My freight forwarder on Alibaba sent me a message recently listing all the items I normally browse or buy, because he wanted to help me procure it. But how does he have access to my data with other suppliers? Does Alibaba allow to see that? How does it work? That is violating my privacy. Has anyone encountered something similar?
The fact that I order a sample from a supplier and I'm pleased with the quality isn't an indicator that this is a good supplier. A Big part is whether he can maintain the quality throughout providing a larger number of units, i.e 50+
How do you handle the sourcing process when it comes to such trust issues - or rather what backup plan do you have in case things go wrong, because it's less a matter of trust but rather what legal backup do I have. I've heard multiple stories about Alibaba not wanting to refund buyers in obvious cases - even when someone had Alibaba Protection or Trade Assurance. I've heard stories about that too, that it doesn't give or do much - even when I entered this subreddit right now - already top posts are some scam stories, and also the fact there's a bunch of trade companies with huge markups not actual manufacturers on Alibaba..
Also - products can be faulty in various ways. It can be a small flaw but a one that has a huge impact on client's experience which will also result in bad reviews and it's considered unsellable stock from a business owner perspective - but maybe considered as "not big enough flaw" from a manfucaturer/Alibaba's perspective to accept return.
Product may even look the same, but be made from different kind of material than the samples I've received, or have different texture - that's hard to prove over just photos. There are 100 scenarios in my head, and logically I can see Alibaba not being keen on any refunds for most of them. Especially when the products are custom i.e with your logo - if you return it to the supplier he can't resell it, it's 100% loss for them, hence I imagine accepting returns must be hard.
Oh - and when it comes to ordering some kind of quality checks from chinese companies before the products are shipped - I was thinking about that too, but with new suppliers I order rather small batches at first of around 50 to 100 units per 1 product, so it doesn't pay off. It pays off with larger volumes like 500+, but if I order 50 it's too big of a cost. Nonetheless it's a good solution to monitor quality once the the volume is bigger.
Hi, I know it's probably a tired and slightly silly question but I need some clarity regarding DAP fees and how much they may amount to.
I am a first time consumer who recently picked up a small item from Alibaba worth about $78 CAD, which includes shipping. The seller shipped it as a DAP item, but I thought that DAP meant that I just cover duties, tax and local delivery fees. This kinda confuses me, so I was wondering what this shipping fee is for?
The item I'm importing has no duties in Ontario (place of residence) from China (place of origin), but I was wondering if that means that I just pay the local delivery and tax on the item? I read in other posts here that Alibaba DAP functions a bit different than other shipping services so I'm just a bit confused at how the process will go
The extra fees are not an issue for me btw, I'm just more curious about what has to be paid
title
hello everyone. i'm starting a new business. i have a few custom designs (drawings) that i've been working on for custom pendants. i just need to find a good and reliable jewelry manufacturer. i've contacted multiple manufacturers and they all require high MOQs, which i understand. but it's unaffordable for those who are just starting their business. so if anyone knows of any manufacturers that meet what i'm looking for below, please let me know.
here's what i'm looking for:
- allows sampling first before committing to a higher batch
- accepts low MOQs (ideally 10-50 pcs per design to start)
- work with 316L stainless steel
- can create custom double-sided pendants based on my drawings/designs (flat laser-cut pendants - no molding required)
- provides clear communication + regular updates throughout the process
- reliable quality control
- anti-fingerprint coating
- no hidden costs and fees
please do not PM me with sales pitches or catalog drops because i'm not interested. if you haven't personally worked with a manufacturer that fits my criteria, please do not comment. please do not use this post as a way to advertise your catalog. comments like "PM me" or "check my profile" will be ignored.
if you recommend a manufacturer, please include your experiences (like what you ordered from them and when).
I am not clear on what universal fittings actually means? I keep seeing that term everywhere and when I am buying wholesale online from sites like amazon or alibaba for items like spray valves I want to make sure that they will fit on our bottles.
What do I need to know about this to make sure that I am ordering the right size, some of the listings have diameter and others just say universal fitting size. Are there some sort of connectors that I would need to connect the spray valves to, to ensure that they fit properly? Like maybe BSP or NPT, I dont even know what that sounds for? Are there standard sizes for connectors or types of connectors. I know that often times the specs are vague or inconsistient and so I guess I need to talk directly to the vendor, but what should I be asking? Buyin
They sell tcg products and i tried to get them to send me samples which he said he does and then the guy starts replying with 2 letter words. Asked him to create an invoice so we can get things moving and he just replies with "cant" and wont reply. Honestly thought these suppliers never turned down business.
Looking to see if anyone ordered a dirtbike from Alibaba? From what I understand if the bike gets pulled by customs, (for DOT / EPA reasons) the shipper isn't responsible. Does anyone have any experience with bikes getting through?
Has anyone here imported food packaging items like lunch boxes or food storage containers from Alibaba?
I’m currently researching suppliers for food-grade packaging (mainly reusable lunch boxes and meal containers) and wanted to hear real experiences. I’ve noticed many listings claim food-safe materials like PP, silicone, and BPA-free plastics, but I’m not fully sure how reliable those claims are when ordering in bulk.
How was your experience with quality control, consistency between samples and final shipment, and supplier communication? Did you use third-party inspections or just rely on certifications and Trade Assurance?
Any advice on avoiding low-quality or unsafe materials would really help before I place my first order.
Like title says. Husband built a deck and now want to get some shade in before the summer gets here. Looking to see if anyone has a trusted source. TIA!
TLDR- Freight forwarder scammed us $1100 AUD to have our stock released after trying to force us to pay outside of ali baba.
Hi we got scammed this week by a freighr forwarder in china CDT Logistics Shenzen and I am sharing this so everyone else is aware of it and dont make our mistake.
They picked up 50k worth of stock from our supplier and once they had it sent me an invoice to pay via bank transfer outside of Ali baba (bypassing the 5% fee they need to pay and removing all trade assurance for us). We actively declined and advised we will only be paying via the ali baba platform as this protects us if anything goes wrong but unfortunantly they wouldnt budge. They advised they wouldnt release our goods until we paid via bank transfer or we could have another freighr forwarder come and collect the goods but pay them $1100 AUD pick up fee for what they were claiming is it cost them to collect it from my supplier (also based on china so this was just extortion). I also threatend to leave 1 star reviews on all my previous orders with them because of this and because I "Threatended them with this' they forced me to request a refund of those orders and have my new freight forwarder reimburse them the same amount in cash when they picked it up. This removes my ability to leave a review or do a charge back on my credit card.
We raised a dispute through ali baba for a supplier who was trying to force us to pay outside of the platform but its been 4 days and I still havent heard anything from them and from what ive read ali baba cant do alot to help and generally side with the suppliers anyway. I didnt have anymore time to wait so we ended up just paying it as we need this stock urgently.
DO NOT GO WITH CDT Logistics Shenzen absolute criminals.
I need to warn everyone: Alibaba’s "Trade Assurance" is currently failing to protect me against one of the most blatant scams I’ve ever seen. Despite providing irrefutable evidence, Alibaba is actively siding with the fraudulent merchant.
Merchant: Shenzhen Shuyuan Intelligent Selection (Seller: kala fu) Order Date: March 20, 2026 Refund Request filed: April 1, 2026 (Still no refund!)
Product: Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold, 3200 USD
Hi everyone,
I want to warn everyone about a seller I’ve been dealing with — this situation is full of serious red flags and highly questionable behavior from start to finish.
First, the seller tried to pressure me into changing the trade terms from SAP to EXW, stating that otherwise the shipment would not be processed at all. What they did NOT clearly disclose is that this change would shift the entire risk onto me as the buyer. This felt deliberately misleading and raised my first concerns.
Shortly after, the seller requested my tax identification number. I refused to provide it and instead initiated a refund request. In all my previous imports via Alibaba, I have never been asked to provide my tax identification number, and as a regular private customer, I am not familiar with this type of request or procedure in this form.
In response, the seller tried to convince me by sending documents containing other customers’ sensitive data completely unredacted, including tax numbers, email addresses, and full names — just to “prove” that this is normal. This is a massive breach of privacy and highly unprofessional. Despite this, I still refused.
Later, I offered a clear condition:
I told the seller that I would only provide my tax ID and cancel the refund request if they could first prove that the shipment was already in transit, specifically by providing a valid FedEx tracking number.
Based on this agreement, I eventually provided my tax identification number.
After receiving it, the seller sent me a FedEx tracking number — but it turned out to be completely invalid. I verified this directly with FedEx via phone. The tracking number does not exist.
Instead of providing real proof, the seller then sent me what appears to be a fake shipping label, seemingly created just to undermine my refund request. The label contains incorrect weight information, an invalid tracking number, and was generated at the exact same time it was sent to me, which strongly suggests it was created on the spot.
Because of this, I did NOT cancel my refund request, since the agreed condition (valid proof of shipment) was clearly not fulfilled.
On top of that, the seller keeps changing their story about the shipment. First, they claimed the goods were already in Germany. Later, they suddenly said the shipment is in Hong Kong. None of this is consistent or credible.
I was also promised a refund on April 1, 2026, with a processing time of 7–10 days.
As of today, I have received neither the goods nor my money.
The platform (Alibaba) has been provided with all evidence, including screenshots and documentation — yet no meaningful action has been taken so far.
Even worse, my experience with the buyer protection agent has been extremely frustrating. I feel like I am being deliberately stalled — I keep getting asked the same questions repeatedly, while it appears that the evidence I submitted is not being properly reviewed at all. The situation is not being taken seriously, and the handling of this case feels completely biased in favor of the seller.
At this point, I have completely lost trust. I want a full refund, but more importantly: I will not back down, I will not cancel the refund request, and I do not want any further interaction or business with this seller.
Genuinely considering giving up on china sourcing altogether because I cannot figure out how anyone does this without losing their mind.
Contacted probably 30 suppliers in the last two months. Every single one claims to be a factory. Half of them quote within minutes which I now know means they're traders marking up someone else's price. A few agreed to video calls then either cancelled or showed me what was clearly a borrowed facility. One sent a business license that didn't match the company name on their Alibaba profile.
The ones that might actually be real factories either have MOQs I can't hit yet or stop responding after the second email.
At this point I've been looking into whether it's worth using a dedicated sourcing agent rather than continuing to do this myself. From what I can tell, kanary solutions does on-ground factory verification in Shenzhen, meaning physical visits to confirm production capacity and inspect the facility directly rather than relying on Alibaba badges, which removes the main problem I keep hitting. Not sure if the cost model makes sense at my volume yet but the time I'm losing to Alibaba vetting is getting hard to justify.
I know there are signals to look for: different product categories in the same listing, no equipment photos, suspiciously flexible MOQs, generic answers to technical questions. I check all of these. It still feels like a full time job just to request a sample.
Is this just what the process is, or am I doing something fundamentally wrong?
I’ve been considering ordering LED panels in bulk from Alibaba suppliers for a small product photography setup, and I’m a bit unsure if I’m approaching it the right way. Most listings show bundle deals with soft lighting kits, but I can’t tell if higher quantities actually bring meaningful price breaks or just lock me into equipment I might outgrow too quickly.
I’m trying to maintain consistent lighting across different product photos for my marketplace listings, but I don’t want to overcommit early or choose the wrong supplier setup based on MOQ pressure or bundled offers. Has anyone here gone the bulk LED panel route on Alibaba for a similar setup? Curious how you decided order quantities and whether supplier recommendations matched how the equipment actually performs in day-to-day use.
I used this supplier for around 8 years, price was high but the product was good quality, the last order it seems he has now scammed for for around 7k, could be worse I suppose.
I have his name, office address, even his passport image.
Can I have this person prosecuted in China?
Most buyers either: a) fly to China for a factory visit (expensive, time-consuming) b) ask the supplier for photos/videos (which are almost always polished and misleading) c) skip verification entirely and just hope for the best
There's a third option most people don't know about.
3D VR walkthroughs of real Chinese factories now exist — not edited marketing videos, not staged photos. A full 360° environment you can actually navigate: production floor, equipment, storage areas, the spots suppliers usually don't want you to see.
You can tour a factory in 3 minutes from your laptop. No flight. No fixers. No polished presentations.
Beyond the VR layer, a proper factory check also covers:
For orders $5k+, the cost of verification is nothing compared to what you lose if your "manufacturer" turns out to be a trading company.
Drop a comment if you've used VR or remote inspection tools before — curious what others have tried. DM me if you want details on how it works.
The EU is ending the €150 VAT exemption (de minimis) on July 1. After that date, every single parcel coming from outside the EU — including your Alibaba shipments — will need a formal customs declaration.
But the customs part is just the beginning. What most sellers don’t realise is that the products themselves also need to be compliant before they even reach customs:
• CE marking (if your product is electronics, toys, machinery, PPE etc.)
• GPSR documentation (EU General Product Safety Regulation, mandatory from Dec 2024)
• An EU Importer of Record on the label
• A Declaration of Conformity
• Correct HS code for duty calculation
If your supplier says “don’t worry, we handle compliance” — ask them to send you the actual Declaration of Conformity and technical file. Most can’t.
I’ve been building a tool that checks all of this automatically. Happy to answer EU compliance questions here regardless — just tell me what product you’re sourcing and I’ll tell you exactly what you need.
I'm selling an aftermarket car module; the main parts are sorted with good supplier options. I would like to supply a couple of tools (phillips head L-key, trim removal tools) to make installation easier, but I'm finding shipping costs on these tools by sellers on Alibaba to be ridiculous. For example, for an order of 100 sets of 4 trim removal tools, the quoted cost for the product is $40 and shipping by air is $140. On the other hand, I can order the same thing on AliExpress for $1.67/unit with free shipping over $10. I would be happy to wait for ocean shipping, but some suppliers have said the product weight is too low.
Is there any way to beat AliExpress pricing with a small bulk order for a small component like this, or should I just buy from AliExpress until I can justify larger orders of these optional components? Does anyone know why there is such a gap between cost with "free shipping" on AliExpress vs. cost on Alibaba with shipping broken out? Does Alibaba subsidize AliExpress shipping, or just get extremely favorable rates?
Hey everyone i am starting a bussines in watches and I would appreciate it if someone knows a good manufacturer on Alibaba or Private. That would be fine too. I would like to put my own design on it, but it doesn't have to be the very best quality, just good enough. I appreciate all advice.
If you know a good manufacturer, I would prefer their number, but other means of contact are also fine. Please also mention whether you have experience with the manufacturer or if you know someone with experience, and what that was like.
thanks in advance.