Websites like Alibaba are used to source products from various parts of the world. They are indirect retailers and suppliers that accumulate a vast product pool through which customers can buy and use those products. Sourcing specific products through Alibaba can be challenging since their system does not always allow you to do so. But there are various hacks through which you can quickly source products from different parts of the world at a reasonable price. 

Although it takes a lot of effort and tactics, it is possible. The hacks explained below are mainly used by people from the Western world, and hence it is tricky for first-timers to crack the code at once. Since these hacks are now available to you, you can also use these to source the products of your choice from any part of the world. The chances of failing in the first few attempts are pretty natural, and you do not need to worry about it. Over time you will master the hacks and quickly source products through Alibaba. Let us check out these hacks. All these hacks are safe, professionally tried and approved. Thus there is no chance of getting in trouble with Alibaba itself.

Opt for the Best Time

As we all know, the Alibaba servers that carry essential data regarding their products are entirely based in the United States. Every week on Tuesday at 12 PM sharp, their server data is updated, indicating the inclusion of new stock and news about the finished stock. Apart from data updation, the keywords through which products are ranked are also updated. 

If you tune in and do your product searches on Tuesday, right after the data updation process is completed, you will find various new products on their websites. Sourcing at that time would be hassle-free and significantly quicker. Also, you would get the right and genuine products that have freshly gone up for sale. Moreover, during the updation time, the chances of scammers entering the business are minimal since Alibaba specifically inspects every product and their suppliers for the whole week. 

Speed Up the Overall Sourcing Process

Keywords are essential to finding and then sourcing the right product through Alibaba. Since some places have language barriers, finding and using the right keyword can be difficult. In that case, translate and use the closest possible synonym for the keyword to find suitable options. If you are a first time Alibaba user, it is pretty natural to get overwhelmed and confused due to the vast number of similar products available on the platform. 

This is the reason why filters are offered during your search. Usually, when you search for a particular product to source it, there are more than a couple of thousands of relevant products to search from. Searching every product individually is nearly impossible. Hence, use filters to narrow your search down. Specifically select the suppliers' category where four options are provided, including Golden Supplier, Accessed Supplier, Trade Assurance and Online Now. 

When a supplier has one of the first three badges, you can rest assured that the deal would not be a scam. Also, mention your region of delivery. For example, if you are based in Asia, select Asia as a delivery location, and the search would come from nearby places. After you filter some products, try to contact as many suppliers as possible to find in-depth information about the products.

Use the Live Chat Feature

Ideally, you should always choose the Online Now filter to contact those suppliers that are online at that moment. You can then use Alibaba's live chat feature to have a direct conversation with the suppliers. Sending an email to Alibaba suppliers would be useless since they do not reply usually. Instead, transfer your discussion to a private platform like WhatsApp, WeChat, or Skype. This will allow both parties to negotiate freely and without any tension of getting scammed or tracked. 

Negotiation Is Key

When you are sourcing a particular product through Alibaba from selected suppliers, negotiating is crucial. Bargaining is done quite typically and in regard to every product when you are open to doing so. Alibaba is a platform on which you can directly talk with the supplier and openly negotiate. 

Since bargaining or dealing is a normal thing, suppliers automatically increase the price of their products when they are listed.

Usually, the suppliers on Alibaba increase a particular product's price by nearly a half. They cannot do more than half since the price is transparent online. Nevertheless, there is still enough room for proper negotiation. The confusing part is receiving different prices for similar products listed on the platform.

The first important step is to compare every product, including its quality and price. When you shortlist the right products, contact the suppliers and ask for fair pricing. Keep in mind that you must not over-bargain. This will lead to a loss of the right product. The best part about sourcing from Alibaba is you can negotiate on all possible points, including the selling price, payment terms, advance payments, and much more.

Not Always Does the Product Match the Visuals

Even if you go for badges like Golden Supplier, Trade Assurance, or Accessed Supplier, there is no guarantee that you would not be cheated and delivered the wrong product or no product at all. The first step towards complete assurance is by checking if the supplier has an official website explaining the products apart from their profile on websites like Alibaba. 

Google is a great place to check a particular supplier's authenticity. Search for reports regarding them indicating any scam issues. If you find any negative reports against a specific supplier, immediately back off and stop the transaction. Instead, look for a trustworthy supplier that has positive reviews on Google. Reviews on Google provide an extra edge of assurance before purchasing or sourcing any product through Alibaba. 

Next, ask all the possible questions to clear your doubt. Ask relevant questions to check their authenticity. For example, ask the supplier to send a photo of themselves and the product in their hand for proper inspection. Do this if you feel that the displayed and original products can differ after purchase. If they are positive and keep communicating, they are good to go. On the flip side, if they are ignorant and do not follow up with proper replies, step back and not approach them.

Finally, arrange a third-party inspection process. Since going and checking the product yourself can be difficult, ask another person to check the product for you at the supplier's location. This gives you extra assurance regarding the quality of the product. With third-party inspection, you can have closer and firsthand information about the production and capability of the product before making the final purchase. 

Payment Terms

Payment is the final step or final bit before you can crack your deal and successfully source a product through Alibaba. Most of the typical suppliers on Alibaba offer payment terms through popular portals like PayPal, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Western Union, and more. Avoid those suppliers who only take payments in the form of wire transfers. More often than not, the ones who accept payments through wire transfers are scammers since there is no proper proof of payment when you make wire transfers. 

PayPal is a popular mode of transferring money online. The only problem with PayPal is that suppliers do not prefer this portal since withdrawing money is difficult alongside other issues like high transaction charges and high chargebacks if the transaction is deemed dishonest and illegal. In this scenario of complicated transactions through PayPal, if a supplier uses this platform, then go for it. PayPal using suppliers are likely to be genuine and trustworthy. Again, when you source products from Alibaba, payment is a crucial aspect that you need to look after. 

Your payment terms with the supplier need to be genuine in order to source the product successfully through Alibaba. If the payment terms are illegal, Alibaba can take drastic action against both the customer and the supplier. 

Wrapping Up

It is pretty natural to be intimidated by the enormity of products found on Alibaba along with the never-ending terms and conditions while sourcing your products. The first few times would be pretty challenging to deal with. But after a couple of times, you have sourced your product from Alibaba, and you will start to feel more comfortable and controlled. You can then take the necessary steps and decisions to contact the right supplier and negotiate properly. 

Always keep in mind that before you source a particular product from Alibaba, always check for the supplier's authenticity and check with their payment terms. If you come across anything doubtful, immediately step back and conduct research. Even after that, if you are not assured do not go ahead with the deal. Move on with the purchase only if you are 100% assured about the right person and the right product.