Looking at online reviews of DHGate, you'll see that the site is known for selling low-quality goods. So, people often ask me if it's safe to buy from DHGate and if it's an honest company.
First of all, DHGate is a store. They don't sell their own goods. In fact, DHGate is a lot like AliExpress and eBay in that it gives other people a place to sell things online.
Since it's hard to keep an eye on every product ad, you may run into dishonest sellers who try to sell you cheap, useless junk.
But DHGate is a trustworthy business that has been around since 2004 and makes hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Overall, DHGate is a great business because it gives its people something they want or need.
As with any market, you need to know how to get around and take the right steps when shopping so you don't get taken advantage of.
This guide will show you how to shop safely on DHGate and avoid getting ripped off.
About DHGate
DHGate is a wholesale market with its headquarters in Beijing, China. It lets small businesses in China sell directly to buyers and online business owners around the world.
AliExpress is the company that is most like DHGate. Like AliExpress, they have a huge range of goods in almost every area, such as clothing, electronics, computers, jewelry, and more.
Most of the Chinese sellers on DHGate are not real companies. Most of the items for sale on DHGate come from small businesses that sell a wide range of goods.
Some buyers on DHGate are one-person businesses, while others are stores that want to get rid of their extra stock at a price.
So, DHGate is not the right place for you if you want to start your own private-label business or need a steady supply of products.
DHGate sellers come and go all the time, and it can be hard to find a steady supply of the same product.
But DHGate can be a great place to find different goods with low minimum order quantities (MOQs) so you can test a market you want to get into.
Is the Dhgate Website Safe to Buy From?
“Returns & Refund Guarantee” makes it very safe to buy from DHGate, despite the bad reviews. When a product is bought on DHGate and it's not what was said it would be, DHGate will help settle the disagreement.
If the disagreement can't be fixed and DHGate rules in your favor, DHGate will give you your money back. DHGate also has a program called “Buyer Protection” that works a lot like a trusted service.
DHGate will hold the money for your buy until your whole order comes in. DHGate won't pay the seller until you've confirmed that the things arrived and that you're happy with them.
DHGate's Buyer Protection program is important because it completely eliminates scams, and if there is a disagreement, DHGate will freeze the seller's funds.
DHGate ensures buyers that they will provide better service.
- DHGate monitors and verifies the delivery of your shipment.
- DHGate will assist in resolving any product quality disputes.
- The seller receives no payment until the client approves the goods.
It is essential to observe that these protections are only provided if transactions are conducted via DHGate. If you negotiate with the vendor directly, you will not be protected.
How Do You Buy Safely Products From DHGate?
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make your first buy on DHGate safely and how to reduce your risks.
- First of all, you must sign up for an account on DHGate. Remember that if you want buyer protection, you must do all of your purchases straight through DHGate.
- Click on the “Join Free” button on DHGate.com.
- Then, look for a product in the search bar and start shopping. When you see something you like, all you have to do is hit the “Add to Cart” button.
- Once you're on the page for your shopping cart, you should click on the seller's biography to see what else they sell.
How Do You Identify a Good and Trusted Seller?
There are different parts of the seller bio that you should pay attention to.
- Open the seller name in the top left area of the page.
- Most of the time, you prefer to buy from sellers who meet the following criteria.
- Has been a seller for at least 2-3 years
- 95+% Positive Feedback
- Product quality is above average
- Customer service is above average
- You should also read the seller reviews carefully to find out how the seller treats customers. Usually, we only read the bad reviews and don't bother with the good ones.
- You should also think about how good their home page is. In the case below, this seller didn't even try to add their logo or change their splash page from the default.
- This is a red flag that the seller on DHGate is not a big deal.
- “Store Categories” is the next part of the seller's page that you should pay close attention to.
- Most experienced sellers focus on a certain type of goods and know a lot about it. For instance, the person in the picture above sells cell phone items.
- But if you see a seller with a store full of odd items, it usually means that they buy whatever junk they can get for a good price.
Delivery Time
Most of the items on DHGate are shipped from China with ePacket. The bigger DHGate sellers, on the other hand, have stores in the U.S.
If you can find a seller with a local factory, not only will shipping be cheap (or free), but it also means that the seller sells a lot of products and is probably more reliable.
Most sellers on DHGate don't have local stores, so shipping times can take anywhere from two weeks to two months. In the case below, shipping is free, but it will take 2 months for the goods to arrive.
Make sure you check the date of arrival for each item BEFORE you place the order. The buyer security program on DHGate makes sure that you'll get your items by the end of the date range that was promised in the ad.
DHGate Payment Methods
DHGate takes many different kinds of credit card payments, but PayPal is noticeably missing.
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Diners Club
- Discover
- Union Pay
- Maestro Card
- Bank Transfer
How Do You Cancel an Order on Dhgate?
You can easily cancel your order on DHGate if you change your mind, but it depends on how much time has passed.
If it's been less than two hours since you clicked “Item Being Processed” on your order page, you can just click the “Cancel Order” button to cancel your order.
The order will be canceled immediately.
But if it's been more than 2 hours, you have to use the “Request Refund” button instead. Then you have to wait for the seller to answer.
If the seller doesn't respond within 7 days, you get your money back instantly.
But the seller can refuse the refund and send out the package before the limit for shipping. So, if you want to cancel your order, you should do it within 2 hours.
Is DHGate Legit?
DHGate is a real business that makes more than $9 million a year by connecting sellers in China with people and online business owners all over the world.
If you make a purchase on DHGate, you will get the goods you bought.
But whether you “expect” to get what you want is a different story. Because DHGate is such a big platform, there are a lot of different sellers who sell goods of different quality.
As was already said, DHGate has a lot of bad reviews on respected review sites like the Better Business Bureau and a 2-star total rating on TrustPilot.
But if you read the reviews closely, you'll see that almost every issue is about a dishonest seller on the site and not about DHGate itself.
DHGate is just a place where buyers and sellers can meet. They don't sell their own goods, and they have a lot of protections in place to stop scams.
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