HOW NOT TO BE SCAMMED PAYING SUPPLIERS

Paypal will work with you to resolve that...

But otherwise use only a reputable bank and wire to the the other party's reputable bank.

Never use western union as there is little way to recover if fraud is involved.

Originally Posted by hollwod Tradekey has too many fraud suppliers, i never want to. now i only search manufacturers who have real products in China. Chinachipsource.com --- help you directly find the electronics manufacturers of China. has 17, 683 chinese manufacturers.

That may be useful for certain purchases but I would remind everybody that you cannot buy brand name items from any of these suppliers and re-sell in the USA. They are not authorized to sell the items. They are fakes if the brand company itself has not authorized you to purchase. People lose money daily thinking otherwise.

Paypal will not allow me to pay the supplier in China with a credit card. I can only pay through a bank account. I cancelled the payment and now I think my only alternative is a Letter of Credit through my bank unless anybody has another idea that would protect me if the supplier doesn't follow through.

Why is it that large corporations in China don't take credit cards as a source of payment? Merchant services are available to all businesses world wide, small and large at relatively low rates.

Originally Posted by Nightbird I would like to recommend to everyone here to please, under no circumstance should you pay any chinese suppliers that you do not already know and trust with Western Union, Money Gram or Bank Transfer. This is because there is ABSOLUTELY NO RECOURSE to get your money back from scammers if you pay them this way. And THIS IS WHY these chinese suppliers like to be payed this way, because they know that if any problems arise or if they are out to cheat you, there is no way for you to get your money back..no way, no how, don't even think about it. The law works differently in china than it does here, and the law enforcement their cannot do anything themselves about this because they know the problem is too huge. ALWAYS USE PAYPAL with your credit card to pay anyone in china or anywhere else in the world you don't know and trust. Why? Because with your credit card backing up your payment, you can very easily and quickly get your money back by simply calling your credit card company, telling them what happened, and then requesting a CHARGEBACK. A chargeback means the credit card company will credit your account for the charge, and that's the end of the story. You do not get charged anything for this service, it is part of your credit card agreement to protect you. This is why UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I pay a supplier in china or anywhere else by anything other than a credit card through Paypal. And these scammers will try to lure you into paying them unsafely by offering you lower prices, better shipping, etc... BUT DON'T FALL FOR IT! I know most of us here are just trying to become sellers on ebay and other places and trying to make an honest living selling items, but these scammers in china and elsewhere HAVE NO HEARTS, AND THEY PREY ON OUR WANT AND NEED FOR PRODUCTS TO SELL. They tap into your weakness, desperation, want and need for cheap items to sell for profit, and this is where you must not let your feelings of possible profit overtake you and make you pay them unsafely. Please also remember that Tradekey is filled with legitimate suppliers from china and elsewhere who do accept Paypal and are honest. Simply put into the Tradekey search box "Paypal Accept" and you will see page after page of Paypal accepting suppliers who understand we customers deserve a safe way to pay them. So to recap, NEVER pay any supplier unsafely without a credit card through Paypal, not even for "small" test orders. I keep saying Paypal because I know of no other service that you can use your credit card with that doesn't charge your credit card as a cash advance, such as western union does, which means you have NO PROTECTION. This is why I always use Paypal, even though I'm not thrilled about Paypals service...still it's better than nothing due to being able to do a chargeback -never count on Paypal to get your money back because many times they cannot as they rely on whatever the scammer has in their Paypal account to give to you, and that usually means there is no money to pay you back, so always always call your credit card company for a chargeback in case of a problem, forget calling Paypal. And absolutely NEVER give your credit card number to a supplier, this is just asking for trouble! Good luck to you all, and I hope this helped you!

Any one have any luck with Documents Against Payment (D-P) or sometimes referred to as CAD Cash Against Documents?
How save is it for the importer?

That is good advice, however even if you use your PAYPAL card you are not covered like you think when conducting International business. By using your Paypal all the scammer has to do is ship an "empty box"... As long as you receive the box there is nothing Paypal can do or will do. *First hand experience* However if you don't receive the empty box you will get your money refunded.
All that happens to the supplier is Paypal locks their account, and freeze's the money for 25 days

**watch out for those who have 2-3 paypal accounts... They do this so that if paypal freezes them they roll the new payments into the other account.

*anyway I'm still looking for a safer way....ESCROW?

DP @ sight = Documents against Payment. I have bought over 200 container loads using this method, however the only thing the DP@ Sight does, is guarantee that the container has been shipped. You'll have to pay prior to "seeing" anything. Common practice is DP@sight of "faxed copy of bill of lading"

If you can negotiate DA 30 Days or DA 60 days, then you are in the drivers seat. and the supplier is taking the risk. Just make sure the # of days is long enough to allow for the transit time so you have a chance to check it out.

you can use Letter of Credit for the bigger orders... Supplier is guaranteed payment, but you have to spell out all of the conditions in the LOC because you could still have to pay.

China would not be horrible to visit prior to purchasing, like Indonesia would be

Originally Posted by Unregistered That may be useful for certain purchases but I would remind everybody that you cannot buy brand name items from any of these suppliers and re-sell in the USA. They are not authorized to sell the items. They are fakes if the brand company itself has not authorized you to purchase. People lose money daily thinking otherwise.

Mainly fakes/counterfiet products out of china... some good some bad. This is why you have to use western union when paying the supplier....If Paypal finds out you bought fakes or counterfiets they will turn you in. Trademark infringement. Don't fall in the trap of selling fakes on ebay just because a lot of people do...Paypal and ebay work together and if paypal recognizes a payment to China and a sale on ebay you're basically done when someone complains to paypal or ebay.

If you only buy the products for your own personal use may still not be legal, but socially acceptable...

example of fake products from China that I know about: UGG boots-nike shoes-addidas-golf clubs-golf balls-oakly sunglass's-name brand clothing A&E etc--Watches--Jewlery--IPODS--Purses-swimsuits... All you have to do is ask your supplier if they are AUTHENTIC or Replica? They usually reply as "AA"--"AAA"-"AAAA" quality... & Since you won't be able to resist the profit margin, just make sure that they have the "tags"-"Labels"...Usually the tags and labels are even wrong.