Latest News From Alibaba
Well, I must admit I received this email from Alibaba in December, but had too much on my mind to post it sooner.
I am a registered vendor on Alibaba (although I have never listed anything for sale), so I get all the inside information. Here's part of the email I received:
"Important Update to Inquiry Policy
Only Gold Suppliers* can reply to inquires beginning in 2016 January!
Dear Respectable Walter,
In order to improve buyers' experience and provide better services to our customers, Alibaba decides to reserve the inquiry reply function to Gold Supplier Members* starting from 2016 January. "
What this means is that virtually every advertiser in Alibaba will soon be a Gold Supplier, so how do you distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly?
No verified or unverified advertisers will be permitted to reply to your inquiries. In reality that doesn't make much difference, because the only checking that is done in order to be verified is to confirm that the business actually exists.
So you mustdeal only with Gold Suppliers, but the only checking that is done in order to be a Gold Supplier is to confirm that the business actually exists. Nothing more.
Why would Alibaba make it virtually impossible for non-gold members to sell? The answer is simple: $$$$$$$$$. The annual fee to become a basic Gold Supplier has now increased from $699 to $1,899. For greater privileges that put a supplier's advertising higher in the listings the fee gets as high as $6,499 per year.
Over the past few years I have seen the price for a Gold Supplier badge range from $2,999 down to $299, back up to $699, and now to $6,499 per year.
In the same email, they offered this encouragement:
"Let's Expand Your Business.
Start by upgrading to a Gold Supplier Membership
Authentication and Verification helps you gain immediate trust from buyers." My bolding.
The only reason buyers trust Gold Suppliers more than they would trust others is the hype that goes with it. Alibaba have plenty of disclaimers telling people, usually in small print and out of the way locations on their site that you can't trust them any more than you can trust non Gold Suppliers. Here is an example from their Resources section:
"Are all Gold Suppliers trustworthy?
Through the completion of the verification process, Alibaba.com can only check whether the business is registered in its local business administration region. This verification does not verify the integrity of the business" As I have explained, that verification process only confirms that the business exists. That's what this statement is saying. "Alibaba.com can only check whether the business is registered...."
Sadly, most people blunder along thinking that Alibaba is the place for product sourcing because almost every "expert" says so. (I don't. I prefer safe sites)
Walter Hay.
I am a registered vendor on Alibaba (although I have never listed anything for sale), so I get all the inside information. Here's part of the email I received:
"Important Update to Inquiry Policy
Only Gold Suppliers* can reply to inquires beginning in 2016 January!
Dear Respectable Walter,
In order to improve buyers' experience and provide better services to our customers, Alibaba decides to reserve the inquiry reply function to Gold Supplier Members* starting from 2016 January. "
What this means is that virtually every advertiser in Alibaba will soon be a Gold Supplier, so how do you distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly?
No verified or unverified advertisers will be permitted to reply to your inquiries. In reality that doesn't make much difference, because the only checking that is done in order to be verified is to confirm that the business actually exists.
So you mustdeal only with Gold Suppliers, but the only checking that is done in order to be a Gold Supplier is to confirm that the business actually exists. Nothing more.
Why would Alibaba make it virtually impossible for non-gold members to sell? The answer is simple: $$$$$$$$$. The annual fee to become a basic Gold Supplier has now increased from $699 to $1,899. For greater privileges that put a supplier's advertising higher in the listings the fee gets as high as $6,499 per year.
Over the past few years I have seen the price for a Gold Supplier badge range from $2,999 down to $299, back up to $699, and now to $6,499 per year.
In the same email, they offered this encouragement:
"Let's Expand Your Business.
Start by upgrading to a Gold Supplier Membership
Authentication and Verification helps you gain immediate trust from buyers." My bolding.
The only reason buyers trust Gold Suppliers more than they would trust others is the hype that goes with it. Alibaba have plenty of disclaimers telling people, usually in small print and out of the way locations on their site that you can't trust them any more than you can trust non Gold Suppliers. Here is an example from their Resources section:
"Are all Gold Suppliers trustworthy?
Through the completion of the verification process, Alibaba.com can only check whether the business is registered in its local business administration region. This verification does not verify the integrity of the business" As I have explained, that verification process only confirms that the business exists. That's what this statement is saying. "Alibaba.com can only check whether the business is registered...."
Sadly, most people blunder along thinking that Alibaba is the place for product sourcing because almost every "expert" says so. (I don't. I prefer safe sites)
Walter Hay.
"If you think education is expensive - consider the cost of ignorance."