Buying on Alibaba -advice?

[SpartaBard]

So, I am looking to purchase carbon hockey sticks in bulk from alibaba. I have never ordered from there before and was hoping to get some advice or things to look out for before I wire a big check to China. I know specifically what I am looking for in terms of the sticks but am not sure what I should be looking for from a seller.

Any advice or best practices is appreciated!

 

[Pearl]

you can usually chat or email with them. even with the broken english it makes you feel somewhat better.

i've bought multiple things without any issues. shipping sometimes takes forever but out of their control.

 

[mattybfat]

Is there a forum base that you go to, to talk recreational hockey like the bike sites. When you see mtbr threads 500 pages long you get the idea it's pretty safe to do business. PayPal is how it should be done also so you have some protection.

Well documented I have made bulk purchases without hassle, some deliveries have actually been stellar too.

 

[Patrick]

i'm sure i've ordered stuff there, since i have an account.

check
aliexpress ? per article via @soundz.

 

[soundz]

You have to do your homework with AliExpress. A lot of the same stuff is on Amazon at the same price. Sometimes you can find cheaper stuff.

 

[SpartaBard]

Is there a forum base that you go to, to talk recreational hockey like the bike sites. When you see mtbr threads 500 pages long you get the idea it's pretty safe to do business. PayPal is how it should be done also so you have some protection.

Well documented I have made bulk purchases without hassle, some deliveries have actually been stellar too.

No, not really. We just play hockey at the rink. I have been going back and forth with a couple guys and feel a bit more confident. I was planning on doing PayPal.

I will look into aliexpress

 

[SpartaBard]

Update: I went ahead and placed an order. After a little back and forth with some guy in China whose English was better than I expected we came to an agreement on the specs and the price of my hockey sticks. The process took a little while but I now have my sticks in hand about 3 weeks after I started the process. It took about two weeks to fabricate and ship the sticks to me.

I basically laid out my design criteria and they priced it out. They ultimately cost about $60 a piece for a comparable stick from Bauer that goes in the ballpark of $175-$200 a piece. Plus, I got to specify how they look, and of course I chose matte black, no paint or logos.

The sticks look good and feel good so far. I will test them out on the ice tonight during my son's practice.

Pics:

 

[SpartaBard]

So I used these sticks for the first time in a game last night. I have to say I was a bit nervous that it would snap on my first slap shot but it didn't. They held up great! The curve and flex were exactly as I specified and super light. I am a happy customer.

 

[Santapez]

Every now and then in the middle of bombing a hill on my carbon road bike the thought enters my mind "I bought this through emails from someone in china who's english wasn't that good".

It hasn't blown up yet though.

It seems they've figured out the carbon just as well, if not better than big name companies.

 

[Rogueldr]

Is there a forum base that you go to, to talk recreational hockey like the bike sites. When you see mtbr threads 500 pages long you get the idea it's pretty safe to do business. PayPal is how it should be done also so you have some protection.

Well documented I have made bulk purchases without hassle, some deliveries have actually been stellar too.

Try Modsquadhockey.com