Shipping

That happens because Alibaba's free shipping for new buyers is actually a subsidy cap (usually up to $20 or $40) with strict conditions. To get it to apply, the item in your cart must explicitly have a Free Shipping or New Buyer Promotion tag and your order total before shipping has to meet a minimum amount depending on the promo tier. If your item is heavy or coming from a supplier who uses an independent freight forwarder, the system will bill you for whatever amount the coupon didn't cover.

Mostly, shipping through Alibaba suppliers can vary depending on the carrier and the destination. I’ve noticed tracking updates sometimes lag until parcels reach regional hubs. Also, customs clearance greatly affects timing, especially for bulk orders, so planning buffer time helps when dealing with cross-border shipments.

Probably some terms and conditions linked to the offer, the whole point in such incentives is to help new businesses use the platform, not for personal purchases.

Alibaba isn't a B2C marketplace. The free shipping is a set amount. They're not going to subsidize a container load or something

I placed my first order the other week , it said free shipping but if you click on it , it says you get free shipping if shipping is under $20 and you have $200 in product in your cart before shipping . If shipping is over $20 and you have that much in your cart you get $20 off .

Free shipping offers on Alibaba usually depend on specific sellers, order value, and shipping methods. It’s not automatically applied to every item or cart.

In most cases, the “first order free shipping” applies only to selected products or under certain conditions set by the supplier