Running an online store is hard enough without wrestling messy paperwork from marketplaces. If you buy inventory or dropship through AliExpress, you have probably felt the pain of missing invoices, inconsistent order details, and week-end reconciliations that never end. According to the 2024 Intuit QuickBooks Business Solutions Report, businesses spend an average of 25 hours each week on manual data entry and reconciliation, and 85 percent say that manual data wrangling hurts profitability and growth (the report is summarized on QuickBooks’ site) here. That is time you could be spending on marketing, customer experience, and product.
AliBilling exists to remove that busywork by adding a one-click invoice button directly inside AliExpress My Orders. The result is a clean, printer‑friendly PDF invoice you can customize for compliance and bookkeeping. Below, we break down 25 common AliExpress purchasing mistakes that quietly wreck your books, plus how one-click invoices stop the damage.
Why AliExpress paperwork trips up sellers
AliExpress is a consumer marketplace first, not an accounting system. In many cases there is no native vendor invoice available for your order. For EU buyers specifically, AliExpress explains that invoices are available only for orders where VAT was collected at checkout and that you can find them via My Orders, All Orders, Download Invoice, as described in the AliExpress help page on European Union VAT here. That means if VAT was not collected at checkout or you are outside the EU, you may be left with order screenshots and email receipts that do not meet accounting standards.
Regulatory expectations have also changed. Since July 1, 2021, the EU introduced the VAT e-commerce package and the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS). The European Commission’s OSS portal outlines that the low-value import VAT exemption was removed and that marketplaces can be deemed suppliers for VAT on certain B2C sales on its VAT One Stop Shop page. If your business operates in or sells to the EU, your invoices need to reflect correct VAT treatment, dates, and fields or you risk audit pain later.
25 AliExpress purchasing mistakes that hurt your bookkeeping
Below are the mistakes we see most often when sellers rely on manual downloads, copy and paste, or screenshots. For each one, we include how a one-click invoice workflow with AliBilling helps you avoid it.
1) Not capturing the supplier’s legal name and address
Auditors and accountants need the actual supplier details, not just a store nickname. Under EU rules, invoices must show the full name and address of both supplier and customer, as set out in Article 226 of the VAT Directive published on legislation.gov.uk. AliBilling pulls supplier fields from the order and lets you customize them when needed so every PDF carries what your books require.
2) Missing a sequential invoice number
Using ad hoc filenames like order-final-v2.pdf is not an invoice sequence. Article 226 requires a unique sequential number on invoices. AliBilling generates proper invoice numbers and keeps them consistent across old and new orders.
3) Mixing personal and business purchases in one account
Interleaving personal buys with business orders makes reconciliations chaotic and can break expense substantiation. With one-click invoices attached per order, you can filter and export only business invoices for your accounting period without sifting through unrelated purchases.
4) Ignoring shipping and handling as part of cost of goods
Shipping often appears separately from product price on AliExpress. If you do not capture it, your COGS and margin calculations are wrong. AliBilling’s invoice includes item price and shipping so your accounting system gets the full landed cost you actually paid.
5) Using the wrong date for revenue and expense matching
Screenshots often show an order date but not the supply or payment date. EU invoice rules require the date of issue and, where different, the date of supply as noted in Article 226. AliBilling lets you pick the date format you use in your books and ensures those dates appear prominently on the PDF.
6) Losing invoices in email or cloud folders
Emails get deleted and URLs change. Without a canonical PDF, month-end becomes detective work. AliBilling puts a Download Invoice button next to each order so you can grab a printer-friendly PDF any time, then store it alongside your accounting records.
7) Missing or misapplied VAT on EU orders
If VAT is collected at checkout, your invoice must show the VAT amount and rate. The EU explained that all imported goods are subject to VAT after July 2021 and that IOSS simplifies VAT on low-value imports on its OSS portal. AliBilling captures VAT lines from AliExpress where applicable and presents them cleanly for your accountant.
8) No audit trail for refunds and partial refunds
Disputes and partial refunds need documentation that ties back to the original invoice. AliBilling produces invoices for each order and lets you redownload them later, which is essential when matching credit notes and refund entries in your ledger.
9) Copy and paste errors in totals or tax
Manual typing leads to transposed digits and decimal errors. One-click generation eliminates rekeying and aligns document totals exactly with what AliExpress charged.
10) Not capturing a clear line-item description
Generic labels like “product” are unhelpful in audits. UPS explains that commercial documents used for customs must identify the products with description and value in its Commercial Invoice Guide. AliBilling uses the actual item titles and quantities so your invoice text is specific and searchable.
11) Forgetting the buyer’s tax ID or company details
If you are VAT registered or need your business registration on vendor invoices, the lack of fields is a problem. AliBilling lets you add your company name, address, and VAT or tax IDs so the PDF aligns with your statutory profile.
12) Inconsistent currency and exchange-rate documentation
AliExpress may bill in different currencies. If you do not preserve the billed currency and amount, your home-currency conversion will lack backup. AliBilling keeps the currency on the face of the invoice to support correct conversions in your accounting system.
13) Not keeping records for the legally required period
HMRC states you must keep VAT records for at least six years in VAT Notice 700/21, while the IRS says you must keep records as long as they are needed for tax administration in its Recordkeeping guidance. AliBilling’s unlimited downloads make it simple to regenerate a lost invoice years later.
14) Missing supplier tax numbers or reverse charge notes where needed
EU invoices may require the supplier’s VAT ID and specific wording such as Reverse charge when the customer is liable for VAT, as Article 226 lists here. AliBilling’s customizable fields help you add missing references so your documentation reflects the correct tax position.
15) Skipping commercial invoice details for cross-border shipments
If you reship goods or import inventory, customs teams expect a commercial invoice with buyer and seller details, description, quantity, value, and terms. The UPS guidance explains what must be present for clearance in its PDF. AliBilling gives you a structured PDF you can align with those requirements.
16) No standard PDF layout for your bookkeeper
Feeding a mix of screenshots, HTML prints, and cropped images into your accounting workflow wastes time. AliBilling outputs clean, printer-friendly PDFs with predictable sections so your bookkeeper can process faster.
17) Forgetting to tag orders to products or SKUs
COGS by product is impossible if you cannot tie purchases to SKUs. AliBilling’s invoices include product names, quantities, and dates which make SKU matching easier in spreadsheets or your ERP.
18) Not reconciling shipping addresses to customer regions for tax
Where and how goods move matters for VAT and sales tax. With one-click invoices that include ship-from and ship-to details visible in order context, you preserve the facts needed to defend your tax treatment.
19) Losing access to old orders after account changes
If staff leave or you switch AliExpress accounts, you can lose visibility of older purchases. Because AliBilling places the Download Invoice button beside both new and old orders, you can cleanly export before any transition.
20) Not separating marketplace fees or discounts
AliExpress promotions, coupons, and shipping insurance can obscure net purchase price if you are only looking at bank statements. AliBilling captures the discount breakdown in the invoice so your expense entries are exact.
21) Forgetting to store credit notes for returns
VAT and income tax authorities expect to see credit notes or refund evidence paired to original invoices. When you manage all order invoices centrally with AliBilling, you create a tidy trail for returns and exchanges.
22) Using noncompliant date or number formats
Tiny differences in date formats can throw off imports or confuse reviewers. AliBilling lets you choose the date format you use in your country so your PDFs match local conventions.
23) Invoices missing VAT calculation details and rates
Article 226 requires the taxable amount, VAT rate applied, and VAT amount payable when VAT is charged. AliBilling presents VAT lines clearly to match your VAT return and management reports.
24) No contact details for supplier follow-up
When an item arrives damaged, your team needs a supplier name, address, and order reference in the same document. AliBilling’s invoice template brings these fields together so support requests move faster.
25) No backup for digital-first tax regimes
Governments keep moving to digital recordkeeping. The UK’s Making Tax Digital program requires digital records and digital links for VAT submissions, as explained in HMRC’s guidance on creating digital records here. The IRS provides similar guidance for recordkeeping expectations in Publication 583. Consistent, downloadable PDFs from AliBilling are an easy way to build an audit-ready digital archive.
How one-click invoices with AliBilling actually work
AliBilling is a Chrome extension that adds a Download Invoice button to each order inside AliExpress My Orders. You click once and receive a printer-friendly PDF that includes product details, prices, shipping, dates, and your customized company and tax fields. If you want a step-by-step walkthrough, the setup guide explains the process start to finish on this page, and the blog has a quick tutorial on how to download an invoice from AliExpress here.
You can edit fields like company name, address, VAT or ABN, and supplier details, and choose your preferred date format. The extension supports old orders too, which is crucial when you are catching up your books or getting audit-ready. Pricing is designed to be affordable for small sellers. The website lists a simple $29 per user per year plan on the pricing page, and the Chrome Web Store shows alternative options such as $20 for 3 months, $35 for 6 months, and a $60 lifetime plan, making it flexible for all budgets. If you need to confirm details or ask a pre-sales question, you can check common answers in the FAQs or reach out through Contact us. AliBilling also promotes 24 or 7 support and Trustpilot social proof so you are not left hanging when deadlines loom.
Best practices to stay compliant in 2025
- Store PDFs centrally with clear naming. Use a consistent pattern like 2025-01-PO-1234-SupplierName.pdf so your team can search quickly.
- Keep records for the legally required period. HMRC says keep VAT records at least six years in VAT Notice 700/21. The IRS explains that you must keep records as long as they are needed for tax purposes on its Recordkeeping page and further discusses recordkeeping when starting a business in Publication 583.
- Preserve VAT details for EU orders and understand the IOSS framework. The European Commission’s One Stop Shop site summarizes the 2021 changes and the end of the low-value import exemption here. That context helps you explain tax lines on invoices to your accountant.
- Align invoices with EU invoice content rules when relevant. The list of required fields is laid out in Article 226 of the VAT Directive on legislation.gov.uk. AliBilling’s customizable template helps ensure those elements appear on your PDFs.
- Standardize your monthly workflow. On a set day each month, open AliExpress My Orders, click Download Invoice for all business orders using AliBilling, and file the PDFs to cloud storage or your accounting platform.
If you sell on Shopify, adding disciplined vendor documentation strengthens your inventory and COGS tracking as your store scales. You can explore store setup options on Shopify while using AliBilling to keep your supplier paperwork clean in the background. For legal and tax context specific to dropshipping, AliBilling also publishes guidance on audit-proofing your invoices on the blog, understanding your tax obligations here, and operating your business the legal way here.
One-click invoices will not write your tax return, but they will shorten reconciliation, reduce errors, and make your records defensible. Given the time many businesses already spend on manual entry and app overload, the automation dividend is real according to QuickBooks’ 2024 report here. If you are ready to clean up your AliExpress paperwork, start with the quick setup guide here and pick a plan that fits your budget on the pricing page. You can review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and when you need help, AliBilling’s support is available around the clock.
