I am thinking about buying some products from Alibaba but before I do I would like to ask anyone out there who knows of any of the below company's that I have been looking at that I should stay away from Best buy group co. ltd The consumer electronics Inventory statistics from ALPHA Blong Electronic Co. LTD. HQ international Trade Group Co., Ltd Donghe Electronics Co., Ltd. E-sightway Digital Technology Co.,Ltd I should also I if all of the products are new or would they say if they were used in any way
It's difficult to go into detail as Alibaba is a major marketplace with thousands of sellers. However I recommend you to order product samples before you buy a large stock. By doing this, you will know the quality. Despite doing this, there are some sellers that are dishonest and can trick you. When you order samples they send good quality items. When you then proceed to order the stock, they send low quality items. Moreover you should check the payment options. If the seller only offers bank transfer you should be aware of the fact that the supplier will receive full payment before the production takes place. The level of risk is high and it's not recommended that you do a bank transfer with a supplier that is unknown to you as it will be difficult to get your money back if the seller breaches the contract. Western Union payments are also something that you should avoid. This payment method should only be used between people who know each other. If the seller breaches the contract after you have paid with Western Union, there will be no opportunity for you to make a charge back. PayPal and Escrow are recommended payment options. The buyer protection is good with these services.
I have many years experience in importing from China since 1987 and the first thing I would say is don't import electronics! I have done a quick check on the ones you listed: Best Buy Group is only a few months old. Beware of such new companies. Blong Electronic Co. Beware! See the warnings on this site: http://www.supplierblacklist.com/2016/03/31/shenzhen-blong-electronic-co-ltd/ HQ International Trade Group. See: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports...s-scammed-by-hq-international-trading-1330902 There are other scam reports on that company. Donghe Electronics. Might be a reputable company, but I can't find enough information. E-sightway Digital Technology. Beware! See https://www.scamguard.com/e-sightwaycom/ You are looking in the wrong places. You need to learn something about safe sourcing. To get some idea of what you need to learn see my website link in my signature. I don't want you to buy but I want you to at least know what you need to look for.
Your warnings are good. I would give extra emphasis to your comment about Western Union (WU). If a supplier will only accept payment though WU you can be certain they are scammers. PayPal is rarely offered by genuine manufacturers, and if it is, they will require you to pay the PayPal charges. Payment thorugh PayPal is not a guarantee of security. If you want to know why, ask me on my thread: Ask Me Anything About Product Sourcing and Importing True escrow is not available on the major B2B sites like Alibaba. Your best security is careful due diligence, and not believing everything you read on B2B sites.
Great that your warning people, however people must be vigilant when purchasing abroad. It's so easy for them to simply change name and move onto a new company. Just make sure you ask a lot of questions and pay using the best payment method rather then just sending money via bank transfer.
It's a good point that you are making here. You seem to have plenty of knowledge on what to think about when purchasing from companies abroad. One thing that I would like to add is that people should ask questions to the supplier to test them. A supplier that is honest should know the specifications of the products as they do trade with the products. Technical questions about the product are best to test them with. A dishonest supplier will just tell that the product works fine and it's high-quality. An honest supplier will know the technical specifications.
Obviously before buying a product from a company always take an in-depth research background for you to confirm your buying process in the field. You must know and do not rely on others.
I agree with you. It's important to make an in-depth research. Just trusting people on a forum saying that this or that supplier is "good", is not enough.
I'm still fairly new to using them myself but one thing I have done is to research off of the website too not just basing my decision on reviews they have on there because honestly you don't know how many are legit. I look for companies or individuals that offer products or services similar to mine and read feedback on their providers, customer reviews etc.
Vigilance should extend to the point of not believing anything you read in a supplier's listing. You must check out everything. The first step is to find out if they are genuine manufacturers. On most B2B sites you will find the great majority of suppliers list themselves as manufacturers. In most cases that is not true because most are traders or wholesalers. If they will lie to you about that, can you trust anything they say? Payment via bank transfer is usually reasonably safe, provided you have very thoroughly checked out the supplier, but never make payment to an individual. Always insist on paying to the company's account. Don't be too concerned if they want you to pay to another company in Hong Kong, because many Chinese companies set up their export operation there, mainly for tax reasons.