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Alibaba.com

by KRobertson
10 replies
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I found some decent wholesalers on Alibaba.com I'm thinking about creating a drop shipping relationship with them. Just wondering if anyone has used this website and has any advice for me? Words of wisdom or warnings from your experience?

I'd probably want to create my own ecommerece store, but I'd also like to sell the products on eBay or Amazon, or both.
#alibabacom
  • Profile picture of the author Counselor
    Are you asking if Alibaba.com has any legit wholesalers?
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    Web Design and Search Engine Marketing Company http://www.centralcoastdigitaldesign.com a San Luis Obispo based business.

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  • Profile picture of the author ibas
    Of course you can find a lot of willing and eager students on Alibaba to get you anything you want.

    Some will be honest , hardworking and very good with communication. Other will just enjoy the funds you send.

    And using ebay and amazon is a real good idea when drop shipping from China or HK. Your buyers will really appreciate the e-packet delivery time.
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  • Profile picture of the author amcg
    Originally Posted by KRobertson View Post

    I found some decent wholesalers on Alibaba.com I'm thinking about creating a drop shipping relationship with them. Just wondering if anyone has used this website and has any advice for me? Words of wisdom or warnings from your experience?

    I'd probably want to create my own ecommerece store, but I'd also like to sell the products on eBay or Amazon, or both.
    Remember, with sites like this, you're most likely dealing with wholesalers or agents. This is not absolute, but it's a world away from dealing direct with manufacturers.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Look up all the threads on Aliba and Ali Express on this forum by using the Search button. Pay attention to all posts by ImportExport. There are better ways to source products than Aliba !
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  • Profile picture of the author alizain1
    why alibaba.com give free member option ? am not found this option useful. may be i doing some wrong thats why am not got leads in free a/c can you guide me?
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by alizain1 View Post

      why alibaba.com give free member option ? am not found this option useful. may be i doing some wrong thats why am not got leads in free a/c can you guide me?
      You are obviously a seller with a listing in Alibaba. One reason you are not getting leads could be that you are not verified. Verification is currently free, and you just have to provide evidence that you really exist. If you are verified, the reason for not getting any leads is probably because you are not a Gold Supplier.

      Alibaba are making billions out of selling Gold Supplier status. Currently it will cost you the standard $2,990, but if you wait a while, they will probably be discounting it again soon. They do it every couple of months.

      Over the past 12 months they have sold thousands of gold memberships at $299.

      You will find that you don't have to give them any more information, or undergo any further verification to prove that you exist, but as they say, it will make people more likely to trust you.

      I can't imagine why, but it works! People are so gullible.
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      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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      • Profile picture of the author NateYoung
        Alibaba doesn't provide drop shipping. Alibaba is where manufacturers from all over the world can list the products they sale. When you use Alibaba and you find a product you want to sell you will have to contact that seller directly to find out if they dropship or require a minimum purchase. You will find that most of them are from China and will not dropship but their products are cheap and you can import some of them and sell them yourself.

        If your looking for products that can be drop shipped you need to ask yourself what products you want to sell. You can then begin to look for distributors and manufacturers that will dropship for you. There are a lot of manufacturers that will dropship but a lot of them will not tell you they dropship on their websites. 9 out of 10 times you will have to contact the manufacturer to find out if they will dropship and you will find many of them do. Of course some people don't want to take the time to contact manufacturers but I have found over the 10 years of me selling products via drop shipping on Amazon and eBay that a little time spent contacting companies will pay off 10 fold in the long run.

        I will be launching a membership site in March of 2014 that will list 5,000+ manufacturers and distributors that will dropship or sell you products at wholesale. These companies I have either used or contacted directly to find out if they dropship so in the members section I do list next to each supplier in bold if they dropship or not. If you like let me know and I'll let you know when it launches.

        Till then good luck and Much Mahalo

        Nathan
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  • Profile picture of the author Importexport
    Originally Posted by KRobertson View Post

    I found some decent wholesalers on Alibaba.com I'm thinking about creating a drop shipping relationship with them. Just wondering if anyone has used this website and has any advice for me? Words of wisdom or warnings from your experience?

    I'd probably want to create my own ecommerece store, but I'd also like to sell the products on eBay or Amazon, or both.
    Before sourcing through Alibaba you might like to have a look at the thread How Trustworthy is Alibaba.com?
    I would like to point out that all of the big B2B sourcing sites work on a similar basis. This means that in most cases you can't rely on what the suppliers say about whether or not they are manufacturers. Most of them are not.

    You might be happy with that if you are satisfied with the low profit margins you get when you buy from wholesalers. For maximum profits you must go direct to the manufacturer.

    Just think for a moment - where do wholesalers buy? A: From the manufacturers. They then add their profit margin and sell to you. You can go direct to the manufacturers and pocket that extra margin for yourself.

    Because few people do any kind of searching on the forum I will repeat what I have written many times, that Gold Supplier status (or on other sites) Gold member, Premium member etc, do not earn that status. They BUY it.

    See what I wrote to alizain1 a couple of posts back. I think he is one of the 45 million suppliers registered with Alibaba. With that many registered members you can understand that even when they discount the sale of Gold Supplier status to $299 they are sitting on a gold mine.
    Signature
    Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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  • Profile picture of the author naidyphoon
    Make sure to research the supplier on Google. And also Alibaba has its own review system. Stay away from suppliers with little or no reviews. Lastly, don't deal with suppliers that ONLY accept WU/PP.

    Good luck!
    Naidy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by naidyphoon View Post

      Make sure to research the supplier on Google. And also Alibaba has its own review system. Stay away from suppliers with little or no reviews. Lastly, don't deal with suppliers that ONLY accept WU/PP.

      Good luck!
      Naidy.
      Has anyone ever noticed that there are no negative reviews on Alibaba or Aliexpress? They are not the only sites that refuse to publish negative reviews.

      I have also posted previously that reviews can be bought. There is a huge online business selling positive reviews, and that even happens on eBay.

      As DWolfe wrote on 10th there are much better ways to search than Alibaba. He is referring to my many posts in which I mention that there are safe sites that I recommend to my students.
      Signature
      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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