How to buy and source from Alibaba

Once you choose a supplier and a product, you can either negotiate the deal or buy right away. In order to buy right away, the product must be ... BusinessBlogsSellerGuidesHowtobuyandsourcefromAlibabaHowtobuyandsourcefromAlibabaAlibaba.comDECEMBER15,202019 MINREADAlibaba.comisamajorplayerintheB2BeCommercespace.Buyersandsuppliersaroundtheworldhaveusedthisplatformtoexpandandscaletheirbusinesses. WhatmakesAlibaba.comsopowerfulisitsofferingofawiderangeoffeatures,tools,andservicesthataredesignedtostreamlinetheB2Bsourcingexperience. Inthispost,wewilldiscusseverythingyouneedtoknowaboutbuyingandsourcingfromAlibaba.com.WewillstartbyreviewingwhatAlibaba.comisandhowitcomparestoAliExpressandAmazon.Fromthere,wewilldiscusswhousesAlibaba.comandwhytheychoosethisplatformoverotherB2Bmarketplaces. WewillcoverindetailhowtobuyfromAlibaba.com,howtopracticesafebuying,andtipstogetthemostoutofyoursourcingexperience. TableofContents WhatisAlibaba.com? WhousesAlibaba? WhybuyfromAlibaba HowtobuyfromAlibabain6steps 6TipsforbuyersonAlibaba BuyingandsellingonAlibaba WhatisAlibaba.com? Alibaba.comisanonlineB2Bmarketplacewherebuyersandsellersfromaroundtheworldcanconnectandcarryouttransactions.Itisasecure,trustedplatformthatisusedbymillionsandmillionsofbusinesses. Alibaba.comispartoftheAlibabaGroupandwasfoundedbyJackMain1999.ThiscompanyisbasedinChinabutservesbusinessin190+countriesandregionsand40+industrieswithover5,900differentcategoriesofproductofferings. TheplatformisequippedwithmanytoolsandfeaturesthataredesignedtostreamlineB2Bbuyingandselling. Alibabavs.AliExpress AliExpressisanothereCommerceplatformintheAlibabaGroup,butunlikeAlibaba.com,thismarketplaceisgearedtowardsB2Ctransactions. SinceitisaB2Cplatform,AliExpresssellerslisttheirproductstoselltoconsumers.Productsarepricedatretailpricesratherthanwholesaleprices.EventhoughitspricesarerelativelyhigherthanAlibaba.com,AliExpressisknownforitscheapitems. 📖Readmore:Alibaba.comvsAliExpress:whatarethedifferences? Alibabavs.Amazon AmazonisanAmericanB2CeCommerceplatform.TheprimarydifferencebetweenAlibaba.comandAmazoniswhothebuyersare.SuppliersonAlibaba.comaresellingtobusinesses,whereassuppliersonAmazonaresellingtoconsumers. AmazonisverysimilartoAliExpressinthesensethattheyarebothB2Cmarketplaces.Bothplatformsallowindependentretailerstolisttheirproducts.Amazonalsohasseveralbrandsofproductsoftheirown,suchasAmazonBasics,Solimo,andRevly. Amazon’sproductsaregenerallypricedalittlehigher,makingitmoreonparwithanonlinegeneralstorethanadiscountstore. Additionally,Amazonusesasubscriptionmodelwhereuserscanpayanannualfeefor“AmazonPrime,”whichgrantsthemfree2-dayshippingonall“Prime”items.Thesubscriptionalsogivesusersaccesstoadditionalperks,likealibraryofmusic,TVshows,andmovies. WhousesAlibaba? Aswementioned,Alibaba.comisaB2Bplatform.Thismeansthatmost,ifnotall,ofthebuyersandsellersonAlibaba.comarebusinesses. Thetypicalsuppliersarebusinessesthatsellrawmaterialsormanufacturedgoods.Thetypicalbuyersareretailers,wholesalers,sourcingagents,andmanufacturerswhosourceproductsforresellorprivatelabelfortheirownbusinesses.Sometimes,manufacturersbuyrawmaterialsonAlibaba.comandalsouseAliabab.comtoselltheircompletedproducts. ThebottomlineisthatbuyerscometoAlibaba.comtopurchasegoodsormaterialsbothcheaplyandinbulkthattheywillultimatelyresellforaprofit. WhybuyfromAlibaba? ThereareseveralreasonswhybuyersuseAlibaba.com.Let’stakealookatafewofthemostcommonreasonswhyuserschooseAlibaba.comoverotherB2BeCommercemarketplace. Theplatformistrustworthy Themainreasonisthatitisgenerallyatrustedplatform.Peoplecanbeskepticaltospendmoneyonline,especiallywhenitisthetuneofthousandsortensofthousandsofdollars. SeveralfactorsmakeAlibaba.comtrustworthy.Thefirstisthesecurepaymentportal.TransactionsarebackedbyanumberofguaranteesonAlibaba.com,buthavingaccesstoasecurepaymentportalisattractivetobuyersandsellersalike.Thisway,buyersdon’thavetoworryabouttheircreditcardnumbersandothersensitiveinformationbeingcompromised. Additionally,Alibaba.comoffersaprogramcalledTradeAssurance,whichensuresthatbuyersreceivetheirshipmentsontime.Italsoguaranteesthatthequalityoftheproductsmatcheswhatwaspromisedbytheseller.Alibaba.comalsooffersProductInspectionServices,whichisanothermeasurethatisusedtoensurequality. BuyerscanshoponAlibaba.comwithconfidencethattheywillgetwhattheypayforeverytime,andiftheydon’t,theycancountonAlibaba.comtogotobatforthemuntilthedisputeisresolved. It’seasytouse TheAlibaba.complatformisveryeasytonavigate,andthebuyingprocessismuchmorestraightforwardthanitiswhenyouplaceanorderonapaperformoroverthephone. Buyerscanchoosetoorderreadytoshipproducts,whichisassimpleasaddingitemstoacart,enteringyourpaymentinformationandplacingyourorder. Alternatively,youcanmessagesellersdirectlytonegotiatepricesorcustomizeyourproducts.Obviously,thereareafewmorestepsinvolvedhere,butitisstillverystraightforward. Millionsofproductstochoosefrom Alibaba.comhasmillionsofsellers,whichmeanstherearealsomillionsofproductstochoosefrom.Thiswidevarietyofproductstochoosefromgivesbuyerstheflexibilitytochoosetheselleranditemsthatbestsuitthem. Forexample,ifyousearch“tshirt”youwillgetnearly180,000resultsforthatitemalone.Youcanfilteryourresultsbasedonseveraldifferentcriteria. PayLateroptions Sometimes,startupsneedalittleassistanttogetgoing.Alibaba.comhasPayLateroptionssothatbuyerscanpurchaseinventorytogettheballrollingeveniftheydon’thavethebudget. Thishelpsretailersavoidcallingonthehelpofinvestorsorotherfinancingoptionswhichcangetabitmorecomplicated. PayLaterisbackedbyKabbageFundingandofferslinesofcreditfrom$500to$150kwith6-monthfinancing.Interestratesstartat3.5%. Toolsforglobalsourcing TheverynatureofAlibaba.comisusefulforbusinesseswhoarereadytogoglobal,andtheplatformhasspecialtoolsforbuyersandsellerswhowanttodobusinessacrossborders. Themostvaluabletoolforglobalexpansionistheautomatictranslationofstorefrontsandprivatemessages.Theplatformcurrentlysupports16languages,whichhelpsknockouttheissueoflanguagebarriers. ThismeansthatyoucouldsendamessagetoasellerinItalyandyourmessagewillautomaticallybetranslatedtoItalian.Whentheymessageyouback,thetextwillautomaticallybetranslatedtoyourpreferredlanguage,whetheritbeEnglish,Mandarin,Italian,French,etc. Currencyconversionsworkthesameway.Youcanseelistingsinyourpreferredcurrency,soyoudon’thavetomanuallycalculatetheconversions. HowtobuyfromAlibabain6steps BuyingonAlibaba.comisalittledifferentthanbuyingfromanonlineB2Cstore,likeAmazonorAliExpress.Theprocessisdesignedtobebothefficientandcustomizable. BuyingonAlibaba.comisverystraightforwardandstreamlined,butsomestepshavealternativeapproachesthatgiveusersalittleleewaytoshapetheirbuyingexperiences. Let’stakealookatthe6stepsforbuyingfromAlibaba.com. 1.Createanaccount Firstup,iscreatingafreeAlibaba.comaccount.You’llbepromptedtoaddsomeinformationwhichusuallyincludes: Country/region Traderole Fullname Emailaddress Companyname Telephonenumber Atthisstage,you’llalsobepromptedtocreateapassword. Asforthetraderole,youwilleitherselect“Buyer”or“Both.”Onlyselect“Both”ifyouplanonbuyingandsellingonAlibaba.com. 2.Searchandfindproducts Next,itistimetosearchforproducts.TherearetwowaysthatbuyerscanfinditemstoorderonAlibaba.com:searchandbrowsethegeneralmarketplaceorpostaRequestforQuotation(RFQ). Browsingthemarketplaceiseasybecauseitworksjustlikeanyothersearchengine.Youinputasearchinquiryandbrowsetheresults.Youcanalso“UploadImage”tomoreeffectivelyperformsearcheswithproductimagesthatyouarelookingfor. Resultscanbefilteredandsortedbyavarietyofdifferentcriteria,including: Suppliertype Producttype Minimumorderquantity(MQO) Suppliercountry/region Certifications Features Thishelpsbuyersnarrowdownproductstomeettheirneeds.Ifyoucannotfindtheperfectproductwiththerightbuyingconditions,youcanpostaRequestforQuotationintheRFQmarketandsupplierscanactuallyreachouttoyouiftheycanfulfillyourdesiredorder. Eitherway,it’seasytofindthebestproductsforyourbusinessonAlibaba.com. 3.Comparesellers TherearemillionsofsellersonAlibaba.com,butsomesellershavecertainqualificationsorcertificationsthatsetthemapartfromtherest.Thesethreemainidentifiersare“Goldsupplier,”“Verifiedsupplier”and“TradeAssurancesupplier.” GoldsuppliersarepaidmembersontheAlibaba.complatformthathavebeenverifiedasbusinesseswithindustrialorcommercialcapabilities. Verifiedsuppliersarebusinesseswhosecompanyprofile,managementsystem,productioncapabilities,andprocesscontrolshavebeenassessed,certified,and/orinspectedbythirdpartyinstitutions. TradeAssurancesuppliersaresuppliersthatacceptpaymentsdirectlythroughAlibaba.com’spaymentportal,enablingAlibaba.comorderprotection. Itisagoodideatotakealookateachsupplier’sverifiedreviewstoseewhatsortofexperiencespastclientshavehadwiththem.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsforthesuppliersabouttheiroperationsorotherinformationthatyoucannotfindontheirprofile,youcanmessagethemprivatelytoask. 4.Negotiatedealsorbuyrightaway Onceyouchooseasupplierandaproduct,youcaneithernegotiatethedealorbuyrightaway.Inordertobuyrightaway,theproductmustbelabeledas“ReadytoShip”andshowsa“StartOrder”buttonontheproductdetailpage. Ifyouwanttogetsamplesoftheproduct,placeanorderlowerthantherequestedMOQ,lowerthepriceofthegoods,ormakeanykindofcustomizationstotheorder,you’llneedto“ContactSupplier”andusethe“ChatNow!”instantmessagingtooltonegotiatewiththeseller. Again,todothis,youwillmessagethesellerprivately.Professionallyaddressthemandclearlystatewhatyouhavetopropose.Theremaybesomebackandforth,butwiththerightapproach,youshouldbeabletoworkoutadealthatmakessenseforallpartiesinvolved. 5.Placeyourorder Onceyou’veworkedoutthedetailsofyourdeal,itistimetoplaceanorder.AlthoughyoucantakethetransactionoffofAlibaba.com,wesuggestnotdoingso.Oncethetransactionleavesourplatform,itisnolongereligibleforTradeAssurance,whichprotectsboththebuyerandtheseller. IfyouplacetheorderonAlibaba.com,youwillkeepcommunicationontheplatformandyou’llpaythroughoursecurepaymentportal.Theacceptedpaymentmethodsinclude: Creditcards Debitcards Onlinebankpayment(eChecking) Wiretransfer(T/T) WesternUnion Alternatively,youcanuse“PayLater,”whichgivesbuyers6monthstopayfortheirorderwitha3.5%minimuminterestrate. 6.Receiveyourgoods Thefinalstepofthebuyingprocessistoreceiveyourgoods.Whenitcomestocross-bordershippingandlogistics,buyerscanuseAlibaba.comFreightforareliableandtransparentexperience.Itprovidesoceanfreight,airfreight,andairexpress&airparcelsfrommainlyChinatoworldwide. IfyoupaythroughAlibaba.com,ourTradeAssuranceprogramwillseethisprocessthrough.Shippingtimesvarybyseller,sothiswillbeworkedoutonacase-by-casebasis. Onceyoureceiveyourorder,youcanleaveyoursellerareviewanddecidewhetherornotyou’llusethemtosourceyourproductsagaininthefuture. 6TipsforbuyersonAlibaba We’vementionedthatAlibaba.comisfullofusefulfeaturesandresources.However,allofthesearemuchmoreusefulwhenyouknowhowtousethemtoyouradvantage. HereareafewtipsthatwillhelpyouoptimizeyourbuyingexperienceonAlibaba.com. 1.Completeyourprofile Sellersdonothavetoaccepteveryorderorevenentertaineveryoffer.Theywanttoknowthattheyareworkingwithalegitimateandseriousbuyerwhowillholduptheirsideofthedeal. Inordertoshowsuppliersthatyou’rerepresentingarealbusinessandyou’renottryingtoscamanybody,wesuggestaddingasmuchinformationtoyourprofileaspossible. Addaprofilepictureandalloftheappropriatecontactinformation.UseaprofessionalemailaddressforyourbusinessratherthanafreegenericaddresslikeGmail.Fillinasmuchasyoucanaboutyourbusiness,whenitwasfounded,howmanyemployeesyouhave,andanyfiguresyouhaverelatedtosourcing. Themoreaccurateinformationyouprovide,thebetteryourprofileappearstosuppliers.Toedityourprofile,yousimplylogintoyourAlibaba.comaccountandgotoMyAlibabaworkbenchandclickon“Myprofile”. 2.Searchmoreefficiently ThemarketplaceonAlibaba.comisasearchengine,sohowyouframeyoursearchinquirieswilldeterminewhatsortofresultsyou’reshown. Let’sgobacktotheexampleoft-shirts.Ifyou’relookingforaspecificcolorandstyle,specificthoseinyoursearchinquiry.Asearchfor“tshirt”willyielddifferentresultsthan“graymen’stshirt.” Asyouexploretheoptions,youmaywanttousesomemorespecificsearchinquiriesandsomethatarelessspecific,andalsotryimagesearch.Somesellersdonottotallyoptimizetheirlistings,soyourresultswillvary. Anotherwaytonarrowdownyoursearchresultsiswiththefiltersalongtheleft-handsideofthepage.Thisletsyounarrowdownyouroptionsbycriteriaspecifictotheseller,theproduct,orboth. 3.Assesssellers OneofthemostimportantpartsofsourcingonAlibaba.comisknowingwhoyou’rebuyingfrom.Youwanttomakesurethattheyarereliableandtrustworthy. CheckingfortheGoldSupplier,VerifiedSupplier,andTradeAssuranceSupplierqualificationsisagoodplacetostart.Fromthere,checkoutthesupplier’sprofileonasupplier’sstorefront.Theirprofileletsyouknowwhattypeofcompanyitis,wheretheyselltoprimarily,whethertheyofferOEMorODMservices,whetherdropshippingisprovided,howlongthey’vebeenselling,theirtotalannualrevenueandacceptedcurrencies. Manyprofilesalsofeatureuserreviews.Reviewsareoneofthemostimportantaspectsonasupplier’sprofilebecauseitshowsyoupasttransactionshavegoneandwhetherornotpastusershavehadpositiveexperienceswiththem. Haveconversationswithsellerstolearnmoreabouttheirproductsandtheirproductionprocesses.Askasmanyquestionsasyouneedtofeelcomfortablewithbuyingfromthem. 4.Writeeffectiveinquiries Nowyou’vecollectedashortlistofsuppliersthatyouwanttoreachouttonegotiateadealoracustomizationneeds.Itisimportantforyoutowriteeffective,clear,anddetailedinquiriestomakesureyougetwhatyouneed. Werecommendincludingthefollowinginformationaboutwhatyouwanttosource: Productdescriptionandspecifications Packaging Quantity Photosifany Othercriticalpointslikesafety,branding,etc. Themoreinformationyouinclude,themorelikelyyouaretoattractasellerthatcanmeetyourneeds. Also,asktherightquestionstohelpyoudetermineifthesupplierisagoodfitforyou: Priceperordervolume CertificationssuchasFDA,CE/Europe,orChinaStandards Availability Shiporigin Shippingtermsandcost 5.Negotiatewithconfidence Aswementioned,youcannegotiatewithsellers.Inordertobesuccessfulinnegotiationsandworkoutadealthatworkswithyourbusiness’sneeds,youmustgoinwithprofessionalism,confidence,andreasonableasks. Ifunitsarelistedat$10apiece,don’tgoinwithanofferof$2,orthesellerwilldismissyouasanon-seriousbuyer.Anofferof$7or$8maybemorereasonable,especiallyifyou’reordering1000units. Keepinmindthatasellermaynotacceptyourfirstoffer,sotheremaybeabitofbackandforth.Attheendoftheday,youneedtomakesurethatthepriceyousettleonmakessenseforyourbusiness. 6.Ordersamples Manysuppliershaveminimumorderquantities(MOQs)setinplacesothatbuyersdon’ttrytotakeadvantageofwholesaleratesonsmallquantityorders. However,suppliersunderstandthatyoumaywanttoseetheproductforyourselfbeforeyoubuythousandsofunits.Asksellersaboutsamples.Oftentimes,theywillsellyouasampleoftheproductyouwanttobuyattheretailprice. Itisespeciallyimportanttoordersamplesifthesupplierisdoinganycustomizationsorprivatelabelingonyourproducts,likeaddingyourlogoorotherspecialdesigns. Havingthephysicalproductinhandcanhelpyoudetermineifitistherightoptionforyourbusinessandwhetherornotyouwanttoinvestinawholesalequantityofunits. BuyingandsellingonAlibaba ManyAlibaba.comusersarebothbuyersandsellers.Itiscommonforsellerstobuyrawmaterialsfromothersellersinordertoproducetheirgoods.BystartsellingonAlibaba.comandbecomingaGoldSupplier,youcaneasilytapintotheexistingbuyerdemandonthise-marketplaceandgrowyourbusinessandsalesinacost-effectiveway. UsingAlibaba.comforbothbuyingandsellingisbotheasyandhelpful,asabuyer,sinceitkeepsthesemajorbusinessoperationsinoneplaceinyourMyAlibabaworkbench. CaseStudy:MGSAccessories–sourcing,selling,andeverythinginbetweenonAlibaba.com RasheeGuptausedAlibaba.comtofindtrustworthymanufacturersandsourcematerialsforherproductline:MGSAccessories,herveganandcruelty-freemakeuplinebasedinSanFrancisco,California. Aftertheinitialsuccesswithherbrand,familytragediesin2019madeRasheewanttostepawayfromthebusiness.Sheknewshehadmoretoofferanddecidedtopushthrough.RasheestartedsellingonAlibaba.comasalastresort. SinceJanuary2020,Rashee’sbusinessturnedaround.Therehasbeenamajorfocusoneyemakeupduetomask-wearingduringtheCOVID-19pandemic,andRasheehasseenasurgeineyeshadow,falseeyelashes,andeyelinersalesandhasbeengettingmorethan100inquirieseveryweek.Alibaba.comnowaccountsfor50%ofRashee'ssalesandthemajorityofhersupplies. StartingoffasabuyeronAlibaba.comhelpedRasheebecomeabetterseller—sheknewhowtowinhercustomers'trustandcouldanticipatealloftheirquestions.SellingonAlibaba.comhelpedexpandMGSAccessories'wholesaleandprivatelabelbusinessbothinternationallyanddomestically. "MGSAccessorieswasintheredbeforewejoinedAlibaba.com.Saleswereveryslow.Now,wehavetheoppositeproblem.We'resobusywecan'tkeepup!" FindoutmoreaboutRashee’sinspiringstoryhere. Finalthoughts BuyingonAlibaba.comisfairlysimplewhenallissaidanddone.Aslongasyoukeepyourcommunicationsandtransactionontheplatform,thereisnoriskinvolvedthankstoourTradeAssuranceprogram. Ifyouarereadytosignupasabuyer,seller,orboth,youcancreateafreeAlibaba.comaccounttoday. WithAlibaba.com,buyingandsellingacrossbordershasneverbeeneasier.LearnmoreaboutwhyAlibaba.comisbuiltforbusinessesthatareinterestedinglobalsourcing,globalselling,andboth. 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TiếpcậnhàngtriệungườimuaB2Btrêntoàncầu Callus:(+82)07043315359 Callus:(+39)0689798260 Callus:(+60)046097825 Callus:(+66)649156247 Nềntảng TạisaolạilàAlibaba.com Cáchbán Tínhnăngsảnphẩm Dịchvụ Giảipháp ThươngmạiđiệntửB2B Thươngmạiđiệntửbánbuôn Thươngmạiquốctế Muatoàncầu,bántoàncầu Giá Câuchuyệnthànhcông Tàinguyênhọctập NhậtkýKinhdoanh Hộithảotrênweb Báocáongành RaggiungimilionidibuyerB2Bnelmondo Callus:(+82)07043315359 Callus:(+39)0689798260 Callus:(+60)046097825 Callus:(+66)649156247 Piattaforma PerchéAlibaba.com Comevendere Caratteristichedelprodotto Servizi Soluzioni E-commerceB2B E-commerceall'ingrosso Commerciointernazionale Acquistoglobale,venditaglobale Prezzi Storiedisuccesso Risorse Blogaziendali Webinar Relazionidisettore ReachmillionsofB2Bbuyersglobally Callus:(+82)07043315359 Callus:(+39)0689798260 Callus:(+60)046097825 Callus:(+66)649156247 Platform WhyAlibaba.com Howtosell Productfeatures Services RFQ Storefront KWA Keywordstrends Productshowcase Solutions B2Becommerce Wholesaleecommerce Internationaltrade Globalbuy,globalsell Pricing Successstories Resources Businessblogs Webinars Industryreports Playbooks Learningcenter