delivered, returned to sender”, this means that the postal courier did not find the address that you indicated on the platform. Because of this, the package will be returned back.

However, this only works if you provided an address that doesn't exist. If this address is real, but no one opened the door, you will receive a notification "Delivery failed".

To avoid these problems, read here on how to change your address on AliExpress.

Mistake made by the courier service or the post office

All these cases are not about you?

In this case, you need to find out the tracking number of your order and communicate with your courier. Most likely an error has occurred.

What to do?

From time to time, check the "My Orders" section. This can be done both in the app and on the website (click here). After that, you need to wait for confirmation that the seller has received the return.

As soon as your order is returned back, you need to communicate with the seller - you will be offered a solution to the situation.

There are usually two options available to you:

Pay shipping again

You most likely need to pay shipping again for what you bought. This is necessary in order to send it to you a second time.

Of course, you need to carefully check the address. After all, if you repeat the same mistake, you will have the same problems.

About a partial refund

You can always request a refund. However, if you have already paid the shipping cost, you will not receive anything because the shipment was made without errors.

Should I open a dispute?

If the seller ignores you, does not want to return the money or send the goods a second time, you can try to open a dispute.

Of course, you may not succeed, but if you have a good track record on the platform, you always have a chance to get your money back.

Tags: Aliexpress instruction