4 Ways to Safeguard Yourself When Buying on Alibaba
When doing business overseas you want to learn to protect yourself against loss. You want to be able to avoid scams and middle-men as well as getting substandard products. While there is no one solution that is totally infallible, using a few simple guidelines can prove to be very effective.
Here are a few things you can do to help yourself when dealing with overseas suppliers -
(1). Verification of Suppliers
Believe it or not Alibaba has put a verification program of their own into place. It gives you several different levels of verification. They have 3 levels of verification all total and the chart down below goes into it a little deeper. The verification badges appearing on the product list as well as supplier profiles help give you an idea of what kind of vendor you're dealing with. Having a look at these badges is a good was to start your search.
(2). Ask Questions as Well as Follow-Up
As your search begins to narrow down and you have weeded out most of the competition, it's time to get down to some more serious types of questions. Request a copy of a business license to verify who they are, or maybe even a phone number and then call it right away. Contact them on Skype and request some sample products.
You should feel totally free to ask any questions that pop into your head. It's not too far fetched to have somebody at the factory snap a selfie and send it to you while on the factory floor. You could have them include a copy of today's newspaper as well as a product of theirs. Of course, you don't want to push them away either. Too much distrust will only breed and foster more distrust. It's wise to be cautious but not overly distrustful.
(3). Get Some Samples
It's just good common sense to check out some samples prior to committing to any large amount of inventory and money. You should get the samples in order to verify the 'quality' of the products for yourself. You can even contact them using a fake name and email address.
(4). Things That Seem Too Good to be True
Most everyone has heard that when this happens things usually are too good to be that true and usually aren't. Be wary of promises and prices that run up your skeptic meter. Never be afraid to walk away from any deal that doesn't 'smell' right.
Here are a few things you can do to help yourself when dealing with overseas suppliers -
(1). Verification of Suppliers
Believe it or not Alibaba has put a verification program of their own into place. It gives you several different levels of verification. They have 3 levels of verification all total and the chart down below goes into it a little deeper. The verification badges appearing on the product list as well as supplier profiles help give you an idea of what kind of vendor you're dealing with. Having a look at these badges is a good was to start your search.
(2). Ask Questions as Well as Follow-Up
As your search begins to narrow down and you have weeded out most of the competition, it's time to get down to some more serious types of questions. Request a copy of a business license to verify who they are, or maybe even a phone number and then call it right away. Contact them on Skype and request some sample products.
You should feel totally free to ask any questions that pop into your head. It's not too far fetched to have somebody at the factory snap a selfie and send it to you while on the factory floor. You could have them include a copy of today's newspaper as well as a product of theirs. Of course, you don't want to push them away either. Too much distrust will only breed and foster more distrust. It's wise to be cautious but not overly distrustful.
(3). Get Some Samples
It's just good common sense to check out some samples prior to committing to any large amount of inventory and money. You should get the samples in order to verify the 'quality' of the products for yourself. You can even contact them using a fake name and email address.
(4). Things That Seem Too Good to be True
Most everyone has heard that when this happens things usually are too good to be that true and usually aren't. Be wary of promises and prices that run up your skeptic meter. Never be afraid to walk away from any deal that doesn't 'smell' right.