Alibaba advice

mmcmahon

Hi

Was just wondering if anyone had any dealings with alibaba members who were not Gold Suppliers or TrustPass Members? I had a quote for memory cards from a guy in China (who was verivied) for $50 per unit. Another 4 or 5 quotes then came in from other Chinese firms for around $65.

Then i had a quote from a firm in Texas who said they could do them for $34.50!! The price is obviously good (maybe too good?) but they only joined alibaba in August and are not verified. I emailed the guy to ask if he had a website I could look at (which he did - but it's not that professional looking)

I really don't want to risk sending $1380 (40 unit minimum buy) over to someone I don't know, but I also think that if he is legit I could make some money from the deal.

Anyone been in this situation before?

Cheers

Martin

syanide

TO BE HONEST reseach (very very well) any company on alibaba. Most of them are well known for scamming. It's known as the scammers scammer play ground in china.

syanide

there are a few sites to check out.. 'badsuppliers.com' is one.. but do a google search on identifying fake or scamming manufacturers... and always remember is something looks or feels wrong go on your instincts. ie.. if the emails are .yahoo / hotmail etc and not company addresses. check the website does the domain correspond to the company (whois.net for getting details), do names match up.. do a google search on the 'company name' + scam or the like.. make sure details MATCH. when you get a quote get references from other companies in your country and make sure you get copies of the manufactures certificates and company registration numbers. if possible pay via L/C (letter of credit) therefore you can get the goods inspected before you pay. Check the bank details the company has given 'is it a personal account' or a REAL business. etc... in essense do your homework before you shell out any cash. If you investigate the people first before you buy you should get a better idea if they are real or a scam. Also remember some will allow you to buy small at first but on the first big order they may vanish.. so its all risk and NEVER put all your eggs into one basket, if a huge order is one where if you get scammed you will go bust, your are doing the wrong deal. deals do go sour so dont buy quantities (unless you pick them up in person or have an agent to do it) your cannot afford to lose the cash on if all goes wrong.

Hope this helps

Steve

mhuk

Ask for references e.g. satisfied customers.

mike230652

You mean alibaba...as in " Alibaba and the 40 thieves.............."....imho! That's my own personal view of them............

Mike

soolin

mike230652 wrote:

You mean alibaba...as in " Alibaba and the 40 thieves.............."....imho! That's my own personal view of them............

Mike

Actually,, now you say that mike is seems sort of strange doesn't it? Why would any legit company use a name that reminds people of thieves?

Very odd

Soo

RogerPJ

soolin wrote:

Actually,, now you say that mike is seems sort of strange doesn't it? Why would any legit company use a name that reminds people of thieves?

Very odd

Soo

Alibaba is a website for advertising trading links, it doesn't get involved in the trade itself. I use www.made-in-china.com and thoroughly research any company before sending the cash. So far no problems, but I'm always getting spam from companies offering very cheap deals...

You could try calling their bluff and asking if you can visit them. I have used this and any scammers usually go silent. You could even have a Texan friend who'll visit them...

Remember to factor in import duty, carriage and VAT on the total paid (goods+duty+carriage), you might find the profit margin so small that it's not worth the risk.

Good luck!