Finding AliBaba Suppliers

When you are operating in wholesale commerce, you require suppliers. Among one of the most popular ways of discovering these, is to go to Alibaba.com. Alibaba is just one of one of the most popular systems for online stores who are trying to find representatives. Here is a step-to-step guide for discovering the ideal Alibaba suppliers for the products you want to offer in your online store.

Step-by-step guide for finding Alibaba suppliers

If you’re looking for suppliers to increase your stock or for simply dropshipping vendors, you initially need to go and check out Alibaba.com. After that go to the search bar and also put in the key words for the items you intend to sell online. A substantial listing of products will certainly show up. Certainly, now it’s still difficult to find the ideal supplier. So, it’s time to filter the results:

• Check ‘Trade Assurance’ – This means you’re covered if the products you ordered aren’t shipped on time or your products don’t meet the quality standards
• Check ‘Verified supplier’ – This means the seller is assessed, certified, and/or inspected by independent third party institutions
• Filter on ‘Supplier Country/Region’ – every Chinese province is known for its specific product categories – picking the one with the highest number of suppliers is often a safe choice
• Filter suppliers by ‘Minimum order’ – in the beginning, you might want to buy small quantities, like 10 or 100 pieces, to test the product

Now it’s time to compare the Alibaba suppliers more thoroughly. You can hover over the different symbols to see some quick facts. If it’s available, also take a look at the top 3 markets. This is important because suppliers with lots of experience in Europe are often also aware of specific country requirements and regulations. It could save you a lot of time, stress, and penalties in the future!

Take a look at top 3 markets of Alibaba suppliers. It saves you a lot of time and hassle.

Scan the product page

If you think you have found a good Alibaba supplier, click on the specific product page. Now, check everything there is to see. For example, find out how long the supplier has a Gold membership and for how long he is a Verified Supplier. If he has one for five consecutive years, it’s a safe bet to presume this supplier won’t scam you. But also check other things on the product page to find out if this Alibaba seller is someone you want to do business with:

Is the price within a reasonable range?

Can your desired minimum order quantity be met?
Are the payment terms acceptable? (Can you pay using PayPal?)
Does the product matches the supplier’s portfolio?
Does the supplier offer good quality product photos? Can you see the product in detail)

Check certifications for selling in Europe

An extremely important point you need to examine, are the available accreditations. Extra specifically, seek RoHS, CE & FCC. The RoHs accreditation (“Limitation of Unsafe compounds”) is needed for most European nations. It forbids specific hazardous product within the product. The CE (“Conformité Européene/ European Consistency”) is an accreditation for Europe to meet basic criteria. You truly need this if you intend to market in the European Union (through dropshipping)! And Also the FCC (“Federal Communications Compensation”) is a called for accreditation on electric items and additionally a requirement for the United States.

Check if the supplier has the necessary certificates for selling in Europe.

Take a look at the company profile

The company information area on Alibaba can teach you a great deal about Alibaba suppliersWhen you still have a good feeling concerning the supplier, have a look at the firm profile, and also inspect all offered info. Additionally, go to the site to see if the products he sells there match the products he sells on Alibaba. For example, if he sells smartwatches on Alibaba, yet on his internet site he sells primarily house design products, you may think that he does not produce the smartwatches, but just have them for marketing. And also it’s much better (and also frequently more affordable) to do service with the one that makes the smartwatches.

If all looks good, try to contact the supplier and ask for things like:

• A price
• The minimum order quantity
• The delivery time
• Available certification
• To which customers he is selling this product as well
• Production lead time
• Available colors
• Payment terms

Now, try to send an inquiry email to two or three other suppliers. This way you can easily compare them with each other and you have a back-up when a supplier won’t respond back to you.