herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Nov 11, 2013 19:28:32 GMT -5
Hi anyone, I keep stumbling onto alibaba.com (have for years) and see a lot of great stuff that I'd be interested in buying, but I've also heard a lot of the horror stories (e.g. no way to recover funds if deal goes bad or you aren't happy etc.) Does anyone have any advice on successfully shopping on a site like alibaba.com? My brother is in a unique position that he has free time for part of the year and just needs some residual income during the winter months. I'm 2 years into rocking and have a ton of stuff I'd still love to buy and start to sell some of what I have and can buy; but just don't have the time. If I could take advantage of some of the great items I see from India and other areas overseas I'd love to have him run a reseller for me (buy a lot of something cool, sell it off in smaller lots for a markup) - obviously I am susceptible to being duped (bought a bunch of fake trilobites last summer) and I see stuff that almost has to be fake so I know there is a lot of scamming with little accountability but I wonder if there are ways to negotiate that to not be taken too badly. I didn't know where else to post this so I just thought I'd put it here and hope it doesn't get buried in politics
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Nov 11, 2013 19:54:52 GMT -5
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Nov 11, 2013 19:55:21 GMT -5
so how is aliexpress related? I find items in the search in alibaba that I can't find in aliexpress. is alibaba a no-no?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2013 20:07:08 GMT -5
I am told by recent email that alibaba now has an escrow service. Alibaba holds the dough until you say I have the product and it is what I ordered.
I have ordered on both aliexpress and alibaba both with zero issues. Variety of products from teas to jewelry, synthetic opal, to pearls, to diamond tools.... all over the board.
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Post by catmandewe on Nov 11, 2013 21:36:37 GMT -5
I was going to buy a large quantity of grit and repackage it for resale but by the time I got through the customs and duties there was no money left in it so I didn't finish the deal. I am glad I did my home work though, it could have been an expensive mistake. If you are buying in quantity there are hidden costs, make sure you find out what they are.
Tony
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Nov 12, 2013 19:33:04 GMT -5
Best if the company that is a member of either Ali has a rep that speaks english. Communication is more of a problem than evil in my experience with these people.
One company had a great communicator and all went very smooth. She would catch all kinds of potential pit falls. You could email back and forth till the deal was defined and clearly stated.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2013 14:37:27 GMT -5
Best if the company that is a member of either Ali has a rep that speaks english. Communication is more of a problem than evil in my experience with these people. One company had a great communicator and all went very smooth. She would catch all kinds of potential pit falls. You could email back and forth till the deal was defined and clearly stated. Ahhh... my girlfriend Elin! She is indeed the best. I think she went to college in the USA.
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kaldorlon
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2013
Posts: 413
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Post by kaldorlon on Nov 13, 2013 15:40:10 GMT -5
Bought some stuff from AliExpress with no problems...only did 1 transaction so far. Also did well with Pandahall.com too for a deal.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Nov 13, 2013 16:50:01 GMT -5
Look Scott, I got a picture of your girlfriend in my wallet. Got more, wanna see...
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