Alibaba - Requesting 'Free Sample' When No Intention to Buy Bulk

mshanann on 09/05/2017 - 20:55
Last edited 09/05/2017 - 21:06

Hi Guys

Just wondering if anyone here can give me some advice as far as using the Alibaba website.

I've always avoided it, having found it too confusing as far as 'who it is' that is actually selling the product, and also concerned given the Chinese association, the possibility of credit card fraud that could result.

I'm trying to replace an old pool gate hinge and have found the appropriate replacement product …

https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product…

… the thing is, the search returns back about 80 matching products, but they all seem to be associated with the same manufacturer (i.e. Haida Doorcontrol Co., Ltd.) and exactly the same product, but have different subject lines, and some different unit pricing.

Even more confusing to me, if i click on the left hand side on the 'sample order - free samples' thing, I get back a subset of the results.

So my questions are:

1) Is Alibaba safe to use in general?

2) Is the 'customer' for this site targeted at retailers/wholesalers whom buy in bulk, or can average joe from the street purchase items in far smaller quantity (and use the site like ebay)?

3) Is the supplier typically the manufacturer?

4) Is there a way to identify suppliers that are trustworthy?

5) Has anyone tried the 'free sample' option before? I only want just the one hinge, but minimum order quantity for example is 200. What happens if I sent a request asking for the free sample?

thanks

General Discussion

Related Stores

Alibaba.com
Alibaba.com

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 09/05/2017 - 21:05
    +3

    you wont get a free sample.

    • mshanann on 09/05/2017 - 21:07

      why is that? Do they look at some type of buyer rating and previous product purchases?

      • hmac on 09/05/2017 - 21:37
        +1

        I've tried, the samples are not free, they charge you for the cost of the item if it is expensive or they make you pay a high price for shipping. Might as well buy from aliexpress or ebay

        • tryagain on 09/05/2017 - 21:52
          +1

          I had someone offer free samples on products on Alibaba not to long ago, all I had to do was pay to ship and these were quite small products. Apparently, the cost to ship was going to be about $40 from memory, and that was the slow take a month to get here type and you could buy very slightly different versions from them shipped for less than $10 on Aliexpress.

        • hmac on 09/05/2017 - 22:52
          +1

          @tryagain:
          exactly my point. They ask you to pay for shipping, but this shipping covers the cost of their product, shipping and profit margins

        • tryagain on 10/05/2017 - 10:19

          @hmtk:

          covers the cost of their product, shipping and profit margins

          and their time for dealing with you.

  • zappy32 on 09/05/2017 - 21:34

    I think they've clamped down a lot on it. I used to samples of microcontrollers 10+ years ago but from what I hear you're unlikely to get samples unless it's obvious you a real potential customer.

    I'm guessing what you want is going to weigh a bit so they're not likely to cover the postage even if it's a cheap product. Try your luck on Aliexpress.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/05/2017 - 22:28

      yeah i used to get free samples from trade sources around 10+years ago, all i needed was a courier company (DHL,UPS,TNT) account.

  • PVA on 09/05/2017 - 21:46
    +6

    That site is for bulk, wholesale items. For single items check aliexpress. It's related and a perfectly safe site.
    But it's a market place just like EBay so check the sellers ratings.

    • mskeggs on 09/05/2017 - 21:56

      Aliexpress is likely the right answer here.
      If the item isn't available, I suggest just being up front and ask the Haida Doorcontrol Co to refer you to a retail supplier.

      • hoey888 on 09/05/2017 - 22:24
        -1

        I bought a few IT items a few years back with Aliexpress. They have AliPay, which is like a Chinese 'ebay' system. You verify you receive the goods and seller gets payment.

        As with all online products, be specific in what you are after and what it includes.

  • mshanann on 09/05/2017 - 23:47

    Thanks for all the responses everyone. I'll check out Aliexpress. I never put two and two together and assume the sites were related.

  • subywagon on 10/05/2017 - 01:22
    +1

    I tried to get a mcdonalds m hole punch sample. I even offered to pay, but to no avail :(

  • ExtraSalt on 10/05/2017 - 09:42

    You'll get a free sample once you have placed an order. Aliexpress is your answer, but i find its not too different to eBay these days

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