I don't think alibaba has an escrow services, though it would double the credibilty of their services and the honesty regarding shipping contents of the supplier especially with China.

I heard of an Escrow Services used by ebay users, called Escrow.com. try it out, I haven't tried it, if you succeed, please share your experience with us.

hi Alibaba,

thank you soooooo much for the very educative and informative insight to this topic. i am much better informed now. keep up the good work.

linksman wireless services (Nigeria)

I am sure that this particular section is going to help those who are new to the international trade..

Best of Luck for the future

Since the Letter of Credit is irrevocable and the opening bank does not have the right to cancel the LC prior to its expiry date, why some sellers still insist in adding the "confirming Bank" ? In other words why do they wish to keep two banks responsible for the payment of the shipment? Is there still a distinction between first class banks and second class banks? In the affirmative is it correct?

In cases where there is no mutual trust between the buyer and the seller the shipment calls for an inspection certificate prior to shipment. Who bears the charges for the document in question. (I presume the buyer)  Is the buyer fully covered through this document for the quality of the goods ordered and shipped?

Thanks

Nikos Kokkinos

Hello Alibaba

When sellers list a shipping price, does that mean door to door? If not, what kind of customs fees or delays might a shipment encounter?

Have you tried Direct Factoring? Direct Factoring allows you to guarantee payment of any invoice. For a fee as low as 0.5% per invoice IFG will guarantee payment on your invoices. They do all of the credit checks and issue a letter of guranteed credit line. If your buyer defaults on your net terms you file a claim and within 120 days IFG will pay the invoice themselves whether they have collected or not. It's not insurance, it's credit protection. IFG is international and based in London. Have your US and international clients call them for details and to process it takes about 2 days to get an answer as to how IFG can help.www.myinterfinancial.com