Western Firms Caught Off Guard as Chinese Shoppers Flock to Web

Wall Street Journal ^ | June 14, 2015 5:30 a.m. | Laurie Burkitt, Peter Evans

[cynwoody]

Ted cruises. Protectionists lose!

[MarchonDC09122009]

“Is there a Chinese Amazon?”

Yes, it’s Alibaba - one of the largest companies there.
Alibaba has excellent customer service, and let’s you talk and work directly with the merchandise distributor / factory dealer to negotiate and customize orders.
I’ve used them for a few specialty outdoor sports items I could not find in the states.
I’ve had no trouble getting very good prices, free shipping, package tracking, and so far unique quality goods.
Alibaba’s website is a bit clunky in design compared to Amazon.

China does have a version of FedEx, but so far I’ve always chosen free shipping and have used their regular Chinese parcel service. Typically I have to wait 7 to 14 days for an order delivery to the states.
Note: I’d gladly order the products from a USA mfg if they existed here.
There’s some notable innovation happening by domestic Chinese manufacturers.

[Halgr]

Thank You for the Information!!!

[Justa]

Don’t knock the instant coffee it’s a bugout bag item.

[woodbutcher1963]

Maybe they just discovered Amazon or EBAY. There is no product made that you can not buy on either of these sites with a click of a button. Many are now shipped directly from places all over the world.

For example, I purchased a carburetor for my 1976 Simplicity snow blower on EBAY. It was shipped directly from Hong Kong to my house in NH. Secondly, I just bought a set of 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets in California King size which is a size difficult to find on the east coast. They company shipped them from Mumbai, India to my house in NH.

Both of these products were substantially less expensive than buying from a brick and mortar store here in NH. The sheet manufacture also had a selection of 15 different colors all for under $50 delivered. That is less expensive than Marshalls or TJMax and a better selection.