AliExpress Consumer Complaints Surge 21-Fold in 2 Years

The number of consumer disputes involving the Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress has skyrocketed by over 21 times in just two years, reaching nearly 1,000 cases in 2025. Despite a surge in cases, no penalties have been imposed due to legal loopholes and a lack of dedicated personnel. This alarming trend stands in stark contrast to the European Union's strict enforcement, which led to a fine of around $692.34 million.

South Korea's consumer protection agency recorded a staggering 967 dispute resolution applications from 2023 to August 2025, a 21.6-fold increase over the same period. The majority of these cases, 45.5%, revolved around consumers' rights to cancel purchases, including returns and refunds. Other prevalent issues included nonperformance or incomplete performance of contracts, quality problems, contract cancellations, unfair business practices, and disputes over return shipping costs.

The Consumer Counseling Center has also witnessed a sharp rise in consultations, with a four-fold increase in four years, from 513 in 2023 to 1,297 in 2024, and soaring to 4,262 in 2025. The central issues in these consultations were purchase-cancellation disputes and contract nonperformance, mirroring the formal dispute resolution cases.

Despite AliExpress's rapid expansion in the Korean market, critics argue that the platform is neglecting basic consumer-protection obligations such as returns and refunds. Rep. Park Seong-hun urged the government to strengthen oversight and ensure overseas platforms uphold the same consumer-protection responsibilities as domestic companies.