Ordering from Alibaba?

Recently some of my friends and some people at school have been trying to start their own businesses using bulk orders off of alibaba. Is this a reasonable means of trying to create a business? To me it sounds like they're just doing what everyone else does because I feel like big name clothing brands generally manufacture their own things.. not just order it in bulk from some guy in China?

Thoughts?

 

Well majority of name branded items are fake. I've ordered from them and can indeed confirm basketball shoes, clothing (supreme, Ralph Lauren, etc.) and even ps3 controllers are all different items just the logos. Make sure to check measurements of clothes in descriptions as I'm a US x-large and sometimes a 5XL shirt is needed for me to fit in one.

 

Wait are you saying Ralph Lauren clothes are fake/from these shops? That's a pretty big surprise actually.

 

at $6 a ralph lauren polo, not only are they fake but its somewhat easy to tell. They're not cotton but that doesn't make them fake... Ralph lauren has a mesh line of polo shirts for men but this mesh is that of a jersey for comparison without the holes obviously. The logo's on some are also very iffy. I have a pink Polo not sure if its here at my parents or my place up at college, I can post pictures if youd like. As long as a pair of basketball shoes that are easily counterfeit.

 

This is literally the "method" of moneymaking from every single get rich quick eBook on the market. I'll tell you right now, it doesn't work. And yes, all of the items are fake and awful quality.

 

Are you sure its Ralph Lauren? There are different polos :/

Yep I'd imagine.. I can't even say anything to my friends because they'll just think I'm jealous. I don't get how hard it is to wrap your head around the fact that if EVERYBODY is doing it then it is not a good idea. The only person profiting is alibaba themselves.

 

Find a product you want to sell. Find a legitimate wholesale distribute preferably not from china. Start cheap with a low minimum order quality. See if you can sell what you bought for a profit, then start over.

I wouldn't use a chinese marketplace at all.

 

I'm positive, I buy and sell Mens Ralph Lauren, True Religion, Rock Revival, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, etc. And every Item I've ever bought has been fake through them, and 2 seconds looking at the stitching/materials will tell you the same thing.

 

You get what you pay for. Sites like this and Wish etc. are all cheap, chinese tat that I wouldn't wear. Have some more pride in yourself folks!

 

What about Brooks Brothes? My favorite line of clothing

 

Anything you buy from a chinese wholesaler is fake.

 

This. I use dhgate and Ali baba for inexpensive glass (talking hitman and Möbius shit) its ALL fake save the Chinese brands. I also suggest using a prepaid debit card, after ordering off of aliexpress my CC# was sold and I had $900 stolen from me. I got it back, because it was obviously stolen but it was still a very shitty ordeal. It wasn't actually Ali baba that stole/sold the info, but the specific vendor. However Ali/dhgate aren't supposed to share any information!

Since then I've opened a separate account I transfer funds too for online purchases, a prepaid card would work too.

 

If it'd been a debit card you would've been fucked. This is (partially) why I use credit for everything.

One of the guys I know that orders from them orders using WU.

 

I've ordered many different things, some of it clothing, and I can say that each time I found out the seller resides in China, the product ends up being fake and low quality. Basically everything is fake and they use the cheapest material to try and recreate products.

 

Our experiences differ on this. While I've had a few replicas that were poor quality I've done a lot of research and read reviews on each product prior to purchasing so I know what I'm getting prior to purchasing. I'd advise anyone who were to take the plunge on reps do so also.

 

I purchased one of those Hoverboards/Swegways that are going all over the place around 4 months ago from Alibaba because it was the cheapest way to get one. I took the risk of it not turning up or being shit quality or whatever, but I ended up getting a really good product. I've smashed that thing all over the place and it's great.

The issue being it depends on the seller, and I can imagine it'd be horrible going through Alibabas customer support if you did have an issue.

Just stick with someone who has high feedback - Don't always cheap out.

 

I wouldn't really bother with it unless you have the time to research good products and make sure they're marketable wherever you are.

 

It was my debit card, I guess they got scared they could've gone ham and gotten me a lot worse... It was sold to two people. I got my "provisinary credit" today, paid in full but they are still investigating. It'll all be OK thanks to FDIC but it was a real shitty ordeal and if I were in leaner times it could of really fucked me up.

I was in a fucking panic, my statement came 5 days late and all the charges were made last month so I thought 5 additional days of charges were made. Anyways yeah, learn from my mistake lol. Prepay.

 

In the end 99% of stuff is made in China anyways but I strongly suggest him not to do that and instead invest into a clothing printer. Someone I know is making a killing from making his own t-shirts with his own brand on it and everything.

 

how about that aliexexpress website?