Reliable suppliers on Alibaba: How to find them
Learn how to find reliable suppliers on Alibaba. If you are unsure, verify them with us.
Today, finding suppliers on Alibaba is not very difficult. Anyone can log in and search until they find the product they want. With a little English they can then request quotations and receive them quickly.
Where is the problem?
It turns out that what is complicated is finding reliable suppliers on Alibaba. This does not mean that they are going to defraud us or that the company will disappear tomorrow, but a series of unexpected and difficult-to-control things can happen:
– The supplier says they are a manufacturer but is only a trader. This is especially important when we are looking for large quantities of the same product or even manufacturing our own brand (it makes no sense to look for a manufacturer for small quantities; a trader is better for that).
– The trader handling our enquiry does not know their products well. Despite competitive prices, there is no way they can answer our questions properly.
– They sell without stock. Many suppliers have hundreds of products in their catalogue, but when it comes to it, hardly any of them are available. At best they will take a week to ship; at worst we will have to ask them specifically to produce for us (which is only possible for large quantities).
– Errors in the goods. Despite the supplier's good intentions, they make mistakes when shipping because the sales rep is not the same person who prepares the packages and there is poor communication between them.
– They lack quality control. If we buy small quantities, we are more likely to receive the defective batches that have to be removed. This is because we have no leverage to complain and are not a significant business to them.
How to avoid it?
We need to hire a company that can contact suppliers by phone and in Chinese, visit factories, perform quality controls and negotiate low-cost samples.
If you want to find and manage reliable suppliers on Alibaba CONTACT US and discover your reliable supplier.