Alibaba is an online outsourcing company that connects thousands of manufacturers and customers from all over the world. Manufacturers and trading companies just sign up and post whatever they can make for customers, which is usually a wide range of things. Alibaba is also different from other sites because customers can order custom designs of whatever they want at lower prices.
Alibaba has a lot of advantages over other online businesses, which is why almost 1 billion people visit the site every year. This makes online shopping and fraud crimes even more likely to happen on Alibaba. It also makes me wonder if Alibaba is safe for both consumers and businesses.
Should I use Alibaba to shop?
Yes, is the simple answer. Alibaba is a safe place where you can get everything you need. As with anything on the internet, people who use Alibaba run the risk of running into frauds and cons. But the company has strict rules that make sure every transaction with a customer is safe and legal. The platform has also put in place ways to protect its users from people who only want to steal their money.
No matter how hard they try, both the buyer and the seller need to be careful when dealing with each other. In case of fraud, Alibaba might help you, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Buyers on Alibaba should always learn as much as they can about the manufacturers and traders they’re working with. Look at what other customers have said about them and how many orders they’ve done well. This will help you decide if you want to move forward with them or not.
If you’re a business, order a few samples first and try them out to see if they’re good enough for your needs. This is a safe way to find out if the seller is reliable and sells good products.
Always use the ways to pay that Alibaba has set up. Credit Card, Escrow, QIWI, and PayPal are all examples of these. Officially, Alibaba doesn’t work with PayPal, but a deal can be made with the manufacturer to use PayPal. These steps have been taken to make sure that transactions are safe and legal. It also makes it easy for Alibaba to give you your money back if someone stole it.
How to Use Alibaba to Find Real Suppliers
When compared to other platforms, Alibaba may have the largest number of traders and manufacturers. These include the best traders with the best goods, the worst traders with the worst goods, and the people who have nothing to sell at all. Even though there are scammers on Alibaba, all of these people are traders. Here are some tips on how to sort through the different suppliers and find the best one:
Look for Verified Sellers
This is the best way to figure out if you can trust a supplier or not. This is because a seller must meet a number of requirements that show they are good sellers in order to get verified. Verification is also evidence that a business is registered with the government.
Alibaba employees who are hired just for this purpose look at the seller’s goods to make sure the business is registered. The services and products a seller offers are also checked by third parties and auditing firms.
On Alibaba, there are different levels of verification that show exactly what stage a seller has reached. The checkers look at things like business licenses, contact information, and certifications. They also look at the products being sold and see if they match the pictures and videos being shown.
Gold is the highest level of verification. This means that a seller has been checked in every way possible and is reliable.
First, ask for a few samples.
If you want to find a permanent supplier, asking for samples ahead of time is the best way to figure out how good the quality is. Especially when making custom orders, this is very important. A lot of manufacturers are quick to take orders, even if they aren’t sure they can do a good job of meeting the request.
The right way to find real people is also to ask for samples. When asked for samples, traders who know they aren’t good enough for the job often back away. You can also ask several different suppliers for the same samples so you can compare the quality and choose the best one.
Read the reviews.
You should never buy something online without first reading reviews of both the product and the seller. You shouldn’t buy from a seller with less than 4.5 stars. Next, see what other customers say about the seller and the things they sell. Always look for the bad reviews when reading reviews.
A lot of companies have people write fake reviews for them so that people will believe them. Rarely does a happy customer come back and say good things about a product. People who are unhappy are always the ones who come back to warn others.
Bad reviews will tell you more about the product than what the seller is willing to say. Some of them even show pictures of what the product looks like in real life. No matter how many there are, you should read all of them.
Ask Questions
Know your supplier better by getting to know them better. After all, you are going to do business with this person. Ask them about their business, what else they sell, how many people work there, where they are located, and even if you can see pictures of their business. You should know everything there is to know about a trader before you choose them.
Also, pay attention to how they answer your questions. If someone is trying to scam you, they will always try to avoid answering your questions or won’t answer at all. People who are not honest get tired of questions.
Don’t be a stingy person.
Who doesn’t like to save money? I know I do. When a deal sounds too good to be true, think twice. People don’t get millions of dollars from cons on Alibaba all at once. They often get small amounts of money from a lot of different people through bad sales.
If you’ve been on Alibaba, you’ve probably seen something like an iPhone 11 Pro for $100. This is over a thousand dollars less than the normal price. This seller wants to cheat you out of your money. No sane person would sell a valuable item for a price that was too low.
Making Payments on Alibaba
Alibaba has done a lot to make sure that payments are as safe as possible. If a seller is looking for easier ways to pay, they are probably trying to scam you. Alibaba’s payment methods make it easy for the company to keep track of transactions and, if necessary, give refunds.
This is made sure by the Trade Assurance policy, which says that you get a full refund if the goods you ordered are broken or not sent at all. But some honest traders don’t support Trade Assurance, which makes it hard to work with them.
To avoid any risks, you should always try as hard as you can to find another trader who does.
Here are some of the ways you can pay on Alibaba, from safest to least safe:
Escrow
All of the bank’s transactions are done and processed through AliPay. The best thing about this platform is that it always puts the needs of the buyer first, no matter what else is going on. When you use Escrow to pay for something, AliPay holds the money until the products you ordered are shipped, delivered, and in the right condition.
AliPay sends the money to the seller once you confirm that you got the right thing and that it’s what you expected. This is why products bought with cash are delivered much faster than those bought with other methods.
If you don’t like the product, Alibaba will look into it, and if the trader is at fault, you’ll get your money back. This is without a doubt the safest way to pay.
Credit Letter
Many Alibaba users don’t use this method because it’s hard to understand. It is safest for both the buyer and the seller, though. A Letter of Credit is the best way to buy things that cost a lot of money, such as more than $15,000.
Your bank will send you a letter that says “the money is coming, so the transaction should still go through.” Other methods take longer because they require a lot of steps to make sure they work. This is especially true when direct payments are made with credit or debit cards. It’s the quickest way to get a deal done.
PayPal
Even though it’s not an official way to pay that Alibaba supports, it’s still a safe way to pay. Alibaba doesn’t cover losses from transactions done through PayPal, but PayPal might.
When money is sent through PayPal using the ‘Goods and Services’ option, the Buyer safety program is automatically turned on. PayPal will give you a refund if you don’t get your goods or if they’re not in good shape. This method is similar to AliPay in how it works.
Bank transfer up front
This is one of the ways you shouldn’t use unless you know the seller very well. When you start with a manufacturer, it is never a safe choice. With this method, you send money to the seller by direct wire before you get the product. Most of the time, 100% of the cost of the product must be paid up front for the transaction to go forward.
If a trader asks you to use this right away, you’re probably being scammed. Once the seller gets the money, you won’t be able to get it back. You should only use this if you’ve worked with the seller for a long time, and you must be the one to start this method of payment.
Western Union
This is the riskiest way to pay online on Alibaba or anywhere else in the world. Once you send the money to the seller through Western Union, they will quickly go and get it and that will be the end of it.
Most honest sellers will be willing to give in on the payment method if it means that even the smallest amount of protection for the buyer is given. If the person isn’t family, you should never use Western Union. Try PayPal at least, because you may never know if a distant relative is trying to scam you.
How to Talk to Manufacturers and Suppliers on Alibaba
After deciding that a seller can be dealt with, this is the next thing to do. The step where you decide if you want to do business with a certain seller. How do you talk to a trader in a way that makes everything as easy and real as possible?
Here are some things you can do to make sure you can do legal business on Alibaba:
Ask for examples.
When you’re looking for a bulk manufacturer, you should always ask for samples, and you should never skimp on quality. Many sellers offer conference calls where you can tell them exactly what you want and even show them drawings of the items. After they send you samples and you look at them, you can decide what to do.
Some sellers are usually willing to send more samples if the first ones aren’t good enough. If they aren’t ready to do this, move on to the next seller. Samples are rarely given away for free, so prices should be talked about. Most of the time, a sample costs the same as one unit of the product.
Ask how long it took to make.
This is something that many people never remember to ask. How long will it take to make the item and ship it to you? Ask for exact dates of when you can expect to get your items, and don’t be flexible.
You are looking for a seller who is neither too slow nor too fast. Find out how long it takes to make the item well. People who say they can do it very quickly may be trying to scam you out of your money.
Ask and talk about prices
After you get some good samples, ask how much it costs to make one unit. Prices on Alibaba are fair, with each item costing between $3 and $6. You can negotiate quickly with suppliers, especially if you plan to work with them for a long time.
Ask on Minimum Order Quantities
This is the smallest number of items that a buyer can buy from a seller. But most sellers are flexible and can work with you to lower the MOQ to a reasonable amount.
How a single person can buy from Alibaba
Most of the time, sellers on Alibaba only deal with people who want to buy things in large quantities. It’s mostly a place to buy and sell in bulk. Even though this is the case, there are still ways to buy products individually.
- Only ask for samples. This is the best way to get single items since sellers only send single samples.
- Find people who buy the items in large quantities and buy from them. AliExpress is a great alternative to Alibaba, where you can buy the same things in stores.
- Some suppliers have a minimum order quantity of one, which means that you can buy just one product or item from them.
FAQs
What makes Alibaba and AliExpress different?
Alibaba is an online marketplace where businesses can sell large quantities of goods to other businesses. AliExpress is an online store that sells goods to the general public. It was made by Alibaba. Companies on Alibaba sell their items on AliExpress at retail prices, but not all AliExpress sellers are also on Alibaba.
Is it Safe to Buy Things on Alibaba?
It’s safe, yes. Alibaba’s payment methods and verification processes show that the buyer is the most important thing to the company. But, just like with any other online shopping, scammers are always trying to get people to give them money. Be careful when you talk to people you don’t know on the internet.
How Should I Pay on Alibaba?
Escrow and PayPal are the safest ways to send money. This lets your money be held until you get the product in good shape. Check for a Gold supplier who offers Trade Assurance to make sure the buyer is safe. Never count on Western Union to pay you, no matter what.
Should I put my money into Alibaba?
Alibaba is a large company with a high stock market value. As more people use it around the world, its value is likely to go up in the coming years. E-commerce businesses are always a good way to get more out of your money. But before you put money into anything, you should always do your research. Don’t put money into something unless you can see its potential.
Last Word
Alibaba is a great place for buyers and sellers to meet and talk. Most of the companies that make them can be trusted, and the prices aren’t too high. It’s also a unique platform. Trust Pilot says that over 9000 reviews of Alibaba have given it 5 stars. Nearly 90% of users said it was a “excellent” platform as well. So, it’s worth all of your money.
Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, you should always get to know the people you deal with. You either get what you want or you don’t. Before you find out more about a seller on Alibaba, you should always treat them as if they are trying to scam you. Check out all the reviews, ask questions, and only trust manufacturers and sellers who have been Verified. As with any other online shopping site, you need to be careful when dealing with sellers and making deals to avoid getting ripped off.
