I had the same thing. So I rang my bank, Aliexpress did not even attempt to charge my Visa. So Aliexpress were asking me to "appeal", then they ask for scans of:
1) scan of id such as a drivers license or passport
*and*
2) scan of my bank statement
*and*
3) scan of my credit card
Of course my bank advised that there is no way in hell I should provide these! As that would be leaving me exposed to identity theft.
So I looked into this. Paypal's fine print (at least in Australia) may not provide protection:
PayPal's Buyer Protection – what protections does it offer? - Online shopping
says:
"Goods not received
PayPal says it's also "on your side" for purchases that just don't
arrive. However, it's usually pretty impossible to actually prove an
item didn't show up. While the Visa and MasterCard chargeback schemes
require the seller to prove you received the item, with a signature on
delivery (unless you waive that right), PayPal's fine print says that
it may not find in your favour, if the seller can present a proof of
shipment, even if you didn't receive the item."
So although I don't really trust Paypal:
* I wasn't waiving my right to receive the shipment
* My paypal account has a $0.00 balance, so the payment is going on my Visa card via Paypal, so I believe if the shipment did not arrive I would have the option of a chargeback on the Visa if the seller did not resend the goods and Paypal did not help.
* The Aliexpress seller (Secure Life) has a good reputation.
I made the payment by Paypal, and I received the goods. There was a little problem: the first shipment attempt did not go through, the seller made a second attempt at shipping which did go through (the seller is very helpful).