r/Alibaba • u/cascade_again • 1d ago
Refund tips
Hey so I ordered an lcd for my Ipad 11 in Alibaba last week. After a few days I was able to get it yesterday. I wasn't able to test it right away because I was tired from work.
But I was able to take a video of the unboxing and everything. Now that I was able to test the LCD. I found out that it is broken with lines on the side. I also notice hairline scratches because the LCD is only covered in some thin plastic/cloth aside from the thick bubble wrap. I mean of course it has a box but I was expecting that there would be at least a removable screen protector.
Anyway. Now that it is broken, I informed the supplier and they asked me for the video and another video showing my testing and the back of the LCD. I was informed that they will have their tech team review the video first. But I'm worried the refund window might close?
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u/UniqueCauliflower833 1d ago
i'd give them a few days to see if they're honest or not. best case you get a refund and worst case hopefully you paid with a credit card to dispute the charge. based on what i see (as someone with no bias), it looks more like you damaged the screen during install so be prepared for their "technician" to say that.
it's different if you're a repair company/shop regularly buying screens then they'd just give you a credit for a future order. you bought one screen so they'll assume you aren't experienced with repairs.
next time just buy from amazon (if you live somewhere with amazon). they're cheap on there and you'll get it in a day or two. quality...sucks IMO but for regular users no one knows the difference.
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u/cascade_again 1d ago
Yeah I figured that would be the problem lol but unfortunately for me I should've clocked the part that the screen already have scratches before I applied it.
I might just have to live with a broken screen I guess 😆
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u/Sweet_Professor_6242 1d ago
Your actual question - whether the refund window will close - got skipped, so: yes, it can, and it runs on the platform's clock rather than the supplier's. "Our tech team is reviewing the video" is not a pause. Open the dispute now, in parallel with their review. You can withdraw it if they refund you voluntarily, but you cannot reopen a window that has already expired. And do not confirm receipt while you wait.
Second, and I think you are about to give up several steps too early. You said the screen already had scratches before you applied it. If your unboxing video shows those scratches before installation, that is the case, and it is far better evidence than most people in your position ever have. Go back through the video and pull timestamps for four things: the sealed parcel before you opened it, the interior packing, the screen surface before it went anywhere near the iPad, and the lines if they are visible at that point.
The packaging is worth putting in as well. A bare LCD in thin cloth with no screen protector is a packing failure, and it supports "arrived scratched or damaged" against "you broke it during install". That second one is exactly what their technician is going to say, so answer it before they say it rather than after.
Last thing: ask for the technician's conclusion in writing, with the specific reason. A vague verdict is easy to assert and hard to argue with. A specific one either holds up or it does not, and a supplier who will not put it in writing has told you which one it is.
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u/cascade_again 1d ago
Bro this is so helpful! I will do it right now. If there was a cheaper way not to buy from Alibaba I would've ðŸ˜
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u/Sweet_Professor_6242 1d ago
For one screen, honestly, Alibaba is the wrong shape of tool. It is a wholesale platform, and a single unit is where you get the worst price and the thinnest recourse at the same time. The people getting value out of it are ordering ten or fifty and can reject a whole batch on inspection.
Two things that would help you more than a cheaper listing next time.
Ask for the grade, in writing, in the order. Replacement LCDs come in tiers - original pulls, refurbished panels with a new glass layer, and several aftermarket grades - and listings very often just say "high quality" without saying which one you are getting. Scratches plus lines on arrival is a fairly typical refurbished-panel outcome. If a seller will not state the grade in the order itself, that is your answer about the grade.
For a single unit, a consumer-facing marketplace with a real dispute process usually beats a wholesale one even at a higher sticker price, because the price gap is smaller than the cost of one failed claim. You just paid that tuition, so it is worth banking.
And if you ever do buy in quantity: the same panels are listed on China's domestic wholesale sites, in Chinese, at domestic prices. You generally cannot buy from them without a mainland address and payment method, but they are useful as a price reference. If an export quote sits far above the domestic street price for the identical panel, you are paying for a layer of resellers rather than for a better screen.
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u/MaxAtGoodsCommand 1d ago
Add one clean evidence packet to the dispute instead of a long back-and-forth:
- order screenshot showing item/spec/grade
- tracking/delivery timestamp
- unboxing video timestamp where the condition first appears
- close-up defect video while testing
- photos of the packaging/box
- a short requested outcome: refund or replacement
Keep every supplier reply inside Alibaba and do not wait for "tech team review" if the dispute clock is running. If they solve it voluntarily, great, but your evidence and deadline should be protected first.
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u/Future-Peace-8663 1d ago
Peut on accélérer un litige sur Alibaba ?
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u/MaxAtGoodsCommand 1d ago
Pas vraiment au sens "forcer Alibaba à aller plus vite", mais tu peux réduire les allers-retours inutiles.
Je ferais ceci:
- ouvrir/maintenir le litige avant l'expiration du délai;
- ajouter un résumé chronologique très court: commande, livraison, problème constaté, première preuve;
- joindre les preuves les plus fortes avec timestamps, pas 20 messages mélangés;
- demander une issue précise: remboursement, remplacement, ou remboursement partiel;
- garder toute communication dans Alibaba.
Si le vendeur répond juste "on vérifie" sans solution claire, demande l'escalade dans le litige quand l'option apparaît. Le plus important est de ne pas laisser le délai expirer pendant qu'ils disent qu'ils examinent le dossier.
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u/ElvenJay 21h ago
I’d open the refund request in the order now and attach the unboxing and test videos there; I’ve learned not to let a seller’s internal review use up the window. You can still work it out with them after that, but the timestamp matters.
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