The Official Alibaba.com Success Guide

The official guide to making a bundle buying and selling through Alibaba.com, the world's largest online B2B marketplace Alibaba.com is the world's leading global business-to-business online marketplace. People around the world use it every day to import and export products for big profits. But newcomers are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of products and the quantity of information available. The Official Alibaba.com Success Guide shows you how to ramp up your business or build an entirely new business, using the Alibaba.com brand and web site as your supplier. This practical guide provides simple answers for complex questions, from navigating the site, to finding products at the right price, to branding, and much more. Plus, the book includes best practices for importing, locating and vetting suppliers, and protecting yourself against online fraud.     • An answer-packed guide  for all your questions about doing business through Alibaba.com     • Officially licensed and supported by Alibaba.com, this is the only guide you need • Includes inspirational profiles of people who have used Alibaba.com successfully to launch new businesses or revive old ones     • The first and only step-by-step guide to using Alibaba.com effectively Alibaba.com gives you the opportunity to make real money online. Here, you'll find a wealth of inside information that will help you use Alibaba.com safely and profitably.

Foreword Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba.com xiii Acknowledgments xvii About the Authors xix Preface xxi Part I Alibaba.com: The Opportunity 1 Chapter 1 Alibaba.com Opens the Door to Global Trade 3 First a Little History 5 Alibaba.com’s Corporate Goals and Values 8 Alibaba.com’s Six Core Values 9 Alibaba.com Today 16 Alibaba.com Corporate Structure 17 Alibaba.com’s Programs, Tools, and Events 18 Alibaba.com’s 2008 e-Business Champion of the Year: Gene Rumley 22 Chapter 2 International Sourcing: This Isn’t Kansas Anymore 25 International Sourcing: Your Challenge and Promise 25 Your First Sourcing Decision 26 Let’s Put First Things First 27 Get a Tax ID Number and Register Your Business 28 Develop Your Product Idea 29 Build Your Prototype 38 Create and Test-drive Your Business Plan 39 Create a Business Calendar 42 Product Sourcing Basics 43 Calculate Your Budget 43 Safety Checks for Sourcing Products 44 Sourcing Internationally: New Challenges and Rewards 47 Leaving Kansas: Alibaba.com Opens a World of Opportunity 48 Importing Your Products 51 Chapter 2 Checklist 52 Chapter 3 Keys to Successful Importing 53 Your Education Begins 55 Your Partner’s Responsibilities and Your Own 56 Terms You Need to Know 57 Standards, Certifications, and Regulations 62 Partners Who Can Help You 63 Who Are the Major Players? 64 Can You Keep It Simple? 68 Chapter 3 Checklist 69 Part II Putting Alibaba.com to Work for You 71 Chapter 4 The Alibaba.com Web site 73 Let’s Start at the Home Page 74 Trade with the World 77 Keep Scrolling 79 Inspirational Success Stories 79 Alibaba.com Partners 79 Don’t Underestimate the Bottom of the Page 80 Let’s Get You Registered 81 Download TradeManager 85 A Tour of Alibaba.com’s Links 85 Buy 86 Sell 87 Community 88 My Alibaba 94 Help 94 Alibaba.com’s Search Engine 95 Chapter 4 Checklist 97 Chapter 5 Finding Business Partners 99 You Are the Boss, So It’s All Up to You 100 Education through Experience 101 Establish Realistic Expectations for Your Suppliers 101 Set Criteria for Your Products Themselves 103 Build In Your Own Safety Checks 104 Fraud: Forewarned Is Forearmed 104 Qualify and Identify 105 Qualify and Legitimize 106 Let’s Find Some Manufacturers 110 Searching for Partners 110 Posting a Buying Lead 112 Those First Few E-mails 117 Vetting Prospective Partners 118 Do You Like Their Attitudes? 118 Quantify Them to Qualify Them 119 Communication, Communication, Communication! 121 Should You Travel to China or Anywhere Else? 123 Chapter 5 Checklist 125 Chapter 6 Working with Your Suppliers 127 A Two-sided Partnership 128 Alibaba.com Can Help You Learn 129 Getting Your Products Right 135 Get Graphic 135 Ask for Samples 135 What to Do When Things Go Wrong 138 Chapter 6 Checklist 140 Chapter 7 Closing the Deal 143 Getting the Details Right 144 Your Pro Forma Invoice 145 Payment Schedules and Options 149 Spread Out Your Payments 151 Wire Transfers 151 Escrow Services 153 Letters of Credit 153 Shipping Details 155 Forge Good Relationships 155 Bill of Lading: The Final Document 156 Chapter 7 Checklist 157 Chapter 8 Safe Trading 159 Educate Yourself 161 Alibaba.com’s Safety & Security Center 161 Safe Trading Forums 170 Other Web-based Resources You Can Use 172 Keeping Your Computer Safe 175 Security Help Available through Alibaba.com 176 Create Your Own Alibaba.com Sign-in Seal 177 E-mail Fraud 177 Trojans and Viruses 178 Protecting Your Computer 178 Chapter 8 Checklist 181 Chapter 9 Keeping the Pipeline Full 183 Your Customers Will Change Your Business 184 Your Partnerships Will Change Your Business 186 When You Are Ready to Travel, Get In Touch 187 Your Expertise Will Change Your Business 188 What Will You Do with Your Expertise? 190 Turn Those Tables and Sell to the World 190 Alibaba.com’s Selling Links and My Alibaba Selling Tools 191 Now Is the Time to Consider a Paid Account 196 Your Uncle Sam Stands Ready to Help 196 Chapter 9 Checklist 198 Part III Alibaba.com Success Stories 201 Gene Rumley—Bell Performance, Inc. 203 Valarie Moody—Fodeo.net 209 Allison Taylor—Jack Webster, Inc. 213 Mary Miller Pembleton and Gregg Pembleton—Thumball by Answers In Motion, LLC 219 Joshua Crumbaugh—Platinum Mortgage, Inc. 223 Valerie Johnson—Big Feet Pajama Company 229 Index 235