AliExpress PayPal: How to Use PayPal on AliExpress
Does AliExpress accept PayPal? This is a question majority of the people have been asking and in today’s post I’ll be doing justice to that.
AliExpress is by far one of the largest eCommerce stores on the internet. But making transactions via PayPal is the closest thing to a nightmare.
Most probably, you are also at the end of making payment using your PayPal on Aliexpress. It’s a problem that has long-existed.
Making payments via PayPal on Aliexpress is difficult. However, it isn’t without a walk-around. And that’s what will be covered in this article.
But, besides cutting corners and making PayPal payment on Aliexpress, I’ll also be sharing the other PayPal alternatives you can use on Aliexpress.
Also, it’s best to note that there was a period when receiving payments via PayPal on Aliexpress was dead easy.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Brief History of AliExpress PayPal
As said earlier on, there is a history shared between AliExpress and PayPal. AliExpress has always had PayPal as one of its payment processors.
And that was in 2010. In April 2010, Aliexpress struck a partnership with PayPal as a payment processor for its buyers and sellers.
But there was a shortcoming with this partnership. PayPal charges 7% for each transaction done via its processor. And that was a heavy cut for the sellers with an already low margin.
As you know, most of the products sold on Aliexpress are way cheaper than any other eCommerce platforms. And that’s because the sellers compensate through bulk orders.
However, with PayPal as the chosen payment platform, the sellers have a 7% cut back on their total order sale.
And that was a big disadvantage for the sellers while the buyers are less affected. In hope of protecting the sellers, that was what led to dis-engagement of both platforms.
And ever since then, there has been no news of the two big tech companies coming together again to tie the knot.
Although the partnership has been legally cut off, there are still suppliers that accept PayPal as a payment option on Aliexpress.
But to protect Aliexpress buyers, Aliexpress warns their customers to be wary of any email that promises to accept PayPal as a payment option.
But the fact still remains that it’s still possible to make use of PayPal on Aliexpress, and you might have heard of this somewhere too.
So how?
There are basically three methods of using PayPal on Aliexpress.
How to Use PayPal on Aliexpress
Receiving payment via PayPal on Aliexpress can be achieved via the below methods. But before then, this isn’t a general solution.
You’re still restricted to the supplier’s policy. Mostly, the US and UK suppliers will accept PayPal as a payment option. But their Chinese counterpart wouldn’t go with PayPal to protect their profit.
So let’s dive into the methods.
Using PayPal on AliExpress: Method #1
Using this method, you need to select the option of shipping to the US or UK. Most of the time, shipping to the US and the UK makes it easy to find suppliers willing to accept PayPal.
Which will also improve your AliExpress shipping time if you happened to be using AliExpress for dropshipping or as your dropshipping supplier.
from the top right-hand corner of your dashboard, you’ll see the option to change your shipping address. As you can see from the image above I change mine to the US and at the checkout page it brought out the option of making payments with PayPal.
With this, virtually every product on AliExpress shipping to the US or UK has the PayPal payment method option.
Other than the US and UK, Paying via PayPal to your supplier can only be done outside the platform. And that means the transaction is not bound by Aliexpress policy, you are only protected by PayPal protection policy.
To find the supplier for your winning dropshipping products, you’ll need to manually message your sellers to find out if they do. And some suppliers or sellers have made the task easier by adding that to their profile.
This is the first walk-around and the easiest to follow.
Using PayPal on AliExpress: Method #2
The second method is best for suppliers or sellers that do not accept PayPal as a payment option.
Following this method, the supplier or seller will need to send an invoice to their buyers right from their private PayPal account.
The shortcoming I see here is that the buyer receives protection while the seller is less protected.
Sending the invoice will allow you to include the necessary information of the orders made by the buyer alongside their cost and shipping information.
The buyer can now make payment using the invoice. And if the transaction is huge, PayPal will place the money on hold until 21 days or until when the buyer testify that they’ve received the goods.
Using PayPal on AliExpress: Method #3
This method involves using Aliexpress agents to buy using PayPal. Aliexpress agents are third-party companies not owned by Aliexpress.
They make it easy to procure your goods on Aliexpress without the fret of scams and all other harassment buyers face.
Using this method, you can make payment via your PayPal account to the third-party company while they make the payment on your behalf to the supplier.
Just like you don’t want to get scammed by the suppliers, you can also note that the agents could also be scammers. So while you’re careful when selecting a supplier, you should also be careful when choosing an Aliexpress agent.
Some agents provide more services including warehousing, shipping, and many other services. Absolutely, they also have their own charges. You sure bet that it wasn’t for free, right?
So going through this method might cost you some amount, but if you’re able to find a good Aliexpress agent, it would make your product sourcing exercise a blissful experience.
AliExpress PayPal Alternative
Absolutely, there’s a not-so straightforward approach to using PayPal on Aliexpress. But nothing beats being able to do that without having to cut corners.
You don’t have to stick to PayPal or go through the risk in order to make your payment via PayPal on Aliexpress, there are many other PayPal alternatives that you can consider.
Aliexpress allows you to choose from a good range of payment options when shopping on their platform, which also includes their payment platform, Alipay.
#1: AliPay As a PayPal Alternative on AliExpress
AliPay is owned by the giant Alibaba and it’s their payment gateway that handles payment for all their marketplaces including AliExpress and Alibaba.
Besides, AliPay has become the leading payment gateway in China.
If you want to sell to Chinese customers or do business with them, you’d need to go through AliPay most of the time to finalize your payment.
And the best part is that it supports a large range of payment channels. Some of the payment channels include;
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Maestro
- American Express
- QIWI Wallet
- Western Union
- Boleto
- GiroPay
- And a lot more.
#2: WebMoney As a PayPal Alternative on AliExpress
WebMoney was originally established in Russia in 1998 as a money transfer system for US dollars. However, Since then, over 40 million people from all around the world now use the payment system.
It offers a digital currency wallet or purse which represents a few popular national currencies.
The payment platform includes a P2P credit wallet, online billing, merchant services, local payment products, global payment solutions and direct integration with other global financial service providers.
As a user of Webmoney, you can easily purchase products on AliExpress regardless of which wallet or purse you have funds in your Webmoney account.
While making payments on AliExpress, an auto currency exchange occurs during the payment in your Webmoney purse.
Webmoney supports having multiple wallets, here are few examples of the most widely used successful purses:
- WMR – Equivalent to Russian Rubles (RUR)
- WMZ – Equivalent to US Dollars (USD)
- WME – Equivalent to Euros (EUR)
- WMU – Equivalent to Ukrainian Hryvnias (UAH)
- WMB – Equivalent to Belarussian Rubles (BYN)
- WMY – Equivalent to Uzbek Sum (UZS)
#3: TransferWise As a PayPal Alternative on AliExpress
Using Transferwise is another PayPal alternative on AliExpress. However, this method requires you contacting the seller first in order to be able to do the transfer.
The good thing about Transferwise is that you can choose to send payment in any currency. If you want to in USD you can and you can also do Chinese yuan.
If you are sending to Hong kong you can send in Hong Kong Dollars or any currency depending on the country you’re sending the money too.
The receiver don’t have to create an account with Transferwise before they receive their payment. It’s more like doing a normal transfer directly to the receiver bank account.
Thinking about it, doing it this way might actually increase the risk. But in order to be on the safer side, both seller and sender can balance the risk by combining Transferwise payments with escrow or local agencies.
To start using Transferwise you’ll need to set up your account and easily create accounts in multiple currencies and as well send to different currencies inside one account.
Best part? Their charges are way cheaper compared to what PayPal and other alternatives are charging.
Other AliExpress PayPal Alternatives Includes:
- Debit/Credit Card
- Yandex.Money
- Mpesa
- Klarna
- Cash on Delivery (Saudi Arabia)
- Doku
You can find the AliExpress payment method list here…
List of Aliexpress Shops that Accept PayPal
Finding the list of Aliexpress shops that accept PayPal is difficult. There are no tools or resources at hand to make this possible.
To ease some part of the work for you, here are some of the AliExpress shops that support payment via PayPal.
But, remember the list is more than this, but this is a good start for you.
AliExpress Electronics Shops That Accepts PayPal
Store: Keysion Digital Store
Categories: Power bank, charger, case, cable, etc
Seller Rating (Out of 5)
- Item as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.6
Store: Shenzhen Snode Store
Categories: Microphones, Earphones, Voice recorders,
Seller Rating (Out of 5)
- Item as described – 4.8
- Communication – 4.9
- Shipping speed – 4.9
Store: Data Frog Official Store
Categories: Nintendo, PC game controls, PlayStations, etc.
Seller Rating
- Item as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.7
Store: H&A Official Store
Categories: Wireless Earphones, Bluetooth earphones, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.7
Store: Mifa Official Store
Categories: Bluetooth speakers, Wireless Karaoke, wireless stereo sound system
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.9
- Communication – 4.9
- Shipping speed – 4.8
Store: Byintek Official Store
Category: Projectors
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.8
- Communication – 4.9
- Shipping speed – 4.9
Store: Liitokala Online Store
Category: Smart chargers
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.9
- Communication – 4.8
- Shipping Speed – 4.7
Store: Flovemecase store
Category: Phone cases
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.2
- Communication – 4.4
- Shipping speed – 4.2
Store: Miss Shen Wonderful Store
Categories: Wireless headset, gaming headset, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.6
- Communication – 4.6
- Shipping speed – 4.5
Store: Zimoon store
Categories: Gaming mouse pad, iPad cover, keyboard cover, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.5
AliExpress Fashion Shops That Accepts PayPal
Store: AOMEI Official Store
Categories: Trending fashion dresses
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.6
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed: 4.7
Store: HEY JOE store
Categories: Leggies, Yoga pants
Seller Rating:
- Item as described – 4.7
- Communication 4.8
- Shipping speed: 4.8
Store: Shein Official Store
Categories: Dresses, T-Shirts, Sleepwears, Jumpsuits, Blouses
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.7
Store: Miss Ord Fashion
Categories: Dress, Jumpsuits, print styles, Bikini & Beach style, Women set, Tops & Bottoms, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.6
Store: MCCKLE Fashion
Categories: Vulcanized shoes, women flats, women pumps, women sandals, women boots, men shoes, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.5
- Communication – 4.5
- Shipping Speed – 4.5
Store: Meotina shoe store
Categories: Women pumps, women sandals, casual sneakers, women slippers, etc
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.7
Store: ACELURE Store
Categories: Leather bag
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.6
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.5
Store: QUTAA Official Store
Categories: Stretch boots, casual sneakers, pumps, sandals, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.8
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.6
Store: Bear Leader Store
Categories: Unisex clothes, Girls clothes, boys clothes, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Items as described – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Shipping speed – 4.6
Store: Uncle Jerry’s Store
Categories: Winter shoes, casual shoes, sandals, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Product true to Description – 4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Fast shipping – 4.6
Store: HQM Store
Categories: Women’s Clothes, Men’s clothes, underwears,
Seller Rating:
- Product true to Description – 4.3
- Communication – 4.4
- Fast shipping – 4.3
Store: EastDragon Apparel Store
Categories: Dresses, Tops, Bottoms, Women suit, Swim suit, etc.
Seller Rating:
- Product True to Description – 4.5
- Communication – 4.5
- Fast Shipping – 4.3
Store: Fashion Value Store
Categories: Women clothing, Men clothing, Jewelry, Luggage and bags, etc
Seller Rating:
- Product True to Description – 4.4
- Communication – 4.4
- Fast shipping – 4.3
Store: ZJOAN SHOW Official Store
Categories: Bohemian style, dresses, suits and sets, tops, bottoms, etc
Seller Rating:
- Items as described -4.7
- Communication – 4.7
- Fast shipping – 4.6
Frequently Asked Questions on Aliexpress PayPal (FAQs)
Let’s look at some of the questions people have about Paypal on Aliexpress;
Can you use PayPal on AliExpress?
The simple answer is Yes. It’s possible to use PayPal on Aliexpress. However, you must take note that there isn’t an official way of doing so.
Since Aliexpress cancelled its partnership with PayPal, some years back, there is no formally recognized method of making payment via PayPal.
You’ll need to cut corners in order to achieve this.
How Do I Pay with PayPal on AliExpress?
There are basically three methods of making payments via PayPal on Aliexpress. The first is by negotiating with the sellers on your method of payment.
The second is through the use of a PayPal invoice which requires you to have a business account.
Why is PayPal not Available for AliExpress?
What led to the disengagement of both tools is because of the heavy charges placed on each transaction.
PayPal charges 7% on each of the transactions which is too much and have the sellers and suppliers at a disadvantage. It’s a huge cut back on their profit.
To protect its sellers, Aliexpress cancelled its agreement with PayPal and rolled out its payment gateway, Alipay alongside supporting other alternatives.
Is it safe to pay on AliExpress?
It’s safe to pay on Aliexpress because they offer buyers protection policies to their customers.
However, these policies do not hold true for you if you are paying for products using PayPal. And that’s because Aliexpress will not have any track record of your payment because you paid outside the platform.
But for payments done on the Aliexpress payment platform, these policies hold true for them.
Here’s a breakdown of the policies protecting buyers when purchasing on their platform:
#1: Privacy Protection:
This is the first level of protection Aliexpress guarantees for you as a buyer.
Under privacy protection, Aliexpress will not share your vital information with anyone. Your payment details and finance will not be shared and will be protected.
However, basic data like your names, and the shipping address will be shared with sellers.
#2: Payment Protection:
The payment protection is implemented using an Escrow system. The escrow system allows buyers’ payments to be held until the buyer confirms that the product is in good condition.
The money is held for a couple of days until the buyer confirms the receipt of the goods. If the reverse is the case, the Escrow system holds the payment until the buyer is satisfied and all issues or claims are cleared.
If the seller fails to make corrections, you can request a refund.
#3: Delivery Protection:
This guarantee holds true if you’re using the Aliexpress shipping method to get your goods delivered.
However, if you are using an agent, the delivery protection will not work for you. The delivery protection only holds for you until when the product gets to your agents.
From your agents to your doorstep is an agreement between you and the shipping or delivery agent.
Can I Use the Search Filter Option to Find Suppliers that Accept PayPal?
As helpful as this feature would have been, it’s not included on Aliexpress. You can only search for suppliers based on your product name, brand name, or supplier.
But the feature to find a supplier that accepts PayPal on Aliexpress is not possible. You have to do this manually.
If your products are within the niche listed above, you could give any of the suppliers a trial, better still, negotiate with your chosen sellers.
What is the safest way to pay on AliExpress?
The safest way to pay on Aliexpress is by using Alipay, which is a payment gateway owned by Alibaba.
With Alipay, you have the sellers’ and buyers’ protection alongside other protection on Aliexpress. It’s by far the safest way of completing your purchase on any of the Alibaba platforms.
What are the Common Problems Encountered During Payment on AliExpress?
Aside from the inability to use PayPal on Aliexpress, there are some common payment issues that you might encounter using AliExpress.
Here’s a breakdown of the common problems:
Two-step verification failure: this is a common problem encountered when feeding in the information required for two-step and three-step verification.
Verification failure; occurs sometimes due to slow internet connection or too many suspicious activities. In this case, you need to go through a manual verification procedure.
Insufficient Funds; this occurs when the value of the cart is more than the available balance in your account.
Conclusion
You don’t have to fret over the lack of PayPal payment processor on Aliexpress. Although PayPal is not totally allowed on Aliexpress, there are still ways of purchasing winning AliExpress products using PayPal.
However, given the fact that it’s not integrated for all products on Aliexpress, you are not protected by Aliexpress buyers’ protection policy, if you buy outside of AliExpress jurisdiction but protected by PayPal’s policy.
So that’s it on how to use PayPal on AliExpress, over to you which of the methods is preferable to you and why do you prefer it? Or you have anyone in mind that’s not listed here, I would love to hear about it.
PS: Transferwise not only works as an alternative to AliExpress PayPal but can also be very good when it comes to doing frequent international transactions.
It’s very easy to use and it comes with a Credit Card you can use to cash funds and make payment online too.