Using Alibaba

Alibaba is an amazing site. You can buy anything you want there!!

I really love Trade Manager. You can chat with the suppliers to get what you want! It also serves to "check them out". I really try to build a realationship with the suppliers and this helps to get them to understand what you what! I have heard of people getting ripped off by some suppliers, so if you are thinking about going this way, do your homework!

It is also worth reading some of the forums on the site to find out what people are thinking!

I believe the 2 biggest things that we need to emphasise is quality and price. Reliability is important too!

But it takes me about 3-4 months to do the negotiating for what I want! By the time we sort out sizing, labelling, styles, changes to samples, and receive order, 4 months has passed. The factory also has a schedule and production of your product needs to fit into their schedule! When I realized the time it took, I decided I needed to plan what I wanted for the next 12 months so I always had stock!

Once the initial order is sorted, the time reduces but it still takes time to get the order to us. I allow 3 months!

I pay for samples! Some people disagree with that but I believe that the supplier knows you are serious if you are prepared to pay! This cost is taken off the price of the order, I believe!

There are other sites that you can get products from but I prefer Alibaba. It just seems more user friendly than the others I have looked at!

Next post... getting samples.