How does Ali Baba work?

[Rob2010SS]

Pretty sure this isn't the right spot for this thread, but I didn't know where else to put it.

Anyone here used Ali Baba to buy anything? I'm looking for a stainless utility sink and compared to what I'm seeing elsewhere, the prices are pretty darn cheap. I feel like I have to be missing something, but I don't know what.... For example....

A sink like this anywhere else is like double the price, if not more. What am I missing here?

 

[DuncB]

have you looked at the freight cost?

I've bought plenty of stuff off aliexpress which is the retail type ali. I think alibaba more for suppliers wanting stock. But if they ship and 200 dollars is a good price then maybe it is a good deal.
No second hand commercial kitchen or auction places selling a used one nearer to you?

 

[hotbeer]

I've always thought Ali baba is more geared to selling in quantities, and shipping in bulk for businesses needing large quantities.

For single item stuff I usually look on Ali Express which is more geared to single and small quantity orders.

I've ordered some computers from the various sellers on Ali Express and I'm looking at sanitary fittings and valves for conical fermenters there now.

You have to be patient with any item you order. It may be held up in customs for longer than you'd expect. Also, the tracking isn't very good until the item gets into the US or what ever your country is.

And don't forget you will be the importer. So customs might decide to hit you with fees and tariffs. But I haven't had any issue yet for the things I've ordered. Probably because it was only one item each order and a very low dollar amount.

 

[Yesfan]

I've wondered about Ali Express, but felt like some of their prices weren't any better than what I would find on Amazon.

That's a very nice sink if you can get that for $200! There's a restaurant supply store I pass on the way to my brew club meetings. Maybe I need to stop and check it out.

 

[passedpawn]

Pretty sure this isn't the right spot for this thread, but I didn't know where else to put it.

Anyone here used Ali Baba to buy anything? I'm looking for a stainless utility sink and compared to what I'm seeing elsewhere, the prices are pretty darn cheap. I feel like I have to be missing something, but I don't know what.... For example....

View attachment 767827

A sink like this anywhere else is like double the price, if not more. What am I missing here?

Have you looked at used/surplus kitchen supplies? There are several places near me that deal in closed kitchen equipment. Loads, and reasonable.

Also (takes a breath) at least pause every time you invest in chinese manufacturing. I know we all buy this stuff everyday (amazon, etc), but if there is any option to buy local, especially American made, at least consider it. Our enthusiasm in cheap foreign products is one reason why all of our wive's have to work - manufacturing has left the country, good middle class jobs have dried up.

 

[Dland]

One often gets what one pays for. And w allibabba you're also counting on the rather tenuous links in supply chain. Not to mention doing business with the enemy... OK, last point may be a little far, but maybe not. Addiction to low price over all other atributes has proven to be a race to the bottom globally.

I inadvertently bought a similar sink from "global industrial" and it is a POS. Sink still serviceable, but low quality "stainless", w/o NSF approved seams and the faucet hardware only lasted a couple of years. Never make that mistake again.

I second trying to aquire used NSF rated unit from restaurant supply.

 

[Deadalus]

They say you can buy one but they do that to stand out from their competitors. They really want to sell a dozen or more and fill up a shipping container. You are often contacting the actual manufacturer's office and it's so cutthroat they don't have staff many times to sell to individual Americans. There's a middle person necessary to handle the shipping, sales, and warehousing. I tried to get a utility trailer once thinking it was big and maybe would be reasonable to ship but the vendors weren't really interested in selling just one or the shipping was not worth it. Small items that they can toss in I think it's called a speedpack they'll ship you but you have to wait about 2-3 weeks. You see that on ebay or Amazon. The cheapest items will be the ones with the long wait times and you have cut out the middle person. Larger items, like kegs for instance, can be found cheap but they really tack on the shipping for those.

Sometimes the shipping information is pretty decent as the item bounces from city to city in China but then it hits a black hole for a bit until it lands in the US and gets into the system here.

 

[SanPancho]

ali baba is wholesale. aliexpress is retail. you can get singles from ali baba, but getting harder to do. (tell them you want a "sample" for review before purchasing 500-800 units, etc.)
there's plenty of great quality stuff from china. you have to request it. otherwise they assume we want the cheapest stuff. in this case, look at the thickness of the steel. pay for quality if that's your concern.

and shipping is out of control right now. dont bother trying to "save" via china unless you're willing to wait 2 or 3 months, minimum. as noted, check craigslist/facebook for used restaurant stuff. or auction houses near you that sell off gear from closed down restaurants. tons of that stuff around right now.

 

[MaxStout]

Is it built as well as something you could pick up used here? Sheet metal thickness, weld quality, etc? And with much of the Chinese container ship fleet sitting idle due to their COVID issues, the lead times might be long.

As others have mentioned, check out used equipment from restaurant suppliers. With the number of restaurant closures these days, there's likely a lot of gear floating around. I'm betting that you could pick up something similar to that unit from Alibaba, with better build quality, similar pricing...and local.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Have you looked at used/surplus kitchen supplies? There are several places near me that deal in closed kitchen equipment. Loads, and reasonable.

Also (takes a breath) at least pause every time you invest in chinese manufacturing. I know we all buy this stuff everyday (amazon, etc), but if there is any option to buy local, especially American made, at least consider it. Our enthusiasm in cheap foreign products is one reason why all of our wive's have to work - manufacturing has left the country, good middle class jobs have dried up.

I hear you... I'm in manufacturing myself - work at a forge shop and I'm a machinist. However, just trying to go cheap on this sink is all.

 

[Rob2010SS]

have you looked at the freight cost?

I've bought plenty of stuff off aliexpress which is the retail type ali. I think alibaba more for suppliers wanting stock. But if they ship and 200 dollars is a good price then maybe it is a good deal.
No second hand commercial kitchen or auction places selling a used one nearer to you?

I haven't, but I'm guessing that's why it's so cheap, is I have to cover freight.

I'm looking at all the classic used sites but haven't found anything yet.

 

[Rob2010SS]

ali baba is wholesale. aliexpress is retail. you can get singles from ali baba, but getting harder to do. (tell them you want a "sample" for review before purchasing 500-800 units, etc.)
there's plenty of great quality stuff from china. you have to request it. otherwise they assume we want the cheapest stuff. in this case, look at the thickness of the steel. pay for quality if that's your concern.

and shipping is out of control right now. dont bother trying to "save" via china unless you're willing to wait 2 or 3 months, minimum. as noted, check craigslist/facebook for used restaurant stuff. or auction houses near you that sell off gear from closed down restaurants. tons of that stuff around right now.

Will do. Thanks for the info. All great points.

 

[Yesfan]

A good question to ask.....how long are you willing to wait vs saving money on an item? Is saving about $200 worth waiting an extra few months? For me, a month or two? "Maybe". But after reading a few more posts here, I think I'd pass on Alibaba.

 

[Rob2010SS]

A good question to ask.....how long are you willing to wait vs saving money on an item? Is saving about $200 worth waiting an extra few months? For me, a month or two? "Maybe". But after reading a few more posts here, I think I'd pass on Alibaba.

Agreed. Yeah, it seems like a hassle and I've moved on from it.

 

[delium55]

Do you lok there?
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/14911/1-compartment-sinks.html?filter=style:1-drainboard

 

[Jayjay1976]

Pretty sure this isn't the right spot for this thread, but I didn't know where else to put it.

Anyone here used Ali Baba to buy anything? I'm looking for a stainless utility sink and compared to what I'm seeing elsewhere, the prices are pretty darn cheap. I feel like I have to be missing something, but I don't know what.... For example....

View attachment 767827

A sink like this anywhere else is like double the price, if not more. What am I missing here?

Hi, I work for a large USA-based importer of kitchen goods. We have several factories here in the states but the balance of our products are sourced from China. Been there a whole bunch of times myself; lovely people and great food, hard workers too. We buy from them at wholesale prices, which means they made their margins, then we sell it in USA for 2-3 times that cost, splitting the profits with our retail partners; your consumer ass pays the extra cash to line our bottomless pockets.

China figured out long ago that they can appeal directly to the consumer through sites like Alibaba. You can save the 100+% markup that an American retailer would earn, but at the same time you give up the normal routes to dispute manufacturing defects, etc. For the most part, the China supplier is trying to do an honest business, but YMMV. They depend on positive feedback and good reputation to grow their business, so usually you won't be ripped off, but that can and does still happen. It's up to you to weigh the risks and potentially reap the benefits. Like an entrepreneur really.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

Another reason some commercial equipment (such as a sink) may be at a much lower price ... it can be due to the sink often not being able to pass health dept inspections.

When opening a business such as a restaurant, brewery etc, where you must have health department inspections and approvals prior to opening, it is often a huge problem to get equipment passed.

The process is difficult - you have to provide full kitchen/room plans with all equipment specified (the exact brand, model, etc) *in advance* , AND the inspector has a lot of lattitude as to what they will allow.
So vague and picky that even in cases of that exact piece of equipment being passed and used in another inspection (even at the same location, under a previous owner), the new inspection/inspector may very well disallow it.

A seam not done to their liking ... construction methods ... metal thickness ... a type of connection ... a weld ... minor height differences ... other specifications or minor details.

For home use, I would not worry.

For a licensed operation (brewery etc), one would need to have specific *advance* written approval of any piece of equipment including sinks that one intends to use.

So, there is a chance that the ali baba sink's ability to be successfully passed for commercial use may be in question ... that would be another reason for a lower price.