When you buy several small items at once on Aliexpress, your order may be sent to a consolidation warehouse. We’ll tell you why this happens, what parcel consolidation means and if you should be worried.
Why did they introduce consolidation on AliExpress?
Consolidation is the bundling of multiple items ordered from different sellers on AliExpress into one parcel. This shipping option is called Cainiao Consolidation Shipping.
This process of bundling parcels significantly speeds up delivery time and reduces the chance of losing small packages. In addition, the carriers will take these orders more seriously, and you will be able to track the location of your order using the tracking number provided.
What does “accepted for consolidation” mean?
This status indicates that small items have been taken directly to the consolidation warehouse in order to combine them into one parcel. All of them will be sent to the single delivery address that the customer specified when placing the order.
The consolidation service on AliExpress is free and applies to orders of $5 or more. The total weight must not exceed 2kg.
AliExpress parcel consolidation mechanism
Most buyers may see the phrase “Transferred to consolidation warehouse” in the delivery statuses. Below we’ll share more details about how this process works and how long it takes.
Time of consolidation
Consolidation takes between 20 to 35 days. This means that it may take up to 1 month for your parcel to get hung up. But this rarely happens, and only on days of big sales when the service is overloaded. On normal days, it goes much faster.
Consolidation warehouse location
The consolidation warehouse is located in Shenzhen, China. This is the location of many logistics transit routes, which is very convenient for consolidation procedures.
All small packages ordered around the same time (within 5 days) and to the same address will automatically be delivered to the consolidation point in Shenzhen.
How to refuse or avoid consolidation
Consolidation of items on the AliExpress Marketplace cannot be done by the buyer. But there are options that can be used to have all the orders arrive separately.
There are some tips to follow for this:
- Place small orders on AliExpress no more than once a week;
- Choose different shipping methods (better to give preference to paid options, then there is a guarantee that the goods will not get lost and will reach you much faster);
- Specify a variety of addresses and post offices for the delivery of goods.
What to do if not all items arrived after consolidation
If your orders have been consolidated into one parcel, it’s a good idea to unpack the parcel on the spot when you receive it at the post office. This is necessary in order to open a dispute for a refund if all the goods are not in conformity.
In order to carry out this procedure, you must log into your personal profile on AliExpress, go to the orders section, select the desired item and open a dispute. When filling out the form, it is important to attach photos or a video of the opening of the parcel. This will help protect your rights in the dispute.
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