AliExpress has been fined a record €550m (£470m) by the European Commission for failing to prevent the sale of illegal and dangerous goods, including counterfeit clothing, unsafe toys and harmful cosmetics, on its platform. It is the largest penalty issued so far under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force in 2024 to protect consumers from illegal products and deceptive online practices, and marks a significant escalation in Brussels' enforcement action against major Chinese-owned retail platforms.

The commission found that AliExpress, owned by Alibaba, lacked sufficient staff to properly vet product listings, sometimes allowing only "tens of seconds" to assess whether items met EU standards, while its recommendation systems continued to promote illegal goods that often stayed online for weeks even after detection. The fine exceeds those previously handed to Temu (€200m) and X (€120m) under the same law, though it represents under 1% of AliExpress's revenue and falls well short of the maximum possible penalty of 6% of its roughly €122bn global turnover. AliExpress called the fine "disproportionate" and said it is reviewing its options, while EU officials stressed the penalty reflects the "nature and gravity" of the platform's systemic failures rather than any single discovery of illegal products.