Updated July 22, 2026: The European Commission has fined AliExpress €550 million (£467 million/$629 million) for failing to adequately assess and reduce risks involving illegal, unsafe and counterfeit products sold through its marketplace.
The penalty, announced on July 20, is the largest imposed under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). AliExpress has not been banned in Europe, and the decision does not automatically cancel orders, stop deliveries or create a refund programme for all customers.
Why was AliExpress fined €550 million?
AliExpress is an international online marketplace owned by China’s Alibaba Group. The Commission concluded that the platform had not introduced effective safeguards to prevent customers from encountering unlawful or potentially dangerous goods.
Regulators highlighted counterfeit clothing, unsafe toys, dangerous cosmetics and other non-compliant products. Investigators identified weaknesses in risk assessments, product-detection systems, staffing for marketplace checks and enforcement against sellers who repeatedly broke the rules.
Some traders reportedly avoided controls by placing goods in misleading categories or using hidden links connected to different products. Items identified as illegal could reappear and sometimes remain online for several weeks.
The European Commission’s official AliExpress decision says the company failed to assess these risks diligently and take effective measures to reduce the availability of illegal goods.
Is AliExpress banned in Europe?
AliExpress remains available across the EU’s 27 member states. The ruling is a financial penalty and compliance order, not a suspension of its website or mobile app.
It does not directly govern purchases in the United Kingdom, United States, India, Australia or other non-EU markets. However, wider changes to seller verification and product screening could eventually affect listings outside Europe.
Which AliExpress products are affected?
The Commission has not published a complete list of affected products, brands, sellers, order numbers or listing IDs. The decision concerns failures in the platform’s overall safety controls and is not a recall of everything sold on AliExpress.
Customers should be particularly cautious with toys, cosmetics, chargers, batteries, electrical goods, protective equipment, food supplements and heavily discounted branded products. Check the manufacturer, model, batch number, warnings and EU importer information where required. A CE mark alone does not confirm that an item is genuine or compliant.
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Are orders and deliveries affected?
The fine does not automatically cancel purchases, stop parcels already in transit or close customer accounts. No platform-wide customs restriction, delivery suspension or price increase was announced as part of the decision.
Individual listings or seller accounts may be removed while AliExpress reviews its marketplace. Customers should retain order confirmations, payment records, tracking details and screenshots of original product pages in case a listing disappears.
Can customers claim a refund?
The €550 million penalty does not create an automatic compensation scheme. Customers cannot claim a share of the fine simply because they purchased something through the platform.
A buyer may still open a dispute if an item is unsafe, counterfeit, defective, materially different from its description or missing required safety information. Claims should be submitted before the applicable buyer-protection period expires.
Keep the receipt, original listing, seller messages, packaging, safety labels and photographs. Additional remedies may be available under the consumer law of the buyer’s country.
What should customers do with an unsafe product?
Stop using an item if there is a credible safety concern, particularly when it is a toy, cosmetic, electrical product, protective device or health-related item.
- Record the product name, seller, model and batch number.
- Photograph the product, packaging and safety labels.
- Check the EU Safety Gate database and national recall notices.
- Report the listing and open an AliExpress dispute.
- Contact the relevant national consumer-safety authority.
- Seek medical help if the product caused an injury or reaction.
What must AliExpress do next?
AliExpress has until October 20, 2026, to submit an action plan explaining how it will remedy the violations. Expected improvements include stronger seller verification, better product detection, faster removal of illegal listings and tougher action against repeat offenders.
Failure to comply could lead to periodic penalty payments. AliExpress called the fine disproportionate, said it had invested substantially in product safety and risk management, and was reviewing its available options.
The case followed formal proceedings opened on March 14, 2024. In June 2025, separate AliExpress commitments became legally binding, covering seller checks, hidden-link schemes, food supplements, reporting tools, advertising transparency and researcher access.
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