加拿大外贸
Michael Alexis, I've negotiated via Alibaba and other online suppliers. I lived in China for a year and negotiated everything. every. single. day.Written May 25, 2012
First, keep in mind:
The seller is a person trying to earn money (just like you) - always be respectful.
The language barrier is very real. Even though Alibaba is available in English, the level of language ability varies greatly between sellers. Write short, clear, emails.
YOU hold the money and power. Most products on Alibaba have a perfect substitute. In some cases you aren't dealing directly with a factory or producer, you are dealing with a middle man: so several "sellers" have access to selling the same product.
If you spend some time on the Alibaba forums, you'll find a common complaint amongst sellers: that buyers WANT IT ALL (high quality, low price). There is a lot of discussion of scams, and a common excuse is that the margin was squeezed too thin - the seller couldn't ship profitably, so they disappeared.
That being said, EVERYTHING is negotiable with Chinese sellers.
Here's what to do:
Do your research. Find out what the market price is for a product. Try using Google Translate to convert the product name to Chinese, then search with the Chinese phrase on alibaba.com, taobao.com, and aliexpress.com. Often the listed price for Chinese buyers is lower. i.e, I once bought a basketball kit for $10 by searching in Chinese, that was listed at $30+ in English.
Decide on the maximum price you will pay. As in, if the seller says yes to that price, you would sign the cheque today.
Reach out to the seller for references. You don't want to get scammed. The last time I checked a "positive review" from a buyer ACTUALLY is just what happens by default if the buyer doesn't post a review. Check the references. Ask them a) any problems, b) what price they paid.
Email the seller saying, "Hello, I'm interested in buying between # and ## units of X. Since I'm buying in bulk, the unit price will be $$ + shipping. If this works for you, I'm ready to buy today." (anchor the price lower than your "max price" so you have room to negotiate).
If they don't say some variation of "yes", negotiate. You'll probably hear, "$40 per unit is our best price", then if you push, "we have a very special price just for you, $38". Stick to your price. You'll hear things like, "we decreased our price, raise yours". Keep sticking to your price. Eventually go up to your max. Never go over your max for the specified number of units (they may allow that price if you buy more).
If you don't get the price you want. Say no. Contact more sellers. Triangulate. "X seller will sell for $10 per unit, but I'd like to do business with you.". They might say, "our product is different". It's probably not.
Say "no" some more. "Walk away" until you get the price you want. Alibaba sellers follow up religiously, even to just an initial inquiry. Some daily/weekly. You have the leverage - they will follow up with you.
Final thoughts:
Don't waste their (and your) time. Make sure you really want to buy something before you get into negotiations. Back and forth email for days that doesn't result in a sale sucks for everybody.
Get a sample.
Even though you think the negotiations are over, the seller might not. Be prepared for, "okay, we agreed 3 for $15, how about 9 for $45?"
Good luck! Please update us on how it goes.
--
Michael
评论
老外都很精明
评论
什么都开始精打细算了，都是这样子的了
评论
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