I have made a few orders on Alibaba now. My first order for a scooter did not work out at all (from Merlot Commerce and Dogebos Ltd). The item came in a crushed box and would not function. The seller would not replace any of the broken parts and offered the only recourse of shipping the unit back at my cost. Ridiculous.
Fortunately for me, I placed a small order first. I chose a different supplier for my next order, (Shenzen E-Fire Technology has been excellent so far) and I have placed several orders with them since.
I will continue purchasing through Alibaba. If you are going to use these folks, I recommend taking your time and ordering small first. Develop trust. China is going through a recession and some of their sellers are likely going out of business.
Dear Vince,
This is Echo from Alibaba Customer Service. I would like to express our appreciation for the trading insights you shared with us and I agree that there is certain risks in international trading, therefore due diligence is highly recommended to every customer.
Also, I noticed that you mentioned a trade dispute with Merlot Commerce and Dogebos Ltd. According to the database, there is no company located with this name and I wonder if you still have the posting link of this company on Alibaba.com. If yes, please send it to me via private message and I will further check it out for you. Or, you can directly submit a complaint via our Complaint Center: http://channel.alibaba.com/complaint/home.htm?spm.
Thank you for your support and understanding. Have a nice day!
Regards,
Echo
Alibaba International Customer Service Team