"Ali, Not the Lowest Price"… Products 45% More Expensive Than Coupang

Not the Lowest Price Except for Some Bait Products
Harmful Substances Exceed Domestic Standards by Up to 3000 Times

AliExpress, a leading Chinese e-commerce platform that entices Korean consumers with low prices, is it really the industry's lowest price?

A comparison of the final displayed prices after discounts between AliExpress and domestic e-commerce platforms for 30 daily necessities designated by the Korea Consumer Agency revealed that many products were actually sold at higher prices on AliExpress.

Photo by AliExpress

A bundle of 20 packs of Ansungtangmyun sold for 13,070 KRW on Coupang is priced at 19,000 KRW on AliExpress, which is 45.4% more expensive. The price for a set of three 600g Kellogg's Corn Flakes is 13,390 KRW, and a 24-pack of Coca-Cola Original No Label (370ml) costs 21,760 KRW, both 470 KRW and 1,800 KRW more expensive than on Coupang, respectively. A bundle of four 750ml bottles of Listerine Total Care Plus is priced at 36,800 KRW on AliExpress, showing a price difference of over 10,000 KRW compared to Coupang’s 25,600 KRW.

Even compared to Gmarket, an open market platform connecting sellers and buyers, there were often more expensive items. For example, Bebesup Premier 70 sheets cap (20 packs) was priced 3,060 KRW higher, and Downy Aroma Floral fabric softener (8.5L) was 530 KRW more expensive than on Gmarket. Particularly, Clean Country Pure Premium 27m 30 rolls (2 packs) was 31,790 KRW on Gmarket but 38,900 KRW on AliExpress, which is 22.4% higher. The situation was similar for electronics. The Samsung Odyssey G7 S28BG700 4K UHD 28-inch smart gaming monitor and LG Gram laptop 14ZD90S-GX56K were priced 10,000 KRW and 100,000 KRW lower on Gmarket than on AliExpress, respectively.

Recently, Chinese e-commerce platforms AliExpress and Temu have rapidly penetrated the domestic online distribution market, each surpassing 8 million domestic users by using low-priced Chinese products as bait. However, except for some bait products, it has been revealed that they are not the lowest price.

Harmful Substances Exceeding Domestic Standards by up to 3,000 Times

Another point to note is the presence of harmful substances far exceeding domestic safety standards. Last month, the Korea Customs Service analyzed the components of 252 children’s products sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms and found harmful substances exceeding domestic safety standards by up to 3,026 times in 38 products.

Among the 38 products where harmful substances were detected, 27 contained phthalate-based plasticizers exceeding the standard by up to 82 times. This substance is a representative environmental hormone (endocrine disruptor) that can cause endocrine system disorders upon prolonged contact with the body. Most importantly, it can adversely affect reproductive functions and physical growth, so its use is strictly limited in children’s products.

A Korea Customs Service official warned, "Products sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms can be imported without meeting import requirements, making it difficult to guarantee their safety."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.