Von Posted January 7, 2011 at 05:05 PM Report Posted January 7, 2011 at 05:05 PM Hi all, I understand that the other post was closed. I have read all of the posts on there and I can understand how annoying it is when people don't do at least a little bit of research of companies they want to buy from/trade with etc etc... The situation I am in is slightly different. I have been looking for Chinese suppliers of human hair for months now and I have settled on the company called - XUCHANG HAIBEIRUI HAIR PRODUCTS CO.,LTD. The website is - http://www.haibeirui.com/ I have done lots of research and can't seem to find any dirt on them...but that's not always good. I've been talking (via email) to a woman named Amy Lee and I told her that the only way I would do business with her is either via PayPal or I pay once the items are delivered to me. First of all, she was cool with PayPal and sent me her PayPal account name and a week later she said that she doesn't want to do it through PayPal as I have only ordered samples and because PayPal charge, they wouldn't make a profit on it. So i said only payment upon delivery. Now - I have just been sent a delivery via FedEx of 10 pieces of hair - as samples. I think in the future she wouldn't allow me to do this, but a legitimate company would, I'm sure? I haven't padi her as of yet though... I asked her to send me her registered corporate (business licence) number - 411000400000539. I have also attached a copy of the certificate (if that's what it is) Going on the Chinese websites of ECommerce etc, to try and verify that this number is real/and or belongs to them, is very difficult. It's all in Chinese and I have tried to translate as much as I can - and I really can't! I would really appreciate if somebody has 2 minutes just to have a look at this post and try to give me a bit of help. If this company is a scam, then how the h**l can I find a proper human hair supplier in China? Or where I could look to find them, becuase sites like alibaba which I am on, still have many many issues! Thanks! Von 1 Quote
imron Posted January 7, 2011 at 10:39 PM Report Posted January 7, 2011 at 10:39 PM The other post was closed because people weren't doing their research. For people who have done research, the situation is different. Anyway, I can confirm that the information on the business license sent to you corresponds with the same information on file with the Henan Administration for Industry and Commerce (if you're interested, you can search their database here - put their registration number (411000400000539) in the field marked 注册号, and click the button that says 查询). The address there also matches the one provided on their website. So, I think it's quite reasonable to assume they are a legitimate company. Please note however that this only confirms they are a legitimately registered company, not whether or not they are reliable and/or trustworthy. Buyer beware and all that, so always exercise due caution when doing business with someone. Having said that, this company appears to have been in business since 1999, plus they have also sent you sample goods at no upfront cost to yourself, which is not a bad sign. Regarding payment, Chinese companies using Paypal do have extra expenses and the minimum amount the account holder can transfer to a Chinese bank account is also quite high, making it inconvenient to use (especially for small transactions). If you were placing a larger order however, Paypal might become a feasible option for them again. I'm not sure that most companies would accept payment on delivery, especially for new customers, if the only thing to go by is your promise to send the money (and the longer you take to pay them for the samples, the more this is going to hold true). If this is going to be an issue, you should investigate options such as letters of credit or an escrow service if you are worried about them not sending the goods. This also provides the supplier with confidence that they will get paid once the goods arrive. As you develop a longer-term relationship and trust with a supplier, the chances are good you'll be able to negotiate better terms. 2 Quote
roddy Posted January 8, 2011 at 03:15 AM Report Posted January 8, 2011 at 03:15 AM The companies out to cheat people are not, as a rule, fronting as human hair merchants. If they were selling iPhones, different story. Bear in mind that they've got no more reason to trust you than you do to trust them. They've already shown a certain amount of good faith in FedExing the samples - I'd say you now pay up front for a small order. If there's some kind of mutually agreeable escrow service, all the better. Quote
imron Posted January 8, 2011 at 03:34 AM Report Posted January 8, 2011 at 03:34 AM The companies out to cheat people are not, as a rule, fronting as human hair merchants.Except for the soya sauce ones ;) 1 Quote
anonymoose Posted January 8, 2011 at 07:40 AM Report Posted January 8, 2011 at 07:40 AM Why would anyone want to buy human hair? I'm due for a trimming soon. Let me know how much you're offering, and maybe I can FedEx you the offcuts. Quote
Von Posted January 10, 2011 at 06:50 AM Author Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 06:50 AM Thank you very much for you help and information! I have to send them the money via Moneygram/Western Union and when asking for the details they say their name is Name: LEIHONG Surname: LI City:XUCHANG Country: CHINA I don't understand, why would they say that their name is Amy? On the website, in emails etc? Sounds fishy....!! Quote
roddy Posted January 10, 2011 at 07:42 AM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 07:42 AM Maybe they have more than one employee? 1 Quote
anonymoose Posted January 10, 2011 at 09:17 AM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 09:17 AM Many Chinese people have an unofficial English name that they use in correspondence with foreigners. Obviously, they use their real name for bank accounts, etc. If it's the same person, Amy is probably just her English name. 1 Quote
imron Posted January 10, 2011 at 10:52 AM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 10:52 AM Sounds fishy....!! Not really. Like anonymoose said, many Chinese people will adopt an English name to use when communicating with foreigners, or it could be the bank account is in the name of a different employee. Actually, they probably have a registered bank account for the business in the company's name, so if you're really concerned you could ask them to supply that instead. In any event, presumably this is paying for the samples which you have already received? So it's not like they can scam you on this part of the deal anyway. For larger transactions/orders, I would still recommend something like a letter of credit or an escrow service. 1 Quote
roddy Posted January 10, 2011 at 11:21 AM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 11:21 AM This is a Moneygram though, so it's just going to be the name of the person collecting it. A bank account would provide more reassurance I guess, but the transfers can be a hassle to deal with. Seriously though, you say you've spent months looking for a firm to deal with and this one has already shown good faith - either give them a take or leave it offer on using an escrow service of your choice, or just pay for a small order up front and see what happens. I really can't see what more you can do at this point, and if it goes wrong - cost of doing business, better luck next time. 2 Quote
mr.stinky Posted January 10, 2011 at 12:42 PM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 12:42 PM Name: LEIHONG Surname: LI I don't understand, why would they say that their name is Amy? ever hear of this guy? 李源鑫 (Li Yuanxin) family name is 李, pinyin spelling is "Li," but english transliteration is "Lee." so your businesswoman Li Leihong has selected "Amy" as her english name when dealing with foreigners, using the english spelling of "Lee" for her family name. oh, that guy i mentioned above......he chose Bruce as his english name. Quote
anonymoose Posted January 10, 2011 at 12:54 PM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 12:54 PM oh, that guy i mentioned above......he chose Bruce as his english name. No he didn't. Dr. Mary Glover did. (According to this Wikipedia article, at least.) Quote
Von Posted January 10, 2011 at 02:29 PM Author Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 02:29 PM Thank you so much for the information! Yeah it is probably her English name. Ah well like you said, at this point I can't go wrong. What is an escrow service, or a letter of credit? I've never heard of them. If they are more secure then I'm definitely up for doing that instead next time! Quote
imron Posted January 10, 2011 at 10:55 PM Report Posted January 10, 2011 at 10:55 PM Basically, you agree with the supplier upon conditions for when payment will be made, e.g. upon proof of shipping/proof of arrival/passing quality inspection after arrival etc. Once you've done this, you pay all of the money to a trusted third-party such as a bank, or an escrow service, which in turn provides a guarantee of payment to the supplier once the conditions have been met. Once the supplier can provide proof that the conditions have been met, they can show that proof to the third-party, who will pay them. This way, you don't have to worry that the supplier won't send the goods, and the supplier doesn't have to worry you won't pay them once they've sent your order. It's probably too much hassle for payment on things like sending samples, and maybe some smaller transactions, but for bigger orders it provides you both with a layer of safety. Quote
roddy Posted February 22, 2011 at 02:11 AM Report Posted February 22, 2011 at 02:11 AM This might make things easier for some - Alibaba has admitted that staff allowed thousands of dodgy 'businesses' to set up shop on the site, and will presumably be not letting that happen again if at all possible. I suspect that the folk looking for branded electronics at wholesale prices will just have to look a bit harder to get themselves ripped off though. Von, how are you getting on? 1 Quote
roddy Posted July 4, 2011 at 07:54 AM Report Posted July 4, 2011 at 07:54 AM Bit of follow up - people have been arrested. I'll also observe that we don't seem to get any 'is this cheap iphone supplier legit?' posts any more. Quote
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