AliExpress complaint: Seller not following EU consumer protection laws on return

I ordered a video projector through a seller named Salange. At delivery, I realized the product is not as described after inspecting the received goods. I contacted the seller to initiate a return refund. The dispute concluded I had the right to return the product with refund (this is possible thanks to EU consumer protection laws within a number of days after delivery of e-commerce goods). The dispute also concluded it is for the seller to cover the return shipping costs. When checking where can I get the shipping label (as is normal with any return in Germany), there was none provided. I requested it, and then the back-and-forth began with the seller, who was asking for a cheaper solution than UPS or DHL, and didn’t offer any specific provider themselves, asking me to find the cheapest solution. I didn’t want to go to the post office and pay for the shipping upfront, not knowing if this is reimbursed or not. The seller was dragging out the conversation until the required number of days to return the goods (14 days) had passed, and then stopped talking to me. I had done everything in the correct order, providing evidence early enough and contacted them in the required number of days. Finally, I raised an appeal with AliExpress on the same topic – they rejected it with a reasoning the buyer didn’t provide a shipping tracking number for return. How could have I provided it if the seller never provided a return shipping label? I’ve attached a section of the chat with seller Salange as proof how they just blatantly concluded they don’t have a transportation partner in Germany to return the goods. Scam and definitely not abiding EU laws.