As someone who has extensively used both AliExpress and Banggood, I understand the complexities of choosing between these two major eCommerce platforms.
In this post, I’ll share my insights on the differences in products, pricing, shipping, and customer service, helping you decide which platform suits your shopping preferences best.
Let's begin!
Also Read: Temu vs AliExpress | Is Temu Better Than AliExpress?
AliExpress vs Banggood
| Criteria | AliExpress | Banggood |
| Top selling Products | The top selling products sold on AliExpress out of their lineup of millions are: iPhone protective guards, Mi band 5, Magnetic interchangeable USB cables and Medical disposable masks | Banggood sells a variety of products out of which, the top selling products are : Mobile Phones, RC Drones, 3D Printers, Men’s Shoes |
| Return Policies | Return policy depends on each seller. However, if there’s any reason the seller does not agree with your claim you can approach AliExpress with the complaint and based on the evidence provided a judgement will be reached and the refund processed. | A full refund can be issued within 30 days after the delivery of the package. The refund will be processed if the product is returned unopened and unused. |
| Shipping | ALiExpress will offer Standard free shipping or ePacket apart from UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, EMS and China Post | Banggood offers a range of shipping methods based on the destination of the package and the size, these are: Standard Shipping, Air Parcel Register, Railway Direct, Expedited Shipping and EMS |
| Price Comparison | It is evident from the research conducted that AliExpress offers lower prices for their products and this is solely because of the partnership they have with the sellers. Example: Hiseeu 8 channel NVR Outdoor camera @ $188.00 |
Prices listed on Banggood are slightly more expensive than AliExpress. Example: Hiseeu 8 channel NVR Outdoor camera @ $267.99 |
| Customer Service | AliExpress’s Customer service is pretty quick and makes sure they get the job done. In my case it took roughly 24 hours for a decent response from the Customer support team at AliExpress | Banggood on the other hand has good customer service as well and their turnaround time was again approximately 24-48 hours since the query was raised. |
AliExpress vs Banggood
AliExpress
- AliExpress is a middle-man between sellers and buyers. There are thousands of sellers on the platform selling similar products and competing with each other.
- There are fake products or replica products on Aliexpress, especially when you are looking to buy legitimate products.
- Reputed sellers on AliExpress would have over 95% positive feedback rate and about 2000+ as a feedback score. Now this does not mean that sellers who score lesser are not genuine, these figures are being quoted as a general measure.
- On AliExpress, some reviews are FAKE. And this is a concern. And that’s where reviewers like me come into play.
Banggood
- Bangood sell their products directly and ship their products from their own warehouses.
- With regards to Banggood. Banggood cannot handle the number of orders like Aliexpress and in fact during the pandemic, Banggod completely stopped shipping products because of too many orders that they couldn’t fulfill.
- Banggood's shipping and logistics isn't as good as Aliexpress. But this depends on the situation.
In the screenshot below, you can see the seller's shipping options on Aliexpress. All the delivery dates are a month after the order date which was March in this case.
For the same product, in the screenshot below, you can see Banggood's shipping options
As you can see Banggood is way quicker and has a Warehouse in the US. This is not always the case. So although it's easy to compare and say one platform is better. The truth is, it depends.
- Banggood’s reviews can be faked too and that’s a major concern
AliExpress vs Banggood : Shipping Charges and Duration
I personally prefer AliExpress’s shipping charges and duration as compared to Banggood, I came to this conclusion when I was forced to pick between the two sites for a decent CCTV camera setup. Residing in the US, I was able to pick between a USA warehouse or a China warehouse for the shipment.
Shipping charges and duration to the states would vary based on the size of the product and its overall weight. Expedited shipping costs $14.10 and takes roughly 10-15 business days while the Air Parcel register would take 20-35 business days and cost about $2.70. Whereas, Banggood express will cost $3.20, delivery would take 10-15 days to reach your destination.
The timelines and price of shipping the items are what bother me. I prefer a faster delivery and cheaper shipping costs which is why I have opted for AliExpress.
In order to choose the most appropriate shipping method on AliExpress you need to ask yourself a couple of things, first if you’re willing to wait for the free shipping or are you going to pick a paid method which will get your package delivered faster?
With AliExpress you have a few available shipping methods to choose from depending on what the seller signs up with. Deliveries take anywhere between 7 days to 60 days to the states. However, tracking your package is only possible with AliExpress standard shipping and ePacket.
While searching for a CCTV camera on AliExpress, I happened to check the shipping methods available. For an item that shipped from China, it would take 30 days to reach by AliExpress Standard shipping and is free, DHL would be the fastest with delivery within 14 days but with a charge of $48.42 and the Standard sellers shipping method would be within 30-45 days and comes with free shipping.
In terms of shipping
Winner : Aliexpress
AliExpress vs Banggood : Customer Support
While considering which platform to pick from, it’s a good practise to review the customer support that each platform delivers.
From personal experience, both platforms have customer protection policies in place in order to have resolutions provided in a timely manner. With AliExpress they have a system to raise a dispute with the seller of the product for various reasons be it a damaged shipment or one that is delayed.
These tickets will be stored in your account under the refunds/disputes page and updates you with a response from the seller in real-time. Typically AliExpress’s support system is ideal but the only drawback is that at times the sellers do not respond in time leaving you to run around for answers.
You can reach out to the seller directly by tapping Contact Seller that’s located on every product related page at any given time of the transaction, from searching for a product to after-sales queries about the product.
The best part about ordering from AliExpress is that there is a Buyer Protection policy in place that promises your money back if the item is not delivered within the buyer protection period. You can reach out to the seller with the issue at hand and apply for a refund of the item. However, sellers do process refunds within 15 working days and if there is no resolution from the seller you can contact AliExpress directly to have your dispute escalated.
While checking Banggood I happened to come across a very detailed and robust guarantee and returns policy.
They have a 7 day dead on arrival guarantee for items that are damaged and not working. Here upon returning the product within 7 days the customer service team can have a full refund processed. A 30 day no reason return policy just in case you’re not satisfied with your product. A 180 days return or exchange of the product if the quality has been compromised. These are just a few of Banggoods many refund/returns policies.
Banggood customer service can be reached from their contact us page within the app/website.You can reach out to them for pre-sales queries all the way until you receive the product and are unhappy.
Their recommended mode of communication will be via email and they guarantee a response within the first 24 hours of the complaint being raised.
Winner : Equal
AliExpress vs Banggood : Cost of Goods
A main pointer I thought I'd add are the cost and quality comparison of the products sold on AliExpress and Banggood. While looking for a range of CCTV cameras I happened to come across one that was available on both websites and were listed at different rates.
The Guudgo 172 LED IP Camera was retailed at $46.63 on AliExpress whereas on Banggood it was slightly cheaper at $43.99. However, the only difference I could notice between both products was the delivery time.
It was slightly longer on AliExpress and you’d receive the product within 2 weeks if ordered off Banggood. Now, this was an eye opener and I decided to compare another product on both the websites to see if my understanding was right.
The product I checked next was the Hiseeu 8 channel NVR Outdoor camera and what I found was quite surprising. On AliExpress the camera was available at $188 for the whole set including a 1TB HDD for the NV. The same product was sold on Banggood at $267.99 which was almost double the cost for AliExpress.
The variations in the price can be due to the fact that AliExpress and Banggood are known to sell low-cost products, much cheaper than they are when sold in a store and that Aliexpress has a lower commission rate while selling products online so the sellers can afford to drop their prices here.
Based on the searches I had conducted on both platforms, in terms of price and quality of the products I would say AliExpress is the ideal platform to shop from to get what you’re looking for at a lower rate than other places.
At the end of the day, both websites sold the same products that are cheaper than purchasing directly from the retailer or a store nearby. However, it is evident that AliExpress is still cheaper than Banggood by a decent margin.
Winner : Aliexpress
Quality of Products : AliExpress vs Banggood
Coming to the quality of the products sold on both the websites. AliExpress is known to have authentic products sold, ranging from hair all the way to computer components. However, there may be instances where the quality of these products might not be the same as depicted online. This could be due to the fact that on AliExpress, there are hundreds of sellers selling the same products and unless you check the seller reviews of individual products you won’t be sure of what you’re getting.
Banggood however conducts their own quality checks at each of their various warehouses around the world to make sure that no sub-standard products are sold. On Banggood the products are not shipped from sellers and you will know that you’re getting what’s advertised which is not entirely the case with AliExpress.
Aliexpress has a solid reputation, but there can be product duds from bad sellers and this is why Banggood is adjudged the winner for this round!
Winner : Banggood
AliExpress vs Banggood Wholesale Purchase
Since AliExpress holds a middleman’s role, it’s up to the individual sellers to offer bulk discounts on wholesale purchases. Only once you have opened the product listing will you know if the seller is offering a reduction for ordering a high quantity. Additionally, once you have placed an order, you can contact the seller to request better prices before payment completion.
Banggood sells their own products, and this lets them have a much more workable approach towards wholesale. Apart from products with a promo tag, most items have bulk discounts and you can also apply to buy as a wholesaler. They offer additional benefits like no MOQ requirement, up to 20% wholesale discount, refund of sample purchase if bulk order is placed, multiple payment options and take wholesale requests via email and one-to-one customer service.
Are products on AliExpress cheaper than Banggood?
In comparison, AliExpress does offer products at a cheaper rate than Banggood since the pricing is entirely up to the sellers. However, Banggood offers better bulk discounts and wholesale options as they do the shipment handling themselves.
Is Banggood good to buy from?
Yes, Banggood has the best collections in each product category and is at par with the high standards of online marketplaces in prices, shipping options and customer service.
Does AliExpress have worldwide shipping?
Vendors on AliExpress offer multiple shipping options, from China Post to DHL, and it is unlikely that they cannot deliver in any part of the world.
Does Banggood have worldwide shipping?
Banggood primarily ships out of their China warehouses and are thus able to offer different shipping options that deliver to almost all the countries in the world.
Is Banggood better than AliExpress?
In some respects, Banggood is definitely better than Aliexpress as Banggood does not have 3rd party sellers. In what way is it better? Banggood's shipping is a lot more straightforward compared to Aliexpress as Aliexpress' sellers decide what type of shipping they want to choose which could be a hassle sometimes.
Banggood's customer service is also a lot more straight forward because there is no dealing with a 3rd part seller. Just directly with the company.
Where do Banggood products come from?
Banggood's products mostly come from China, but they do have warehouses across the world and some products are stored in those warehouses. If you want to see where the product is coming from, just check the "Ship From" section on the product page.
This article covers my experience shopping from both AliExpress and Banggood. Following the pointers listed above will help you gauge whether the products you’re about to buy will come from a reliable source or not and if yes, then what to be done next.
Though both websites offer products at discounted rates with timely delivery and relatively good packaging, I’d still opt for AliExpress mainly for the lower prices. It’s fine to wait a while more to receive the product because at the end of the day it all depends upon how much you’re spending and how long it’ll take to be delivered.
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