- there are some legit and fair suppliers in Alibaba.com but you will have to do a lot of extra research to find them.
Indeed, and to add to that, we suggest that you proceed with caution if you are after brand name goods. Cheap, generic products are relatively safe to be sourced from Chinese suppliers, but not for brand name products.
And here are some simple things you can do to protect yourself when dealing with ANY supplier:
1. Run a whois check on the supplier's website to verify when it was created (it is safest to deal with suppliers who have been online at least a year), who owns the domain, and where the domain was registered (the country should match the contact details on the supplier's website). We recommend using Link hidden: Login to view (replace salehoo.com with the url of the supplier).
2. Search the SaleHoo forum for the supplier's website/company name and see what other members have to say.
3. Call the supplier's telephone numbers to ensure they are genuine.
4. Purchase a sample before bulk ordering to ensure that the item meets your expectations.
5. Watch out for sellers asking you to 'safeguard' your purchase by sending your money transfer in the name of a friend or loved one, or by establishing a 'test question'. These actions will not protect you from a fraudulent seller.
6. Low prices do not necessarily mean fraud, but radically low prices should warrant a closer look. If a price seems to good to be true, it probably is. Ask the seller as many questions about the item's authenticity as you can before you go any further.
7. Always use a safe payment methods that will allow you to claim your money back in case things do not turn out well. Use a credit card or Paypal to purchase goods.
Hope that helps.