Success and Failures from Alibaba
Bought close to $250,000 worth of machinery from Alibaba. Definitely had my share of failures (currently in dispute close to $14000). Extended testing times, release times, arguments.
There is a method to the madness. Similar machinery in the usa would have cost me close to 1.4 million. I have quotations to compare.
China does machinery well and there is quality too. Remember they have to support their own economy of 1.6 billion people well.
Developed a trusted network for industrial machinery for pharma space, some have even moved off Alibaba which I was extra cautious about, but it’s paid off cause just that one vendor and I have done about $120k in business since we moved off Alibaba.
Also have an independent team ready to fly out anywhere in China to do testing, safety, execution.
If you want tips or need help, happy to. Not promoting anything. But it’s really important to remember, Chinese machines will do one thing and one thing only. If you try to get more value out of it, it will fail.
Always do a third party inspection on site. Not Alibaba trade assurance garbage, have your people go there, fly and check it. If you can’t make it, FaceTime. Create checklists.