When sourcing furniture from China for your project, it is essential to find a manufacturer with years of experience. There are many suppliers on Alibaba; some are factories, and others are trading companies. Many claim they can pick up your order, but the quality and price differ. From design to delivery, you should be aware of many costs and potential issues. The following guidelines will help you identify a good manufacturer:
Firstly, what is Alibaba all about?
Alibaba is China’s business-to-business trading platform, and today, it has over 400 million product listings where you can find suppliers from all over the world. This is the number one place for those looking to source furniture, furniture, and accessories from China. You can see all product details on the platform, such as material, price, quantity, and size. Some of the largest e-commerce companies, such as Amazon, also make purchases through Alibaba.
Is it good to order furniture from Alibaba?
The B2B platform has made it easier than ever for buyers to purchase a wide variety of furniture. Websites such as Alibaba.com offer a seemingly endless catalog of goods and services, allowing shoppers to purchase everything from pet food to wedding dresses with just a few clicks of their mouse.
It is undeniable that you will easily find a large number of suppliers. Alibaba’s advantage is clear：
- Lower prices than the competition
- A faster turnaround than the competition
- Access to an assortment of choices not available in local markets
- No need to pay for expensive stock
A seller’s ability to provide an item is only one small part of the puzzle; there are also many other factors that must be considered before placing an order. The biggest question is whether or not an item will be shipped on time in good condition and whether or not there will be any additional costs involved in making the purchase. However, for those who are unfamiliar with how this process works, ordering from sites like Alibaba can be confusing and risky.
In addition to shipping conditions and price, it is also essential to evaluate the quality of items available as well as the quality of customer service provided by the vendor. To do so, customers should be familiar with what is known as Alibaba Gold Standard, which provides customers with an assurance that they will receive high-quality items at competitive prices. Before purchasing any goods online, customers must have a vast understanding of how Alibaba Gold Standard works.
How to find the right supplier?
After years of experience operating Alibaba and the furniture industry, I’ve managed to set up a pretty good system for finding reliable furniture suppliers on Alibaba.com. Here are some guidelines:
- 1. Search for the manufacturer or factory you want through the “product” search bar at the top of Alibaba’s homepage. You will get an extensive product list.
- 2. Once you’ve found the company you want, click and know more details information. Any questions, you can “send inquiry” to live chat with sales, it’s totally free.
- 3. Compare suppliers and products. Alibaba provides an easy way for you to compare. Click the “+” on the listing page, you can compare or contact them all.
- For every inquiry you send, the supplier needs to reply to you within the stipulated time. The reply will reach you within 24 hours at the latest.
How do I make sure the suppliers are reliable?
You’re not alone if you’re unsure about how to vet suppliers on Alibaba. Sure, it’s common for a company or store to have a website where you can see that its branding is consistent and has a clear sense of its business identity. But what if they don’t have any information other than your email address, phone number, and the “About Us” section of Alibaba profile? You can also refer to my another post about “how to get a reliable supplier.”
There are several things you can look into when vetting suppliers:
First, check the company profile page first. If there are verified by a third inspection company, such a company is more credible.
Another thing is to check Supplier Index. This rating is given by members who have previously worked with them as buyers—it gives you some insight into an exporter’s business practices on Alibaba and whether they’re reliable or trustworthy.
Check their company type, and some trading companies will claim to be manufacturers to get orders.
Ask yourself “Do they have a website?” If they don’t, your alarms should be going off already. If a company doesn’t have a website because they’re too small or too new to bother with it yet! Just make sure their email address is consistent with the website (e. info@homvnd.com)
Sample order. Don’t just go for the cheapest–you get what you pay for. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on price or request samples first! If you can’t find anyone who has worked with the supplier, then look for those who offer sample orders (yours will be one, so this won’t cost anything). Remember that there is no minimum order required; you can always place a small sample order just to get a feel of how things work with this particular supplier.
Check on Alibaba for seller’s reviews and reputations. If a supplier has a good rating, this will mean they have sold a lot of products online and all their customers have been happy with their purchase. Betting on an unrated supplier, however, can result in your order failing to reach you or being of low quality. To avoid these disappointments, always ensure that you only deal with suppliers that have a good rating.
Should I use Trade Assurance for online orders?
Alibaba.com offers Trade Assurance for trading safely. Trade Assurance gives buyers and sellers peace of mind by protecting them against payment and shipping risks. Alibaba will act as a third-party platform to regulate transactions between buyers and sellers. In most cases, it will be more conducive to your purchase security, and a higher transaction fee will be charged accordingly.
Please note the following guidelines about assurance order:
- Trade Assurance only covers the seller’s product liability and delivery time. Which means it will not cover any product defects caused during transport or if the products are misdescribed in any way whatsoever.
- If you purchase furniture (or any other bulky items) from an overseas supplier, you should use insurance to protect your products against any damage or loss caused during shipping and handling.
- Trade Assurance will also cover sellers’ performance (which is defined as failure to deliver goods within the agreed time frame or failure to ship goods according to agreed shipping terms). For example, if the seller fails to deliver goods within 30 days after receiving your payment, you can refuse to pay the balance.
- If you are not satisfied with the goods, you can apply for a refund or a bad review.
Which payment methods are available for Trade Assurance?
The Trade Assurance service lets you pay Alibaba for protection against supplier non-performance. So, Alibaba’s Trade Assurance service asks you to pay for your orders to Alibaba instead of directly to the supplier. When the transaction encounters a dispute, Alibaba will arbitrate a refund to you or pay the supplier. Below is an overview of the different payment options:
- Credit card
- T/T
- L/C
- D/P
- Western Union
- Boleto
- PayPal
- Apple pay
- Google Pay
- Online Transfer
Will Alibaba refund my money?
Refunds need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Ask for a refund before shipping. You may want to ask Can I request a refund if I change my purchase plan? In this case, you must obtain the consent of the supplier. Otherwise, Alibaba will not support your request.
- Quality problems. If your furniture has quality problems, you can negotiate with the supplier or request a refund on the order. Alibaba will appoint a quality inspection company to verify the products. To check if they are manufactured according to the specified quality requirements. During this time, you have 15 days to reach an agreement. Alibaba will step in and review the contract and inspect the product against specifications. If they determine that the supplier did not meet your requirements, you will get a refund.
Please note that refunds and Ali arbitration negatively impact the supplier’s store. If you encounter problems, please actively communicate with suppliers to solve them.
Tips for souring furniture on Alibaba:
- 1. When sourcing furniture from Alibaba, there are many factors to consider. One must decide what one is looking for in a supplier, and narrow down the list of potential suppliers based on specific criteria. And then look at what makes a good supplier and what to avoid.
- 2. What things need to be considered?
Do they ship within your country? How quickly will they ship? Can you talk to them and have them take your order through Alibaba? Do they provide samples of their products? Are their prices too low? Do they ship using express delivery services like DHL or UPS? Can they do custom orders?
- 3. Don’t limit yourself to one supplier: You need to cast a wide net to get the best deal and widest selection possible. If you have your heart set on a specific piece of furniture, search for the best supplier on Alibaba that you can find and try to negotiate with them. Comparison shopping is an important part of getting the best deal possible—and it’s not just about price. You can even compare style and quality between different manufacturers as well!
- 4. When negotiating price, avoid being too demanding: It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of negotiation and overly demanding of a seller. However, being too greedy can ruin your chances of getting a good deal and may make them unwilling to work with you in the future. When negotiating price, try to keep all communications professional, and don’t be afraid to walk away if they won’t give you what you want.
- 5. After deciding on which suppliers to contact, it’s best to ask them as many questions as possible via Alibaba instead of email. Alibaba will save your chat records as a basis for dispute arbitration.
We hope that the information in this guide will be helpful in your next sourcing venture, and encourage you to let us know about your successes and failures here in the comments below.
