Is Alibaba Safe and Reliable? Is Alibaba legit? : Free Guide 2020

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Is Alibaba reliable?  Is Alibaba Safe? Is Alibaba legit?

Are the Gold vendor and Trade Assurance a 100% safe for sellers?

Of course, most new importers get worried.

Hence, in this guide, we will reveal certain issues that subsist in Alibaba.

So you know how to stay safe from such scams, the products and suppliers you don’t need, and so forth.

Also, we have attached a checklist to recognize valuable suppliers in Alibaba at the end of this guide.

We have written this article on the basis of our experience. We also take guarantee that you will get a detailed knowledge of Alibaba till the end of this article. So here you go.

What is Alibaba?

Alibaba is, in fact, China’s, or to some extent, the globe’s largest online shopping company. It has 3 main websites that are Taobao, Alibaba.com, and Tmall.

These websites contain millions of customers. They also treat millions of sellers as well as businesses.

Above all, Alibaba deals with more businesses. Compared to any other online shopping company in the world.

Is Alibaba safe and reliable?

The precise answer to the question “is Alibaba safe and reliable” is yes. Alibaba is, without any doubt, safe. But the bigger answer is Alibaba is safe if you learn the signs to consider. It is necessary to opt for the right merchant.

Since the riskiest barriers to locating the right supplier are the middle-men as well as scammers.

By good luck, it is not hard to ignore these signs.

Is Alibaba Legit?

So is Alibaba legitimate? Alibaba is among the biggest e-commerce sites in China or maybe the world.

So it is legitimate.

The vendors who sell using this site, although, are some other story. Whilst most of those suppliers are on this site for business only.

6 Risks when ordering from Alibaba

1.Get your payment but don’t ship your products.

Most internet users fear the fraud of paying money.

Yet not receiving products when buying online. This is the most common fear and risk people face while shopping from Alibaba.

But, it is, in fact, impossible for such things to occur amongst Chinese vendors selling on Alibaba.

2.Low price to attract you but raise the price before placing an order

When the cost is, of course, lower compared to the market cost for your product, please consider it. You will not be notified that the verified cost is not available for your order.

After you have set up the sample and you are prepared to place the order. But, in an instant, the cost increases. The manner to ignore this risk is to not work with suppliers who promote low costs.

 3.Low price to attract you but ripe you off on shipping fees

So you want to learn the truth?

Indeed, there are various low-cost freight agents in China, who own transit bases.

Such as firms like DHL. They, in general, need longer times for transit. Most Chinese vendors can obtain lower shipping costs from these agencies.

After that, report those to you at a greater rate.

4.The sample is good, but send you bulk order mixed with defect products

Maybe, the sample they send to you is in great condition.

But often, defective items also get incorporated in with the Alibaba bulk items. The look of those defective products may not appear to be a huge issue.

But their performance or lifespan becomes worse over time.

5.Sell fake or infringement products

There are many vendors on Alibaba who sell imported items at an affordable rate.

For example, DJI Drone, electronic appliances, and mobile phones.

Such types of items contain infringement problems. They are hard to go through customs as well.

Kindly do not rely on your luck and become obsessed with the costs if you do not own a particular channel.

6.Agree on Trade Assurance at the beginning, but refuse before you place an order. 

At first, certain vendors allow accepting payments through Trade Assurance.

But once you place your order, they may ask you for making the offline installment. Or they use the excuse of lack of installments or charge you other fees.

If this occurs, do not pay outside the Alibaba website. As this kind of operation done outside risks the security, you get from Alibaba of Trade Assurance.

Suggested reading:How to Avoid alibaba scams : Ultimate Guide

 How to buy from Alibaba safely

Review the Company Profile

All the company profiles contain all the important information in Alibaba.

The information is confirmed and not confirmed by Alibaba.

If there is a verified mark on the supplier’s profile, you are good to buy.

If there is not any verified mark, we suggest you research from top to bottom about the company.

What is Alibaba Trade Assurance? 

There appears to be a large number of doubts about the Trade Assurance of Alibaba.

Trade Assurance is the most secure method to purchase Alibaba China products.

As per the Alibaba website, in fact, the Trade Assurance is a program with no cost for users to use that.

It implies that your purchased products are safe until you receive your items.

Hence, if for any reason, you put the order and never receive the items.

Then Alibaba is responsible. After that, they manage conflicts as well as disputes with the vendor for you.

Alibaba tries to make a simple and secure purchasing experience for you. This is the reason they take a money-back guarantee.

When your order does not fulfill your requirements. (if you and the vendor agree).

On the other hand, Trade Assurance began utilizing a credit-rating framework. It provides the vendors a reward to make sure you receive your items on time, and in perfect conditions.

How do you pay with Alibaba Trade Assurance?

These are the stages for paying by utilizing Trade Assurance as per Alibaba.

1. Place the order with the Trade Assurance vendor
2. Pay the vendor through the steps mentioned on Alibaba
3. Get your delivery
4. Leave your feedback for the order and the vendor.

While you look for a vendor, the one with the Trade Assurance mark.

So place your order the same way you do with all other vendors. There is not so much to do for you since Alibaba secures your order and payment.

But remember: once you pay with your bank card, Alipay, or Paypal, your order is secured. One other method to be sure of Alibaba is to ensure the vendor accepts safe ways of payment.

Best Payment Methods to Use on Alibaba

The legit Alibaba manufacturers and suppliers accept the following methods of payment:

• Alipay (quite secure)
• Paypal (most secure)
• Bank cards (quite secure)

Yes, you may also pay using bank cards. In all honestly, you are a 100% secure just by ensuring the payment conditions on Alibaba are secure.

Until the items you receive. If you do not get your products at all, Alibaba will give you your money back.

Then, it will file a dispute with the vendor for your sake.

Supplier Status 

One other method to check in a quick way if the Alibaba suppliers are okay to operate with. You have to check if the supplier has a verified mark on it.

Also, make sure to check if the supplier is Gold.

The Alibaba manufacturer can’t place the verified symbol on its listing. Alibaba sends a third-party investigation company to the factories of the suppliers.

To verify all the products they claim are genuine. And to know if their business is real and located in the registered area.

Best suppliers on Alibaba try to make sure. That their business gets verified by various investigation companies. So you feel safe and secure to buy products from them.

1.Company Name

(Note: This is relevant to firms registered in just the People’s Republic of China)

• City: Small as well as medium enterprises have the town they are situated in like a part of their company’s name. Such as Ningbo Trading Corporation.
• Province: Bigger companies can also be titled on the basis of the province in which they are situated. Such as Zhejiang Trading Corporation.

2.Business Type

• Manufacturer.This implies the vendor is only importing the items from producers. A producer can only look after the assembly line, establishment, and tool kits of their firm. Due to this, producers are inclined to be very functional in their product fields.
• Trading Company. Certain Trading Firms are autonomous. Whilst others have or belong to certain producing companies. So whilst everyone needs to get rid of the third-parties. Note: various mills in Asia do not own the expertise of selling the things they produce. But, certain Trading firms do not provide added value yet raise the prices.
• Manufacturer and Trading Company. Various mills have increased their operations. By not just exporting and advertising products created in their firms. But also by selling the same products created by other mills. Whilst this type of business shows that the firm is, without any doubt, a producer. You cannot ensure if they are producing or subletting your goods. So it is hard to make sure whether the provider is a secure option or not.

Management Certification

 While opting for Alibaba China online shopping, quality is the main risk. Indeed, the quality issue is a larger reason to waste money compared to being conned.

The quality issue can not be eliminated in every way, but it can be reduced.

If the vendor uses QMS, or Quality Management System, for example, ISO9001.

• An honest Alibaba manufacturer always checks the quality. You will know the time to get rid of a Chinese vendor. Once they take a guarantee of providing defective-free and non-damaged goods.
• ISO agreement is not having a quality check before packing and shipping the products. The vendor must inspect the raw materials along with substances before producing products. Also, they should set an inspection station for the products. In the end, do a final review of the product.

Registered Address

• Province/city.Various areas in China are very specialized in more than one industry. A producer depends on the many assistive industries. For example, logistics, raw materials, components, and labor. So due to this reason, a provider based in the business cluster is more inclined to be competitive. Compared to a vendor who is not based in the business cluster.

How to Communicate with Your Suppliers Safely

Requesting a Quote 

These are some essential queries to take into account for your e-mail address:

• Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s)

If you see the minimum order is for 60 pieces. You may negotiate the Minimum Order Quantity with the supplier. Also, the vendor can export some products for free when you ask them.

• Pricing For Samples

Ensure to ask their cost for each unit if they send their samples to you. For the reason that often, it is greater than their overall prices.

• Production Pricing

The production cost may vary starting from $1 upto infinity. Getting discounted prices, rely upon the huge order that you have placed.

• Payment Terms 

You may need to ensure that the vendor agrees to the payment terms that you are comfortable with. When they do not agree, you must find some other supplier who does.

Review Supplier’s Product Catalog

The last step is the easiest for making yourself secure on Alibaba China wholesale.

The Alibaba vendor’s product catalog may provide you with information.

Also, it is a vital factor while opting for a vendor. The specialization product gives many benefits leaving a great effect on your business.

To-do list When you buy from alibaba 

• Is the product included in the vendor’s company profile?
• Is your product included in the product catalog of the vendor on Alibaba?
• Is the vendor listing goods that are unique as a whole from the kind you are searching for?

Legit vendors who are specialized in some products are great at handling quality. The cost can also be lower. Because they get huge volumes of raw material, components, and toolkits.

These are just used for the production of the products.

You cannot utilize similar labor or toolkit for the production. “Something here, something there.” The assertive vendor tends to drop goods from an expert producer.

Suggested reading:How to order from alibaba : ultimate guide

Avoid these two types of suppliers

1.Hot-selling-type trading company

These vendors are, by and large, small Alibaba trading company in China.

Once they view some famous products, they upload their product images to the Alibaba website.

But they do not have stock accessible for such products.

When you ask them a question, they ask the quotes from the production lines where the product is being made. Then they add their profit before providing the product to you.

Also, there is a good chance that you may come across these problems. The sample is from someone else, mass production is from someone else.

Also, the trading company chooses a factory that gives affordable rates. That will cause compromised quality.

2.Grocery-type trading company 

The con of such suppliers is that they contain an assortment of products they offer.

For instance, many suppliers export phone devices as well as makeup kits.

When you plan to work on one niche. Kindly choose a supplier who specializes in that particular product category.

4 Tips For buying from Alibaba safe

It is unfortunate that not all suppliers on Alibaba are as prominent as they must be. The fact is you may find a few suppliers who end up exporting low-quality goods. This can give rise to issues with the buyers.

So when you need to improve your chances that you must not end up with these problems. It is necessary that you pay attention to the following tips for safety.

1.Use Reputable Suppliers

There are numerous types of suppliers provided by Alibaba. The vendors have to go through some extra phases to get verified. There is not a full assurance of great quality.

But when you search for vendors with 3 main ratings mentioned below. You will be able to find the one who makes quality a priority.

• Gold supplier. Gold suppliers pay an expensive cost for being pre-qualified. In most instances, when the fee is given, it implies that there are fewer chances of you getting conned.
• Trade Assurance Supplier. Having this sign means that you can now be sure the goods are verified before shipping. Also, they will reach you on time. Or you will get a refund if anything happens from Alibaba.
• Assessed Supplier. The 3rd-party investigator has visited the supplier. So you will find a report of their factory’s results. You can also download the report.

This is great, to begin with when lowering the possibilities of the suppliers. You must be aware of vendors who ask for payment before sending you the goods.

This might be the sign that the vendor is shady and might scam you.

2.Check the Reviews and Ratings

When you choose a vendor, ensure you check their reviews as well as ratings on their profile. You can see the reviews on the website of Alibaba.

Indeed, it is a great idea to narrow down the list of suppliers.

Also, Google the name of the supplier to know more about their offerings and quality. For further information, Google the profile name with words, such as “scam.”

Also, there are some foreign supplier sites, such as Supplier Blacklist. This site gives reviews and alerts for some suppliers. This is a great way to research more about them.

As you go through the sites and reviews, look out for these warning signals:

• Prices of products are low in association with negative feedback about poor quality.
• Negative feedback about damaged parts or defective goods.
• The feedback that the primary delivery was great. But the next one showed a quality issue.
• The low-quality work environment in production plants.

Whilst you cannot ignore poor quality every time. You may get rid of the chances of getting stuck with lower quality products.

3.Avoid Brand Name Products

Last but not least, while going through vendors and expecting to get a great one for working. Search for those suppliers who claim to provide original brands.

On the whole, certified goods are unavailable on Alibaba.

Hence, if you come across a vendor purporting to sell brands. Such as Coach, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and so on. There is a great chance that they are trying to scam you.

Or in turn, if you export such goods, you might be subject to lawful action. Hence, look out for vendors who purport to provide you with access to famous brands at affordable rates. The possibility is that you can end up in problems.

4.Consider Your Gut 

Do not ignore to pay attention to your gut feeling. If something appears to be out of the question, the chances are it is.

Do you feel something is way better at the cheapest rates?

Do you have suspicions of how simple it appears to happen?

Stepping back is the right thing to do.

Of course, you would not like ending up being scammed.

8 Tips For selecting a reliable supplier on Alibaba

1.Is the company profile completed?

Check if these are verified vendors, Trade Assurance, and certified sellers. This is an initial check for Chinese vendors.

2.The professionalism of product line in store

Check the professionalism of the product line to know if the vendor is perfect to become lifetime partner.

3.The company’s display page

Most sellers post pictures of their exhibitions, certificates, office, and so on. But make sure to determine if the photos are real or photoshopped.

Vendors appear to be more trustworthy if they post photos of their products.

4.Does Alibaba’s communication have a timely response?

Most of the time, you communicate with the salesman of the vendor.

Most salespersons have apps to let them talk to you in no time.

A response on time can incline towards better service and may solve your issues in no time.

5.Professional in their product

You can know the professionalism of the vendor by knowing what material they use in their products.

If the vendors can resolve your issues, you can assume they have expertise in the product niche.

6.Any updated catalog or product manual?

 Most suppliers’ categories are old on Alibaba. Ask the vendor if they can provide you their new product catalogs and manuals.

Above all, for the products with great competency, you might require some details as well as parameters.

7.Is it possible to provide their customers’ contact information?

Some Alibaba wholesale suppliers show their clients their contact info.

All in all, when you like to know other customer’s info, the vendor might reject you for retaining others’ privacy.

But you can ask for their customer’s portfolio so you have an idea of their strength in the field.

8.Do they attend any fairs? 

Ask your vendor if they attend any exhibitions, for example, the Cantor Fair.

A few vendors do not spend a large sum of money on extensive fairs.

Vendors who participate in numerous extensive exhibitions are large as well as standard.

How to pay on Alibaba

You need to invest money in business. It might be a frightening plan since you do not know what you will get in exchange for money.

So what happens when you get scammed or the vendor does not meet your needs?

There is a risk to rationalize.

When you work with a vendor on Alibaba, you will find many payment methods.

Suggested reading:How To Pay On Alibaba Payment : Ultimate Guide 2020

Alibaba Trade Assurance Or Escrow

Escrow is the most favored way since it protects both the supplier and the buyer.

Your money is kept in another account and handled by the 3rd-party. When the shipment is approved, the money is delivered.

Using Escrow, the vendor knows money is locked, and they can have the money once they deliver the item.

At once, the buyer learns that the money is still there. They will get it back if the supplier doesn’t send the products.

PayPal

Most vendors on Alibaba take PayPal. But it is not the most favored method.

Because buyers are taking a risk if the vendor is not honest, so they will not get their money back.

But at the same time, Paypal offers protection to the buyer and it gives a bit of relief.

Letter of Credit

The LOC is given by the bank to the bank of the supplier to act as a guarantee for the payments. The vendor confirms if the LOC is real and then delivers the order.

After that, the vendors take the relevant documents to the bank to get the LOC.

Now, the vendor receives the money and the bank gets the money from the purchaser.

But you cannot place a large order of more than $15,000. This will get you in trouble.

Bank Or Wire Transfer

Wire transfer is the standard method for payments to factories in China. Wire transfer does cost some money, but it is for your own good.

Because it allows free transactions to foreign countries. Most Chinese factories take wire transfer as payments.

Western Union

It is, in fact, not a good idea to send money using Western Union. If your vendor pressures you to transfer money using this method, it can be a major sign. That the vendor is none other than a scammer.

Also, there is no other way of getting a refund if your vendor scams or frauds with you.

So choose Escrow because it is the easiest and most protected way. This is also significant when you work with some new vendors.

Pros and Cons of Buying from Alibaba 

Like all sourcing websites, there are some pros as well as cons attached to purchasing from Alibaba wholesale. So take the points below into your account to make the best decision.

Pros

• Lower prices. It can provide you with many cost savings. Alibaba provides you access to costs that are lower compared to the costs in the United States.
• An assortment of goods. When you imagine a product, you will most likely find that on Alibaba. You will find millions of goods related to all niches.
• Personalized goods. Personalize your products. If you want your labels on the product or if you need something particular. You can personalize your goods without any trouble.
• Product labeling. The same way you customize your goods, you can also personalize the labeling of the product. You get the ability to ensure everything is as per your requirements.
• Check your goods. Using dropshipping, you cannot view the products before they go to the customers. You will have no idea of the quality. But with Alibaba buyer protection, you can view and inspect the products.
• Work with vendors. You may work straight with the producers. Just check your vendors to make sure you work with the third-parties. Yet, as such, working straight with the producers is not a small task.
• Recognize quality vendors. Due to the rigorous ways Alibaba use, it has become easier for buying from Alibaba safe products. You only need to recognize quality vendors, so you will not face any issues later.

Cons

• It might take longer. The biggest con is that products might take some time to reach you.
• A minimum order might be expensive. You may need to place a large order and that might be expensive for you.
• Quality issues. Sometimes the thing you see in the pictures does not appear to be the same in real. You may receive low-quality or broken products.

How Leelinesourcing help you buy from Alibaba safely

Leelinesourcing is always here to help the buyer make the right choice.

As always, today, we are also trying to make your life easier.

So when you ask, is Alibaba safe? We would say yes.

Because we as a sourcing agent assist you to receive the high-quality goods in mint condition.

Here is how we help you to get the best products at the best rates.

• When you choose to buy from the wide variety of products at Alibaba. You only need to share your request with us. Afterward, sit back and relax, let us do the rest!
• Our Quality Control team reviews every product to make sure. It is in great condition and it verifies with specifications. We guarantee you get the perfect product.
• Combine your orders into one package or freight to save around 70% of shipping costs! We utilize box which has never been utilized and we ensure products are secure!
• We deliver your products as per your chosen delivery method. We deliver by Air Express, Air Freight, and Sea Freight.

So what are you waiting for?

Place your order now! Leelinesourcing – Your Trusted Sourcing Partner In China is here for you.

Send us your request now

Conclusion

So is Alibaba safe? Is Alibaba reliable? Is Alibaba legit?

Yes, Alibaba is a great site to source goods for your store.

The costs are affordable, and if you find the best vendor, you will get great deals and high-quality products.

Alibaba is the best solution for people who look to private label their products and get the best costs possible.