Alibaba refused refund even after seller used stolen Omega photos and sent a completely different product

I'm honestly confused by how this dispute was handled and want to know if this is normal on Alibaba.

Two months ago I ordered three NATO straps from a seller on Alibaba. The total came to around $160 including fees and import charges. The straps themselves were about $45 each.

The reason I bought from this seller was because the listing photos showed what appeared to be high-end Omega-style straps with a very dense weave pattern, premium hardware, and a specific buckle design. The seller's prices were also significantly higher than other NATO straps on Alibaba, which reinforced the impression that these were premium straps. My assumption was that they were either made by the same supplier as Omega or very close to the same quality, but obviously without the Omega branding.

When the straps arrived, they were nothing like the photos.

The weave pattern was completely different, much looser and lower quality. The buckle shape was different. The texture was different. Overall, they looked like generic $3 NATO straps rather than the product shown in the listing.

While preparing my dispute, I discovered something even worse: the seller had apparently copied photos directly from the Omega website and simply removed the Omega logo from the images.

I provided Alibaba with:

• The seller's listing photos.
• The original Omega photos that the seller appeared to copy.
• The exact source link where those photos came from.
• Side-by-side comparison photos.
• Photos of the straps I actually received.
• Comparisons showing the weave pattern, density, and buckle design differences.

I wasn't even demanding to keep the product for free. I was willing to return the straps if necessary.

I thought this would be one of the easiest "item not as described" cases imaginable. Seller advertises Product A using photos of Product A, ships Product B instead.

After nearly 3 weeks of dispute processing, Alibaba sided with the seller.

Their response was essentially that there was no agreement that the product had to match Omega quality.

But that's not my argument at all.

My complaint is that the seller advertised one product and shipped a visibly different product.

Alibaba acknowledged that the seller refused a refund, and the only compensation they offered was some platform coupons.

So my question is:

Is it actually acceptable on Alibaba for a seller to use stolen photos of a completely different product, advertise that product, then ship a visibly different and cheaper item?

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Because from where I'm sitting, this looks like a textbook bait-and-switch, and I'm shocked that providing the original source of the stolen photos wasn't enough to win the dispute.