How to deal with Ray Wu (Alibaba store)?

[ags0000]

I've seen that many people have bought from Ray Wu's store on Alibaba. I want to make my first purchase from him, and am finding that the process is very different than from, say, eBay or Amazon. Each time I interact with Ray (using the Contact button on the Alibaba store interface) he repies to my email directly with a "quote". Is it normal to deal with Ray outside of the Alibaba store (exactly what you're *not* supposed to do on eBay) and not have any of the protections (e.g. "escrow", refunds, arbitration) that Alibaba claims to provide?

Thanks.

[chelmuth]

Usually once you agree on a quote he'll make an Item in his store than you can purchase.. if you look through his store you'll see lots of items that look the same but say "Invoice for Mr. Brian" .. those are items he's created based on the quote he sends you..

[TimW]

I'd also chat to Ray if he's online on alibaba express. Talk about what you want... Its easier to build confidence with someone you have 'spoken' to (even using chat) than just an email.

[mj_ferry]

Just wondered if anyone else had problems receiving anything from Ray. I purchased something from him a while back, I never received it I contacted him a month later and he said he has been having problems with stuff getting lost in the mail . If I still wanted the stuff he said he would refund my money and told me to repurchase and use DHL shipping instead of mail which was almost 4 times higher to ship.

[dpitts]

I just bought 1600 rgb nodes from Ray. They came in 7 days. I would stay on Alibaba site for the deal.

[pmscientist]

I placed a couple orders with Ray this year. Both went smoothly for me. For they quantity I was ordering, I just put in the quantity desired and placed the order. As with any overseas order, I would definitely recommend using a shipping method that includes tracking. It does raise the shipping cost, but if you want to minimize the possibility of any issues, I've always found doing so worthwhile.

[djulien]

he said he has been having problems with stuff getting lost in the mail

I wonder if he meant lost as in "misplaced and can't find it", or lost as in "being held for examination by Customs".

On the bottom of a packing slip I received a while back it says "SAY TOTAL TWENTY-FIVE US DOLLAR ONLY" (well below the actual price), which sounds like there might be some "mistakes" occurring in the reporting process. ;|

don

[smartalec]

i got stuff from ray, he said he will post the gear in 3 days, 2 weeks later an me threating him , he finely sends the gear..
but then i have herd he's been telling others about the way i spoke to him..
the way i see it he should not lie but tell the truth if there will be delays.

[Matt_Edwards]

My dealings have been mixed, but Ray always sorted my issues.
He seems to be Super busy with the LED fraternity. Don't expect Ray to take the initiative to contact you if there are issues. But if you keep in regular contact, you will get a good result.
Check and Double check the Invoice he sends you, cause I found once you have agreed on the items and their price, the invoice can mysteriously get out of sync.

[jpb]

I have purchased from Ray twice and both times had the gear in my hands in 7 days. With the second order Ray and I exchanged a few emails to sort out the configuration of a pixel driver I wanted but I still got the order in 7 days.

Jon

[David_AVD]

I've bought from Ray a few times. I email him a list of what I want with links to the items on his site. He sends me an invoice, I pay via PayPal and he sends me the goods. Overall a simple transaction.

Chinese sellers don't like to say up front that they are out of stock, so make sure you ask how long the goods will take to get together for dispatch. Don't despair if the initial freight tracking numbers they give you don't appear online, as these are often just place holders. A lot of the time, your package will go from the seller to another company to be sent to you. Once they get the international freight details, they will usually let you know.

Don't forget to treat the sellers with respect, just as you'd like to be treated. If you build up a good relationship with them, things are much more likely to go smoothly.

[Matt_Edwards]

Don't forget to treat the sellers with respect, just as you'd like to be treated. If you build up a good relationship with them, things are much more likely to go smoothly.
Beautifully put David

Matt

[mschell]

I'll echo what Matt and David have said. Be respectful of him, and he'll be straight with you. I've never had any issues with him, once I got a correct invoice that stated what I was buying. And I've always gotten stuff within 7-10 days, depending on shipping method and if it was the weekend, etc... Don't hesitate to ask questions to verify the goods.

Yes, he will include a slightly lower priced invoice for customs, but it's always been the right stuff getting to me.

[Matt_Edwards]

A word of caution about asking for lower customs declaration value, should the order go missing or be damaged, your courier company will only pay out up to the declared value.

"There is no free lunch"

Matthew

[mschell]

I have never asked for a lower custom declaration. Seems like it's just basic practice by Ray. As far as I'm concerned, I would rather it be the real price. In fact, I need to make sure I ask him about that the next time I place an order....