Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

[907tec]

Has anybody here used Ali-Baba.com for sourcing parts? I have come across the site a few times while hunting for rare items, but always got bad vibes. Lately I have been looking for fuser rollers to fit in Konica Minolta Biz C350/C351/C450 and it seems like the only option is ordering direct from manufacturers in China. Ali-Baba comes up in tons of my searches, and appears to be a portal for making orders direct to factory. I have sent a few emails to retailers through Ali-Baba and they are very quick to respond (not to mention...they have suspiciously good prices: about $30 for the lower sleeved roller).

With that being said...the site still seems a little shady. It would definitely be nice to hear some favorable reviews before sending my money out across the interwebs.

Here's one of the sites I was looking at: Minolta Bizhub Color C350/351/450 Lower Sleeved Roller - Detailed info for Minolta Bizhub Color C350/351/450 Lower Sleeved Roller,fuser roller,Minolta Bizhub Color C350/351/450 Lower Sleeved Roller,Bizhub Color C350/351/450 on Alibaba.com

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Most(all) of the vendors are overseas, its primarily wholesale.

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

[QUOTE=Gregg;257419]Most(all) of the vendors are overseas, its primarily wholesale. If you need 500+ of anything its the way to go. but shipping takes a month.

[907tec]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Gregg, have you ordered from any of the vendors through Ali-Baba? Or are you assuming? I've spoken with 3 vendors so far that have minimum orders in the neighborhood of 10-20pcs, which seems acceptable to me. Shipping is definitely a concern, so I am eager to know if you are speaking from experience with this site...or generalizing.

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Ive ordered feed rollers etc. (small stuff just in case) and found that I really wasn't saving all that much with shipping time and cost, you can get a better price break like I said, if you order bulk. It just didn't seem worth it to me when i can get the same parts within 3 days with a 2-5% difference in price. If I were going to stock my shelves, that would be the place I would go.

[907tec]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Ahh, ok. Yeah, it definitely isn't my ideal place to get parts. However, I have been unable to find anyone in North America that sells fuser rollers for the Bizhub C350 family. Just don't want to end up on a Homeland Security watchlist for funneling money to terrorists or something.

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Ha Ha Ha.. I hear ya there.
I think its pretty legit, they've been around for a while now and a Buddy of mine wholesales equipment for export through them and does pretty well with it.
But like ya said, where it comes from or where it goes is kinda questionable when it comes to overseas transactions.
What about Katun? they dont have parts for the bizhub?

[907tec]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

You know, I thought I remembered Katun selling the same rolls, too. But they apparently don't...or at least not anymore. Neither do Q2, Copylite, Precision, or Densi.

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Wow your right...
Thats weird, let me call a Kon/Min dealer i know here and see what they use for aftermarket.

[Gregg]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

He said its the whole unit, they dont sell parts to rebuild that he knows of anywhere.
WOW. thats expensive sh*t there.

[907tec]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

No doubt. My prices are right around $500 for the entire fusing unit. Pretty steep, considering I've still got at least 20 of these in the field. I appreciate you calling around, though. Somehow its good to know that I'm not the only one troubled by this.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

I've been looking into buying on that site for other various items. I'm still in the research stage but these are the recommendations that I've found:

• It's best if they have a site or webcam showing the factory or place of business if possible (adds credibility)
• It's best if they have a dedicated employee that speaks English or whatever your native language is if you don't speak there language (adds credibility)
• Ideally, if you're big enough and can afford it, you will personally go over there or send a representative to inspect their people, facilities, and products
• The biggest concerns are obviously getting what you paid for and not getting scammed
• I recommend asking for samples or offering to buy a quantity of just one or a few for inspection. Many of them have high minimum quantities but if they're legit they should make an exception. (adds credibility)
• The year is now 2011. F*ck wire transfers, money grams, money orders, western union and the like. Companies like PayPal (I hate them), Google, and not to mention good old fashion merchant accounts so you can accept credit cards are available in almost every country in the world. (adds buyer protection) Again, if they're serious and legit they should be able to accept credit cards. (adds credibility)
• There are other companies out there that act as escrow services. Meaning you put the money in an escrow account so you're not screwing the seller, and when you get the product you have them release it to the seller so you don't get screwed.

[mitchl]

Re: Anybody ordered through "Ali-Baba.com"?

Sorry to bump this thread so late but I have ordered off Alibaba and it went fine. They actually make a sleeved C350/C351/C450 lower roller and bought a sample order of 5, they worked great but now I think they want you to buy 20 as a minimum. I was amazed at the shipping speed though I ordered the things on a Friday and ACHed the money, the rollers were in my office the next Thursday, it was quicker than ordering out of California.