Anyone ever buy from Alibaba? Any tips to prevent getting scammed?

Gold members means nothing! You can pay to be a gold member. Most of the stuff there are scams.

You can not use paypal to make transactions on such sites anymore. This also includes dhgate and other reputable sites like these. You pay using a credit card, western union, or bank transfer. If it's a legit site, your money will not be given directly to the seller instead it will go to escrow. Once you receive your items, you will have to confirm that your items were received and only then will the monies be released to the seller. I'm currently a Platinum member at a couple of these sites and this has been my experience over the past 2 years. It's been about a year since paypal has not been an option for payment.

Please tell us how it is going on with you shippment? Does PP worked ?

I've bought from companies on Alibaba lots of times and never had a problem. We used to have to wire money because they don't even know what credit cards are in China. Eventually, we (the consumers) convinced them to start taking Paypal and such and they have started to transition.. but this is all new to them.

The way it seems to work in China is this. There are companies in each province that produce almost the same exact product and they all think their engineers designed it.. like they're totally oblivious to the fact that 10 other companies offer the exact same thing, in the exact same form factor. Talk to them on the TradeManager (IM) app for a little while, then get their Skype. Understand that if people get caught scamming you over there they can get executed. Stay away from Nigeria, anywhere you've received an email about a rich uncle who left you 50 million dollars..... lol

So, I've only done business with China and South America. 90% of Alibaba is China.

gtownfunk

Here's an extensive post about how to deal with Alibaba

How You Can Make Big Money Importing From China – The Rise and Fall of My Empire…

Hi... Ca someone please help me with information about importing... the fees and tax? I would like to order some clothes, starting small... but I don't own or have a business... What info do i need to be aware of?

This newly revived thread contains such an amazing amount of misinformation, bad advice, and obsolete information that it needs updating. I will quote some of the points that I want to comment on. Except for the OP, I won't take the space to name all the members quoted.

The OP wrote: " ..and I thought it would be ice to get some advice on how to avoid getting scammed."
A good first step. Scammers abound on Alibaba, as well as on most of the big B2B sites. See How Trustworthy is Alibaba.com?

"If you are looking to import small amounts go with Aliexpress instead of Alibaba."
Aliexpress is even more notorious than Alibaba as a site favored by scammers. Search for them on ripoffreport.com. Aliexpress is a retail site and while they will sell single items with free delivery, you will pay retail, so it is not a place for resellers to buy. Free delivery takes up to 3 weeks.

"Good experience for Alibaba. Find Gold members"
Gold Supplier status is bought, not earned. They are ordinary, garden variety verified members who have been willing to pay as little as $299 for a Gold Supplier badge to trick people into believing they are more reliable. (Recently the cost has risen to $699. Still cheap if you want to fool people.)

"If you're going to buy on AliExpress, don't buy from anyone who doesn't have positive feedback left on their product pages." ...... "This risk is a function of every transaction but you can limit your risk with Alibaba by following the advice above and only dealing with legitimate sellers. Legitimate sellers are those with positive feedback."
Feed back is not reliable. There is a thriving business in paid feedback.
There are safe sourcing sites where what you see is what you get. Trustworthy suppliers, genuine manufacturers.

"I strongly suggest you make your first transaction using an escrow service so that you can get to know the seller and the the items you will be purchasin." ...... "Only use Escrow"
For legal reasons Escrow is now called Buyer Protection on Aliexpress and Secure Payment on Alibaba. NEVER use Western Union. See also the thread
Alibaba Escrow? . These schemes are full of loopholes and the scammers make full use of those ways to avoid letting you get your money back.

"Using escrow is indeed the best way to avoid being scammed. even if the seller wants to be paid via western union, still insist escrow"
Escrow can't possibly be used with Western Union!!!

"Understand that if people get caught scamming you over there they can get executed."
In very rare case where the amounts run into millions and there is an international uproar. Most scammers are never caught. My Chinese lawyer associate practicing in Beijing can occasionally recover money but he says chances of success are very small.

"I buy jerseys from there and sell them locally. Yes, I do tell people they are replicas, but I can't message it in the ad or else it will be deleted. Most people do not care if they are fake or not as long as quality is good!"
If Customs catch you, maybe in a random check, the consequences can be serious including; Confiscation of the goods, prosecution leading to fines and sometimes jail, and the flagging of your name and address, so that every shipment thereafter will be delayed for careful inspection.

"Hi... Ca someone please help me with information about importing... the fees and tax? I would like to order some clothes, starting small... but I don't own or have a business... What info do i need to be aware of?"
@Mariam83x See my thread: Ask Me Anything About Product Sourcing And Importing For Profit. ― Veteran Importer Here. where you can ask such questions and get answers from someone who knows the real facts.

"I made a total of 31 orders so far this year. All have been with a credit card and there has been no issues."
That almost certainly means you are throwing lots of money away by dealing with a trader. It is rare for genuine manufacturers to accept payment via Credit Card. Buying direct from manufacturers is the key to maximizing profits.

Also - if they accept paypal - then that should be a positive sign that they're not too bad - not to mention that you're protected with Paypal
That is a sign that like the one above, you are probably buying from a trader. It is rare for genuine manufacturers to accept payment via PayPal. If you are interested, ask me why PayPal protection for such purchases does not always protect you. Alibaba has many thousands of traders listed who are masquerading as manufacturers.

If anyone has questions, I will be pleased to answer. I have taught hundreds of people in 35 countries how to safely source small and large quantities direct from genuine manufacturers and import without having to learn all the rules and regulations.

On JUNE 2 I posted this:
'It is rare for genuine manufacturers to accept payment via PayPal. If you are interested, ask me why PayPal protection for such purchases does not always protect you. Alibaba has many thousands of traders listed who are masquerading as manufacturers."

Well, nobody has asked but in view of the post by SPO, I think it's a good idea for me to explain.

If a supplier accepts PayPal, it is almost certain that you are dealing with a trader. Not only do traders not give you the low prices you can get by buying direct from real manufacturers, but there is more risk involved in dealing with traders.

Many cases have been reported of buyers receiving packages containing empty boxes, stones, sawdust, empty plastic boxes or the really clever ones send worthless plastic toys etc.

When they contact PayPal, they tick "Goods not as described." BUT... Because the buyer has signed for the goods. PayPal won't refund. If this ever happens to you, contact PayPal support and say you want to report fraud. Not easy to prove, but it gives you some chance of getting a refund.

Sometimes the seller will ask the buyer to return the goods in order to get a refund. At considerable cost, the buyer sends it requiring a signature, but the seller says it has never been delivered. (They refuse to accept it.) They can now tell PayPal you agreed to return the goods but failed to do so. No refund and you are now even further out of pocket.

This scam is not limited to Alibaba. It infests most of the major B2B sites. There are safe sites but I don't publish them online because there is a lot more to safe sourcing than simply using a site where where you don't have to look over your shoulder all the time to make sure you are not being robbed.

For helpful information, and more reasons why I don't make those sites public, see: If your secret B2B portals are so safe why don't you share?

Of course they are a minority, but there are thousands of them. Why gamble with your money when there are safe places to source without the huge risks?

I know that very few people understand Alibaba's verification system. They think verified means safe to deal with. They think Gold Suppliers are even safer.

Have you looked at the Alibabscams.com site? Have you looked up Alibaba on ripoffreport.com? Have you looked at the official Alibaba community forums site?

On that official forum they have a thread: "THREE SIMPLE SIGNS OF B2B SCAMS" in the Forum section: "SAFE TRADING BASICS" The thread begins with a much too basic introduction by admin and includes this: "Just because a company has a professional-looking website or has set up shop in an online marketplace like Alibaba.com doesn't automatically make them legitimate."

Then a potential buyer new to Alibaba posted in reply to that point: "And Alibaba claims these suppliers have been verified. How do you reconcile this contradiction?"

Like almost all critical comments posted on the Alibaba forums, this one went unanswered. The reason must be that it is unanswerable. The verification process is clearly intended to make buyers believe that the verified supplier is legitimate.

I am not just knocking Alibaba. Other sites such as DHGate, Tradekey, EC21 and others are just as risky to use.

You said "Alibaba is a gold mine, if you know how to use it", but very few people do know, and that is why I try to save them from their own ignorance. Let The Buyer Beware!

I have consistently said that many people are happy buying through Alibaba.

The point that so many are missing is that many "happy" people are buying from traders at inflated prices, thinking that they are buying from manufacturers and therefore getting the best possible prices. They might be getting good prices, but they could be getting much better prices. They are throwing money down the drain by letting the traders bank their big profits.

I would also point out that I see numerous reports of people who think they have done their due diligence but they still get scammed.

Why persist in using B2B sites where you have to work hard to be sure you are dealing with reliable, genuine manufacturers when you can use safe sites where you don't have to continually look over your shoulder?

I would be very interested to know what you, or other warriors consider to be criteria for due diligence.

It might help others to know.

Biggest is not necessarily best. Other sites, including safe sites, have hundreds of thousands of suppliers and those safe sites carry far less risk to newbies.

What research would you recommend in order to avoid being scammed?

There are two solutions. One will cost you nothing but your time. The other will cost you a few dollars.

For the free solution, search all the multitude of B2B platforms, read all of the Terms, Conditions and rules. Also be sure to understand what all of their status symbols really mean, in order to determine whether they are giving you any degree of security

For example be sure to learn what is involved in "verification". Also check out what extra inspection or investigation takes place for a supplier to be awarded Gold, 5 Star, Premium etc. status.

Some B2B sites, such as Alibaba, DHGate, Tradekey etc. have community forums. These can be very revealing regarding the high number of scams being complained about. Go through a few hundred of those posts to get some idea of what is really happening.

You might also like to check out some genuine review sites such as Alibabascam.com, and ripoffreport.com. Note that many review sites are affiliate sites in disguise.

Don't forget to read the Terms and Conditions plus all of the rules for any secure payment options offered. Mind boggling, but necessary to discover whether a lot of the so-called security is illusory.

The second solution that I can only mention in the briefest statement is to find a guide written by a person with real - life experience, who can tell you how to source safely.

P.S. You will find that most importing experts and gurus will tell you go to Alibaba, but they don't tell you how to avoid being scammed except "Only buy from Gold Suppliers". They don't seem to know that Gold Suppliers are plain old verified suppliers who have spent as little as $299 to buy a Gold Supplier badge. (This year it has gone up to $699. Not much if you want to scam thousands of dollars off gullible buyers.)

In case you did not know, a verified supplier is one who has a registered business, and at least on the day they were visited by Alibaba they had an office. It might have been rented for the day, but that is enough for you to be told they are verified.

I don't publish online my safe B2B sites because there is a lot more to safe sourcing than using a safe site. You will find a lot of helpful information in my thread If your secret B2B portals are so safe why don't you share? and more reasons why I don't just publish those sites.

There are literally thousands of horror stories.

See: China's Consumer Protection Watchdog Reports On Alibaba

You must read that before you consider sourcing on Alibaba. Then ask me about safe sourcing instead.

Amazon is not a place to look for products to sell at a big profit. For that you need to look at B2B sites that are safe. Alibaba is definitely to be avoided.

I don't publish my safe sites online because there is a lot more to safe sourcing than just using a safe site. For more helpful information, and reasons why I don't publish those sites publicly see: If your secret B2B portals are so safe why don't you share?

STILL WAITING! Meanwhile I would remind readers that I wrote above: There are safe alternatives.

By that I mean why walk into the lion's den to do your sourcing when you can go to safe sites where genuine and effective screening and verification processes are used. The verification system used by Alibaba is a farce, and as the SAIC report I quoted above shows, it is not genuine.

That is a major reason why so many users of Alibaba are scammed, even by Gold Suppliers.

It is months now since this warrior promised to post something that would have been a great help to many if his ideas really worked

The facts are that there are thousands of people scammed every year by suppliers they have found on Alibaba and Aliexpress.

If anyone can step in and take the place of Smoothgraphics00 and offer tips on how to avoid being scammed when buying through Alibaba and Aliexpress I would be very interested to read them.

Walter Hay

Aliexpress is a retail site, so you will be paying heaps more for any product you buy there. Free postage may seem attractive, but you are paying for it with higher prices.

Aliexpress is at least as risky to use as Alibaba.