That just takes me to the login page as well. This behavior HAS changed for me recently, but not sure exactly when. I bought from AE just a couple weeks ago and it was NOT the case at the time; I only had to log in to complete the purchase.
I am not in incognito/private mode and am using the exact same OS, platform, and ISP as two weeks ago. I’ve added no extensions to Firefox and that browser has only incremented a minor, bug-fix version change since my last purchase. I don’t think that anything has changed on my end.
However, I don’t actually know what’s happening and perhaps AliExpress is simply detecting something different about me than it did two weeks ago. This is the first time I’ve ever experienced this behavior, though I accept that others have seen it before. Before my visit yesterday, I only needed to log in if I wanted to check out; I could shop “anonymously”, though I’ve always assumed that AliExpress knows exactly who I am at all times because they’ve got cookies in my browser.
I just think it’s inconvenient and pointless to force a login just to view a product page or use the search feature. I’ve bought a lot of stuff from AliExpress over the years, but I’m not happy with recent changes. Some things are beyond their control as sellers stop accepting PayPal after PP’s stupid policy changes, but the end result is that AE is becoming less attractive to buy from.
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People may find this odd, but I’ve had much better luck when buying from Asia via AliExpress rather than eBay. I’ve been screwed numerous times by eBay sellers who claim to have shipped replacement items and then drag out the eBay clock until I cannot post feedback and cannot file a claim. This has never happened on AliExpress, though I do admit that some of this comes down to chance; I’ve simply gotten lucky on AE and less so with eBay.
I still use eBay, but only for American or Canadian sellers. I sincerely believe that some Asian sellers are abusing eBay’s policies and I hate eBay for having such short time limits for claims or feedback. If international shipping is involved, the 60 or 90-day window (I forget which) can easily expire before a transaction is resolved.
Also, I’ve had numerous claims somehow closed and considered resolved on eBay without my permission, so sellers can somehow close a claim on behalf of the person making that claim. That’s wrong, stupid, and criminal. eBay seems to serve sellers, not buyers, which makes sense considering their fee structure.