You’ve spotted something on AliExpress for £8 that’s £35 on Amazon UK or £50 at Argos. The price looks mental. Then the questions start.
Does this even ship to the UK anymore after Brexit? What about VAT and customs charges? Will I get hammered with some surprise Royal Mail handling fee? How long until it actually arrives? And if it’s dodgy or never turns up, am I just stuffed because the seller’s in China?
Valid concerns. AliExpress works differently in the UK than shopping on Amazon or at British retailers, and post-Brexit changes added new wrinkles. If you don’t understand the UK-specific rules, you can absolutely have a nightmare experience.
This guide covers everything UK shoppers need to know. The VAT situation after Brexit, the customs reality, how Royal Mail fits into delivery, whether consumer rights actually protect you, and when AliExpress makes sense versus just buying locally.
TL;DR
AliExpress still ships to the UK post-Brexit. VAT is collected at checkout on all orders. No surprise customs charges on items under £135. Royal Mail or Evri usually handle final delivery. Shipping takes 2 to 5 weeks typically. You’re covered by AliExpress buyer protection, but UK Consumer Rights Act doesn’t directly apply. Returns are possible but expensive. The platform works fine for British buyers if you understand the rules.
Does AliExpress Still Ship to the UK After Brexit?
Yes. Brexit changed customs procedures, but it didn’t stop AliExpress shipping to Britain.
The UK remains one of AliExpress’s biggest European markets. Chinese sellers have been shipping here since the platform launched, and that hasn’t stopped. If anything, AliExpress adapted quickly to post-Brexit rules to keep the UK market accessible.
All parts of the UK are covered: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, rural Cornwall, Scottish Highlands, wherever. If Royal Mail or a courier delivers to your postcode, AliExpress sellers can ship there.
Packages go directly from the seller’s warehouse in China (usually Guangzhou or Shenzhen) to your UK address. No complicated forwarding. No EU intermediary stops. Straight to Britain.
The real questions for UK shoppers aren’t about whether it ships. They’re about VAT, customs charges post-Brexit, delivery times, and what happens when things go wrong.
The VAT and Customs Situation (Post-Brexit Changes)
Brexit fundamentally changed how VAT works on imports from outside the EU, including from China. Here’s what actually happens now when you order from AliExpress.
For orders under £135:
VAT (20%) is collected at checkout by AliExpress. You pay it upfront when you buy. It’s included in the final price you see before confirming payment.
No surprise charges when the package arrives. No Royal Mail handling fees. No customs letters demanding payment before delivery. It’s all dealt with at purchase.
The VAT goes to HMRC. AliExpress is registered in the UK VAT system and remits it properly. You’re not dodging tax. It’s completely legitimate.
What you see at checkout:
- Product price
- Shipping cost (if applicable)
- VAT (20% on product + shipping)
- Final total in GBP
Simple. Transparent. No nasty surprises.
For orders over £135:
This is where it gets more complicated. If your single order exceeds £135 declared value, different rules apply:
You’ll potentially pay:
- VAT (20%)
- Customs duty (varies by product type, usually 0% to 12% for most consumer goods)
- Courier or Royal Mail handling fee (£8 to £12 typically)
The courier (DPD, Royal Mail, Parcel Force) will contact you before delivery to collect payment. You can’t refuse payment and keep the package.
Important Brexit change:
Before Brexit, there was a £15 VAT exemption threshold (the Low Value Consignment Relief). That’s gone. Now every import from outside the UK, regardless of value, gets hit with VAT. The under £135 rule just determines whether VAT is collected at checkout or on delivery.
Customs duty threshold:
Customs duty only applies to goods over £135. Most AliExpress orders fall well below that. You’re buying a £15 phone case or a £40 gadget, not importing commercial quantities.
Product category matters for duty rates:
- Electronics: Usually 0% to 3.7%
- Clothing and textiles: 8% to 12%
- Footwear: 8% to 17%
- Most other consumer goods: 0% to 6.5%
The declaration game sellers sometimes play:
Occasionally sellers under-declare value to help packages slip through. Don’t ask them to do this. It’s illegal, and if Border Force catches it, your package gets held, inspected, or seized. Plus, if you need insurance or a refund claim later, under-declared value limits recovery.
AliExpress Shipping Times: The British Reality
AliExpress shipping to the UK is slower than Amazon Prime or next-day delivery you’re used to with UK retailers. Manage expectations accordingly.
Standard free shipping: Expect 15 to 45 days. Sometimes quicker, occasionally longer. The package typically travels by sea freight or economy air to the UK, clears customs, then gets handed to Royal Mail or Evri for final delivery.
AliExpress Standard Shipping: The better option. Usually 10 to 25 days. More reliable tracking. Costs a bit more (sometimes £2 to £5), but the package flies instead of sailing, cutting weeks off delivery time.
Expedited options (DHL, FedEx, UPS): 5 to 12 days. You’re paying £15 to £40 in shipping, so only worth it for urgent orders or higher-value items where you want solid tracking and faster customs clearance.
What affects your timeline:
Seller processing time varies massively. Some dispatch same day. Others sit on your order for a week before moving. Check the “ships within” note on the product listing.
Customs clearance can add 2 to 10 days depending on how backed up the UK border posts are. Heathrow and Stansted usually move faster than regional entry points.
Final mile delivery through Royal Mail or Evri is generally reliable in most of the UK. Remote areas (Scottish islands, rural Wales) can add another 3 to 7 days after the package enters the domestic delivery network.
Seasonal delays matter. November through January, especially around Christmas and Chinese New Year, everything slows down. Add at least 10 extra days to estimates during peak periods.
The platform shows estimated delivery dates on each product. Those estimates are usually conservative. Most orders arrive within the window or slightly earlier, but budget an extra week mentally for safety.
How Royal Mail and UK Couriers Handle Delivery
For most standard AliExpress shipments to the UK, Royal Mail handles the final leg once the package enters Britain. Sometimes Evri (formerly Hermes). Occasionally other couriers.
Typical journey:
- Seller ships from China
- Package flies or sails to UK
- Lands at Heathrow, Stansted, or another international gateway
- Clears UK customs (VAT verification happens here)
- Scanned into Royal Mail or courier network
- Delivered to your address by your local postie or courier
Tracking in the UK:
Once the package enters the Royal Mail system, you can track it using the Royal Mail app or website. The AliExpress tracking number often works directly, or you’ll get a Royal Mail tracking number in the updates.
Tracking visibility varies:
- China to UK: Updates can be sporadic. You might see “dispatched,” then radio silence for 2 weeks, then suddenly “arrived in UK.”
- Within UK: Once Royal Mail has it, tracking is usually solid. You’ll see scans at sorting offices and out for delivery updates.
Delivery methods:
Most packages get posted through your letterbox if they fit. Larger parcels go to your doorstep, or you get a “something for you” card directing you to collect from your local delivery office or corner shop collection point.
If you’re using Royal Mail’s Delivery to Neighbour service or have specified a safe place, that applies to AliExpress parcels same as any other.
Lost or delayed packages:
If tracking shows the package reached the UK but hasn’t moved in ages, contact Royal Mail first. They can investigate within their network.
If it’s still showing as in China or hasn’t reached the UK yet, deal directly with the AliExpress seller through the dispute system.
Is AliExpress Safe for UK Shoppers?
The platform itself is legitimate. Risk comes from individual sellers and product quality inconsistency, not from AliExpress itself being a scam operation.
Payment security:
AliExpress uses escrow payment. Your money sits in holding until you confirm delivery or the buyer protection period expires (usually 60 to 90 days). The seller doesn’t get paid immediately.
If the item never arrives or arrives broken, you file a dispute and get refunded. The system is designed to protect buyers.
They accept UK debit cards, credit cards, and PayPal. Your card details go through standard encryption. Use a credit card over debit for the extra Section 75 protection under UK law (purchases over £100 to £30,000).
Seller reliability varies wildly:
This isn’t like buying from John Lewis or Currys where there’s consistent quality control. Anyone can sell on AliExpress. Some sellers are professional operations shipping thousands of orders weekly with excellent ratings. Others are dodgy popup stores running low-quality scams.
Check these before buying:
- Seller rating: 95%+ positive feedback minimum
- Order volume: High-volume sellers (10,000+ orders) are generally reliable
- Store age: Newer stores are riskier. Established stores have reputation to protect
- Product reviews with photos: Customer photos show what actually arrives, not stock images
- Recent reviews: Check last 3 months, not just overall rating
Product quality reality:
You’re buying factory-direct goods, often from the same factories making branded products. But quality control is inconsistent. A £3 phone case might be brilliant or rubbish. The £20 Bluetooth earbuds might work great or die in a fortnight.
Read reviews obsessively. Look at customer photos. Watch YouTube unboxings if the product is popular enough. Manage expectations based on price. You’re not getting £80 quality for £12.
The counterfeit problem:
Yes, AliExpress has fakes. Knockoff Apple products, counterfeit designer goods, cloned electronics. Buying counterfeits is risky:
- Quality is usually terrible
- No warranty or support
- Border Force can seize counterfeits at customs
- Potential legal issues depending on what you buy
- You lose your money with no recourse
Stick to generic unbranded items or verified official brand stores. If the deal seems impossible (genuine Nike trainers for £15), it’s fake.
UK Consumer Rights: Do They Apply?
Here’s the complicated bit. The UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides strong protections when you buy from UK businesses. But AliExpress sellers are overseas entities, not UK companies.
What this means:
You can’t easily enforce UK consumer law against a seller in Guangzhou. Trading Standards has no jurisdiction over Chinese sellers. The Citizens Advice Bureau can’t help with international disputes. Your statutory rights don’t extend extraterritorially.
However:
AliExpress itself operates in the UK and is subject to UK law. The platform provides its own buyer protection system that functions similarly to consumer rights, even if it’s not technically the Consumer Rights Act.
You’re covered by AliExpress buyer protection:
- Refund if item doesn’t arrive within protection period
- Refund or partial refund if item is significantly not as described
- Refund if item arrives damaged or faulty
- Dispute resolution with AliExpress as mediator
- 60 to 90 day protection window (longer than the 30-day UK short-term right to reject)
It’s not the same as statutory consumer rights, but it’s real protection. You just have to use AliExpress’s dispute process rather than UK consumer law channels.
If you pay with credit card (over £100):
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act gives you additional protection. Your card issuer is jointly liable with the seller. If AliExpress dispute resolution fails, you can claim through your credit card company. This is a powerful backup for bigger purchases.
PayPal Buyer Protection also applies:
Works globally, including for AliExpress purchases. Another safety net if the AliExpress dispute system doesn’t resolve things satisfactorily.
Returns and Refunds: The UK Perspective
Returning items to China from the UK is expensive and slow. Expect to pay £15 to £40 in return postage, and the process takes weeks.
Most sellers offer these solutions when there’s a problem:
Partial refund, keep the item: If the product has a minor defect or isn’t quite right, many sellers offer 10% to 40% back rather than deal with international returns. Saves everyone hassle.
Full refund, keep the item: For cheap items (under £8 to £15), return shipping costs more than the product value. Sellers often just refund you and let you keep it rather than pay for return freight to China.
Full refund, return required: For expensive items, they’ll want tracking proof you’ve shipped it back. Use Royal Mail International Tracked or a courier with tracking. Keep all receipts. Refund processes once they receive and verify the return.
The dispute process:
Open a dispute within the buyer protection window (check your order page for the exact deadline). Upload photos, describe the issue clearly, propose a solution (partial refund, full refund, return).
Seller responds with acceptance or counteroffer. If you can’t agree, AliExpress mediation steps in and makes a binding decision based on evidence submitted.
Evidence that matters:
- Clear photos of damage, defects, or wrong items
- Screenshots comparing product description to what arrived
- Tracking info proving non-delivery or excessive delay
- Screenshots of seller communication
- Video evidence for complex issues
Better evidence equals better outcomes.
Common dispute outcomes for UK buyers:
- Item never arrived: Full refund, no return needed
- Wrong item sent: Usually full refund, keep the item
- Defective or broken: Partial refund or full refund with return
- Not as described: Depends on evidence, often partial refund
The system slightly favors buyers, but you must engage properly. Missing deadlines or failing to provide evidence kills your case.
What UK Shoppers Get Wrong About AliExpress
Expecting Amazon Prime speed:
This is the biggest mental adjustment. You’re trading speed for price. If you need something tomorrow or next week, buy from a UK retailer. If you can wait 3 to 4 weeks, the savings are substantial.
Not checking “Ships from UK” filters:
Some AliExpress sellers now have UK warehouses. Filter by “Ships from: United Kingdom” and you’ll get 3 to 7 day delivery instead of 3 to 4 weeks. Costs more, but arrives faster and avoids international shipping complications.
Assuming post-Brexit made everything impossible:
Brexit added VAT collection at checkout, but it actually simplified things for buyers. No more surprise Royal Mail handling fees on cheap items. The process is clearer now than it was before.
Ignoring size conversions:
Many sellers use Asian sizing or US sizing. A “Large” in Chinese sizing might be a UK Medium. US shoe sizes differ from UK sizes. Check actual measurements in centimeters, not just size labels. Clothing and footwear are especially tricky.
Trusting only the first product photo:
Product photos are often stock images or best-case representations. Scroll to customer review photos to see what actually gets delivered. The difference can be dramatic.
Not tracking packages properly:
Use the AliExpress app or a tracking aggregator like 17track or Parcel Monitor. Packages sometimes sit at customs for days without updates, then suddenly appear at your door. Tracking helps distinguish “actually stuck” from “just moving slowly through the system.”
Forgetting about buyer protection deadlines:
You have a limited window to open disputes. If you wait too long after delivery, your protection expires and you lose recourse. Set reminders for when orders should arrive and actually check items when they do.
Expecting UK-style easy returns:
UK retailers spoil us with 14-day distance selling returns and easy processes. AliExpress isn’t like that. Returns are your cost, your effort, and take ages. Only buy things you’re reasonably confident about.
When AliExpress Makes Sense for UK Shoppers
You should use AliExpress when:
- You’re buying something cheap where saving 60% to 80% matters more than speed
- You need bulk items (phone accessories, craft supplies, hobby materials, small electronics)
- You’re willing to wait 2 to 4 weeks for delivery
- You’re comfortable with a less polished shopping experience
- You understand the product might need minor adjustments or have small imperfections
- You’re buying things you wouldn’t be devastated to lose (low-stakes purchases)
Skip AliExpress when:
- You need it urgently
- It’s safety-critical (electrical items plugging into mains, car parts, baby gear)
- You can’t afford for it to be wrong (time-sensitive gifts, critical work items)
- You need solid UK customer service or easy returns
- You’re buying something expensive where warranty and consumer protection matter
- You want the certainty of UK Consumer Rights Act protection
The platform works best as a supplement to UK shopping, not a replacement. Use it for accessories, hobby supplies, gadgets you’re experimenting with, things where losing £10 to £20 wouldn’t be a disaster. For important purchases, stick with UK retailers.
Takeaeway
AliExpress isn’t dodgy or risky for UK shoppers. It’s just different. You’re buying directly from Chinese manufacturers and accepting the tradeoffs: longer shipping, variable quality, limited UK consumer law protection, expensive returns.
The deals are genuine. Plenty of British shoppers use it regularly without problems. Post-Brexit VAT collection actually made the process clearer. The buyer protection system works reasonably well if you engage with it properly.
Just go in with realistic expectations. Check seller ratings religiously. Read reviews obsessively. Don’t expect Amazon-level service. Give yourself time buffers for delivery. Understand that when something goes wrong, fixing it requires patience and documentation.
If you can handle that, you’ll save serious money on stuff that works perfectly fine for the price you’re paying.
