Has anyone got experience of buying from Chinese wholesale sites?

[SumBex]

I'm looking at purchasing stock from the likes of DHgate, Alixpress and Alibaba. A quick google throws up lots of negative experiences but these mostly relate to electrical goods which isn't the sort of thing I'll be buying.

So has anyone here used these sites? Any advice on how to avoid the bad sellers?

TIA.

No but interested in any more useful replies you get! Sorry, I know that's no help.

Thanks for the link kelpeed. I'll have a good read of that.

I'll basically be buying card and paper stock so no issues of fake brands.

The Chinese wholesale websites make it seem easy to buy stock in this way but I'm unsure of how safe it is and I'm interested to know how to avoid the pitfalls.

I contacted one seller last year but I never got a reply so I'm not sure how best to go about it.

I have experience with alibaba and aliexpress. Electronics can be a problem, you have to check every single unit and make sure all functions work correctly, and if there is something wrong you will have to go through the hassle of trying to get a refund or replacement.

On the brighter side if it's just clothing items, make sure you completely read the listing if your not sure about anything ask the seller before you buy. I purchased some scarves, shoes, dress's, purses and jewelry via aliexpress, didn't have any problems. :)

Escrow will protect you as long as you have proof of goods, delivery, and communications. Don't pay outside of escrow services via these 2 websites, sellers that push you to pay via western union or paypal avoid them! Check their user feedback, and try to have an online chat before purchasing anything.

Hope that helps.

I have sourced from alibaba, our market is specific and we have many years experience. It often helps if you are able to sell your business to them, they will research you, check out website and credentials. You will find many don't respond, but we have developed good repeat business with 2-3 Chinese companies this way. But I see how it could be risky. If starting off in business I'd start with attending trade shows.

Had a few small lots via Alibaba. No horror stories so far.

Hi, I've looked into this before but didn't actually go ahead with the purchase. Here's a good article I found about it: under30ceo.com/7-ways-to-get-scammed-on-alibaba/

In general, make sure you go for the top-rated sellers on Alibaba. You can often bargain with them quite hard on the price, and the minimum order quantity. Pretend that you are a much bigger player than you are so they won't try and take advantage! Definitely use the Escrow service.

The easiest way to start might be to buy from UK wholesalers (who, often, after accounting for shipping and import taxes, aren't that much more expensive). Then, once you have abetter idea of what products your customers want, and have more negotiating power, you can deal directly with the Chinese suppliers.

Good luck!