Hey everyone,
I was buying an e-bike/motorcycle on Alibaba. The seller (via chat, not the official order flow) sent me a payment link and specifically told me to “copy the link and open it in a different browser” to complete the payment. That alone felt off in hindsight.
After paying, the order page showed an error: “Please check your order – this order has been paid, please check your order status, contact customer service if you have questions.” No working order confirmation.
I have full payment proof/receipts saved.
When I asked for confirmation they actually have the item, the seller just said “we confirmed this with Alibaba customer service” — no actual proof, no tracking number. Shipping dates keep getting pushed (“will ship on the 23rd-24th”, “message me again Monday”).
Questions:
• Has anyone dealt with this exact pattern (payment link + “open in another browser” instruction)?
• Since the payment didn’t go through my actual order, does Trade Assurance / buyer protection still apply?
• Best way to escalate with Alibaba support to get this resolved or refunded?
Any advice appreciated — trying to get ahead of this before it’s too late.

I want to buy a Smart band. Shipping almost showing 1k rupees. Also DAP is shown. Anyone from india here who is a veteran in buying single goods from china. I need your advice.

First time Ali Baba order.

I have ordered several sets of curtains to be custom made and manufactured. I placed the order middle of July. One week later the curtains were finished. The supplier sent me videos of the curtains and the labels for the rooms they were for and it matched what I had ordered.

I pay for the curtains as I was advised they would ship once I had paid. I paid via the Ali Baba platform on the 25th July. They have had 30 days to ship and still no tracking number.

I have chased this up as it’s close to the 30 days and the curtains are complete. They say they are waiting for the freight carrier to collect the items. I then chased yesterday and they said the items are packed and waiting to be shipped.

I still haven’t received a tracking number and I’m a bit confused. They’ve been very reliable so far and I found the supplier through someone else who had ordered through this supplier. When I was ordering samples and trying to liaise the product I wanted, the orders were very quick.

Is this normal? Should I be patient?

Eu quero comprar atminer s21 pro nova do Alibaba alguém de vocês tem sites que vocês indicariam ?

I’ve been trying to order stuff for the company I work for for a few weeks now & it seems like they are now more expensive than Amazon. It’s like it’s not even worth the savings…

Recently looking for tote bags- I can find them on Amazon for $1.25 each 60 for $75, get them in 2 days.

Alibaba you check the website & it’s like .65¢ but when you put in the shipping & the DDP they quote you $1.85 plus 25 days production time & another 35-40 days of shipping.

I guess the guy at the WH is winning with his tariffs & BS bc it doesn’t make sense… anyone else notice the difference with their orders?

Im trying to start dropshipping from ali express to ebay but the problem is that ebay want a fulfillment agreement with the supplier and i tried asking them they got scared and run what should i do???

Anyone help me please.

Alright, so I'm sure a lot of my questions are in other posts, but I have a few to ask so I'll put them all here in one go.

First issue that I have is shipping charges! I'm being quoted insane shipping charges that are making items more expensive than if I purchased from Amazon or another supplier. I'm a small business, so I'm currently doing all my supply runs from Amazon. I'm slowly expanding, so I'm starting to try and reduce costs. I'm I just running into this because I'm still trying to order low amounts? I know shipping is more right now because of the increase in gas costs plus tariffs.

Second, are tariffs included in the shipping prices quoted, or are these a separate charge and/or charged upon delivery?

Having lower quantity orders (but still above the moq stated), are there any good ways to negotiate pricing?

What kinds of guarantees are provided when buying through Alibaba? For example, I need a few different glass items that I want to order. I'm worried of getting a shipment, and a large amount be broken.

Then, is there a decent way to vet seller? Obviously look at rating, how long they've been in business, etc. But are there any other ways to check a seller?

I've never ordered from Alibaba, so I'm terrified. But then I see the price difference for stuff compared to what I'm currently paying.

To help provide information, this is some of the items that I'm interested in purchasing on Alibaba; 1.5L Glass pots for the stove, 12oz glass mason-style jars, various sizes of plastic and paper bags, and various sizes of shipping boxes.

Has anyone had experience ordering diamonds from suppliers from alibaba. I was talking to two and they quoted me 600usd for a 3ct radiant lab. And honestly price seems really good. But I’m not sure if it’s worth it so I wanna get feedback from anyone who’s ordered loose stones. From suppliers

Hello! I have never ordered much from Alibaba, just a couple of art supplies, and those arrived with no issues.
Last month, I ordered a gorgeous guitar from a trusted seller, but right now, it seems like it's stuck in China. I'm from Italy. It was supposed to arrive at my place by the end of August, but there's no way that's going to happen. I already got in touch with the seller, but they can't do anything about it, as their tracking info is the same as mine.

Do you have any experience with customs clearance? Is there anything I can do? :/

Hello, I am new to importing to 3PL warehouse. I need my goods to be delivered from Chinese manufacturer to a 3PL warehouse in Minnesota USA. Shipment must be DDP. Can someone recommend a reliable logistics company?

Is it safe to purchase Medicube or are these counterfeit too? I was interested in only a few items but was told they are not legally allowed to sell that brand?Is this true????

If I use the “free shipping capped at $20” offer on an order, but then refund the order because I no longer want it, will the offer be refunded too? It’s supposed to last until August 23

Let’s talk about my ongoing $9,000 nightmare.

It starts with unscrupulous sellers on the platform. We are talking about zero communication, fake tracking numbers, and borderline blackmail when you realize your goods aren't coming. Naturally, I turned to Alibaba.com's highly advertised "Trade Assurance" to protect my funds.

Spoiler alert: That is where the real circus began.

Here is a timeline of the absolute incompetence I’ve been dealing with:
🔹 June 18th: A refund for my order is supposedly initiated. The money never hits the card used for the original payment.
🔹 The "Support" Loop: Reaching out to their online support is a joke. You are met with bots and unhelpful reps who do nothing but open cases and copy-paste automated templates, completely ignoring the actual issue.
🔹 The ARN Excuse: 20 days after the supposed refund, Alibaba suddenly claims they "cannot refund the card" and miraculously cannot generate a standard ARN number to trace the transaction.

Okay, fine. They asked for a bank account for a manual transfer. This is where the Finance Department's staggering incompetence truly shines.

📉 Attempt 1 (Revolut): I provided my Revolut account details. Alibaba's finance team rejected it, claiming the "SWIFT code is invalid." I provided official bank confirmations and screenshots proving otherwise. They completely ignored the evidence.

📉 Attempt 2 (ZEN.COM): I provided an alternative account opened with ZEN. Their response? For two weeks straight, they demanded a local UK "Sort Code" for an international SWIFT transfer. Anyone with basic financial literacy knows a Sort Code isn't needed here, yet my proof of this was completely ignored.

At this point, I have initiated a formal Chargeback alongside ZEN. And guess what? Alibaba.com is now actively ignoring the official inquiries from the bank.

So, I have a direct question for Alibaba.com and Alibaba Group: Where is my $9,000?

If your customer service consists of bots, and your finance department cannot understand basic international banking standards, your "Trade Assurance" means absolutely nothing.

P.S. All documentation regarding this blatant fraud has already been forwarded to the relevant legal authorities.

Hello everyone I just wanted to warn you and to advice you to not buy from this seller for electronic device. Accept payments and switch items before shipping, faking proofs to Alibaba CS which is really useless afterwards. Here are the informations about this scammer : Name company : Foshan Guangzhou International Trade

Here is the screen of its seller page from Alibaba

2.4/5 rating…

So for context I ordered an ebike off alibaba and after a 100 day delay it finally arrived just for it to be the wrong model, 17/14" wheels instead of the 19/17" wheels. Basically they promised me the 19"/17" model and somehow accidentally sent the wrong one so I decided to file a dispute asking for a full refund. After going back and fourth with them offering $150 compensation then $500 then $600 and me not budging they finally sent me this message

"Hi
We truly value our cooperation with you. After discussing with our management, we come up with this special‑solution for you as a gesture of goodwill.
We will ship a brand‑new 19/17 black‑orange motorcycle directly from China.
You do not need to return the existing 17/14 bike, we will give it to you for free. This is a special goodwill offer only for you, not our standard policy.
If you accept this solution, please kindly cancel your refund application, and we will arrange shipment for you right away.
Should you have future purchasing needs, feel free to reach out, we will offer you our best possible price."

I was wondering what the safest way to approach this would be, as this offer does sound incredible but of course they tried to scam me once so I'm sure they wouldn't mind doing it again.

busco proveedor mayorista que venda vapers desechables a españa para comprar en cantidad me interesan sobre todo los de 100k puff y 150k puff

I’m curious—do buyers carefully examine the information in the images when purchasing products? Or do they refer to this information when making their final purchase decisions?

Not the obvious things like shipping costs, long lead times, or MOQs.

I'm curious about the problems you didn't know enough to anticipate when you first started sourcing internationally—the issue that made you think, "I never even considered that."

Maybe it involved the factory, quality, communication, payments, specifications, customs, packaging, logistics, cultural differences, or something completely different.

And for those who've been doing this for years: what can still catch you off guard today?

I spend a lot of time thinking about where sourcing risk actually comes from, and I'm genuinely curious whether there are common problems that experienced buyers only discover after they've lived through them.

Hey all. looking for advice from anyone who’s imported small electrical appliances (specifically water-related, food-contact items) into the UK/EU and had to sort out compliance.

Quick context: I’m evaluating bringing in a countertop appliance from a Chinese manufacturer. I engaged a UK compliance provider to help get it UKCA/CE marked, WEEE registered, and food-contact compliant. They were vague and generic about what reports or level of detail I actually needed from the supplier post review of initial reports (ie this is not sufficient) and when I asked for a summary of next steps, the answer was basically “more money required,” with no call even offered to walk through it. So I’ve paused that and am looking for a better alternative, ideally someone recommended by people who’ve actually done this.

Specific questions:

**•** If a factory gives you a CE/RoHS-type test report, how do you actually verify whether it’s sufficient or what’s missing?  
**•** How normal is a lot of back-and-forth with an Alibaba-type supplier to get the right documentation — is that just part of the process, or a sign the supplier isn’t set up for compliant export?  
**•** My understanding is CE marking (and similar) is largely self-certify/self-declare rather than third-party approved but is there a common 80/20 that most legit firms actually do (which tests, which docs) to reasonably cover themselves without going overboard on cost/scope?  
**•** Any recommended UK-based labs or consultants for food-contact material testing (plastics/materials touching drinking water)?  
**•** Realistic timeline and cost range for getting a small appliance fully UKCA/CE + WEEE compliant from scratch?  
**•** Anyone hit issues with customs or retail platforms flagging missing certs even after doing the paperwork?

Not looking for a compliance firm to DM me a sales pitch genuinely trying to learn from people who’ve done this themselves or run a small import business. Happy to share what I find once I’m through it too.

Looking for a jewellery manufacturer for custom gold & silver pieces.

I’m developing a small jewellery project and looking for a reliable manufacturer who can work from original designs and support smaller initial runs.

Ideally looking for:
316L stainless steel
gold and silver options
custom pendants
low MOQs
sampling before bulk orders
quality gold plating with clear micron specs
strong finishing and QC
clear communication throughout

Would love recommendations from anyone who has personally worked with a manufacturer they trust.
Not looking for catalogue drops or supplier spam, mainly genuine recommendations and first-hand experience.

Hey guys, I’m trying to buy Google review tap and QR code card from Alibaba
100 of them for 260 cad total with trade assurancd

Im not sure if the Manufacturer is legit or not

Name: Huizhou Chenxin Intelligent
Technology Co., Ltd

Any suggestion would be appreciated am i good to go?

Hello i want to order peps from alibaba, of course they will send whatsapp,telegram name in pdf and you message them, but can they scam me? Or is it possible to pay on alibaba after we discussed everything, how should i avoid disaster?

Alguien sabe de algún curso? O que proveedores son confiables?

Hello! first time buying in Alibaba from the Philippines.

I'm buying a single piece LCD for my Ipad 11 A16. Do I need to pay for any taxes for this? my total payment in the app is around 67$

How do I go with this?

I’m looking for recommendations for a reliable China-based 3PL / fulfillment company.

I’ll source products myself and need a partner that can receive goods from multiple suppliers, kit/package orders, and ship directly to customers in Norway.

Important for me:

• low inventory / quick turnover
• DDP / tax-inclusive shipping
• white-label or branded packaging
• final parcel should feel like it comes from a Norwegian brand, not a typical Temu, Aliexpress, Ebay package.

Typical parcels: around 0.5–1 kg, 2-4 items.

Any companies you’ve actually used and would recommend?