Trade Assurance is a SCAM! They actively protect sellers who commit customs fraud.
WARNING to all buyers: Alibaba's "Trade Assurance" is completely useless and actively facilitates cross-border fraud. I purchased computer software, but the seller falsified the commercial export invoice, declaring the items as "PHOTO FRAME PLASTIC" to evade customs rules. Because of this fraudulent document, UPS and destination Customs immediately blocked and suspended the shipment. UPS officially confirmed in writing that clearance cannot proceed unless the seller submits a revised, accurate invoice directly through their local origin shipping system. The seller refused to fix their illegal paperwork. I opened a dispute (Case ID: 10010836025) and provided ALL official emails from UPS proving that the customs detention was 100% caused by the seller's fake invoice. How did Alibaba handle this? Their automated system completely ignored my official broker evidence, closed the dispute, and issued a $0 refund. They blamed the buyer for "failing to clear customs" when it is physically and legally impossible to clear customs with a fake invoice created by the seller! Alibaba let the seller keep 100% of my money while my package is abandoned. They are protecting merchants who commit export fraud. If Alibaba Executive Support is reading this, review Case ID: 10010836025 immediately and process my full refund. Until then, I am proceeding with a formal credit card chargeback for merchant fraud. My order was expected to arrive in mid-September. Instead of receiving my goods, I spent weeks guiding the seller on how to fix their own error per UPS's instructions, which they completely ignored. When I turned to Trade Assurance, Alibaba trapped me in an endless robotic loop—forcing me to re-upload the exact same documents weekly while obsessing over 'missing clearance paperwork,' completely ignoring the fact that the seller's forged invoice alone made clearance legally impossible. They stalled until the seller's account vanished, then closed my case with a $0 refund! Even worse, when I reopened the new dispute, their system maliciously set a 1-MONTH waiting timer before Alibaba even steps in (instead of the previous 1-week cycle). No goods, lost money, a vanished scammer, and a 30-day stall tactic—Alibaba's Trade Assurance is a complete lie." UPDATE - THE ENDLESS LOOP & 30-DAY STALL TACTIC]: To make matters worse, after Alibaba exhausted me for weeks in my first dispute—forcing me to repeatedly submit crystal-clear proof of the seller's customs fraud only to maliciously close it with a $0 refund—I was forced to open a new case (Case ID: 10010836025). What did Alibaba's system do? It instantly trapped my new case in a "Negotiation in progress" phase with a mandatory 30-DAY countdown timer, stating I must wait for the supplier to respond before Alibaba automatically steps in! Think about how absurd this is: The seller forged customs documents, refused to fix them, and completely dodged responsibility during the entire first dispute. Now, Alibaba's rigged system forces ME to wait an entire MONTH for this exact same vanished scammer to reply! This is a calculated delay tactic. They are deliberately running down the clock to make my bank credit card chargeback window expire. They ignore undeniable evidence, close your cases, and when you reopen them, they stall for months to protect fraudulent merchants. DO NOT TRUST ALIBABA! I am initiating a formal bank chargeback immediately.