How to spot a fake discount on AliExpress

Last updated October 31, 2026

A big red "−70%" says how far the price is below the listing's own "original" price. It doesn't say whether that original price was ever real. These checks take about a minute and catch most fake deals.

1. Ignore the crossed-out price

Sellers set the crossed-out price themselves, and we couldn't find a price history on AliExpress itself to check it against. A product that has always sold for $12 can be listed "was $40, now $12". Compare the price you see with what the same item costs elsewhere instead.

• Search AliExpress for the same item and sort by price. Identical photos from several stores usually mean the same product, so the cheapest reliable store sets the real price.
• Check the same product on another marketplace you trust.
• If you have watched the item before, compare with the price in your wish list or past orders.

2. Look at the final price, not the headline

The price on the product card often applies only to the cheapest option (a smaller size, a single cable, "accessory only"). Pick the variant you actually want, then check the total in the cart, including shipping and any import charges, before you compare.

3. Read the ratings that matter

• Number of ratings and orders. A 5.0 score from eight buyers says little; 4.7 from thousands says much more.
• Recent reviews with photos. They show what arrives today, not what the listing looked like a year ago.
• The store's own rating and age. Shown on the store page; a store that opened last month has no track record.

4. Watch for listing swaps

Some listings collect thousands of reviews for one product and then change the title or photos to a different one. If the reviews talk about something else than the listing shows, skip it.

5. Be careful with "too good" electronics

Storage (USB sticks, SD cards, SSDs) and batteries are the classic fake-capacity products: "2 TB for $15" isn't real. Buy those from well-known brand stores and check reviews that tested the capacity.

Before you pay

If something goes wrong after you order, see how AliExpress buyer protection works. Ratings, reviews and store pages are on aliexpress.com.