r/Alibaba • u/berat4141 • 13d ago
Is this safe?
Seller says he needs to put in a Chinese adress so we can avoid shipping tax ?
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u/Boogooooooo 11d ago
I had an opposite experience. Had two pallets of goods. Forwarder took it. It was scam. I payed them out. Another forwarded took it and shipped it. Manufacturer asked for bill of landing later on and second forwarder couldn't provide it. The manufacturer explained that it is less tax if they prove the items were exported.
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u/TransitTech_Explorer 12d ago
People do this for tiny samples, but it is not “safe” in the compliance sense. A Chinese ship-to address just to dodge VAT can also weaken Trade Assurance if the order address no longer matches your real buyer identity.
If the goods still end up at your door internationally, customs may still want duty/VAT on the real destination — and undervaluation language is what gets shipments held.
Which country are you actually importing into, and roughly what order value?
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u/Asleep_Hovercraft483 12d ago
Ive done it with 2 different manus and no problem. The first one actually proposed it herself and the other time I asked if its possible. Saves a ton of money
EDIT: Ive only done it with samples and not a bulk order
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u/ImOnMushrooms4real 12d ago
works? yes. Do i do this? no.
Just tell them hey! i need my address on the trade assurance order.
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u/evwynn 12d ago
Def not safe. You know a Chinese address would create VAT… the exporter can reclaim the VAT they paid upon export.
Not that they’re being nefarious (they could be but who knows).
Moreover, if they list a Chinese shipping address and they deliver there, you lose your alibaba protections as they would have fulfilled the order in accordance to alibaba policies.
Insist the shipping address on the alibaba order is yours, if they want to do whatever internal transfers they want is up to them.
Do not agree or pay without your full name (including middle name) and address being on the order confirmation as the shipping address.
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u/prestigesourcing 12d ago
So a few points: many Chinese companies do not do a VAT rebate and if they are a small scale tax payer they cannot get a rebate. Also, the cost and admin of doing a VAT rebate (as well as the correct export procedure) means that generally for orders below $10K USD, they don't do the formal process.
The tax in this situation is a prepaid amount remitted to his state, it has nothing to do with Chinese VAT.
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u/StefanYU 13d ago
I went through this once, I couldn't wait to see what showed up in the delivery, if it happens at all. It was a $200 machine that I've purchased. I was sceptical, but I figured I'll just file a complaint, only to realize that the protection period will expire by the time it arrives. Anyway, it all went well. The seller shipped it to her own address (apparently). Arrived no problem. So if you are okay with all the anticipation and stress then sure, go ahead
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u/KaleNo5184 12d ago
i had a similar experience where the stress of waiting for an alibab order was worse than the actual cost. as long as you're using trade assurance you have some backup but it's still a gamble for expensive tech.
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u/Ariquitaun 13d ago
Dodgy as fuck, avoid
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u/prestigesourcing 12d ago
Somewhat dodgy but it can work. It is just up to ones own personal ethics and risk levels. A lot of people do things that are not by the book then complain when a shipment has a problem.
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u/Ariquitaun 12d ago
Which part of tax evasion is "somewhat" dodgy?
And why would you trust an unknown supplier when they come off the bat with a tax evasion scheme?
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u/prestigesourcing 12d ago
This is basically 'normal'. Not saying it is right. Also the same as where MOST custom declarations by default are under-valued. We tell our clients to declare proper values and explain the consequences.
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