AliExpress has suspended several of its low-cost shipping options to Pakistan, following newly enforced customs regulations that have disrupted previously affordable cross-border logistics. These changes, driven by recent actions from both Pakistani and Sri Lankan customs authorities, are already having a noticeable impact on the country’s e-commerce landscape.
In a message sent to its sellers, AliExpress stated that it has moved certain shipping routes—including those to Pakistan and Sri Lanka—to offline processing due to uncertainty surrounding the revised customs tax policies. Although the exact details of these regulatory changes have not been released publicly, the effects are beginning to ripple through the online shopping ecosystem.
As of July 7, 2025, Pakistani shoppers will no longer be able to access the affordable shipping methods that were once a key draw of ordering through AliExpress. Sellers, too, will be prohibited from selecting these cost-effective logistics options when fulfilling orders or completing shipping declarations.
This decision follows what appears to be a government-led effort to tighten control over discounted delivery services, such as AliExpress Standard Shipping and Cainiao, which had made it possible for consumers in Pakistan to buy everything from gadgets to household items at low prices with minimal shipping costs. That affordability, however, now appears to be in jeopardy.
AliExpress has urged sellers to closely monitor developments, update their shipping templates, and prepare for ongoing changes. With no timeline currently in place for restoring the affected shipping methods, the suspension may last indefinitely—unless customs authorities clarify or ease the new rules.
It’s the second recent case of a sudden, uncommunicated cost jump hitting ordinary consumers and importers — Pakistani airports also raised cargo handling fees by up to 100% around the same time.
Our Opinion
Tightening customs oversight on low-value cross-border parcels is a legitimate revenue and enforcement goal that many countries have pursued, but doing it through an abrupt shipping-method suspension rather than a clearly communicated, phased customs policy leaves millions of everyday online shoppers absorbing the disruption while the actual policy details remain unpublished. Consumers and small sellers alike would be better served by clarity on what changed and why, rather than learning about it secondhand through a platform notice.
