Private Labeling on Alibaba 101

Step 1: Searching for products/suppliers on Alibaba

I pretty much expect you to already have an idea of what to sell.

You can start by heading over to Alibaba's website and typing relevant keywords onto the search bar.

Use the filters to your advantage. On the left side of the page, you will see 'Category'. In that box, you'll find 'Supplier Types', 'Product Types', etc.

It's always best to narrow down your search. I'd also recommend checking the Trade Assurance and Verified Supplier checkboxes under 'Supplier Types'.

What they mean:
Trade Assurance - According to Alibaba's website, dealing with suppliers with a Trade Assurance badge will grant you Alibaba's assistance (including getting your money back) should the supplier fail to provide the quality of the product as advertised or fail to ship out the products on time. Click here for more information.

It's not always safe to simply rely on these badges when evaluating suppliers.

Consider the following questions as well:

• 1. How long have they been operating?*
• 2. Are they a manufacturing company or a trading company? One way to find this out is by looking at their product offerings. If they specialize on a certain product theme (e.g. falsies, lash glue, lash extensions, etc.), they are more likely to be manufacturers. If they sell a wide variety of products that are not closely related to each other, they are likely to be a trading company. I would advise you to choose a manufacturer over a trading company as they usually provide higher quality products for lower prices.
• 3. What are their response rate and response time?*
• 4. How many transactions have they completed?*
• 5. What countries do they usually export to? Have they completed a transaction with a buyer from your country?*
• 6. Do they accept Paypal payments? It is recommended that you pay your supplier via Paypal. This ensures protection on your part.*
• 7. What are their delivery terms? What courier do they use to ship out products?*
• 8. Do they have the necessary licenses to provide certain products? This is to assure the safety of the product.*
• ... You can find more questions online! I don't have everything.

*You can find out about this by going to their website or Alibaba profile and browsing through the tabs (e.g. Company Overview, Business Performance, Trade Capacity, Products, etc.)

---