The opening of the first Aliexpress store in Spain took place this Sunday at the intu Xanadú shopping center in Madrid. More than 3,000 attendees have gathered to attend the opening event of Aliexpress Plaza, the name that until today gave its name to the Aliexpress online store in Spain. At this point the question falls on whether it is worth buying online through the online platform or through the physical store. What are the advantages of each of the platforms? Is it better to buy in a physical store or better through the Internet? We see it below.
Price: lowest ever on the web
Talking about Aliexpress is talking about low prices. Unfortunately, this philosophy has not been able to be extrapolated to the Aliexpress Plaza store; nor to the website dedicated to the sale of products in Spain. Since the products are sold from Spain, they must have a tax derived from VAT, which affects the final price of the product .
As we can see in the screenshots, the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE sold on Aliexpress Plaza has a price that exceeds 40 euros than the same version sold on Aliexpress Globa l. In store, the price is even closer to the official price of the terminal in Spain due to the different costs involved compared to online sales.
Invoice with deductible VAT in store
Including VAT on products is not always negative for the end customer. Since both the Aliexpress Plaza online store and the web version have the possibility of generating invoices with deductible VAT, any self-employed person, company or company may include the amount of the product in the quarterly VAT return .
If we choose to buy items through the global version of Aliexpress, the transaction will not generate any type of valid invoice in Spain ; Nor will it include tax-deductible taxes in the European Union unless we decide to declare the full value of the product at Spanish customs, where we will have to pay a tax corresponding to the real value of the product in Spain.
Two-year warranty for products sold in store
The guarantee is a factor that largely depends on the place of origin of the product. As a general rule, any product sold outside the European Union has a one-year warranty , although this may depend on the seller. Aliexpress also offers an additional 60-day guarantee of protection for the buyer where problems derived from the shipment or the condition of the product can be reported.
If we talk about products sold within Europe, from Spain or from Aliexpress Plaza, the warranty applied starts from a minimum period of two years ; also in physical store. To this are added the long shipping and delivery times when processing the guarantee to repair a product or proceed to its return, which we will talk about below.
Eternal return periods on the Aliexpress website
Although the products on the Aliexpress website have a limited return period, the truth is that the process can take up to several weeks depending on the product and its status.
In case of showing disagreement with the article, we will have to open a dispute on the web to contact the seller within a period of no more than 15 days. Once an agreement has been reached, the deadlines to process the return, repair and replacement of the product depend entirely on the shipping times from Spain to China . If we choose to buy products in Spain, either through the physical store in Xanadú or through the Aliexpress Plaza website, the terms are significantly reduced without exceeding the week in any case.
Delivery times: the biggest disadvantage of the Aliexpress website
Beyond the two-year warranty offered by Aliexpress Plaza in a physical store, the Asian giant's biggest advantage over the web version of Aliexpress has to do with delivery times. And is that while the physical store has an almost immediate stock of products, the Aliexpress website can take several weeks and even months.
As for the Aliexpress Plaza website, it offers delivery times that do not exceed three days . Outside of this, the most common deadlines start at three weeks.
Forget about counterfeits and low-quality products in store
If the Aliexpress website is known for something, it is for the counterfeit market that it has in countless products that go beyond the fashion or accessories section. Also in many electronic products that promise to be X and end up being Y.
In the store, this type of article has no place due to the obvious illegality of the same before its sale in the European Union. This also applies to low-quality products, which Aliexpress Plaza lacks due to the obvious lack of the European Certification (CE) seal.
And top brands if you buy on the web
Like any self-respecting Chinese store, the Aliexpress website is specialized in products of Chinese origin , such as Xiaomi, Meizu and many other brands from the East.
If we are looking for products from Samsung, Apple or even Huawei, it is best to opt for stores such as eBay or Amazon. It is also possible to find some of these brands in the physical store in Madrid , unlike on the Aliexpress Plaza website, whose catalog follows the same philosophy as the global version of the Asian giant.
Quantity: China vs Spain
Despite the fact that the Aliexpress Spain store has an area of more than 600 square meters, the product catalog it offers has nothing to do with that of the online store .
Navigation systems for cars, mobile parts and accessories for discontinued models , drivers for external monitors ... There are many products that by their nature cannot be found in the physical store. Neither through reservations or through the Aliexpress Plaza website.