The first thing you should do before diving into the website is register for a free buyer account.
Fill out as much information as you can, including your company name, company website and a business email address. Most suppliers prefer to work with established businesses, and the first way they make sure you're legitimate is by viewing these credentials.
Finding Products and Suppliers
Alibaba.com has created a curated list of suppliers of personal protective equipment to help you quickly find and purchase from high quality manufacturers. We're working on adding more suppliers to the list as our team identifies them.
How to identify suppliers on Alibaba.com
Gold supplier: Paid members that have been verified as businesses with commercial or industrial capabilities.
Verified supplier: Suppliers whose company profile, management system, production capabilities, product, and process controls have been assessed, certified, and/or inspected by third party institutions via online and offline means.
Trade Assurance supplier: Suppliers who accept payment through Alibaba.com. Alibaba.com also provides payment protection to buyers who pay through the platform.
When you find a supplier with a product that meets your needs, you can either buy right away or contact the supplier for more information before purchasing.
Quick Checkout
If you're confident that a product meets your requirements and you're ready to purchase, you can start your order right away using our easy checkout process. Just click "Start Order" from the product detail page, and enter your shipping and payment information. For a step-by-step guide, watch the video tutorial below.
Contacting Suppliers
Once you've created a short list of suppliers who you may want to work with, it's time to reach out. It may sound simple enough, but this is an important part of the process. It's where you need to show you're ready to do serious business, and it's where you make sure you find a supplier you can trust.
You can reach out by clicking "Contact Supplier" on the product detail page and writing a detailed message.
In your first message, you should always do 3 things:
Demonstrate that you are a serious buyer with a legitimate business
To demonstrate that you're a serious buyer, introduce yourself and describe your business. Also make sure you've completed your profile and have a professional email address for your business.
Describe in detail the product you want to source
Provide detailed information about the product you want to source, including:
Specifications
Packaging
Any other critical points (safety, branding, etc.)
Photos
Ask questions to determine if the supplier is a good fit for your business
Be specific and ask questions to help narrow the field, including:
Price per certain order volumes
Obtain copies of certifications (FDA, CE/Europe and China standards)
Available units/stock
Shipment origin
Obtain shipment dimensions and weight
In the Message Center under My Alibaba on the top menu, you will be able to keep track of conversations with different suppliers. If you're on our mobile app, you can also make use of our real-time translation feature and video chat feature (available between US-based buyers and China-based suppliers) to make your communication easier.
Placing an Order
Trade Assurance is Alibaba.com's order protection service, which ensures your product is produced to the quality you expect, paid for securely, and shipped on time. If it's not, Alibaba.com customer service representatives are there for you through the dispute resolution process — from investigation to mediation and reimbursement.
Look for the Trade Assurance icon on our product listing pages and make sure that your supplier uses Trade Assurance.
While disputes are uncommon, the unexpected can happen so it's good to be prepared, and make sure upfront that your order will be protected by Trade Assurance. Here's how:
Ensure you are working with a supplier covered by Trade Assurance (Look for the icon!).
Keep all your conversations with suppliers on Alibaba.com rather than speaking on private third-party apps. That way, we can use the chat history as evidence should there be a dispute.
Create a Trade Assurance contract on Alibaba.com (or ask your supplier to), and make sure to include product quantity, product specifications, and shipping information. Depending on who is arranging/responsible for transportation and insurance, make sure the correct incoterm is reflected in your TA contract. If you are arranging your own transportation (EXW, FCA, FAS, FOB), please make sure the shipping fee section is left blank as freight charges will be collected separately. Have attachments of your specifications uploaded to your TA order so Alibaba.com can refer to them in case of a dispute.
Make a secure online payment using e-Checking, T/T, or a credit card.
Should you see a problem, immediately file a dispute and Alibaba.com will step in. Learn more about the process in our Help Center.
Paying
Paying suppliers on Alibaba.com is easy and secure, when you pay on the platform. Once you agree on payment terms (usually a deposit of 30-50% upfront to start production), an initial balance will be paid, then the remaining amount will be paid when the inventory is ready to be shipped, or passed inspection.
With Trade Assurance, buyers on Alibaba.com can make secure payments through the options below.
Online Bank Payment
Online Bank Payment (formerly known as e-Checking) is available to buyers with bank accounts from any bank in the United States, Germany, and France.
Fast transfers (it takes 4-5 working days for US accounts and 9-10 working days for European accounts once you've verified your checking account & authorized Alibaba.com to make payment deductions on your behalf)
Low transaction fees ($15/€15 per transaction)
Credit Card
6 credit card types and multiple currencies
Payment limit per transaction is US $12,000
Payments require only 1-2 hours to arrive in your supplier's designated bank account
Buyers in the US, Australia, Canada, UK, Japan, New Zealand, and other European countries can use domestic wire transfer to pay in their local currency. Domestic T/T takes 1-2 working days to arrive in your supplier's designated bank account.
Buyers in other parts of the world can use international wire transfer, which takes 3-7 working days to arrive in your supplier's designated bank account.
No limitation for payments in USD and up to US $300,000 for other currencies
Shipping and Logistics
Alibaba.com Logistics provides comprehensive shipment quoting and booking services for Ocean and Air freight. The optimal shipping method differs depending on depending on your ordering quantities, the weight and dimensions of your shipment in addition to your transit time requirement.
If you're sourcing smaller quantities, for instance 500 surgical masks, you can choose 'Alibaba.com Parcels' or 'Alibaba.com Air Express' (usually below 125lb/57kg) shipping method as part of your check-out experience. If you're buying larger quantities that require palletization of boxes and need them delivered within 3-10 days, then choose air freight as your shipping method. Choose ocean if you're shipping goods that are heavy and large/bulky and you have a flexible delivery date. The average air shipment takes anywhere from a few days to 1-2 weeks (compared to 20-50 days for ocean shipping), but also costs 3 times as much - and sometimes more.
To use Alibaba.com Freight solutions:
Compare rates & book shipment: Use our online tool to get quotes instantly — choose a provider and book your shipment.
Confirm cargo details: Verify the cargo details you provided with your supplier when production is complete.
Track your shipment: You can check your order's progress once it ships with end-to-end tracking visibility.
To use Alibaba.com air parcel shipping:
Find products that have 'Alibaba.com Parcels' or 'Alibaba.com Air Express' listed as shipping methods in your 'shipping fee' estimates window.
Choose your preferred shipping method and click on 'start order' to complete check-out.