"Oldest scam in the book!": Internet in splits as Georgia Man orders a drill from AliExpress and reportedly gets a photo of the product instead

AliExpress is regarded as one of the most popular e-commerce platforms.

Consider this scenario: One fine morning, you might experience the adrenaline rush of building a wall-mounted bookshelf. You decide to purchase a drill machine online, and you find a platform that's selling one at an affordable price. Equipment being delivered to your doorstep at a cheap price is quite a deal, right?

This incident about a Georgia man receiving a picture of the drill instead of the product can make you reconsider your decision.

A man from Savannah, Sylvester Franklin, ordered some tools on AliExpress for $40. The purchased items were a drill and a 22-dollar pressure washer. He was taken aback by what he received. Instead of a pressure washer, he got a screw and a picture of the drill instead of the actual tool.

He has claimed that he is still trying to get a refund from the company, but no action has been taken in his case. Sylvester Franklin said to WTOC in an interview:

"This is not good. This is real bad. All this is bad, you know what I mean? Don’t scam nobody. I don’t like to get scammed, because you spend your money, you want to get what you paid for."

When the news broke out, the internet was in stitches.

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Netizens react to the AliExpress purchase chaos

Oldest scam (via PixassoHQ/X)

Turns out that receiving a picture instead of the equipment isn't new. Does it prevent online shippers from using the platform?

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Inspiration for the product (via uncensoredrene/X)

What's a better wordplay to describe the mishap? Maybe the picture was supposed to be used for DIY.

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Got played (via 0xNXTLVL/X)

AliExpress must be smiling at his plight right now. Jokes apart, online shopping fails can be pretty concerning.

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Surprised Pikachu (via ratz83/X)

That's how many of us would have reacted if we received a picture of a drill, not the physical drill.

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ETA (via gookyjhit/X)

Imagine waiting for almost a month to receive a screw and a picture! The disappointment is unmatched.

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Imaginative (via youngblesstmoni/X)

In AliExpress' defense, maybe they wanted customers to use their imagination to create the desired product.

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Elite (via imkash/X)

Maybe e-commerce purchases are not as convenient as they appear to be. It's a sign to go out and make physical purchases.

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Temu inspired (via Emilyemiika/X)

Temu is often regarded as the pioneer of online shopping chaos, and AliExpress seems to be following in its footsteps.

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Paper planes (via FredrikWiktorss/X)

They could have at least sent a screwdriver alongside the screw to create some cool paper planes.

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Add water (via hhbddaryl/X)

Maybe we need to stop treating equipment as plants! If only it worked with bank accounts.

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AliExpress, a subsidiary of Alibaba, is a Chinese B2C company that has dominated the e-commerce platform for years. However, the USTR 2022 Review of Notorious Markets lists has listed the platform. Amid several reported shopping fails, the Georgia man's case has sparked both, concerns and jokes online.