# Anyone do business with Alibaba? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957 "2014-05-08T06:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/1 "2014-05-08T06:52:40Z")
Anyone do business with [Alibaba?](http://www.alibaba.com/) If so, what was the experience like? Note: Details on Alibaba [here.](http://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-profit-weakness-highlighted-by-alibaba-ipo-filing-145330015.html) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/2 "2014-05-08T06:59:24Z")
I’ve tried but apparently wasn’t doing it right. Aren’t they just a broker? They put buyers and sellers together? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/3 "2014-05-08T07:08:37Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I’ve tried but apparently wasn’t doing it right. Aren’t they just a broker? They put buyers and sellers together? Yes, that is what they do. They article I pointed to provides some detail and what they are prepping for the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/4 "2014-05-08T07:16:17Z")
Machts nix to me. Their website is the worst on the planet and the registration questions have a sketchy vibe. I’m never bothering again. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/5 "2014-05-08T12:19:33Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Machts nix to me. Their website is the worst on the planet and the registration questions have a sketchy vibe. I’m never bothering again. What he said. Tried many times to use it, but it never was even useable. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/6 "2014-05-08T13:03:41Z")
I’ve been on there. Didn’t have trouble navigating their web site, but I never ordered from them, everything I was interested in was available in smaller quantities for the same or better price elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/7 "2014-05-08T13:04:30Z")
Given that you linked to site about the IPO, are you asking if people here have used Alibaba because you’re trying to decide whether to invest? If so, why are you asking people on a primarily US message board? The company mostly operates in China, where it’s big. Really, really big. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/8 "2014-05-08T14:02:39Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Anyone do business with [Alibaba?](http://www.alibaba.com/) If so, what was the experience like? Buncha thieves. Someone had to say it… ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/9 "2014-05-08T14:16:58Z")
They only sell in large quantities, and didn’t have the alloy I wanted, so no. But I’ve used AliExpress. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/10 "2014-05-08T14:17:17Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Buncha thieves. > > Someone had to say it… Somewhere between 39 and 41 thieves is what I heard. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/11 "2014-05-08T15:57:41Z")
Alibaba is huge, its size dwarfs Amazon. Part of Alibaba is like an online mall that is just for regular retail consumers. If you go to [Alibaba.com](http://Alibaba.com), that is that other part of their business - its basically a way for retailers and wholesalers to connect to factories; it’s Ebay for factory direct product sourcing. Some of the factories will just let you order 1 item, but mostly they deal with bulk purchases. If you have a product you designed and want a bunch of this product made in large quantities, it can be a good place to go. Many of the factories are very responsive. I did a thread pretty much on this same exact topic 2 or 3 months ago. Engineercompgeek has worked with Alibaba before AFAIK; you might want to look the thread up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/12 "2014-05-08T16:28:25Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Given that you linked to site about the IPO, are you asking if people here have used Alibaba because you’re trying to decide whether to invest? If so, why are you asking people on a primarily US message board? The company mostly operates in China, where it’s big. Really, really big. Dewey Finn - Right. I’m gonna solicit a few opinions from Dopers on whether they purchase from Alibaba and use that to determine if I’m going to get in on the IPO. You don’t invest much, do you? ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/13 "2014-05-09T02:06:02Z")
I am not into buying grosses of grosses of an item so even though Alibaba would be pretty cheap, there really isn’t anything I would buy. I have started looking at [Aliexpress.com](http://Aliexpress.com), though. They deal with individuals and have clothes and many other items (sex toys, car parts, etc.) available. I really haven’t decided to buy anything there, though, because many delivery times are 30 or more days. They have some great looking stuff though. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/14 "2014-05-09T04:00:14Z")
> [@](#): > > (sex toys, car parts, etc.) available. I really haven’t decided to buy anything there, though, because many delivery times are 30 or more days. Even the dildo makers have lost to overseas manufacturing. You know, a man used to be able to make a good livin as a dildo maker, you could support a wife, put yer kids through school. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/15 "2014-05-10T01:46:17Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > I am not into buying grosses of grosses of an item so even though Alibaba would be pretty cheap, there really isn’t anything I would buy. I have started looking at [Aliexpress.com](http://Aliexpress.com), though. They deal with individuals and have clothes and many other items (sex toys, car parts, etc.) available. I really haven’t decided to buy anything there, though, because many delivery times are 30 or more days. > > They have some great looking stuff though. > > Bob I just remembered something humorous. I was browsing the men’s underwear section of Aliexpress. I had picked the size and type of underwear that I wanted (the user interface on the site is remarkably like Amazon) and the title of one brand of underwear was ‘fat old man underwear’. Well I guess I qualify, but most American websites are more politically correct than that. They must have used Google translate or something similar. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-do-business-with-alibaba/687957/16 "2014-05-10T03:58:58Z")
Is Alibaba s business model closer to Angie’s List than Amazon?