10 Questions You Should Always Ask your Alibaba Supplier

If you’ve ever thought about getting stock from Alibaba to sell on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay it’s important you ask a few critical questions. This will ensure you are getting the right quality items, safely, timely and in a manner that will be accepted by Amazon or eBay warehouses. Here are the questions you should ALWAYS ASK:

1) What is your minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

This is important because: You will see at certain quantity levels you will start to get price breaks, thus lowering your per unit costs. Alternatively, if you are just experimenting it’s important to ensure they can allow low quantity orders.

2) What is your Cost per Unit?

This is important because: The price quoted onsite may not be the final price. See if you can get additional discounts e.g. by assuring a longer term partnership with the supplier if you are happy with their first order.

3) What is the estimated shipping cost to [your location] for [total units] and how long will it take?

This is important because: Your total cost per unit is Cost of Product + Cost of Shipping. Often the shipping price will be even more than the price of the product, so you need to ensure you are considering both when calculating your margins. Also check your delivery options as both land and sea options are usually available and different costs and speeds.

4) Do you offer samples, and if so, how much is it?

This is important because: You can request for samples of the product to be sent to you so you can look and feel before you buy. This will come at a cost as you will pay for the product cost (sometimes a higher rate than when bought in bulk) and shipping plus the time spent on this process. However, you will have complete piece of mind you are getting the right thing.

5) How are the products packaged when they arrive?

This is important because: If you are not repackaging your products then customers will receive the products exactly as is from the supplier. Ensure they are of a minimum quality otherwise you will impact your CX. Amazon also requires certain products to be packaged in specific ways for them to be accepted in the warehouse. Ensure you are aware of packaging and prep requirements or see our Guide to Alibaba here to learn more.

6) Will you be able to prepare the products for inbound into an Amazon warehouse?

This is important because: Aside from the packaging and prep requirements in 4 above, Amazon also requires either a barcode or Amazon labels to be fixed on each products so they can be received in their warehouse. Each box also requires a FBA Box Label. Most suppliers will be across the requirements but ensure you are providing them the necessary information for successful delivery for FBA.

7) Will the items be shipped directly to our specified address or do we need to arrange for additional logistics?

This is important because: Some suppliers can only get the product to a certain location (e.g. port or distribution warehouse) but not to your end destination (e.g. an Amazon warehouse.) Ensure to check if they are able to deliver to the specific address you need or if not you will need to arrange a local courier to pick up and deliver the stock to the end location.

8) What are your payment terms for new customers?

This is important because: Some suppliers will require 100% of the payment upfront, whilst others are comfortable to do 50% upfront and 50% upon successful delivery. See what terms you are offered and always ensure you are transacting through legitimate channels to cover any risk.

9) Further questions on quality of product

This is important because: Sometimes the product listing on Alibaba is not a true reflection of the final product. Ensure you are clear on the quality of the product you are purchasing. This includes materials used in the making, logos, seams, packaged components etc.

10) Can you send additional photos and videos of the product before I purchase?

This is important because: Sometimes you need to see the product in action before you are 100% confident to make your purchase. Feel free to ask the supplier for as much evidence of the product as needed. Additionally, you will need high quality images of the product to list on Amazon, see if the supplier has these for you to use.