I bit and ordered as well. Just bought off of eBay as Aliexpress & Alibaba items can't be ordered from in WA state.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/...-season-You-cant-in-Washington-284051431.html
"State regulators say that tip was true. Aliexpress and its payment site Alipay needed a money transfer license to hold funds, like escrow -- similar to what the state says Amazon, Google and Paypal have.
"They are licensed money transmitters, they follow the law and we expect others in the same position to follow the law if they want to do business here," Bortner said.
The license is a one-time $1,200 fee plus a tax, based on the total annual sales to Washington state residents -- a tax not to exceed $100,000 a year.
We asked Alibaba, the parent company of Aliexpress and Alipay, why it won't get a money transfer license in Washington.
In a statement, a company spokeswoman avoided answering that question, instead saying: "We are committed to serving Washington state and we are working as fast as we can to enable local consumers to experience our Aliexpress platform."
But in a 2012 letter from Alibaba attorneys to state regulators, the company says it believes it qualifies for an exemption from state law and "in the event that the state of Washington determines that no exemption from the money transmitter license is available" it "intends to certify that it will not provide services to Washington residents.""