Since this sub consists of a lot of negative experiences, I (NJ, USA) would like to share my positive experiences using AliExpress for my penpal and postcard exchange hobbies. Here is a list of all the stores I have purchased from:

mengtai Official Store (Top Brand): Both my penpal from Croatia and I agree this is our top go-to store for stationery. This seller has always been reliable, and I have ordered from them a couple of times, both orders came in a few weeks. The seller gives free shipping (for the US at least) if your order is over $10 via ePacket or AliExpress Standard Shipping. I could just spend hours browsing this store haha.

Electron Accessories Dropship Store: I found extremely cheap sticky notes (though not much of a variety, just planet stickies and animal sticky tabs) from this store. I remembered this one of my longest orders (about 1.5 months) but was happy with what I got for the price. I got free shipping via Cainiao.

Top-living Arts & Crafts Store (Top Brand): I ordered washi tape and washi stickers from this store and got everything I ordered in a few weeks. I got free AliExpress Standard Shipping from my order, and looking back at their listings, they offer free shipping via Cainiao, ePacket, and AliExpress Standard Shipping for their products. However, different products seem to have different free shipping methods.

Keep happiness Store: I ordered a lot of 40 random washi rolls for $10.81 back in August and received my order over a month later. The seller offers free shipping via Cainiao. One of the washi rolls was dirty, but I was able to scratch off the dirt on the top and bottom parts of the roll and throw away the first few inches of the washi. Even with some thin washi, I was pretty content because I received 43 rolls, and it was a fun surprise for the price.

Hotempo Store: This store only really sells stickers, but they are really nice stickers. I ordered a bunch of travel, Snoopy, Pusheen, food, coffee, famous paintings stickers, but even with the shipping cost, it was a steal. I got this order in less than two weeks from when I ordered it in November. What was also amazing was that the seller gave me a gift of a few Care Bears, Cartoon Network, and trucks stickers in a separate bag. From looking at the other reviews, this seller gives gifts to a lot of other customers. For context, I spent $8.50 on the stickers and $5.60 on shipping. If you follow this store, you get nice coupons and discounts on your order.

If any of you ordered from these stores or have ordered from other stationery stores, I would love to hear about your experiences!

These are all the stores I have bought from during my AliExpress experience. I have a few other stationery orders at the moment. If any of you like this post, I am more than happy to make a Pt. 2, whenever I receive all of those orders. The stores I ordered from are Ming Stationery Store, enjoy DIY time, Mr. Paper, and littleseed Store.