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Alibaba Concern

by AffiliatingAlan
7 replies
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I want to order 20 items as a start. For examples sake, assume they are generic pens each in a case.

Therefore, 20 of them will cost be about 50$ and the package should be no bigger than a shoebox.

Im located in Canada, and have never ordered from ali baba before. The seller accepts paypal, and I have sent him an email inquiring about the price & shipping.

Once I get the details, I assume I just go to checkout enter the info, use paypal, and thats, that?

I am concerned with the shipping really, is there typically a best method/shipper for small packages like this? And since the package is small, can I order it directly to my door?

Is there typically import fees that I will have to pay the delivery guy at my door as well?

Thanks
#alibaba #concern
  • Profile picture of the author amcg
    Originally Posted by AffiliatingAlan View Post

    I want to order 20 items as a start. For examples sake, assume they are generic pens each in a case.

    Therefore, 20 of them will cost be about 50$ and the package should be no bigger than a shoebox.

    Im located in Canada, and have never ordered from ali baba before. The seller accepts paypal, and I have sent him an email inquiring about the price & shipping.

    Once I get the details, I assume I just go to checkout enter the info, use paypal, and thats, that?

    I am concerned with the shipping really, is there typically a best method/shipper for small packages like this? And since the package is small, can I order it directly to my door?

    Is there typically import fees that I will have to pay the delivery guy at my door as well?

    Thanks
    A fair few questions here. I've ordered from Alibaba before and like any business deal, you need to think about due diligence and the details.

    With payments, Alibaba folks that accept Paypal will function under the usual Paypal rules, regs and fees. No problem here, problems arise with bank transfers and credit terms.

    With shipping, If the items are small, you can either air-freight them or ship them via container. The former will cost more, the latter will take longer.

    Import fees are different for each country you're shipping to. Most vendors on Alibaba and elsewhere will offer terms that either include or exclude duties and taxes. Some exclude duties as for certain countries, these can be really excessive. Check Canadian government import websites for your expected duties. You can then either pay them yourself or ask the vendor to account for them.

    Importing is a difficult road, in many ways, you'd be better of buying through a domestic distributor if you're unsure. That said and like I mentioned above, it's just another business deal i.e you need to do due diligence and look at all of the angles.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Although I always advise against buying through Alibaba, I will do what I can to help.

      First you need to get the supplier to quote a price including door to door delivery. They usually just quote FOB but that is something you should strictly avoid for your sample order.

      Where they send via China Post or a courier service you will have no concerns about Customs clearance because that will be done for you automatically by the Post Office or the courier. In fact for the value you mentioned, there will be no duty payable in Canada.

      You should not have to pay any fees to the guy at the door when the goods are delivered.

      The whole ball game changes when you start to import larger shipments. There are a couple of important points to note:
      • FOB is a term that is often misused by Chinese suppliers. They often mean EXW which means ex works. I would never accept a quote on that basis.
      • Air freight should not be confused with air courier services. There is a lot more involved in organizing air freight.
      Importing can be very easy once you learn the basics, but newbies would be crazy to try to do it without some expert guidance. The way I teach means you don't have to learn all the rules and regulations.
      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 niagprem
        I've brought in a few larger packages from China to Canada. I always had the supplier include shipping in price. Packages were always sent via DHL and brokered through them as well. On larger order where the cost is higher be aware that duty from China is I believe 13% plus tax. If you continue to do you'll want to get an importers licence which you can do online very easily.

        Dean
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        • Profile picture of the author Importexport
          Originally Posted by niagprem View Post

          I've brought in a few larger packages from China to Canada. I always had the supplier include shipping in price. Packages were always sent via DHL and brokered through them as well. On larger order where the cost is higher be aware that duty from China is I believe 13% plus tax. If you continue to do you'll want to get an importers licence which you can do online very easily.
          Dean
          There is no such thing as an importers licence. You are probably refering to an RM addition to your Business Number (BN). Commercial importers must have a BN, and they must add to that an RM which then makes your BN valid for identifying you as an importer or exporter.

          It is not a licence it is simply an identification number to be used every time you make an import. The number must appear on your Customs clearance documents otherwise clearance will be delayed.

          This is only a slight variation on the system used in all most every country in the world to help keep track of continuing shipments by the same business. It saves a lot of paper work for everyone; the importer, the broker and the Customs service.

          I have gone into some detail because many people wrongly believe that importing is complicated, and the false idea that you must have a licence to import helps to perpetuate that myth.

          As I said in my earlier post: "Importing can be very easy once you learn the basics, but newbies would be crazy to try to do it without some expert guidance. The way I teach means you don't have to learn all the rules and regulations."

          By the way, duty rates will vary depending on the tariff code. Don't try to work that out for yourself. It can be extremely difficult to pick the right code if you are not used to understanding the small variations within what seems to be one category. Pick the wrong code and you may be a much higher tariff than necessary.
          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 don1988
    For small wholesalers, alibaba is not the best choice . taobao agent is better than alibaba.They also accept paypal,you only need pay some service fee.
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  • Profile picture of the author AffiliatingAlan
    Wow thanks for the good replies.

    Had no idea it was this difficult, though most of you probably assume I am shuffling more product than I actually am.

    Literally each product is the size of a multi-vitamin bottle, though they are not food or supplements.

    Would only need to order 30 of these a month.

    I've bought stuff from china before individually, a dog tag, a fake rolex, etc. Of course that was through ebay or a website where worldwide shipping was always included in price.

    Made everything so easy.

    Originally Posted by don1988 View Post

    For small wholesalers, alibaba is not the best choice . taobao agent is better than alibaba.They also accept paypal,you only need pay some service fee.
    Yea i've checked DHgate and taboa which is now yoybuy. Neither has a distributor for said product. Alibaba only has 2 different ones.

    Still waiting on inquiry after 4 days.

    Thought they'd be frothing for my USD, guess not.
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by AffiliatingAlan View Post

      Wow thanks for the good replies.

      Had no idea it was this difficult, though most of you probably assume I am shuffling more product than I actually am.

      Literally each product is the size of a multi-vitamin bottle, though they are not food or supplements.

      Would only need to order 30 of these a month.

      I've bought stuff from china before individually, a dog tag, a fake rolex, etc. Of course that was through ebay or a website where worldwide shipping was always included in price.

      Made everything so easy.
      Yea i've checked DHgate and taboa which is now yoybuy. Neither has a distributor for said product. Alibaba only has 2 different ones.

      Still waiting on inquiry after 4 days.

      Thought they'd be frothing for my USD, guess not.
      Before you take the plunge and buy anything through those sites do a search for them on Ripoff Report | Scams, reviews, complaints, lawsuits and frauds. File a report, post your review. Consumers educating consumers.

      By the way, yoybuy is not Taoabao, it is just another one of the huge number of agents in China who offer to place orders for you through Taobao for a fee. The problem is you never know whether they are just charging you the small commission they advertise or are they getting kickbacks from the suppliers. In any case if you want to buy in order to make a profit, you need to buy direct from the real manufacturers.

      You won't find them on any of the sites so far recommend in this thread.

      If you are looking to buy retail, you can just buy from one of those sites and take your chances. A warrior in another thread posted that he had "only been scammed 10 times."

      Scammers catch plenty of people who are trying to buy commercially too, because they jump in without knowing the realities of buying overseas. I teach how to do it safely and very profitably.
      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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