When you browse products on Alibaba, do you follow Alibaba Reviews? Many products to choose from on Alibaba, and Alibaba reviews can help you decide.
However, distinguishing between real and fake reviews is challenging because scammers manipulate Alibaba reviews.
They apply multiple techniques, such as buying fake reviews or using fake accounts to review their products.
Here we will explain how to get the information you need from each supplier’s reviews on Alibaba and know if they are real or fake. By reading reviews about that supplier, you can save yourself from the Alibaba scam.
What is Alibaba? Pros and Cons
Alibaba is one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms, linking buyers and sellers together. This Chinese giant dominates the wholesale industry in China.
Alibaba does not own any inventory but acts as a middleman by facilitating the exchange of goods and services.
As a tool for business growth and development, Alibaba has pros and cons.
Pros
- Alibaba’s wholesale prices are very low, which increases your potential profit margin.
- There is a wide variety of products, and you can use Alibaba reviews to help you make your choice.
- You can focus on a good customer experience because Alibaba has many options for product packaging and shipping methods.
- Assess potential suppliers based on Alibaba trade Assurance to reduce the risk when buying from the wrong supplier.
- Alibaba payment methods are secure, and you can track your purchases more easily.
- You can monitor the quality of your products before they reach your customers.
Cons
- Alibaba has a minimum order quantity (MOQ) requirement, which will give you a big risk if you are not sure about the quality of the goods or if you are a startup.
- The quality of the product you see on Alibaba is not always the same as the quality you get.
- It may be challenging to get refunds and returns when goods arrive because they don’t always work as they should.
Many people ask, is Alibaba safe?
I would say that as far as the platform is concerned, Alibaba is legal and safe. There is no risk in buying from Alibaba.
It helps if you are careful and understand how to distinguish good suppliers from bad ones, consider their pros and cons, and then make a reasonable choice based on Alibaba’s reviews.
Here you may learn more about Alibaba for details below:
Is Alibaba.com Legit? How to Buy from Alibaba?
Should You Listen to Alibaba Reviews?
If you follow the proper guidelines and precautions, buying from Alibaba is a safe and reliable way.
Before you decide to deal with it or not, you can rely on Alibaba reviews and read the positive reviews and the negative ones carefully, which will benefit your deal.
Alibaba reviews are helpful when you buy from a supplier.
For example, when you read reviews from old buyers who are satisfied with the product, it will increase your confidence in the product. After all, you may not be familiar with the supplier.
You can listen to Alibaba Reviews because they will help you make a decision. If the product does not have a single review, you can assume that maybe this product is not popular in the market, or you can see if the supplier is new and certified.
Any review is valuable to a new buyer. Many suppliers value reviews because they cannot remove bad reviews, so I suggest you look at what the bad reviews are and see what feedback the supplier gives on the bad reviews.
Alibaba Reviews: What Can it Prove?
When you buy on Alibaba, you are not familiar with the supplier. You can know how well the seller provides the service through Alibaba reviews and whether you should buy a customized product from that seller.
In short, this is crucial to your choice of goods and suppliers.
Alibaba reviews can tell you a lot about a supplier, which means more things than the seller tells about themselves.
It helps to understand what previous customers have experienced with that supplier because the customer’s reviews determine the characteristics of a seller.
Alibaba reviews can prove some of the following points:
- Whether the seller is real and reliable
- on-time delivery rate
- Seller’s performance in Alibaba
- Response rate and time
- Sellers can get Alibaba Trade Assurance through positive buyer reviews
All of the above points are based on Alibaba reviews. Whenever buyers confirm that they have received the product, they are taken to the page where the supplier is rated. These ratings are used to calculate the scores mentioned above.
The Fact behind Bad Alibaba Reviews
Alibaba acts as a middleman, doesn’t manufacture any of the products, and most people can sell on Alibaba. Thus, all bad Alibaba reviews should be considered valuable.
Here are the common types of Alibaba reviews you will find on the internet and how you can avoid negative experiences:
Review #1: Alibaba sells counterfeit product
In 2017, Alibaba was suspended from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC). Then they form their anti-counterfeiting alliance to win the industry’s trust and its consumers.
First of all, if any Alibaba seller tries to sell you branded goods like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc., it is 100% fake. Never believe that they are selling you authentic branded goods.
The Alibaba Review about the counterfeit issue is that you should use verified suppliers. They pay a significant premium to Alibaba to qualify. In addition, Alibaba operates a third party to inspect the company and its facilities.
All verified Alibaba suppliers must pass a detailed on-site inspection. As a result, verified suppliers are less likely to sell counterfeit goods than regular Alibaba suppliers.
Review #2: Does Alibaba Trade Assurance can protect buyers well?
Alibaba Trade Assurance is a hosting service that ensures that your order is protected from fraud. If a transaction goes wrong, Alibaba will guarantee to refund your money if the supplier does not comply with the agreed terms.
Alibaba Trade Assurance sounds excellent on paper, but there are many different gray areas when determining which party is at fault.
Generally speaking, your order is protected when you pay with an Alibaba Trade Assurance.
If you do not receive the goods, or if the supplier does not deliver the quality you expect, Alibaba will establish a dispute with your supplier and mediate on your behalf.
While this process eventually works, it needs to take a long time, usually several months or more. When you purchase from Alibaba, a trade Assurance should be your last resort to resolve disputes.
The fact behind Alibaba Trade Assurance is Alibaba will generally submit a refund within seven working days after the buyer, and the supplier has reached an agreement.
If the supplier does not respond to the buyer’s message, the buyer can contact Alibaba’s online chat service to submit a claim.
However, it is essential to remember that Alibaba is not involved in this negotiation. As a result, refunds can take several months to resolve.
Since this process takes so long, you have to take your security measures, such as hiring an inspector or finding a company like Yansourcing to check your goods for defects after they come off the assembly line and are shipped.
Here you may learn more about Alibaba Trade Assurance for details below:
Complete Guide: How to Use Alibaba Trade Assurance?
Review #3: Long shipping periods
When working with an Alibaba supplier, you should enter with appropriate expectations.
For example, product production will take 30 days and two months or longer to ship by sea, and customs clearance will take 7 to 10 days. It seems a large order from Alibaba can take 3 to 4 months.
So the fact is, if you make an order on Alibaba and expect to meet a specific deadline, you should draft an agreement and also make a contingency plan in case there is a delay.
When you order in bulk from China, you must realize that there are many factors beyond your supplier’s control, such as supply chain issues, power outages, shipping delays, etc.
As with everything you find on the internet, you should take all Alibaba reviews with a grain of salt. There is a fact behind all Alibaba reviews, and it would help when you know the fact and discipline them separately.
How to Distinguish Real Alibaba Reviews and Fake Ones?
Since Alibaba reviews are important, many suppliers on Alibaba want positive reviews because if the supplier with one bad review can affect their future sales. Some people try to get fake Alibaba reviews to prevent this from happening.
So, we must distinguish between real and fake reviews, but it requires a high level of perception.
We will analyze the Alibaba reviews to distinguish their authenticity:
Review #1: 100% perfect reviews
Do you think it’s fake when you see a 100% perfect review?
I think 80% is fake. Usually, the comments are made by “buyers” invited by the seller to comment, which means they didn’t buy and try the product, so a review like this is probably fake.
To be safe, you need to check their other reviews and check the Chinese company’s profile.
Review #2: Misleading reviews
Sometimes I found that the buyer gave a 5-star review, even if he pointed out so many problems.
I will think the review is fake. It is misleading for buyers who only check the number of positive and negative reviews. It has a good impact on the profile, but it is unfair.
One reason for giving a 5-star review, the buyer may give a positive review for some benefit.
I’m just saying, never trust such reviews and try to be as honest as possible. Check the history of the seller’s company in the profile section.
Review#3: Positive reviews with actual photos
If you see a review with a photo, then the review is original. It proves that the consumer has received the product and checked the quality.
The review should be real because it is being checked or using pictures taken in good faith.
Also, keep in mind that if the review is short and positive, probably, it is real. When Alibaba sellers buy reviews, they mistakenly write long reviews to mislead buyers.
What Tips Can You Get from Alibaba Reviews?
1. Poor quality of products
To check product quality by looking at the reviews from other buyers, please read the full review to make sure the review is real.
How do you save buying low-quality products?
- Maintain good quality control standards
- Discuss and request product samples with the supplier
- Go through the quality of the model and determine whether to order from the supplier
2. Communication Issues
Communication is an integral part of the transaction process because it will bring you the right product.
Buyers often comment on the conversation, such as the seller’s quick response, which can add to the buyer’s good experience.
Sometimes, sellers are not always quick to respond or forget to respond due to time differences. You can call the seller directly or send WhatsApp.
If you get a response that doesn’t want to consider your suggestions, please leave the seller and check another.
Usually, I recommend checking for bad reviews because it’s something the seller wants to avoid or even delete, which can’t be faked.
Of course, you should exercise your judgment. It is not excluded that some of them are attacked by competitors.
How to Judge Good Suppliers and Products by Alibaba Reviews?
Alibaba reviews can help you determine if it is a good supplier or a good product. Reviews are important thing to note the progress of the seller.
If the seller has positive reviews, which means the seller is reliable. Negative reviews inferred the opposite situation.
Here are some information that you can get from positive reviews from customers:
1. Supplier is reliable
Reviews show potential buyers whether the supplier is trustworthy and what quality is offered. Alibaba reviews are a perfect source to know if the seller’s inventory and quality are good.
In short, a positive Alibaba review shows that the seller is real and is delivering the quality they promise.
2. Product quality
Product quality is a key issue that buyers usually interact with. Reviews can also help you to derive the quality of the product. A positive review means that the product is of good quality.
3. Supplier response time
Another thing you will find through Alibaba reviews is the supplier’s response time. Alibaba defines it as “the average time it takes for a supplier to respond to the first message from each buyer”.
If you wait much time for a supplier to respond to your message will not be a good experience.
Try to choose a supplier with a response time of fewer than 5 hours, and the reviews will tell you how good that supplier’s response time is.
4. Delivery on time
Late shipments may cause terrible repercussions. If the seller delivers the product on time, they will receive positive reviews.
The main advantage of Alibaba reviews is that buyers can share their buying experiences, which can be related to anything.
For example, did they face any issues, or did the supplier handle them professionally?
Alibaba reviews can say a lot about a supplier. Read thoroughly what these buyers have to say about the supplier. It will help if you choose whether to use this supplier or this product.
Alibaba Reviews FAQ
1. Is Alibaba legit and safe?
Many people ask this question, Yes, Alibaba is legal and safe. Before buying from Alibaba, please check the history and reviews.
Because scam is possible, you should not worry because Alibaba has a strict security system to distinguish real sellers from scammers. It will take action if the supplier is not verified or has a history of bad reviews.
2. Are all Alibaba reviews fake?
No, not all reviews on Alibaba are fake. You see, everyone shares their honest opinion when rating a supplier.
Sometimes there are bad deals, mainly due to misunderstandings caused by shipping delays or suppliers not understanding buyers’ requirements.
We mentioned above that reviews might be fake, and you can refer to them.
3. Should I listen to Alibaba’s reviews?
Yes, you can rely on Alibaba reviews and read the positive reviews and the negative ones carefully before making a decision that will benefit your deal.
4. How can I buy safely after checking out Alibaba reviews?
What you can do after you have read the reviews is to buy safely. Here are some tips:
- Check if it is Alibaba gold supplier
- Check if it has additional reviews
- Check if it offers Alibaba trade assurance
Alibaba Reviews Conclusion
Alibaba reviews help to make a better choice. If you want to buy safely from Alibaba, make sure to read the supplier reviews on Alibaba. And if you feel helpless, contact Yansourcing which has an endless list of trusted suppliers.
To learn more now, contact us at +86-15902071989 (Whatsapp) or email info@yansourcing.com.
