Alibaba is a convenient service where potential customers can place an order, ask suppliers questions of interest and study the products on offer. The site contains photos of goods and a detailed description. On the site you can order goods wholesale and retail. Customers who are not familiar with online shopping are often interested in the question of how to order goods at Alibaba at the best prices.
About Alibaba
Alibaba is a leading international platform where you can make retail and wholesale purchases. The online marketplace serves millions of customers and suppliers. However, many potential buyers are wondering how to order goods on Alibaba and save money at the same time.
Through this service, entrepreneurs can supply goods to other countries. Buyers can find any product of interest, send a price request to the supplier and negotiate large deliveries. It is important for potential buyers to know that Alibaba is not a store, but is an online platform where suppliers publish their products.
How to order on "Alibaba"?
The essence of working with the site is as follows:
- Registration on the platform.
- Search for the necessary product.
- Sending a request for information of interest on conditions and prices.
- The conclusion of the transaction and payment for the goods.
The main difference of this platform compared to a regular online store is that the client does not put the order in the basket, but sends a request to the supplier. Also, the user can create and place his order on the site in the form of an announcement. Suppliers will provide their offers, from which you can choose the best option.
Answering the question about how to order goods on Alibaba and contact the supplier, you can use the following methods:
- Sending a request.
- Beginning of cooperation with the completion of the order (if the client is ready to go to bidding and is sure that the selected product is what is needed).
- Chat with the supplier through a special Trade Manager program .
Correct execution of the request will allow the supplier to understand the seriousness of intent and will contribute to a faster response. The request should contain information about the buyer, company, position and field of activity. It is also necessary to describe in detail the product of interest. It is recommended to include in the request questions about the cost and the minimum possible purchase lot. All responses from suppliers can be tracked in a personal account on the platform. Notifications of replies will be sent to e-mail.
Product Search
Buyers who are interested in how to order products at the best prices on Alibaba can use the search function. To do this, just open the main page of the site and enter the name of the product of interest in the search bar. Then click on the "Find" button. If the system has selected inappropriate products, you can change the number of words in the request. It is not recommended to enter specialized and too exact requests. Do not include in the request the name of the regions, countries, as well as the words "seller", "supplier". Quotation marks help you find the right product faster and more accurately. Alibaba does not ship goods on its own. Therefore, when answering the question of how to order goods on Alibaba in Russia, it is necessary to send a request to the supplier. For the convenience of the search, users are presented with special filters that will simplify the process of searching for goods by size, color and country of manufacture.
If you place a purchase request, you can increase the chances of a quick product search on the site. A purchase request is a placement of a free advertisement, which is provided to the attention of suppliers. This function allows you to specify specific information about the features of the product. The site offers users 12 categories, among which you can find industry news and new business ideas. Buyers can choose a supplier with the right status. The following categories are presented on the site:
- Assessed Supplier. This category includes trusted suppliers that have been verified by company representatives. These are the most reliable suppliers with which you can safely cooperate.
- Gold Supplier. The category includes suppliers with verified data. They can be considered for cooperation, but the company does not provide a 100% guarantee.
- Free member. The most unreliable category, which causes concern among buyers. It is better not to purchase goods from such suppliers.
Potential buyers can find basic information about the supplier, presented on the left side of the search page. Attention users are provided with a legal name, transaction amount, statuses and percentage of responses to applications. In order to clarify the price of the goods, you must write to the supplier. The cost of goods may vary from contract to contract, as it is a platform for business. It is important for buyers to understand what actions the procedure for ordering goods comes down to. First of all, it is necessary to determine the format of the purchase - wholesale or retail. If the buyer is interested in how to order at Alibaba at retail, then the general algorithm of actions will be similar to wholesale purchases.
Registration process
Proper completion of the registration procedure will make it possible to realize the idea of the buyer. The user will need to go to the Alibaba.com website. In the upper left corner, click on the "Register" button. The user will be presented with a profile that will need to be filled out and indicate a phone number, e-mail and other data. After that, select the status of the profile. The user can become a customer, supplier, or both. At the last stage, it remains to follow the link that will activate the profile.
How to buy on Alibaba at retail or in bulk?
The user needs to open the service website and enter the username and password. In the search bar, you can type in the product of interest and click on the "Find" button. The system will provide a list including trading offers. You can make a selection for a specific supplier.
The customer can make a request to the supplier and wait for a response. After feedback from the supplier, negotiations take place in the message center. In order to go to this place of negotiations, click on the appropriate link located in the "My profile" window. In the message center you can clarify and discuss all the points of the contract.
Delivery
The client will need to fill in the date of shipment agreed with the supplier and the number of full days provided for shipment. In most cases, suppliers operate under FOB conditions, which include the inclusion of costs before cargo is placed on board the vessel at the port of departure. The subsequent organization of delivery is transferred to the buyer's responsibility. In the absence of experience in the field of logistics, you should contact a specialized logistics company. Such organizations can also offer their own payment and delivery schemes, which save the client’s money. You can use the express delivery service. However, this option is much more expensive, because the company will invoice the customer for payment of customs duties. Although some customers use this method of delivery with prior agreement with the supplier.
A short algorithm of work will look like this:
- Search for the right supplier and discussion of conditions.
- Getting information about prices, weight, sizes, etc.
- Search for a logistics partner.
- The process of concluding a contract.
- Payment.
- Delivery.
The buyer should be aware that the consignment will require payment of duties and customs clearance. Logistic and transport companies do not provide customs clearance services.
Payment
The platform itself does not pay for goods, since it serves to familiarize customers with goods and communicate with suppliers. Many buyers are wondering how to order goods from Alibaba to Russia and pay for them. Buyers can use the following methods of payment for goods:
- Telegraphic transfer (TT, bank transfer). This method should be used when paying for commercial goods.
- Credit card. It is recommended to apply when paying for goods of 1 piece or a consignment of goods that are not subject to customs duties.
- WesternUnion, MoneyGram. These are the most risky ways to pay for goods. Using these payment methods, the buyer loses the guarantee that the supplier will faithfully fulfill the obligations.
- PayPal This is the safest payment option, with a commission of 5%. The system holds the payment for 45 days and does not send it to the supplier. However, not all Chinese sellers use this system. The buyer may lose a few percent when converting rubles into dollars. When paying through this system, the buyer should ask the seller to send his PayPal account. After the transfer, you must contact the supplier and give the account number and payment amount. Then, after a few days, the seller will report the batch track number. This number is required to track the shipment of goods within China. In the future, the cargo can be tracked through an intermediary or a carrier.
- Purchase through intermediaries. This is the most profitable alternative for the buyer. Intermediaries charge from 5% to 10% of the total purchase amount for their services. At the same time, they help to choose the most favorable prices, check the batch of goods and are responsible for the process of customs clearance of goods.
Important Nuances
Carrying out a remote order, the buyer does not have a written supply contract. Therefore, there is only one guarantee of receiving the product - the seller’s desire to receive money. The supplier company is only responsible for the timely shipment. The buyer may receive goods of poor quality, because the party is not subject to verification. When ordering goods through an intermediary, the parties sign a contract at the office.
The intermediary checks the goods in China and is responsible for the packaging and quality of the products. He can be called the legal representative of the buyer in China. Therefore, in case of any disputed moments and difficulties, the intermediary will be liable for his obligations according to the signed agreement. Using the presented material, users will have information on how to order goods through Alibaba.
How to make a retail order?
Buyers can order products on the site individually through intermediaries. In order to determine the possibility of purchasing goods at retail, you should move the cursor to the picture with the selected product. In the window you can see the limits on the number. Thus, by moving the mouse cursor to the goods, the buyer can find products that can be bought at retail from 1 piece. Answering the question about how to order items of particular interest on Alibaba, customers can use the search bar. However, it should be borne in mind that the site presents the best prices for goods that you need to buy in bulk.
Conclusion
As a rule, Alibaba receives bulk purchases for large amounts of money. Many potential buyers are interested in the question of how to order a batch of goods from Alibaba.com to Russia. If the buyer needs guarantees of receipt of the goods, it is better to use reliable intermediaries. There are scammers on this platform, so you need to check the reliability of suppliers. Some traders may impersonate manufacturers. This platform is focused on business in B2B format, so it is better for private customers to give preference to other trading platforms. When making bulk purchases, it is desirable to register a legal entity and apply a general taxation system. This is due to the fact that the buyer will need to pay VAT. However, if the company plans only retail sales, you can use UTII and STS.
The buyer can register as a participant in foreign economic activity, open a foreign currency account and conclude a contract with Chinese suppliers. This option is suitable if the buyer intends to send the goods to Russia in large containers. If the buyer purchases small batches of goods, it is better to give preference to working with an agent on outsourcing. The agent will, on his own behalf, enter into a contract with a Chinese supplier. It will look as if the buyer purchased Chinese goods in the domestic market from the importer. Of course, to work through an agent is quite expensive, because the company takes a certain percentage of the transaction amount. However, this form of cooperation will allow the buyer not to worry about the attendant difficulties of the transaction, as well as about the quantity and quality of the goods. The information provided in the article provides comprehensive information on how to order goods on Alibaba.