Tjekliste: Hvordan at finde den rigtige leverandør på AliExpress

21 min read

Your product can only be as good as the people who supply it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re ordering raw materials or finished goods, finding the right supplier can be a game changer in the e-commerce business.

Heldigvis for dig, the days of scouring factories across the country are over. Platforms like AliExpress make it extremely easy to source virtually anything – spare parts, forsyninger, and finished products.

Imidlertid, finding the right supplier on AliExpress isn’t easy. Which is why we’ve compiled this checklist to help you choose the perfect supply partner on AliExpress.

Producenter, Distributører, and Drop Shippers: Understanding the Differences

Før du starter, it’s important to understand the difference between manufacturers, drop shippers and trading companies before you go about sourcing from China.

Producenter

Manufacturers make products. They operate factories that have materials, machines, and staff to make the product from scratch. Most established manufacturers also have designers who’ll work with you to develop product ideas.

You’ll go to manufacturers when you have a product idea and want help turning it into reality. Most manufacturers will ask for a minimum order quantity (MOQ) before starting the manufacturing process.

Relaterede: Sådan Find en Producent for dit produkt Idé

Wholesalers/Distributors

A distributor is a company that buys goods in large batches and sells those goods in smaller batches to retailers or traders.

You’ll go to distributors when you want to source large quantities of an existing product and resell it in your home country. For eksempel, if you want to sell LED lamps in the US, you’ll go to a LED lamp distributor.

Relaterede: Hvor finder man en engros leverandør til Din Online Store

Dropshippers

Drop shipping is a retail fulfillment method where the store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. The products are stored by the drop shipper who takes care of fulfilling individual orders on behalf of the reseller.

As soon as the reseller receives an order, it is forwarded to the drop shipper for fulfillment. The store never sees the product that is shipped to the customer.

You’ll go to drop shippers when you want to run a store but don’t want to keep an inventory or deal with shipping.

Relaterede: Sådan Start din Drop Shipping Online Store

Traders

Trading companies buy multiple kinds of product from different factories and sell to other businesses.

The difference between traders and distributors is that the former usually stocks small to medium quantities of a lot of products, while the latter keeps large quantities of a limited range of products.

For eksempel, an electronics trading company might sell everything from mobile phones to LED lamps. A phone distributor, på den anden side, will usually only stock phones of a particular brand or type.

Læs også: Bør du gøre, Fremstille, Engros eller Dropship dit produkt?

Difference Between Alibaba and Aliexpress

Du undrer dig måske: what is AliExpress and how does it differ from Alibaba?

Alibaba is arguably the more famous platform – det er, trods alt, the name of the founding company.

AliExpress, på den anden side, is a relatively new platform and serves a very different clientele.

We’ll show you how to choose between the two below.

Alibaba

Alibaba is ideal for businesses that want to place large quantity orders to get the cheapest price per unit. You will mostly find manufacturers and wholesalers on Alibaba.

Business owners can also have a custom product made by the manufacturers or buy certain types of products they specialize in and private label them under their own brand.

There is no shopping cart on Alibaba; you’ll have to work with manufacturers to negotiate a price and minimum order quantity.

Use Alibaba if you want to directly work with manufacturers, develop a private label of your product or to place bulk orders at the cheapest price.

AliExpress

aliexpress

Aliexpress operates at the consumer level – a retail version of Alibaba. It enables buyers to purchase goods in lower quantities at factory prices. You get a shopping cart – just like any retail store – and don’t have to negotiate with suppliers

Because it caters largely to retail buyers, AliExpress doesn’t have as many manufacturers on it. I stedet, you’ll find a lot of trading companies and smaller distributors.

While you won’t get as cheap rates as on Alibaba, you won’t have to order large MOQs either. This makes it perfect for small and new businesses who want to get started with e-commerce.

Også: Tips for Importing from China

Checklist for Finding the Right Supplier

Your supplier is one of the most important cogs in your e-commerce machinery. A reliable supplier of quality products can give you a massive edge against the competition.

Imidlertid, with millions of competing suppliers on AliExpress, finding the right one can be a daunting (og dyrt) opgave.

To make better decisions, følg disse 10 retningslinier.

1. Choose reputed sellers with positive feedback

This is perhaps the most important thing while evaluating AliExpress suppliers. As a rule of thumb buy from suppliers that have 95% and higher positive feedback.

The ‘Feedback Score’ shows the seller’s sales volume and the ‘Positive Feed Rate’ represents the feedback that supplier has received.

A supplier with more than 95% Positive Feedback Rate and 2,000 Feedback Score is considered a reputed seller.

AliExpress

Dette, selvfølgelig, does not mean that a supplier with a 500 Feedback score can’t be trusted or all suppliers with the 1000+ score are genuine. Think of it as a general measure.

Også, note the number of years the store has been in business.

To find top rated sellers, sort products by seller rating.

2. Compare prices against competitors

The old adage holds especially true on AliExpress: if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.

When you first land on AliExpress, you’ll be surprised (and excited) to find some products being sold at dirt cheap prices (relative to competitors). These are usually offered by new suppliers with little to no feedback.

You have to tread with caution in such cases. Sommetider, the lower prices are because a new seller wants to make a mark in the marketplace. But more often than not, it’s either a scam or you will be compromising significantly on quality.

Be sure to compare by different suppliers. If a number of sellers have similar prices for the same product, but one seller has a significantly lower price, take this as an indication that the product is likely not genuine.

AliExpress har et praktisk værktøj til at filtrere meget høje eller meget lave priser fra. Når du holder markøren over "Pris"-bjælken på produktsiden, AliExpress vil vise dig, hvor mange mennesker der har købt produkter i den prisklasse.

aliexpress

Hvis meget få mennesker køber produkter i en lav prisklasse, det er sandsynligvis ikke en særlig god handel.

3. Tjek for produktets ægthed

uheldigvis, falske produkter er et stort problem på både Alibaba og AliExpress. Med antallet af produkter på tilbud, at filtrere falske produkter fra kan være en stor udfordring.

For eksempel, when you search for “Xiaomi TV”, you’ll see over 1,800 resultater;

aliexpress

Most of these would be genuine, but you can never really tell fake from real when you have only a few product images to go by.

There are a few alternate tactics you can use to filter out tell if a product is fake or not:

Sælger & product feedback score

Just like on eBay, feedback score matters a lot to sellers. Reputed sellers wouldn’t engage in any malpractices that might endanger their feedback score.

Besides the seller score, you can also check product feedback by clicking on the “Feedback” tab on the product page.

aliexpress

I ovennævnte tilfælde, both the product and the seller have very high ratings.

Check seller’s other products on sale

A seller that offers only one type or brand of products is likely to be more authentic than someone who sells virtually everything under the planet.

You can check this by looking at the “Seller’s Categories” in the left sidebar. I dette tilfælde, the seller largely focuses on accessories from upcoming brands:

aliexpress

Check warranties and price

Igen, if the price is too low, it’s likely to be inauthentic.

Tilsvarende, also check seller warranties. You can see them in the “Seller Guarantees” tab on the product page.

aliexpress

If you still can’t be sure, try ordering a single product to ascertain quality and authenticity.

4. Communicate with the seller before making the purchase

Proper communication with suppliers is a must since products come directly from them, not AliExpress.

The best way is to straight away write to the supplier. Clear all your doubts and ask them any item’s specific details, shipping or delivery questions.

You can find the seller contact details in the left sidebar on the product page:

aliexpress

5. Pay attention to the responsiveness of suppliers

After you send the message through chat or messaging, notice how quickly supplier responds to your query.

This will give you an idea how responsible the seller is. Remember that your supplier is also your business partner. A seller who can’t respond quickly to your requests or is unreliable in his response time will likely make for a bad partner.

Keep local China time (UTC +8) in mind before you do this.

6. Negotiate prices on bulk orders

When you’re buying in bulk from AliExpress, most sellers will offer you a small discount for bulk orders.

You can see this on the product page under “Bulk Price”.

aliexpress

Understand that this price is completely negotiable, especially if you have a large requirement than the seller’s mentioned bulk price.

I ovennævnte tilfælde, you can likely negotiate a few extra % points for 100+ piece orders.

Always negotiate before making a purchase commitment.

7. Read item details/description carefully

Never place an order without reading the item’s description no matter how pretty the photos look. Sometimes useful information is included in the details section.

aliexpress

8. Look out for seller guarantees

Sellers offer their own set of guarantees. When you’re buying a branded item make sure to look for ‘Guaranteed Genuine’ tag.

If the product is still found to be counterfeit, you will get your full refund including shipping cost.

aliexpress

9. Understand that Custom/Import duty may be charged

Dyre produkter kommer normalt under scanneren i specialafdelingen. Hvis det sker for dig, der er en god chance for, at du skal betale importafgift for produkterne.

Forskellige lande har forskellige satser for importafgifter. Hold styr på den told, du muligvis skal betale, før du køber produktet.

Sådan kontakter du AliExpress-leverandører

E-mail er den foretrukne kommunikationsform for de fleste leverandører. De vil sandsynligvis bruge Google Oversæt til at oversætte dine e-mails, så sørg for at holde teksten kortfattet, godt formateret og til sagen.

Dette vil ikke kun hjælpe leverandøren, men også give dig bedre svar. Her er en skabelon, som du kan overveje som rettesnor, inden du kontakter leverandørerne.

Hej,

Mit navn er [Dit navn]. Jeg er interesseret i din [Indsæt produktnavn eller varekode].

Jeg har flere spørgsmål:

1. Hvad er prisen pr. enhed?

2. Hvad er din mindste ordremængde (MOQ)?

3. Hvad er din forventede leveringstid, herunder told?

Jeg vil gerne afgive en ordre på en prøve, før jeg afgiver fuld ordre.

Kan du venligst sende prøveomkostningerne inklusive forsendelse til USA?

Jeg ser frem til at opbygge et godt forretningsforhold med dig. tak skal du have.

[Dit navn]

[Betegnelse]

]firmanavn]

[E-mail]

Hvad skal man gøre, når tingene går galt

Tingene kan – og vilje – gå galt før eller siden. Det er bare en del af det at drive forretning.

At have etableret processer til at håndtere sådanne situationer kan gøre dit job meget nemmere.

Her er, hvad du skal gøre, når noget går galt:

1. Med produktkvalitet

uheldigvis, all the due diligence in the world can’t protect you from poor product quality. It’s not unusual for sample products to be very different from the final product.

I sådanne situationer, you can rule out litigation – American/European court judgments don’t apply to Chinese companies.

Also understand that if you’ve already made the payment, you will have very little leverage over the seller.

This is particularly true for large sellers with lots of feedback – the odd bad review isn’t going to impact them much.

When you receive a poor quality product, her er, hvad du kan gøre:

Spørg om det er en fabrikationsfejl: Tit, dårlig produktkvalitet skyldes en enkeltstående fabrikationsfejl. Sommetider, det er også fordi producenten er i gang med at opgradere til nye maskiner. I sådanne tilfælde, sælgere kan muligvis gøre op i næste ordre.
Lej et tredjeparts inspektionsfirma: På grund af kvalitetsrisici, en række virksomheder hyrer tredjeparts inspektionsvirksomheder i Kina for at sikre produktkvalitet. Google "tredjeparts inspektion Kina” for at se en liste over sådanne virksomheder.

AliExpress’ Buyer Protection will give you 60-days to get a refund or start a dispute. You can do this by going to the order under “My Orders” and clicking on “Open Dispute”.

aliexpress

If this doesn’t work, you can escalate the dispute straight to AliExpress.

2. With delivery time

Delivery times on AliExpress vary wildly depending on the seller, the product type and the country it is being shipped to.

For most smaller items, AliExpress offers its own shipping for free.

aliexpress

If your order still hasn’t arrived after the mentioned period, her er, hvad du kan gøre:

Spor ordrestatus: Naturligvis, det første skridt – kontrollere, om ordren er i Kina, i dit land, eller på vej. Du kan gøre dette ved at gå til "Mine ordrer", klik derefter på "Spor" ud for dit ordrenavn.
Tjek om ordren sidder fast i tolden: Pakker, der holdes i tolden, er den sædvanlige synder i forsendelsesforsinkelser. Hvis dette sker, toldvæsenet giver dig besked via posten om din forsendelse og fortæller dig, hvordan du kan hente den. Dette kan tilføje flere dage til den sædvanlige leveringstid. Most courier tracking services will tell you when a package has reached Customs.
Ask the seller for guidance: If you’re shipping products to Europe or USA, most sellers would already be familiar with shipping to your country. Ask them for guidance as to what could be holding back the delivery, and if there is anything you can do to speed things up.

3. With customs

Packages being stuck in customs is a routine complaint of anyone who imports from China. Toldvæsenet i nogle lande er særligt berygtet for at holde pakker op.

Din fragtudbyder burde kunne fortælle dig, hvornår pakken er i tolden. Efter dette, toldvæsenet sender dig en meddelelse (skriftligt) om, hvorfor dit produkt blev holdt op, og hvad du kan gøre for at få det frigivet.

I tilfælde af at sælger hævder, at varen er tilbageholdt i tolden, her er, hvad du kan gøre:

Bed om et konnossement: Ask the seller to furnish a bill of lading to prove that the package has, Ja, forlod sælgers lager.
Kontakt forsendelsesservice for at bekræfte varernes ankomst til dit hjemland. I USA, hvis din operatør undlader at informere dig inden for 15 dage efter varens ankomst (og du undlader at handle på toldkommunikation), din pakke vil blive flyttet til et "Generelt ordrelager" (GÅ). Dette kan gøre det dyrt og tidskrævende at hente varerne.

Forstå, at dette er et meget subjektivt spørgsmål – toldproceduren varierer fra land til land. Se dit lands toldkontor for at få mere at vide.

4. Med betalinger

De fleste sælgere på AliExpress accepterer et enormt antal betalingsmuligheder.

aliexpress

Since AliExpress offers its own Buyer Protection, you are secure against any payment fraud. Within the 60 days of Buyer Protection, you get full refunds in case of non-receipt of items.

In case you do encounter any issues, you can open a dispute to get refunds.

At gøre dette, log into your buyer panel and locate your order under “My Orders”.

Næste, click on “Open Dispute” next to the order:

aliexpress

På den næste skærm, choose “Refund” to start the refund process:

aliexpress

You can’t use PayPal on AliExpress. Unless suppliers have their own private PayPal account, so they could send an invoice with item description and price. AliExpress has its own credit card payment system, which resembles Paypal in many ways and offers the same security. Also if you use a bank transfer, debit cards or the Western Union, you have no option other than relying on AliExpress.

5. With copyright and branding

Intellectual property theft is a major issue in China, so it shouldn’t be surprising if you find your unique idea copied by a supplier.

uheldigvis, Chinese law makes it next to impossible to enforce any patents or get any redressal for IP theft. Consider that even Apple isn’t secure from this problem.

The best you can do is to open a dispute (se ovenfor) and request AliExpress to remove the seller.

Dette, imidlertid, will still not stop your IP theft.

Consider this part of the risk of doing business in China.

Læs også: Videnskaben om Kontakt Leverandører Når du starter en virksomhed

Over til dig

AliExpress isn’t perfect, but it does have a lot of advantages over sourcing products locally. For en, you get access to a massive inventory with no MOQs. You also get extremely low prices, including free shipping on most items.

På negativsiden, you will have to contend with communication issues and the occasional seller dispute. To mitigate this problem, AliExpress offers robust buyer protection and an easy to use communication system.

On the whole, you’ll find AliExpress to be a very valuable partner when sourcing suppliers for your e-commerce store.

Lær mere: Vendor Management Workflow Guide: Processes & Fordele