Alibaba is this a scam? Review and Customers Reviews

Alibaba – is a marketplace for Chinese goods focused on wholesale sales. Both individuals and legal entities can buy goods here. The main advantage online store Alibaba is the ability to negotiate an individual discount with the seller when purchasing large quantities.

But despite the fact that the site is focused on trade for business, here you can buy in small bulk for your personal needs, and some sellers can also offer retail sales. Is Alibaba a scam or an even project?

 

Why Alibaba

Most often those who come to Alibaba are those who already have their own business or are just thinking about starting one. It is on this platform that you can find suppliers for your online store or physical outlets. The platform has tens of thousands of suppliers ready to sell goods ready for shipment, as well as to take orders for manufacturing products. Among the main advantages of the service are:

• A large selection of manufacturers of goods.
• An opportunity to negotiate a better price.
• Fast shipping to any country.
• The possibility of return and exchange of goods.
• Ability to track your order.
• Ability to get product samples.

Most often the platform is seen, of course, as a business partner. But if you have a large friendly family, and you want to save on clothes and shoes, you can buy goods here in bulk. Also, some users of the Internet specifically copied with friends and relatives to buy clothes and shoes at low prices here.

What you can buy at Alibaba

The online hypermarket Alibaba.com offers a huge variety of products.

Agriculture and Food

The category includes such items as, fruits, seeds and bulbs, vegetables, seafood, convenience foods, cooking sets, mushrooms, dried fruits, sauces, canned foods, as well as alcoholic beverages, instant food, drinking water, snacks, condiments, coffee, baby food and more.

Clothing, textiles and accessories

Here you will find clothing for men, women and children, sewing accessories, uniforms, ethnic clothing, mannequins, sports uniforms, as well as clothing materials such as leather, yarn, polyester, cotton, textile accessories, home textiles, chair covers and much more. The category also includes fashion accessories, watches and jewelry.

Auto & Transport

This section includes cars, trucks, trains, auto parts and accessories, trailers, golf carts, motorcycles and scooters, ambulances, ATVs, containers, and other vehicles. You can also buy consumables, oils, additives, seat covers, auto body parts, seat belts, car lights, and more.

Bags, shoes and accessories

In this section of the catalog you will find business bags and cases, suitcases, briefcases, shopping bags, backpacks, shopping carts, bags for sports and leisure, cart bags, cosmetic bags, purses, as well as women’s, men’s and children’s shoes, dance shoes, athletic shoes and various accessories.

Electronics

In this section of the catalog you will find everything from home appliances to cell phones and accessories. Here you can buy radios and TVs, chargers, e-cigarettes, video games and accessories, hand dryers, air conditioners, home heaters and other products.

Electrical equipment, components and telecommunications

In this category of the site alibaba.com you can buy solar panels, power tools, electrical equipment, generators, professional audio and video equipment, batteries, fuses, motors, power accessories, power supplies, and much more.

Gifts, sports, toys

This section of Alibaba Hypermarket includes sports and entertainment products, musical instruments, sports equipment, sports equipment, souvenirs, scooters, home decorations, gift sets, music boxes, holiday gifts, wedding decorations and gifts, children’s toys, construction kits, educational toys, and hundreds of other items.

Beauty and Health

Here you will find medicines, animal extracts, dental equipment, medical supplies, medical software, cosmetic devices, oral hygiene products, products for female and male hygiene, products for manicure, shaving supplies and more.

Home and Garden

In this category you can buy bathroom building materials, boards, ceilings, countertops, doors and windows, fireplaces and furnaces, elevators, elevator parts, cookware, home decor, household chemicals, home goods, garden products, furniture, lighting fixtures and accessories, etc.

Machines, industrial parts and tools

This category is represented by agricultural and construction equipment, electronic and construction equipment, packaging machines, pharmaceutical equipment, production molds, power tools, tool kits, hand tools, lawn mowers, etc.

Metallurgy, chemistry, rubber and plastics

The category is represented by such goods as copper, glass, iron, graphite products, waste products, rubber products, rubber raw materials, plastic pipes, petrochemical products, crude oil, diesel fuel, etc.

Packaging, advertising, office

In this category you will find products such as tape, aluminum foil metal composite packaging materials, food packaging, cans, pens, bottles, school and office supplies, advertising equipment, equipment for exhibitions, vending machines, shelves, refrigeration equipment and much more. On the site alibaba.com millions of products from hundreds of thousands of sellers. Here you can really find everything you need, from socks to cars.

 

How to find the right product at alibaba.com

If you speak English, it won’t be a problem for you to find what you need on the website alibaba.com. Knowing the exact name of the product, you can enter it in the search field and press Enter. After that, the system will find all the appropriate options for you, and you can choose a product for yourself. In addition, you can search the site by supplier, by photo of the product and by service recommendations. To find a product by photo, click on the “photo” icon in the search bar. After that, you need to select a photo on your computer and upload the image. Then click on the “magnifying glass” icon and the system will find all similar options for you.

Product card

After selecting an item, simply click on its image to get to its card. All Alibaba buyers are advised to carefully read the information in the product card. It’s also better to contact the seller before placing an order and check the price for the quantity of the item you plan to buy, even if it’s listed in the card. In the product card you can see the available payment options, with a description of the selected product, its characteristics and features. You can also see the minimum number of units to buy and manufacturer information in the product card.

 

How to order from Alibaba

Before making an order on Alibaba.com you need to go through the registration procedure. It should be noted that when registering you need to completely fill out your profile, which will not only increase the level of trust to you sellers, but also help to quickly resolve various issues and receive recommendations afterwards.

How to register at alibaba.com

To register on the site, you need to click on the user icon and select the “Register for Free” function. You will then be prompted to fill out a registration form. The registration form must be completed in English. To register, you will need to provide the following information:

• Country of residence.
• Purpose of Registration.
• Email address.
• Password.
• Confirm password.
• Company name.
• First and Last Name.
• Cell phone number.

Next, you must pass the spam check, agree to the terms of use of the site and click on the “Register” button. If everything is filled out correctly, you will see a message about successful registration and will be able to log in to your personal account on the platform.

Personal Cabinet

By successfully registering on the website alibaba.com, you will be able to enter your personal cabinet. The personal cabinet of the online store allows you to manage your orders, view your favorites, edit your personal data, and send requests for proposals. Here you can contact suppliers, open a dispute, and communicate with customer support. Alibaba.com front office is very similar to aliexpress.com. The cabinet offers users the same features and almost exactly repeats the functionality of the cabinet of a well-known online retailer from the same company.

How to place an order

The procedure for placing an order on Alibaba is much different from shopping on other sites. First of all, pay attention to the status of the seller, which you can see in the product card. There are currently three statuses on the site, namely:

• Free member – a vendor with a free account. Specialists warn that there are often cheaters among such vendors. We don’t recommend ordering from vendors with this status, even if their prices are much lower than those of trusted vendors.
• Gold Supplier – a reliable category of sellers who have been trading on the site for a long time. Their personal information is verified online.
• Assessed Supplier – Super reliable sellers who have been verified by an Alibaba.com representative. This is the most reliable category of suppliers.

Buyers are advised to buy from reliable and trusted sellers. Once you have selected a product, you need to contact the vendor. To do this, click on the “Send Message” button in the product card. After sending the message you can start bidding. Please note that you will have to communicate with the vendor in English. If you do not speak English, you may use Google Translator to explain in common phrases. In the request, you need to specify the data about yourself, the name of your company, a detailed description of the product you need, its qualities, color, size, and the quantity you want to buy. After you receive a response from the supplier you will receive a notification in the mail.

Once you receive this notification, go to your profile and continue communicating with the vendor in the message center. Next, you will need to enter into a contract. After that, you can start paying for your order and select your delivery option. From then on, you will be able to track your order in your personal account, as well as by the tracking number you have received. If you want to buy goods on Alibaba.com at retail, you need to contact the supplier in a chat and ask for retail terms. In this case the supplier can give you a link to the product on AliExpress or offer other purchase options.

Additional features

Alibaba, an online hypermarket for wholesale Chinese goods, offers a number of additional services that will make shopping on the site enjoyable and safe.

Trade guarantee

Alibaba Trade Assurance protects you from low-quality products and late deliveries. To use Trade Assurance, you need to select a supplier from the Trade Assurance category and pay for your order via Alibaba. Trade Assurance covers all items purchased from Trade Assurance vendors and paid for via Alibaba. The term of Trade Assurance is 30 days from the date of receipt of the order.

Production monitoring

Production monitoring reduces the risk of production delays and defects. The service costs $48 and provides constant tracking and reporting of production progress. By ordering this service, you will always be aware of all the stages of production of your product, reduce the risk of order delays, and be able to review product information before shipping.

Knowledge Base

If this is your first time on the site alibaba.comBe sure to visit the Help Center. Here you’ll find answers to the most common user questions, instructions on how to pay for and select products, what to do if you didn’t receive your order or received an item of improper quality, and information about what to do if you forgot your password or your account was deactivated.

Business Identification

Business Identification helps sellers recognize potential buyers and helps buyers get a quick response from suppliers when they check out. In addition, verified buyers can enjoy additional benefits and participate in promotions with Alibaba.com partners. Business identification is completely free and can be completed in any way you like.

Logistics Service

With Alibaba’s logistics service, you can always choose the best shipping company, review the shipping options and get your order just in time. To use the logistics service, you need to provide the details of your order and choose an offer from one of the carriers. Next, you need to upload the documents for shipment. After that you will be able to control your shipment, and the logistics service team will help you to solve any issues that arise.

Service mailing list

By subscribing to Alibaba’s newsletter service, you’ll receive the latest industry news and up-to-date information about products on the site. You can also find out about new promotions and discounts, new arrivals, new models and various bonuses.

 

Mobile application

Alibaba’s online platform offers its customers an official mobile app that gives you convenient and fast access to a huge database of products and reliable suppliers. In the mobile app you can quickly search for products and suppliers, view personal recommendations, send purchase requests, add your favorite products to “Favorites”, communicate in group chats, view your activity history and use the “Trade Guarantee” service. Alibaba mobile app can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store.

 

Payment and Shipping at Alibaba

The Alibaba Online Wholesale Hypermarket offers customers a variety of payment and delivery options. You can pay for your order both online and through third-party services. In addition, you can use the services of a logistics service to order faster and more reliable delivery when purchasing an item.

How to pay for the order

Alibaba online store offers its customers numerous payment options. Payment can be made in the following ways:

• The internal system of the site Secure Payment. With the site’s internal payment system you can pay with a bank card, or with e-payment. Payment through own payment system allows you to protect your funds, because you transfer them to the service account, and the online store freezes them until you receive your order. For payment in internal payment system Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express and other cards are accepted.
• Payment by Bank Card. If you choose this method of payment, you pay for your item directly to the seller. Please note that each seller can put their own conditions on payment by bank card. Most often Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted for payment.
• PayPal. By choosing this payment method, you will be redirected to the payment system PayPalwhere you can choose the most convenient method of payment. Here you can pay with a bank card or e-wallet.
• Wire transfer. If you choose this method of payment, you will receive details for payment from the seller. It should be noted that the shipment of goods in this case, as well as the beginning of its production is carried out only after full payment for the order.

Ways to deliver the product

Every buyer is required to fill out a shipping form when making a contract on Alibaba. On this form you need to specify the time you give to the seller to form the order, as well as the date of receipt of the goods. Please note that for large orders shipping may be free, but customs may charge extra fees. On alibaba.com you can order the following types of shipping:

• Express Delivery. This is the most expensive type of delivery on the site. Delivery is made by transportation companies. Most often transport companies require prepayment for delivery.
• Mail delivery. If you choose this method of delivery, it is necessary to read the terms of delivery in your region. It should be noted that the time of delivery by mail may increase as the goods are shipped.
• Delivery by Alibaba Logistics Service. With Alibaba.com’s logistics service you can choose your shipping company and delivery option. Partnering with a logistics service gives you benefits such as accurate order tracking at all stages of delivery.

Ways to return merchandise

If you purchased goods from Alibaba with a trade warranty, you can return items of improper quality or not matching your order within 30 days of receipt. To return an item of improper quality or not matching your order you need to contact the site’s support team and open a dispute. If you bought the product without a trade warranty, you need to contact the supplier for a refund. To do this in your personal cabinet you can open a dispute with the supplier, during which all disputed issues will be resolved.

Please note that if you receive a product of proper quality, it cannot be returned. Please also note that you will need to pay for return shipping if you return the item. If you return the goods, the buyer will be refunded within 30 days whether or not the seller has received the goods. However, you will need to provide proof of the return shipment.

 

Bonuses at Alibaba

At alibaba.com, each seller is entitled to give their customers various discounts and bonuses. You can get a discount during the bidding process when you place an order. The Alibaba platform itself also gives some bonuses.

Buying credit

The credit is only available to a U.S. company. Under the credit, you can make a purchase and pay for it within 6 months. Customers can get up to a 50% discount on fees compared to other loans. The loan is available in amounts ranging from $500 to $150,000. Loan decisions are made literally within 10 minutes.

Installment for 60 days

Installments are provided by Alibaba only to qualified U.S. companies. The installment allows you to make a down payment of 30% and repay the rest within two months.

Discount 10% on products of the week

Choose your product of the week and get a discount from 10%. Be sure to take advantage of the best offer from merchants. Please note that the list of promotional items is updated every week.

Fast free shipping

You can find a wide range of items with fast free shipping at the Small Items Marketplace. Keep an eye on this section and purchase a variety of small items with free shipping.

Coupons

Promo codes for an additional discount on the site can be obtained at specialized sites of the company’s partners. Also at such sites you can get a cashback when buying at Alibaba.

Affiliate Program

If you are an experienced webmaster and you want to promote Alibaba website services, look for an affiliate program for your online store in the major CPA networks on the Internet. Please note, you can join an affiliate program only if you have your own Internet resource, blog or group in social networks which corresponds to the theme of the platform. CPA network Admitad offers a reward of 5.8% of the paid order.

 

Complaints about Alibaba

Researching online reviews of the Alibaba.com platform, we found both positive and negative comments. Many users of the platform complain about the fact that the ordered goods were not delivered to them, and the seller did not return the money. There are also many complaints about receiving low-quality goods. It should be noted that about 30% buyers think this online store is a scam. However, about 70% buyers are satisfied with their purchases and among the advantages they single out the quality of products and prompt service. Also among the advantages of the online store buyers note a really wide range of products, the possibility of bargaining with the supplier, the ability to track your order and receive additional discounts and bonuses from the sellers.

When starting to work with Alibaba.com platform, you should understand that this platform is only an intermediary between the seller and the buyer, and therefore you can really meet unscrupulous suppliers on the site. To protect buyers from such sellers the company offers to use the service “Trade guarantee”. In this case you do not pay the seller directly, and your money is frozen on the service account until you receive the goods.

If you receive an inappropriate product or don’t receive it at all, you can easily get your money back without additional worries and losses. Also, the administration of the service, responding to customer complaints, notes that you need to choose sellers more carefully and pay attention to their status. Work only with verified sellers, even if their prices are a little higher, and it will give you a guarantee of getting the goods of proper quality and just in time.

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Supervisory authorities

Alibaba online store is owned by Alibaba Group, founded in 1999 by Jack Ma in China. The company is governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China, as well as the authorized bodies of China. The relationship between the administration of the Alibaba Platform and customers is governed by the “Terms of Use of the Website”.

Alibaba.com User Agreement

Alibaba’s User Agreement is referred to as the “Website Terms of Use”. According to these Terms of Use, users of legal age and capacity may use the site, unless the laws of your country prohibit you from using the platform.

Alibaba.com has the right, at its sole discretion and at any time, to suspend, block or delete a user’s account without giving any reason. Therefore, please read all of the provisions of this document carefully so that you won’t have any problems with the site afterwards.

Customer Service

Alibaba’s customer support team strives to resolve all customer issues as quickly as possible. Before contacting support, we recommend that you visit the Help Center, where you can find answers to the most common customer questions. If you can’t find an answer to your question, you can send a support request via the feedback form. Please note that we recommend to write your request in English for it to be considered quickly. You can also contact the support team via online chat on the website. The working time of the chat is 24/7.

 

Is Alibaba a Scam?

Alibaba – is a well-known Chinese wholesale hypermarket. Entrepreneurs from all over the world look for their suppliers here. Given the large number of complaints about the online store, many Internet users wonder if Alibaba is a scam or if it is really possible to buy wholesale goods from China at low prices. Having analyzed the work of the online store, reviews on the Internet, as well as customer service and legal information about the company, we can confidently state that Alibaba.com is not a scam.

Here you can really find a reliable supplier and arrange the supply of goods for your business on favorable terms. However, given the fact that unscrupulous sellers are often found on the site, you should choose your supplier responsibly. To be on the safe side, never pay by bank transfer, choose a highly rated vendor, and even better, use a “Goods Guarantee”, because only then your money will be securely stored until you receive your ordered goods.

 

Conclusion

If you are just starting a business with China and want to find a reliable and responsible supplier of goods, the online hypermarket Alibaba – is just what you need. There are hundreds of thousands of merchants and millions of items. On the site you can buy almost any item from socks and underwear to home appliances and cars. The main advantage of Alibaba is that you can get the best price from the seller.

Do not hesitate to haggle with sellers and set your own terms of purchase. And by finding a reliable supplier, you can not only make a good profit, but also establish yourself as a reliable seller among your customers. Also, before buying goods you can always ask to send product samples, which in some cases you can even get for free. Do not be afraid to build new relationships, look for new contacts and cooperate with new suppliers, because your business will only benefit from this.