Importing From China ?

[gervboy]

For the last few months I have been trying to locate and buy from China but my largest issue is "Trust" and it seems to be hard to find genuine company's. Has anyone used the website Alibaba.com - The world's largest online B2B marketplace. ? Can anyone give me some guidance of where to look for trust worthy companies ?

Thanks

[RS-Sales]

There was a thread not to long ago about Alibaba.

It's a good site but my advice is to ask them to send you samples first, if they do so, then you know they are genuine and you can buy from them. If they raise your suspicion AT ALL, don't do it.

[gervboy]

Thanks for your advice re-sales and keep it comming !

[Tom Milan]

cultural differences which include language barriers will unfortunately sometimes raise suspicions. What i mean by that is that most if not all will ask to pay via moneygram(or services alike) or telegraphic transfer.

These arent the safest options but thats how you do business with China, especially with small orders.

So take caution, only speak with Gold members from alibaba, do your research and you'll be fine.

[S Lee]

Regardless of which suppliers you find, even if they are "gold members", you should still perform due diligence checks on the company. Do a "gold member scam" google search and you'll find some info on some bad transactions with gold members on alibaba.

Whenever I check out a new supplier, beyond my own research, I won't know until I've placed a number of small orders whether or not the company is "trustworthy" and "reliable", unfortunately. This is just part of international trade, and I simply accept it as part of the risks and costs involved with my business.

[ctsong]

If u ever need to come china guangzhou or yiwu can contact me, my company have service in assisting you.

[dvduval]

It can be well worth your while to find someone that speaks Chinese, and can help you in negotiations. If you are not familiar with the language or culture, you may not be able to get the best price, or tailor the product to fit your audience.

[adamwade]

I have been importing a variety of products from China since 2001 and the only way I have found to really trust someone is to meet them in person.

I have been to suppliers that seemed great on Alibaba and were terrible in person, the opposite is true for some of the best suppliers I have found that have virtually zero western online exposure and are incredible people to deal with.

My company leads entrepreneurs to China to visit suppliers and also visit trade fairs. If you ever have any interest in going or need any other advice on China please let me know.

Adam

[sunnyjiang]

I am from China.Do you need I help you?

[ctsong]

there's a trade fair coming up in china Guangzhou call canton fair from oct 15 to nov 5, u can google it to find out more. There be a lots of company be having booth there to display their product. If u are coming,drop me a msg.

[leonyu]

To RS-Sales: I have been working in Chinese factories and now working for an American company base in Denver. My experience working in Chinese factories is: there are too many clients want free samples that we have to ask for sampling charge-everyone need to understand that while buyers want to find genuine suppliers, suppliers also want to find genuine buyers-I do not mean to offensive, thanks.

I totally agree with Adam, I have read some posts by him and he is really an expert on sourcing from China.