Alibaba is a completely legit and safe online shopping platform to buy and sell products. However, you have to identify suppliers and manufacturers whom you can trust. This is because Alibaba.com is just a B2B platform where buyers and suppliers meet. So, here, you have to find trusted buyers and sellers.
Key Takeaways
- From Alibaba, you will be able to buy products for your business at cheap prices and then re-sell them to make some profit
- Alibaba is a wholesale company therefore you won’t be able to sell things like intellectual property for your eCommerce business
- On Alibaba.Com you can register as a seller and a buyer; opening both types of account is free on Alibaba
- Currently, Alibaba is the largest B2B company and the fifth-largest online company by revenue
What is Alibab.Com?
Alibaba.Com is an online eCommerce platform that connects manufacturers and wholesalers in China to businesses and individuals around the world. Alibaba Group Holding Limited is the parent company of Alibaba. Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational technology company that is specialized in e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology. Alibaba.Com was established in 1999 by Jack Ma, Jianhang Jin, Joseph C. Tsai, and Zhang Ying. From Alibaba, you will be able to buy products for your business at cheap prices and then re-sell them to make some profit. The business concept of Alibaba is a bit different from traditional eCommerce platforms; the main aim of Alibaba is to focus more on trade between businesses, rather than a direct-to-consumer or person-to-person approach. So, if you want to buy products from Alibaba then you have to buy products in bulk. But there are few products available at Alibaba that you can buy a few of at a time.
Overview of Alibab.Com
| Company name | Alibaba |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Hangzhou, China |
| CEO | Daniel Zhang |
| Phone | 022 4233 5233 |
| Address | No. 969 West Wen Yi Road, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang and George Town, Cayman Islands |
| Website | www.alibaba.com |
How Does Alibaba Work?
Basically, Alibaba is a wholesale company therefore you won’t be able to sell things like intellectual property for your eCommerce business. The business model of Alibaba.Com is different from other major eCommerce platforms like eBay, Amazon, Etsy, etc. Alibaba.Com encourages trades between companies than individual customers. So, Alibaba uses a business-to-business approach and gives companies access to large-scale purchases at low prices. In Alibaba.Com you can register as a seller and a buyer. Opening both types of accounts is free in Alibaba.Com. AS a seller you will be able to deliver up to 50 displayed products. Here, Alibaba won’t handle your sales for you. If you receive an order from the buyer then it’s totally up to you to process the payments and the order details. You can easily do that through Alibaba chat and email. The best part is Alibab.Com won’t charge any commissions or transaction fees. Here, you only have to pay gold supplier membership fees. The gold supplier membership ensures the seller is certified and trusted. So, while buying products from Alibaba try to contact a seller with the gold supplier standard.
Products Available at Alibaba.Com
| 1. Agricultural Machinery & Equipment | 32. Generators | 63. Building & Industrial Glass |
| 2. Apparel & Textile Machinery | 33. Industrial Controls | 64. Commonly Used Accessories & Parts |
| 3. Building Material Machinery | 34. Action & Toy Figures | 65. Computer Hardware & Software |
| 4. Chemical & Pharmaceutical Machinery | 35. Arts, Crafts & DIY Toys | 66. Earphone & Headphone & Accessories |
| 5. Cleaning Equipment | 36. Baby & Toddler Toys | 67. Air Conditioning Appliances |
| 6. Electric Equipment Making Machinery | 37. Balloons | 68. Baby Appliances |
| 7. ATV/UTV Parts & Accessories | 38. Blocks & Model Building Toys | 69. Cleaning Appliances |
| 8. Automotive Parts & Accessories | 39. Classic Toys | 70. Home Appliance Parts |
| 9. Aviation Parts & Accessories | 40. Functional Shoes | 71. Home Appliances Stocks |
| 10. Bus Parts & Accessories | 41. Kids Shoes | 72. Home Heaters |
| 11. Container Parts & Accessories | 42. Men Shoes | 73. Men’s Clothing |
| 12. Go Kart & Kart Racer Parts & Accessories | 43. Other Shoes | 74. Women’s Clothing |
| 13. Blockchain Miners | 44. Outdoor Shoes | 75. Sportswear |
| 14. Camera, Photo & Accessories | 45. Shoe Care & Services | 76. Garment & Processing Accessories |
| 15. Chargers, Batteries & Power Supplies | 46. Body Art | 77. Wedding Apparel & Accessories |
| 16. Jewelry | 47. Breast Care | 78. Belts & Accessories |
| 17. Jewelry Accessories | 48. False Eyelashes & Tools | 79. Clothes Accessories |
| 18. Watch Accessories & Parts | 49. Medical Mask, Medical Protective Clothing & Medical Goggles | 80. Ear Muff & Eye masks |
| 19. Watches | 50. Health Care Products | 81. Ethnic Accessories |
| 20. Commercial & Industrial Lighting | 51. Professional Medical Devices | 82. Gloves & Mittens |
| 21.Healthcare Lighting | 52. Extract | 83. Hair Accessories |
| 22.Holiday Lighting | 53. Pharmaceutical | 84. Eyewear |
| 23.Holiday Lighting (old) | 54. Medical Consumables | 85. Eyewear Accessories |
| 24.Indoor Lighting | 55. Home Furniture | 86. Home Storage & Organization |
| 25.Landscape Lighting | 56. Baby Care | 87. Household Cleaning Tools & Accessories |
| 26.Balustrades & Handrails | 57. Bath Supplies | 88. Household Sundries |
| 27.Bathroom & Kitchen | 58. Beauty Equipment | 89. Commercial Furniture |
| 28. Batteries | 59. Garden Supplies | 90. Furniture Accessories |
| 29. Connectors & Terminals | 60. Furniture Parts | 91. Pet Products |
| 30. Electrical Instruments | 61. Building Boards | 92. Furniture Hardware |
| 31. Electrical Supplies | 62. Kitchen & Tabletop | 93. Furniture Accessories (Old) |
Is Alibab.Com a Safe Platform to Shop in 2022?
The concern of safety is justified for online shopping because it is very easy to scam someone in online. Moreover, nobody wants to incur losses and get scammed. Below are some key points that indicate how reliable and safe the online marketplace Alibaba is. Let’s check them out.
1. Biggest Ecommerce Sites in the World
Currently, Alibaba is the largest eCommerce platform in the world. In fact, Alibaba is the largest B2B company and the fifth largest online company by revenue. This Ecommerce platform is also in the top 50 public corporations in the world and it is also listed on the Forbes Global 2000 list. So, it is quite clear that Alibaba is one of the safest and most legit sites in the eCommerce business.
2. Alibaba’s Seller Verification
Alibaba has a seller verification process that ensures all the sellers of this platform are legit and safe. Most of the sellers on Alibaba are trustworthy, from which you can buy safely. When a seller registers an account on Alibaba.Com, it checks all the aspects of the business including company profile, management system, production abilities, product management, quality control, etc. Moreover, verified sellers have a separate verified tag on their profile so it is very easy to identify a verified seller.
3. Secure Payment Methods
Alibaba supports a wide range of payment methods. Some of the payment methods in Alibaba are safer than other payment methods. Safer payment methods of Alibaba are Bank Transfers, PayPal, and Credit cards. But the most secure payment method of Alibaba is the escrow service, which is Alibaba Trade Assurance. When you make a payment on Alibaba, your money will be safe with Alibaba until you are satisfied with the quality. If there is any problem like a quality issue or delay in shipment then you can get a refund or open a dispute. Alibaba.Com pays full attention to the safety and security of the buyer’s money!
4. Alibaba Trade Assurance
This is a buyer protection policy from Alibaba.Com and it enables secure payment from the buyer to supplier. This policy includes a refund system in case of wrong order. According to Alibaba Trade Assurance, you have to send the payment to the Alibaba bank account. When you receive the product and are 100% satisfied with the product condition then Alibaba will release the payment. However, if the shipment is delayed, or there is any problem with the order then you will get a refund. So, basically, Alibaba Trade Assurance is a buyer safety feature from Alibaba.Com.
5. Seller Credentials
Apart from the verified sellers, there is another type of sellers available that pay for their accounts and known as gold sellers. In Alibaba, you can easily check the seller’s business license and contact information to validate whether the seller is real or not. So, seller credentials also indicate how safe Alibaba is. Com is!
Steps to Buy Safely from Alibaba.Com
Though Alibaba is a safe place to buy your products there are some additional steps that you can follow to make your shopping experience in Alibaba 100% secure. Below are 5 steps you should follow to buy safely from Alibaba –
- Check Seller Profile on Alibaba
- Check Reviews and Ratings
- Buy from Verified Suppliers
- Check Product Catalog
- Use Secure Payment Methods
1. Check Seller Profile on Alibaba
It is very important to check the seller profile before ordering something from Alibaba.Com. On the profile, there are many indicators and features that will help you find out whether the seller is real or not. For example, in Alibaba.Com there are many types of “checks” a seller can have. A&V checks will allow the buyers to check the seller’s business license and contact information. So, you can easily check the business type, factory location, ownership status, and certifications of a seller.
2. Check Reviews and Ratings
You should also check the reviews and ratings of the sellers before ordering products on Alibaba.Com. Reviews and ratings will give you a clear idea about the seller and how good the products will be. If a seller has many negative reviews and low ratings then it means you must avoid the seller because the service from the seller is not good. So, pick a seller that has moderate to good reviews and ratings to avoid scammers.
3. Buy from Verified Suppliers
Alibaba.Com has verified suppliers who go through third-party inspection on various aspects of their business and credentials. So, it will be a wise decision to only buy from verified sellers. This is because verified sellers are reliable, trustworthy, and deal in good products.
4. Check Product Catalog
You should also check the product catalog before buying the product. Usually, the product catalog includes various information of the products like features, description, price, design, dimensions, color, design, etc. All this information will give you a clear idea about the product and its quality.
5. Use Secure Payment Methods
Always try to use a secure payment method while shopping online. Using secure payment methods will keep you safe from scams and frauds. In Alibaba.Com you should try to use the Alibaba Trade Assurance because it has a refund system and it is safer than Bank Transfers, PayPal, and credit cards. Alibaba Trade Assurance ensures a secure payment from you to the supplier.
Is Alibaba.Com Legit or a Scam?
Alibaba.Com is a 100% legit online shopping platform. This platform has a range of policies and rules that ensure all the transactions carried out on this platform are secured. Moreover, financial information shared on Alibaba is not shared with the sellers or any other 3rd party companies. Moreover, Alibaba has excellent customer ratings and most of the customers are happy with the shopping experiences of Alibaba. Alibaba is also in the business since 1999, so it is another indication that this shopping platform is legit.
Pros and Cons of Shopping at Alibaba
| Pros of Shopping at Alibaba | Cons of Shopping at Alibaba |
| You can buy products at wholesale prices | Minimum order requirement, you can’t buy a single product from Alibaba |
| Millions of products available at Alibaba | Customer service is not up to the mark compared to the brand value |
| You can assess sellers at Alibaba | The refund process is a bit complicated |
| A large number of payment methods supported by Alibaba | There are some complaints about the product quality |
| More control over your product packaging and shipping process | |
| Product tracing available |
Final Verdict
Finally, Alibaba.Com is a legit and safe platform to buy your products. However, Alibaba is not free from scammers. Therefore, while shopping at Alibaba, you should be extra cautious and choose the sellers very carefully. You can follow our above advice and avoid being scammed in Alibaba!
References:
https://www.shopify.com/blog/16665772-alibaba-101-how-to-safely-source-products-from-the-worlds-biggest-supplier-directory
https://seller.alibaba.com/businessblogs/px001uhts-how-to-safely-buy-and-sell-on-alibabacom
Last Updated on October 31, 2022 by Magalie D.
Magalie D. is a Diploma holder in Public Administration & Management from McGill University of Canada. She shares management tips here in MGTBlog when she has nothing to do and gets some free time after working in a multinational company at Toronto.
