🧩 The four discount types
They are separate mechanisms and most of them stack - which is where the real saving is.
- Seller coupons - issued by one store, claimed on the product or store page. Usually a small amount off a minimum spend.
- AliExpress coupons - issued by the platform and valid across many sellers. These appear during sale events and in the coupon centre.
- Select / promo codes - entered at checkout. Real ones are short-lived and usually tied to an event.
- Coins and games - small, but genuinely free if you already open the app daily.
🗓️ The sale calendar
Prices genuinely fall during the big events, and the coupon supply is far larger. If an order is not urgent, waiting for the next one is the single easiest saving.
- 11.11 (Singles' Day, November) - the biggest event of the year by a wide margin.
- Anniversary Sale (late March) - the second biggest.
- Summer Sale (June) and Black Friday / Cyber Monday (late November).
- New Year and Spring sales - smaller, and note that Chinese New Year also pauses dispatch for weeks.
🪜 How to stack them properly
The order matters, because each type applies to a different layer of the price.
- Claim the seller coupon on the product page first.
- Add a platform AliExpress coupon from the coupon centre if your basket meets its minimum.
- Enter a promo code at checkout last - it applies to what is left.
- Check the basket total with shipping: a coupon that forces a larger order to hit a minimum is not a saving.
🧠 What actually saves money
- Compare before the sale. Some sellers raise the list price shortly before an event so the discount looks larger.
- Buy from one store. Store coupons need a minimum spend; combining items in one basket reaches it.
- Watch the currency. A few percent of the price is the exchange rate - see the converter.
- Count the tax. A discount that pushes an order over a threshold can cost more than it saves - check import VAT.
❓ FAQ
Do AliExpress coupon codes actually work?
Real ones do, but they expire quickly - usually within days and often tied to a sale event. Any site publishing a long list of permanent codes is almost always listing dead ones.
Can you stack AliExpress coupons?
Yes. A seller coupon, a platform AliExpress coupon and a checkout promo code apply to different layers and can normally be combined. Two coupons of the same type cannot.
When is the next big AliExpress sale?
The two largest are 11.11 in November and the Anniversary Sale in late March, with a Summer Sale in June and Black Friday in late November. Prices and coupon supply are genuinely better then.
Are AliExpress sale prices real discounts?
Mostly, but not always. Some sellers raise the reference price shortly before an event. Note the price of anything you are watching a week beforehand and compare.
No codes are listed here on purpose - real ones expire within days