In the trend of global economic integration, buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba is a good idea, especially for the very first purchase. However, in the long term, third party intervention may not be necessary as it causes some disadvantages in terms of price and customized policy. The post will give you a general view on pros and cons of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba as well as a detailed guide and useful tips.
1. Pros and Cons of Buying Plastic Wholesale on Alibaba
Buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba is highly recommended, especially for the very first order because the platform acts as a third party to assure product quality and buyer protection policies. However, For the next purchases, to get a better price (without platform fee) and more customized options, you can contact the supplier directly via website, hotline or emails.
These are more details about the pros and cons of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba.
Pros of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba:
- Cost-effective: Enjoy lower wholesale prices as you can easily make comparisons among suppliers, leading to higher profit margins.
- Vast product selection: Be able to choose from millions of products across various niches.
- Customization options: Design your own products at affordable prices.
- Supplier reliability: Easily evaluate suppliers based on their credentials, performance, and customer feedback.
- Enhanced customer experience: Control product packaging and shipping for better customer satisfaction.
- Quality Assurance: Monitor product quality before shipment to reduce returns.
Cons of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba:
- Platform cost: The supplier must pay the cost of selling on Alibaba, which can lead to higher price offered compared to direct B2B transactions.
- High initial investment: Minimum order quantities can be substantial, increasing financial risk.
- Legal risks: Selling unlicensed brand-name products can lead to legal issues.
- Product discrepancies: Product images may not accurately represent the real product.
- Niche-specific challenges: Some disadvantages of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba can be sizing Issues: Variations in sizing standards or products defects due to shipping.
- Time constraints: Order processing and shipping times can delay sales. Restocking delays can lead to customer dissatisfaction. This is often due to arising customs problems or changes in import and export policies.
To have a comprehensive view of buying plastic wholesale in Alibaba, please visit our Inochi minisite on Alibaba: Inochi Global on Alibaba
2. Step-by-step Guide on Buying Plastic Wholesale on Alibaba
Follow these step to easily buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba:
2.1. Step 1: Choose a niche of plastic product on Alibaba
Because the plastic field is very large, you may be overwhelmed if you cannot decide on what niche of plastic products to sell. But no need to worry because there are some ways to find niche ideas:
- Alibaba Top-ranking: An Alibaba report by data-given daily rankings provides you with comprehensive and unbiased insights on the top products and top suppliers in the field.
- Keywords Everywhere: A Chrome extension that provides a monthly search report with volume, CPC, and Competitiveness of a keyword, helping you to see the popularity of the niche you are researching on.
- Google Trends: The tool helps you to see the trend of the product after you have narrowed down the field. Google Trends can give you the lifetime span of the niche for a long time in your target market.
2.2. Step 2: Choose products & supplier
You can also use Alibaba Top-ranking to see the top supplier and products in your niche. But you can explore more on the search engine of Alibaba, leveraging the filter to have customized results. When you have a list of plastic suppliers, narrow them down by checking each supplier’s bio, response rate & time, factory inspection reports, transaction level and main products. You may need to chat with suppliers. It takes time, but it’s very important to understand your supplier for the first order. Then, you can find out the most suitable plastic product supplier.
A supplier can offer a wide range of plastic products. You should search with a narrow keyword (such as plastic food container) rather than a too general one (such as kitchenware) when you have decided on the niche. If you are new in the field, it’s recommended that you choose the best-sellers or common plastic products. You can discuss with the supplier to be further consulted, no matter what type of products you are interested in, ready-to-ship or customized products.
2.3. Step 3: Making purchase
After selecting a supplier and products, you can proceed to purchase. If the item is labeled “Ready to Ship,” specify the quantity you need and initiate the order process. Provide your shipping and payment details to finalize the order. After you finish the last step of buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba, the seller will confirm or contact you for more details.
For items without the “Ready to Ship” label, you must negotiate with the seller directly by contacting them through a chatting button with the salesperson.
Accepted payment options include major credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, wire transfers, and Western Union. However, sometimes you aren’t always able to purchase the products you wish due to some arising problems such as minimum order quantity (MOQ) and shipping fee.
Please be aware that shipping fees will apply to your order. While these costs are often negotiable, some sellers have fixed rates. The final shipping price depends on the seller’s chosen shipping method. The minimum order quantity may also be a barrier, but you can negotiate if needed.
3. Tips for Buying Plastic Wholesale on Alibaba with Decent Quality
To ensure product quality when buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba, you may find these tips helpful:
- Carefully evaluate suppliers: Check their reputation, customer feedback, and past performance.
- Request samples: Aim to verify product quality firsthand before committing to large orders. Clearly state your quality expectations: Negotiate with the supplier and get agreements in writing. By this, you can minimize the distance between your expectation and the received product quality.
- Hire an independent inspector for extra assurance: Make sure the product shipping to your location has decent quality as assurance from the supplier’s location.
- Start with small orders: Assess the supplier’s reliability before increasing purchases thereafter. But most plastic suppliers require a minimum order quantity. Make sure you meet the requirement or negotiate if needed.
- Research past purchases: To have a more comprehensive view about products and the suppliers from their customers.
In conclusion, buying plastic wholesale on Alibaba is highly recommended for the first purchase. But the fact that you can even buy plastic items with better prices by contacting the supplier directly for the next purchase. Because all transactions are made online, make sure you apply some tips to receive plastic items as good as expected. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for the earliest response. Thanks for reading!
