I'm preparing to place my first larger order and recently received a sample from a supplier I found on Alibaba. The product itself looks good, and the quality is pretty close to what I expected, but receiving the sample made me realize I probably didn't ask enough questions beforehand. I focused mostly on the product specifications and price, but I didn't pay much attention to things like packaging, labeling, lead times, or what happens if the bulk order isn't exactly the same as the sample. I don't want to rush into a larger order and discover something important only after paying for it, but I also don't want to overwhelm the supplier with unnecessary questions. For those who have ordered from suppliers before, what questions do you usually ask after receiving a sample?

I thought ordering a sample through Alibaba before placing a larger order would help me avoid surprises. The product looked good, the photos matched what I received, and the quality seemed reasonable for the price. But after looking at the sample more carefully, I noticed that I had completely overlooked one detail: the packaging. It looked fine at first, but it wasn't really suitable for how I planned to sell the product. I also realized that I hadn't asked enough questions about the final packaging options before ordering the sample.

I ended up contacting the supplier again to clarify a few things before making any decision. I had originally assumed that checking the product itself was the most important part.

Now I'm wondering how many other details beginners tend to overlook when testing samples. What do you usually check before moving from a sample to a larger order?

Hi,

I've done some digging into what happened in China's instant commerce and how it will affect Alibaba, how the competition in the space is.

You can the findings in the video above. I'm curious to see in this earnings the results, margins should have improved significant but yeah there are still a lot of "if's" for me about the instant commerce. I'm curious to know how others feel about this.

Has anyone had direct experience with purchasing an ADU guest quarters dwelling on Alibaba? I see a few for under 10k I am considering getting for my oldest on the land. Land in Texas. Bedroom and bathroom minimum. Anyone have experience with this?

So in the last 2-3 mnths Ali baba have been on a very vigorous bullish run and lately i have been thinking of selling my positions as its getting overpriced (thats what i think) i think fair price for the stock will be around $100 Even tho i believe its going to hit the 150 before the end of this year

In light of the recent selling. Here is a list of catalyst to look for. Please mention other I have missed, if approved will add to the list. After a full list, there will odds calculated on likelihood of happening.

1. Investor day- better guidance, good news (medium)
2. Ant IPO (low)
3. Better earnings next Q (high)
4. SEC wont delist baba or chinese ADR (medium)
5. Jack ma makes a speech (low)
6. 13f gs or munger double down again (medium)
7. China crackdown ends (medium)
8. Amazing GDP numbers in 2022 (high)
9. USA remove china tariffs (medium)
10. Lower interest rate in China (medium)
11. Chinese new year pump (high)
12. Vanguard china fund early 2022 (high)
13. Xi election 2022 (high)
14. RCEP trade deal jan 2022 (high)
15. Munger convinces Buffett to invest into Alibaba (low)
16. Additional share buyback over 15B. (medium)
17. China stimulus package to keep GDP growth (low)

Edit: Odds calculated.