Alibaba

[KayM]

Does anyone have any experience of being a gold member on Alibaba. I would be interested to hear any stories. Thanks

 

[Import Expert]

Hi Kay,

I have not been a gold member myself but I did used to be quite active on Alibaba offering advice, etc.

Gold member status is supposed to make you a 'trusted' supplier... i.e.e not a scammer. But as you can buy gold member status it almost defeats the object !

 

[KayM]

Thanks Darren, I am told that being a gold member gets my company on the first page of their directory when someone searches on chocolate. I already get some leads so am not sure if I need to be in a better position but on the other hand for the cost of an exhibition in the UK maybe it is a better way to reach overseas customers - finding someone in the UK who is a gold member is proving to be hard though!

 

[Import Expert]

What line of business are you in Kay ?

 

[KayM]

I wholesale and retail freeze dried fruits and nuts in chocolate. (Chocolate World UK)

 

[Import Expert]

Try joinging this site Kay - I'm usually on there all day ! You can get 'advertising' membership for £100/year.

www.thewholesaleforums.co.uk

 

[Clement]

Yes,they will put you on the first page and all you have to do is pay.
I used to be Alibaba gold member almost 5 yers and I stoped this year.
B2B-it's really hard to say.But it's good to ad.

 

[George Smiley]

I thought one has to pay 2000 usd for Gold membershhip

 

[garlex]

I'm not a gold member and I've been pit off by the rubbish I receive for them with loads of spam and unrelated product requests. The ones that are relevant for the products I have advertised are usually small or just fishing for info.

 

[MOIC]

Does anyone have any experience of being a gold member on Alibaba. I would be interested to hear any stories. Thanks

I am a gold member, and although they say you will be on the first page, it's not strictly true, as there maybe many suppliers in your category that are also gold members. There is a limited number of companies that can be on any page.

What are your target markets / countries ?

Ron
MYOFFICEINCHINA

 

[AlibabaTalk]

Hi guys,

Just to clarify: when a supplier wants to become a Gold Supplier, they undergo a basic background check called Authentication and Verification, conducted by an independent inspection service.

Alibaba.com consistently reviews its authentication and verification procedures to create a more transparent and informative system that allows buyers to better evaluate suppliers so they can make confident purchasing decisions.

You can find out more about what being a Gold Supplier involves on the Alibaba.com

Hope this helps
The Alibaba UK Team

 

[sla3]

Hi guys,

Just to clarify
<snip>
The Alibaba UK Team

Thanks for the "clarification", AlibabaTalk. I was however, disturbed and surprised to see how many 'Gold Suppliers' get onto the 'banned list'. How does that speak to the credibility of "Gold Supplier" status and the rigour of the independent inspection?

 

[alexduduta]

Thanks Darren, I am told that being a gold member gets my company on the first page of their directory when someone searches on chocolate.

If you only want to get more chance to be seen, you can pay more on it. If you want to improve your sales conversion or roi, you should pay attention to something else.

 

[AlibabaTalk]

Thanks for the "clarification", AlibabaTalk. I was however, disturbed and surprised to see how many 'Gold Suppliers' get onto the 'banned list'. How does that speak to the credibility of "Gold Supplier" status and the rigour of the independent inspection?

Many thanks for your question.

Alibaba.com is dedicated to maintaining a safe and trustworthy marketplace, and our goal is to create ways to facilitate the transaction process and assist our customers in getting what they are trading for. Out of a total of 23.7 million registered users on our sites, less than 0.05% have been reported the fraudulent activities, and the no. of banned suppliers has dropped significantly on our site and we will ensure it continues to do so.

Please rest assure that we have been working hard and will continue to combat dishonest activities on our platform. We have recently launched a series of new services for better buyer protection, including Escrow safe payment method and more advanced supplier Verification services, which you can find more details about on our website.

It is important to note that the best way to reduce fraud when trading either online or offline, is for the buyers and sellers on our site to conduct the proper due-diligence before entering into any transaction. Therefore, we have a Safety and Security Centre on our site that offers tips to both buyers and sellers on safe trading. While we use third-party authentication and verification services for all of our Gold Suppliers, we always encourage customers to do their own due diligence on companies just as they would for an offline transaction.

The Alibaba UK Team

 

[sla3]

But how is it possible for a verified Gold Supplier to appear so often in the 'Banned' list? Doesn't that imply the verification is emmm ..... a bit lax?

 

[AlibabaTalk]

But how is it possible for a verified Gold Supplier to appear so often in the 'Banned' list? Doesn't that imply the verification is emmm ..... a bit lax?

Hi Sla 3,

Many thanks for your question.

All Alibaba.com Gold Suppliers undergo basic background checks on their identity and existence. Conducted by an independent A&V service provider, these checks provide buyers with basic assurance that companies hold valid business licenses and have provided the government with registration information such as registered address and year established. We have recently introduced new security measures such as “Onsite Check” – an enhanced verification system whereby Alibaba.com staff visit the company’s facilities to confirm whether the manufacturing equipment, export/import licenses are in place. No system is perfect and we strive every day to improve the security filters on our platform. With new security measures in place, not all suppliers will meet the new requirements and must be delisted.

However, it is always important for buyers and sellers to conduct full due-diligence on any company before entering into a transaction. Visit the Safe Trading section of Alibaba.com for safe trading tips.

Kind regards

The Alibaba UK Team

 

[Fabricman]

To be a gold member of Alibaba used to be good enough. But it is a different story now. The B2B market is flooded with B2B websites. In addition, many people want to sell, while less people want to buy. The market is being narrowed. where is the way heading forward...i am wondering...

 

[Allenz]

NO.. but m trying to become in future.... may be i need help too...

 

[carly2012]

Nowadays it's really hard to find customers. I am a free member on Alibaba, everytime I send messages to potential buyers but get no response. Feel such so hopeless.

 

[ian-d]

Hi Sla 3,

Many thanks for your question.

All Alibaba.com Gold Suppliers undergo basic background checks on their identity and existence. Conducted by an independent A&V service provider, these checks provide buyers with basic assurance that companies hold valid business licenses and have provided the government with registration information such as registered address and year established. We have recently introduced new security measures such as “Onsite Check” – an enhanced verification system whereby Alibaba.com staff visit the company’s facilities to confirm whether the manufacturing equipment, export/import licenses are in place. No system is perfect and we strive every day to improve the security filters on our platform. With new security measures in place, not all suppliers will meet the new requirements and must be delisted.

However, it is always important for buyers and sellers to conduct full due-diligence on any company before entering into a transaction. Visit the Safe Trading section of Alibaba.com for safe trading tips.

Kind regards

The Alibaba UK Team

This certainly isn't the case; someone has been using my limited company details on Alibaba as a front to cheat buyers out of money. They have gold status and it would appear the only 'verification' check that has taken place was to check the details match that of Companies House, which is obviously where the fraudsters got my details from in the first place!! At no point have I had a visit from a member of the team, nor even a letter to confirm that it was me that made the application, so it seems the checks are extremely lapse. It has been 4 weeks now and Alibaba still haven't removed the offending seller and my company details.

More info here, http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=288234

 

[Web Presence In China]

But this is not where it stops. There are a number of tactics you can employ to rank at the top. However, going after Baidu is a way better route, and you can organically rank on the top for dozens of keywords which in turn will drive massive amounts of traffic to your point of purchase/conversion page.

Consider Baidu as the better place to invest.

 

[Directimport]

This certainly isn't the case; someone has been using my limited company details on Alibaba as a front to cheat buyers out of money. They have gold status and it would appear the only 'verification' check that has taken place was to check the details match that of Companies House, which is obviously where the fraudsters got my details from in the first place!! At no point have I had a visit from a member of the team, nor even a letter to confirm that it was me that made the application, so it seems the checks are extremely lapse. It has been 4 weeks now and Alibaba still haven't removed the offending seller and my company details.

quote]
I recommend to readers of my book that if they do not choose to use the safe sites that I recommend, they should always search for reviews on any sourcing site they are considering. A good place to start is ripoffreport.com where you can enter the name of the sourcing web portal and find if they have a bad complaint record or not. Bear in mind that possibly not all complaints are genuine, but the number and nature of complaints may give you a good idea whether or not you should use that to site find suppliers.