Alibaba is an online marketplace that allows businesses and individuals to buy and sell products both internationally and locally. Search for your desired product and find a verified supplier with a good transaction history. Contact the supplier to negotiate the unit price, minimum order quantity, and shipping method. Use a low-risk payment method, like Paypal or an escrow service. If you’re importing goods internationally, hire a customs broker to streamline the process of clearing customs and paying duties.
Create an Alibaba account. Go to the Alibaba homepage and sign in if you already have an account. If you don’t have an account, go to the signup page and follow the onscreen instructions to create one.
Search for a product. There are multiple methods of searching for products on Alibaba. The most basic way is by entering keywords or phrases into the products search bar on the the main page. Select the “Products” tab, enter your search term in the search bar, select your country using the drop-down menu, and click the “Search” button
Filter your search results. Searching by product and category can return thousands of items, so it could take lots of time to sort through products. You can use the options on the left side of the search results page to narrow your search and return fewer, more specific results
Search by supplier. Instead of searching by product, you can select the “Suppliers” tab next to the search bar. This will return suppliers who specialize in the product you’re trying to purchase
Post a request for quotation (RFQ). You can also request a quote that specifies your sourcing needs and compare direct quotes from multiple suppliers. Click on the “Submit RFQ” option and create your post in the space provided
Check supplier profiles for verification badges. Once you’ve found suppliers through the search engine tools or by RFQ, go to their profile pages to verify their legitimacy. Look for profile badges to make sure you’re dealing with a verified supplier
Look online for complaints about a supplier. In addition to checking for profile badges, you can find information about prospective suppliers online to avoid scams. Search online for comments or complaints about the supplier. You can also cross reference the contact information provided on their Alibaba profile with a Google search.
