What I've Learned in 1 Day on Alibaba (for buyers)

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.

Hello,

Great post!  Thank you for the information.  I have been dealing with one company that says that the phone is genuine nokia but they wont answer me regarding it having WCDMA 850/1900 + EGSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz ... Do you have a company that you trust for the nokia n95?

Thank you.

Nicole

 

Quoting from [twisted1]:

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.

Hi Nicole,


Where is this company located? If it is in China then their 'genuine' phone is more or less genuinely made in China. Nokia makes their phones in Finland and it is not legal for Chinese companies to export copy phones. Think about that for a second.... the original and the copy look very similar and customs won't be able to tell the difference so it would make sense that all Nokia branded phones are illegal to leave China (If the company really does have originals I still wouldn't risk it). Try to find a company located in Finland. I just started on this site so I do not know/trust any companies yet.


Quoting from [nicole2381]:

Hello,

Great post! Thank you for the information. I have been dealing with one company that says that the phone is genuine nokia but they wont answer me regarding it having WCDMA 850/1900 + EGSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz ... Do you have a company that you trust for the nokia n95?

Thank you.

Nicole

Quoting from [twisted1]:

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.

Quoting from [twisted1]:


17. If the seller does not accept Escrow or PayPal do not buy from them. It's your money and you worked too hard to throw it away 

Dear Twisted,

This is very good information. Thank you!

Quoting from [Thewizardofsoz]:

Quoting from [twisted1]:



17. If the seller does not accept Escrow or PayPal do not buy from them. It's your money and you worked too hard to throw it away 

Dear Twisted,

This is very good information. Thank you!

good advice. Thanks!

Quoting from [twisted1]:

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.

Business is really hard to finalise nowadays...

We need to turst each other...

Quoting from [twisted1]:

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.

Quoting from [twisted1]:

I joined Alibaba a couple days ago and I have learned a lot about this site. I think this will be helpful for potenital buyers

1. Don't rush
2. Use the community on Alibaba to research companies and ask questions
3. Assume that the TrustPass on this site means nothing
4. Make sure the seller's contact information has a telephone number, street address and building number. Call the number and speak with someone (doesn't help much but still helpful). If they do not have a telephone number, ask for one
5. If they have a website make sure it is more than 1 year old (google whois)
6. When they email you there should be at least some information on the bottom of the email with the company's contact information (there should be some form of professionalism). Invoices should have company information also
7. After all of that and if you still want to buy from them - prices are negotiable, don't settle for what the seller offers.
8. Contact more than one seller about the same product
9. Compare prices on sites like amazon and ebay (you do want to make a profit, right?)
10. If the seller has concept phones (ex: Nokia Aeon) and still insists that it's original Nokia, do not purchase anything from that company
11. If the seller does not have pictures of the product in its original package then do not buy from them
12. Negotiate prices on a messaging system and save those conversations
13. Don't give you mailing information first, let them ask for it (if they don't ask then they have no intention of sending you anything)
14. Ask for an invoice
15. If the person is persistent and nudges you after only a few seconds of asking a question, or if they want you to hurry up and pay after a few minutes of contact, be weary. This is unprofessional and you wouldn't stay in a store if the sales person kept bugging you and pressuring you to buy would you?
16. In my opinion, if you are looking for original items avoid China unless the original you want is manufactured there. China's copy phones are pretty decent looking though.

I hope this helps someone make a good choice or maybe avoid scammers.