big trouble in little china

[kno]

i found a distributor for kits form china at a good price. i ordered a sample kit and paypal sent the money, it arrivedi n 7 days. after talking to their representative i placed an order for 2300usd and asked for the invoice, i was informed that they could not accept paypal payments over 500usd and only western union or bank TT to transfer larger amounts... this upset me for 2 reasons...

1. the money for the purchase was going to be supplied via VISA
2. bank tt and western union are not secured in payments like paypal...

thus i am stuck, my chances of purchasing these kits at a good price for low cost, and my chances of becoming a vendor are now slightened...

i found this company off of alibaba and they seem very legitimate,

do you think my concerns are valid?

how would you continue at this point?

 

[535cheetah]

road trip? lol

how about google checkout?

 

[crashtestjeep]

OR multiple orders?

 

[kno]

i offered to make payments in increments of 500

ie 2x 500usd payments for a 1000usd order

also offered to buy in lower quantities (but this is going to increase product cost due to shipping)

im waiting for a response, but likely wont have one until monday...

:/

and a road trip to china would be fun... you care to join me? we'll see how far my ls can drive underwater lol

 

[bigozone]

and a road trip to china would be fun... you care to join me? we'll see how far my ls can drive underwater lol

not making fun of your situation or anything, but i wanna see how far ya make it.

 

[breakfastchef]

I would venture an uneducated guess that many of the supporting suppliers on ECF likely have to make purchases outside of the safety of PayPal. Any business decision carries with it a risk. This type of risk should be evaluated in your business plan. Another risk to consider is a confiscated shipment at U.S. Customs. It is fun to buy something for $10 and sell it for $40, but you must evaluate the risk/reward of the entire venture.

 

[lunaras]

From what little bit I've seen from overseas suppliers (both e-cig and other suppliers in general) is that accepting payments via Western Union or bank transfer seems pretty common, especially for larger orders. I think it is just a matter of the costs involved for sending a larger sum of money since things like Paypal take a percentage and I believe WU/Transfers are just a set fee per transaction usually. You do end up a bit more unprotected, but I don't think that the fact that they only accept payments through these channels should necessarily throw up a red flag or anything. Just make sure you're doing business through a reputable company before shelling out that kind of dough.

 

[Adik Ted]

The reason they're reluctant to accept large payments via paypal is because people have been raising grievances when their order has been seized by customs. Central Trade won't accept any paypal payments at all.

 

[kno]

so if customs seizes my order, im out money and product aswell?

 

[Pumaman]

i found a distributor for kits form china at a good price. i ordered a sample kit and paypal sent the money, it arrivedi n 7 days. after talking to their representative i placed an order for 2300usd and asked for the invoice, i was informed that they could not accept paypal payments over 500usd and only western union or bank TT to transfer larger amounts... this upset me for 2 reasons...

1. the money for the purchase was going to be supplied via VISA
2. bank tt and western union are not secured in payments like paypal...

thus i am stuck, my chances of purchasing these kits at a good price for low cost, and my chances of becoming a vendor are now slightened...

i found this company off of alibaba and they seem very legitimate,

do you think my concerns are valid?

how would you continue at this point?

This is very typical for importing larger orders direct from Chinese manufacturers. First, Paypal is wholly unregulated and can and does seize money and hold it for 6 months without having to give an explanation. And they can actually go into the account linked to the payment and take MORE money out from previous orders under their service terms. Second, the fees they charge are more then twice as high as other methods. You can ask them if they will use an escrow service if you are concerned.

 

[Fedor]

i found this company off of alibaba and they seem very legitimate,

Avoid alibaba and similar sites:

1) These people are mostly traders....NO matter what they say!!!
2) Most of the time, you know (much) more about ecigs than they do. They only want your money and to get rid of their stocks.
3) The high cost of maintaining their presence on the site will be transferred to you one way or another. Can be before or after sale.

Go direct to the manufacturer for ecigs. For DSE, go to Sailebao...For Joye, go to JOYE and for Mseries, go to Absolutelyecigs.com aka SMOORE.

 

[jj2]

OR multiple orders?

Or multiple payments.

 

[Tone]

so if customs seizes my order, I'm out money and product aswell?

Depends on the supplier, Most will guarantee out of "their" customs and will not for "your" customs

 

[kno]

the manufacturers is JSB

Shenzhen Jieshibao Technology Co., Ltd | Because the focus, so professional

ive been dealing with their representative kevin huang...

and now im really worried about customs, perhaps small orders are the only way to go.

 

[brownbrown4]

the manufacturers is JSB

Shenzhen Jieshibao Technology Co., Ltd | Because the focus, so professional

ive been dealing with their representative kevin huang...

and now im really worried about customs, perhaps small orders are the only way to go.

On a business note... (This quote is from a Very Very rich man) "You have to take risks to get big results"... if it doesn't work out (i.e. customs) it's just part of the risk. But if it does... then your golden.... Good luck, and if it works out, you'll probably e able to just fly to China the next time

p.s. I've seen tons of Suppliers grumbling about customs losses around here.. so it's part of the game... Hit and miss.

 

[cgrl]

Just wanted to jump in here and let everyone know that my McAfee sent up a red flag on PayPal today. I didn't have any money in my account and Paypal was saying my account was going to be limited.... So I opened it and it wanted me to click a link. All around the message was a red banner that McAfee put up saying it was no longer a protected website. I just closed it and forgot it. I'm going to the bank tomorrow and let them know that Paypal no longer has access to my account.
Just thought everyone might want to know this information. Can't be too careful these days.


URGENT

 

[quovadis]

The man is a fool.
You have to take calculated risks...
Planning is everything.
Otherwise it's gambling.

 

[chrisl317]

I would probably find a Chinese bank in the area of the distributor and open an account designating a Distributor Rep as a signee on the account. Just keep enough in it to oversee your transactions and keep to keep withdrawls above board. Wire transfer money from your bank to the local Chinese bank and you should be safe.

 

[brownbrown4]

The man is a fool.
You have to take calculated risks...
Planning is everything.
Otherwise it's gambling.

LOL, Well buying and selling stocks = gambling
buying a non FDA approved product from over sea's = gambling

Yes the risk u take should be calculated... But
Calculated Risk = Making a decision based on careful estimation of an unlikely outcome.

Gambling = the act or undertaking of uncertian outcome.
i.e. Picking a card game with the best odds of winning = Calculated risk
Risk - gambling = SAME

That man is a Genius..

 

[conrad]

i just check pay pal with mcafee no warnings ?