You’ve just placed an order on AliExpress and spotted a mistake in your address. Maybe you’re moving house. Maybe you typed the wrong flat number. Maybe you want it to go to your workplace instead. Whatever the reason, you need to change it and you need to know whether that’s still possible.
Here’s the honest answer.
Quick Answer
You can change your AliExpress shipping address after placing an order, but only before the seller dispatches it. Once the seller marks the order as shipped, the address is locked and changing it requires contacting the carrier directly, which is difficult and often impossible for international shipments. If you notice an address error immediately after ordering, contact the seller through “My Orders” right away. The faster you act, the more likely the address can be updated before the package leaves.
What’s Actually Possible Depending on Timing
AliExpress order processing works in stages, and which stage you’re at determines what you can do about a wrong address.
Before the seller dispatches: address change is usually possible
If the seller hasn’t yet marked the order as shipped, they can update the delivery address on their end before creating the shipping label. The key is contacting them before that label is printed.
Some sellers will make the change directly. Others may ask you to cancel the order and reorder with the correct address. Either approach works. The important thing is acting fast.
After the seller dispatches: it gets complicated
Once the seller has created a shipping label and marked the order as shipped, the address is baked into the carrier’s system. There are a few options at this point, none of them simple:
Contact the carrier directly. If you know which carrier is handling your package (visible in your tracking information), you can sometimes request an address change or a package redirect. DHL, FedEx, and UPS have formal address correction services, though they charge fees. China Post, ePacket, and Cainiao routes are much harder to redirect mid-transit.
Contact your domestic carrier once the package is in your country. Once the package has been handed to USPS, Royal Mail, Canada Post, or Australia Post, you may be able to arrange a redirect or hold through their customer service or app. This works more reliably than trying to change the address mid-international-transit.
Let it arrive wherever it goes. If the address is partially wrong but deliverable (a building name missing, for example), the carrier may successfully deliver it anyway. Postmen are often good at figuring out “Flat 3A, 42 High Street” even when you wrote “42 High Street” without the flat number.
If it gets returned to sender: the package goes back to the seller in China. In this case, contact the seller and either request a refund or ask them to reship to the correct address. Reshipment adds weeks to your delivery time and the seller may or may not absorb the extra shipping cost.
The Specific Things That Go Wrong With AliExpress Addresses
Missing apartment or unit numbers
This is the most common address problem on AliExpress. The checkout form accepts addresses but doesn’t always clearly prompt for unit numbers or building names. Packages addressed to the street number without a flat number get delivered to whatever the carrier decides, which might be a neighbour, the building reception, or returned.
Incorrect postcode
A wrong postcode can route the package to a different sorting zone. If the rest of the address is right, sharp-eyed postal workers often catch this. If the postcode is very wrong, the package may end up in a different town.
Moving house during the order window
AliExpress orders can take 15 to 35 days to arrive. A significant number of buyers place an order and then move house before delivery. If your move date is within the delivery window, address this immediately after placing the order.
Wanting delivery at a different address
Some buyers realise they want the package at a workplace, parent’s house, or different address than their default. This falls into the same category: act before dispatch.
How Risky Is This Really?
Moderate risk depending on how wrong the address is and how much time has passed since ordering.
A minor address error like a missing apartment number carries a reasonable chance of still working out, particularly in the UK and Australia where postal workers often use context to deliver correctly. A significantly wrong address, wrong street or wrong city, is more problematic.
The escrow system protects your money if the package is returned to sender or lost entirely due to an address error. You can open a dispute for non-delivery in those cases. But the process adds weeks to getting a resolution, and reordering with the correct address starts the whole waiting period again.
Country-Specific Notes
United States
USPS has an online package redirect service (“Package Intercept”) for tracked packages at a fee of $15.25. This works for packages already in the US domestic network. For packages still in international transit, USPS can’t intercept them. If your package is with DHL or FedEx in the US, both offer paid address correction services. Register at USPS.com or the courier’s site with your tracking number to request a redirect.
United Kingdom
Royal Mail has a “Redelivery” service and can hold packages at local offices, but address changes mid-transit are much harder. For Evri (formerly Hermes) deliveries, the Evri app lets you redirect packages to a different address or collection point before delivery. For packages still in international transit, contact the seller to see whether a carrier-side change is possible.
Canada
Canada Post can sometimes redirect in-transit packages for customers with a Canada Post account. Log into canadapost.ca and look for redirect or hold options using your tracking number. Canada Post’s FlexDelivery service allows you to have packages held at a post office for collection, which is useful if you’ve moved or want a more accessible pickup point.
Australia
Australia Post’s app and website let you manage delivery preferences for incoming packages, including redirecting to a different address or holding at a post office for collection. This works once the package is in Australia Post’s domestic network. The MyPost account is the access point for these features.
Step-by-Step: How to Change Your AliExpress Shipping Address
1. Act immediately when you notice the error. Every minute counts before the seller dispatches. Don’t sleep on it.
2. Go to “My Orders” in the AliExpress app or website. Find the order with the wrong address.
3. Look for an “Edit Address” or “Modify Address” option. AliExpress sometimes provides a direct address edit function for unshipped orders. Check the order detail page for this option. If it’s available and the seller hasn’t dispatched yet, you can update the address directly.
4. If no direct edit option is visible, message the seller immediately. Through the “My Orders” messaging system, contact the seller and explain the address needs to be changed. Give them the correct full address clearly: name, unit number, street, city, postcode, country. Ask them to update before dispatching.
5. Confirm the seller received and acknowledged the correct address. Don’t assume silence means the address was updated. Wait for their reply confirming the change.
6. If the seller has already dispatched, check your tracking for the carrier name. Note which carrier is handling the package. This tells you who to contact about a redirect.
7. Once the package enters your country’s domestic carrier network, use their redirect service. USPS Package Intercept, Royal Mail redelivery, Canada Post redirect, or Australia Post MyPost delivery preferences. Each has their own process but all can help once the package is on domestic soil.
8. If the package is undeliverable and returned to sender, contact the seller about reshipment or a refund. A returned package typically results in a refund or reship option. The seller should initiate one or the other once the package is confirmed returned.
Tips for Handling Address Issues on AliExpress
Check your default address before every order. AliExpress saves a default shipping address and uses it unless you change it at checkout. If you’ve moved since your last order, your saved address is wrong. Verify it at checkout every time, not just for the first order.
Update your saved address in AliExpress settings immediately after moving. Go to your account profile, find the address book, and update the default delivery address. This prevents the wrong address being used on future orders.
For moves happening within your expected delivery window, address this immediately. If you’ve ordered something with a 30-day shipping window and you’re moving in two weeks, message the seller now. Don’t wait until closer to your move date.
Add your full unit or apartment details as a note even if the field accepted the address without it. Some AliExpress address forms don’t make apartment numbers mandatory. Add them in the address line itself if there’s no dedicated unit field. “Flat 4, 23 Example Street” is clearer than just “23 Example Street” with an apartment note elsewhere.
For DHL and FedEx tracked shipments, check their apps for address change options. Both DHL and FedEx have mobile apps that let account holders manage incoming deliveries, including delivery date changes and address redirects. Create accounts with both if you order from AliExpress regularly with these carriers.
The seller is your first point of contact, not AliExpress customer service. For pre-dispatch address changes, the seller has the power to act. AliExpress customer service can mediate but can’t directly change order details. Go to the source.
Screenshot the message confirming the address change. If you communicated the correct address to the seller and they shipped to the wrong address anyway, this documentation supports a dispute for non-delivery to your correct address.
What Happens If the Package Goes to the Wrong Address
If the address error results in a delivered status to the wrong location:
First, check everywhere at your address. Sometimes addresses that look wrong still deliver correctly. Check with neighbours, building reception, and your local post office before assuming it went somewhere else.
Contact AliExpress support if the package was definitively delivered to the wrong address. AliExpress investigates these cases. If the tracking shows delivered but not to your correct address, the buyer protection system may still apply. Document everything.
File a carrier inquiry. If USPS, Royal Mail, Canada Post, or Australia Post shows the package as delivered, ask them where specifically it was delivered. Carriers sometimes have delivery photos or GPS data that shows the actual drop location.
Open a dispute if the package is confirmed to have gone somewhere else. If you can show the tracking record and demonstrate the delivery was to the wrong address despite you taking steps to correct it, AliExpress will review the case.
Takeaway
Changing your AliExpress shipping address after payment is possible but time-sensitive. The window closes when the seller dispatches, and international shipments become very hard to redirect once they’re in transit.
Act immediately when you spot an error. Message the seller directly rather than waiting for a formal system response. Once the package is in your country, use your domestic carrier’s redirect tools.
And for future orders, take 15 seconds at checkout to verify the address shown is current and complete, including the unit number. It’s the kind of check that prevents this entire situation.
FAQ
Can you change your shipping address on AliExpress after ordering? Yes, before the seller dispatches. Message the seller immediately through “My Orders” with the correct address. Once dispatched, the address is locked in the carrier’s system and changes require contacting the carrier directly, which is harder for international shipments.
What if I ordered with the wrong address on AliExpress? Act immediately. Go to “My Orders” and check whether an address edit option is available. If not, message the seller directly with the correct address before they dispatch. The faster you act, the higher the chance of a successful address update.
Can AliExpress change the delivery address after payment? AliExpress itself doesn’t typically modify delivery addresses directly. The seller needs to make the change on their end before dispatching. Message the seller through “My Orders” as soon as you realise the error.
What happens to my AliExpress order if it’s sent to the wrong address? If undeliverable, the package is typically returned to sender. Contact the seller to request reshipment to the correct address or a refund. If the package was delivered to a wrong but existing address, contact your carrier and AliExpress support with documentation.
Can I redirect an AliExpress package already in transit? It’s difficult for China-to-destination international transit. Once in your country’s domestic network, US buyers can use USPS Package Intercept, UK buyers can use Royal Mail or Evri redirect options, Canadian buyers can use Canada Post redirect, and Australian buyers can use Australia Post’s MyPost delivery management.
How do I message a seller on AliExpress about an address change? Go to “My Orders,” select the relevant order, and find the Message Seller option on the order detail page. Write clearly: “I need to update my shipping address before dispatch.” Then provide the complete correct address.
What if the seller already shipped to my wrong address? Check whether the package can still be redirected by contacting your domestic carrier once it’s in their network. If the package is undeliverable or returned to sender, contact the seller for reshipment or a refund. Document all communications for any subsequent dispute.
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