The Alibaba.com Trade Assurance program provides buyers with a number of trade safeguards which aim to both protect buyers’ payment to suppliers, and to ensure suppliers fulfill their obligations regarding order delivery time and product quality. Based on a participating supplier’s qualification status and its transaction volume in the past 6 months, Alibaba.com and/or its affiliated companies will grant the supplier a Trade Assurance Amount, which is an amount designated to protect buyers’ payments made to suppliers.
If the participating supplier breaches certain terms of the Trade Assurance provisions as agreed in the relevant purchase order, Alibaba.com and/or its affiliated companies will compensate 100% of the Trade Assurance Amount to you. It is a free service for both buyers and suppliers.
1. Find participating suppliers
2. Negotiate purchase order terms and conditions
3. Create and execute the purchase order
1. Submitting a claim
2. Request for dispute determination
3. Getting a Refund
Trade Assurance
a. These suppliers agree to trade under the Alibaba.com Trade Assurance Service Rules.
b. Based on the suppliers' qualifications and verified trade history, they are assigned a Trade Assurance Amount by Alibaba.com and/or its affiliated companies.
c. The buyer must negotiate an agreed initial payment amount (deposit) with the supplier which should be covered up to the supplier's available Trade Assurance Amount.
d. IMPORTANT NOTE: You will only be protected up to the Trade Assurance Amount as stated and agreed on the purchase order. The supplier's Trade Assurance Amount may be less than the deposit that you agree to pay to the supplier.
a. When you find a product you are interested in, contact the supplier by sending an inquiry or initiating a conversation via TradeManager.
b. Negotiate terms, including desired shipping date, detailed product quality requirements and price.
a.Submit a purchase order request to the supplier via Alibaba.com, and contact the supplier to draft the purchase order for you to confirm. After your confirmation, the supplier must then also confirm the purchase order. This means that the supplier accepts all the terms stated in the purchase order.
b. It is important that you specify a desired shipping date, agreed product quality requirements and take note of the agreed Trade Assurance Amount on your purchase order.
c. The purchase order will be executed and carried out and will also be used by Alibaba.com as the basis for making any determination on any dispute between buyer and supplier that arises from it.
a. Your initial payment (deposit) should ideally be equal to the Trade Assurance Amount in the contract.
b. Follow the payment instructions to make payment to the supplier’s bank account, which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
a. Once the agreed deposit payment is received, the supplier will start fulfilling your order.
b. It is strongly recommended that you undertake monitoring measures to ensure product quality during production.
c. Your order should be processed and be prepared for shipment as per your purchase order.
d. If you find the quality does not match the agreed quality requirements contained in the contract before shipment, or your order is not shipped on time, submit a claim for online negotiation immediately. The supplier then needs to respond with a resolution acceptable to you. If you are unable to resolve the issue with your supplier, you may file a request for Alibaba.com to make a determination on your dispute and subject to Alibaba.com’s final determination/decision, your transaction will be protected by Trade Assurance.
a. After receiving your order, you must acknowledge and confirm receipt of the products online if you are satisfied with your order’s quality.
The claim and refund processes are simple, easy and quick.
If your order’s quality does not meet the requirements contained in the contract before shipment, submit a claim right away. The supplier has 15 business days from the date of your claim submission to respond to you and offer a solution. Most of the time, the buyer and supplier can easily reach a resolution without Alibaba.com’s intervention. If the supplier does not respond or offer a solution, the buyer can ask Alibaba.com to step into the case and make a determination on the resolution of the problem.
Once you submit a request for Alibaba.com to make a determination on your dispute with the supplier, Alibaba.com will proceed to look into the matter and make a determination on the solution for the dispute. Alibaba.com has designated three product inspection companies (SGS, TUV Rheinland & Bureau Veritas) to conduct a third-party inspection of the products and you can engage any one of them to perform an inspection of the quality of your order. You are required to pay the inspection fee upfront. Alibaba.com’s determination on your dispute will reference the product inspection report issued by the inspection company.
If the supplier is found to be responsible for the quality issues related to your order, the inspection fee will be refunded to you, and Seller should refund to you100% of your deposit. If Seller has for any reason delayed and refused to refund your deposit in full, Alibab.com’s affiliated company will refund the Trade Assurance Amount to you in honor of the Trade Assurance program.
If your product is not shipped on time, submit a claim right away. The supplier has 15 business days from your submission to respond to you or offer a solution. Most of the time, the buyer and supplier can easily reach a resolution without Alibaba.com’s intervention. If the supplier does not respond or offer a solution, the buyer can ask Alibaba.com to step into the case and make a determination on the solution of the problem..
Once you submit a request for Alibaba.com to make a determination on your dispute with the seller, Alibaba.com will proceed to look into the matter and make a determination on the solution for the dispute. Alibaba.com will ask both buyer and seller to provide sufficient evidence to support their case.
If the supplier is found to be responsible for the quality issues related to your order, the inspection fee will be refunded to you, and Seller should refund to you100% of your deposit. If Seller has for any reason delayed and refused to refund your deposit in full, Alibab.com’s affiliated company will refund the Trade Assurance Amount to you in honor of the Trade Assurance program.
The terms and conditions for Trade Assurance services are provided in the Trade Assurance Services Rules. The following is a descriptive summary of the terms and conditions for the program. In case of any discrepancy between the following and the provisions of the Trade Assurance Services Rules, the terms of the Trade Assurance Services Rules shall prevail.
Alibaba.com Trade Assurance program provides buyer with a number of trade safeguards which aim to both protect buyer a payment to suppliers, and to ensure suppliers fulfill their obligations regarding order delivery and product quality.
If the supplier breaches the terms agreed in the purchase, suplier will undertake to compensate 100% of buyeren deposit payment. If supplier for any illegitimate reason failed to return the deposit paid by buyer, Alibaba.comit is the same to theosit paid bd to buyer the Trade Assurance Amount as agreed on the purchase order. It is a free service for both buyers and supplier.
Alibaba.com Trade Assurance ensures:
Safe payment: get your payment covered by the supplier’s “Trade Assurance Amount” and your payment will be protected accordingly.
Your supplier adheres to your contract: ensures order product quality and timely order shipment
Most suppliers work with buyers quickly to resolve issues, but if a solution isn't reached, Alibaba.com can help. Alibaba.com work with suppliers to ensure that buyers get their orders on time and that the order quality meets the requirements contained in the purchase order.
IMPORTANT NOTE: By using any of the services related to the Trade Assurance program, both buyer and seller acknowledge and agree to be bound by the terms of the Trade Assurance Services Rules. Buyer shall note that the Trade Assurance service and refund guarantee is entirely provided by suppliers who have agreed to participate in the program. Neither Alibaba.com nor any of its affiliated company shall be responsible or liable for refunding the deposit to the buyer in full. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Trade Assurance program, Alibaba.com’s affiliated company will pay buyer the Trade Assurance Amount agreed by and between buyer and seller on the purchase order. If the Trade Assurance Amount is less than the deposit paid by the buyer, neither Alibaba.com nor any of its affiliated company is liable for such sum and supplier shall be solely liable for the outstanding sum after the Trade Assurance Amount is deducted from the deposit.
Purchases are covered by the Alibaba.com Trade Assurance when all of the following are true:
A buyer is placing an online order with a supplier who is participating in the Trade Assurance program and the buyer has confirmed the Trade Assurance order with the supplier.
The payment has been covered by supplier’s “Trade Assurance Amount” and paid to the beneficiary bank account, which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
Order is not shipped on time or product quality has been discovered by buyer before product shipment to be different from the quality requirements agreed in the purchase order
The purchase order meets all other requirements under the Trade Assurance Service Rules.
Buyer's rejection of the goods for any reason other than not receiving goods on time or receiving the goods that have the same product quality as agreed in the purchase order.
Goods damaged during pick-up or shipping or not delivered when the buyer arranges pick-up or shipping of the item (for instance, the buyer arranges freight).
Duplicate claims through other dispute resolution methods.
Goods shipped to another address after original delivery.
Products in the Vehicles, Real Estate, Websites & Business for Sale, Classified Ads, services, and some Business Equipment categories.
Goods purchased on other websites and e-commerce platforms.
Any other reasons as specified in the Trade Assurance Service Rules.
Negotiate with your supplier and confirm the payment amount you want to be protected, make sure it is covered by the Trade Assurance Amount when you confirmed the purchase order with supplier.
If the supplier don’t ship on time or the quality does not meet your requirements contained in the contract (you need to raise any product quality claims before the products are shipped out, which means you will need to arrange for the products to be inspected before they are shipped out), the balance hasn’t been paid, and your initial payment is covered by the Trade Assurance Amount, the payment will be 100% refunded.
However, if your deposit paid is more than the Trade Assurance Amount on the purchase order, and or the supplier does not return the deposit to you in full, Alibaba.com’s affiliated company will only refund the Trade Assurance Amount to you. Please consider the risk and determine the amount of the order payment to be protected.
Make sure you have inputted the shipping dates in the contract. If your supplier doesn’t ship on time according to the shipping date contained in the contract, you should submit a claim right away. The supplier has 15 days to respond and offer a resolution. If you and your supplier can’t reach an agreement, you can ask for dispute determination by Alibaba.com and Alibaba.com will step in and make a determination. If Alibaba.com has made a determination that supplierer should refund the deposit to you in full but seller did not do so, Alibaba.com will refund 100% of your Trade Assurance Amount and then seek reimbursement from the supplier. In most instances, the problems will be resolved quickly without Alibaba.com’s intervention.
If a buyer submits a request for Alibaba.com to make a determination on the dispute, Alibaba.com will review the information and supporting documents provided by the buyer and supplier for evidence of successful on-time delivery to the buyer's address.
If Alibaba.com is of the view that the goods weren't successfully delivered on time, Alibaba.com will make a decision for the supplier to refund to the buyer 100% of its initial payment. If supplier fails to return the deposit in full, Alibaba.com’s affiliated company will pay buyer up to the Trade Assurance Amount agreed on the purchase order. The supplier is then required to reimburse Alibaba.com for that amount. Supplier will also be liable to buyer to remit the outstanding balance to buyer.
If buyer and supplier agreed to use Trade Assurance to ensure order quality, have made a clear product quality requirement in the purchase order, and the products were found to be different from the quality requirements before shipment (buyer will have to arrange for a product inspection before shipment), buyer can submit a claim request to Alibaba.com. The supplier should address the buyer's concerns and offer a solution.
If the buyer doesn't receive a response or a solution, the buyer can ask for Alibaba.com to step into the case. Buyer needs to pay for a third-party inspection company, designated by Alibaba.com, to inspect the products’ quality. If the inspection report concludes that the supplier is at fault, Alibaba.com will refund the inspection fee and will demand supplier to refund your deposit in full. In any event, 100% of the Trade Assurance Amount agreed on the purchase order will be covered. If the inspection report supports the supplier, the inspection fee and protected payment amount will not be refunded.
The buyer must return the products in the same condition in which they were received.
The supplier is required to accept the return at the same location specified in the listing.
The cost of return shipping is the supplier's responsibility.
The supplier pays for any customs charges on the returned products.
After confirming that the order was returned to the supplier, we will refund the full protected payment the buyer has paid to supplier which is covered under the Trade Assurance Amount. We require the supplier to reimburse us for the amount.
In some instances, we may not require that the order be returned to the supplier. In these situations, we will refund the buyer and may seek reimbursement from the supplier, for example if:
The supplier chooses not to accept a return request or provide a return shipping label.
he order location was misrepresented.
It's hazardous to ship back the products.
The products no longer have value (for instance, a ticket for a cancelled event).
Alternatively, with the buyer's consent, we may give a partial refund to cover differences between the quality requirements listed in the contract and the actual products, as described in the inspection report. We may require the supplier to reimburse us for this partial refund.
A buyer can submit a claim right away if the supplier don’t ship on time. After submitting a claim, the supplier has 15 business days to respond to the buyer or offer a solution. If the supplier does not respond or offer a solution, the buyer can ask us to step in to arbitrate.
The buyer and supplier enter into a 15-day negotiation period. Most of time buyer and supplier can easily work out their problems without Alibaba.com’s intervention. If there is no agreement after the 15 days, the buyer can ask Alibaba.com to arbitrate.
Once the buyer upgrades the claim to arbitration, Alibaba.com will step in. If the buyer doesn't submit a claim 15 days after the goods have been shipped, the entrance of claim will closes automatically.
The supplier has 15 business days from the request to respond to the buyer or offer a solution after the buyer submits a claim. If the supplier does not respond or offer a solution, the buyer can ask Alibaba.com to step in and arbitrate and initiate the third-party inspection in xx days.
If the buyer doesn't submit a claim, and the order is shipped, the window for making a claim about quality will close automatically.
In some limited situations, we may extend the period of time in which a buyer is eligible for the Alibaba.com Trade Assurance. This extra time allows us to take into consideration the buyer's location, the shipping service used, a supplier's extended return window, national holidays, or delays due to circumstances such as natural disasters, national emergencies, labor strikes, or governmental acts, or other circumstances such as fraud. In most instances, when we extend timelines for Alibaba.com Trade Assurance coverage, in cases where the supplier is responsible for claim opened during such an extended timeline, we notify suppliers at the same time.
We refund buyers via the back track they buyer pays to the supplier’s bank account which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
After a buyer submits a claim for non-timely shipment or a quality issue, the supplier's Trade Assurance Amount for this order will be frozen or set aside.
If a supplier is required to reimburse the buyer or Alibaba.com, the reimbursement amount is removed from supplier’s Trade Assurance Amount by Alibaba.com according to this supplier’s amount.
Buyers can't use more than one resolution method to get a refund. After selecting a resolution process (Alibaba.com Trade Assurance, Escrow Buyer Protect, or requesting a chargeback from their payment provider) a buyer is required to use only that process to resolve the transaction issue.
If a buyer files a chargeback, any requests opened through Alibaba.com Trade Assurance for the same transaction are immediately closed.
If a supplier loses a chargeback after they reimburse Alibaba.com or the buyer, they may appeal the Alibaba.com decision by providing evidence of the lost chargeback.
Fraudulent claims may include:
A buyer opening excessive requests
A buyer colluding with a supplier to incorrectly declare an order’s value for customs
A buyer filing a chargeback after knowingly receiving a refund
For buyers who file fraudulent claims, we reserve the right to indefinitely suspend the buyer's coverage under Alibaba.com Trade Assurance.
Buyers and suppliers permit us to make final decisions about all cases, including appeals.
We may provide buyers and suppliers with access to each other's names, user IDs, contact information, and other information relating to a request.
When a buyer and supplier don't speak the same language, we may assist with communication until the issue is resolved.
Alibaba.com Trade Assurance is not a product warranty.
In some situations, we may open and decide on a request on behalf of the buyer. This includes situations in which a supplier is suspended for fraudulent activity.
For goods shipped through the Global Shipping Program, the program's terms and conditions for buyers describe how members are protected by Alibaba.com Trade Assurance.
We reserve the right to fix any processing errors we discover by debiting or crediting the payment method used for the incorrect refund or reimbursement.
Alibaba.com Trade Assurance aims to enable every buyer to trade with confidence. It serves to protect your payment and ensure suppliers fulfill their promises regarding shipping dates and meeting product quality requirements (as stated in your purchase order). If suppliers have found to have breached these contract obligations, Alibaba.com will compensate 100% of your Trade Assurance Amount.
It covers orders placed under the following conditions:
1) Orders are placed with suppliers who have agreed to participate in the Trade Assurance program,
2) The order is placed online via Alibaba.com,
3) You payment should be paid to the supplier’s bank account which is designated by Alibaba.com.
1) Safe payment: Get your payment covered by Trade Assurance Amount
2) The supplier adheres to your contractual obligations regarding order quality & timely shipment
The Trade Assurance Amount is granted by Alibaba.com to those suppliers who agree to join Trade Assurance and promise to abide by the Trade Assurance service requirements. Based on the supplier’s qualification status and their transaction volume from the past 6 months, Alibaba.com will grant the supplier a Trade Assurance Amount, which can be used to protect buyers’ payments made to suppliers.
The Trade Assurance service is free for both buyers and suppliers.
The refund payment for the Trade Assurance Amount, if not paid by the supplier, comes from Alibaba.com and/or its affiliated company. If a dispute related to shipment delivery time or quality is deemed to be the fault of the supplier, Alibaba.com will first refund the buyer, and then recover the amount from the supplier. In case of supplier non-payment of the debt, Alibaba.com will bear the loss.
You need to search for suppliers bearing this icon . Place an online order via Alibaba.com with this type of supplier and make the payment to the verified supplier‘s bank account which Alibaba.com has designated.
Negotiate with your supplier and confirm the payment amount you want protected. Make sure it is covered by the Trade Assurance Amount when you confirm the order with the supplier.
If the supplier doesn’t ship on time or the order quality does not meet your requirements contained in the contract, and your initial payment is protected under the Trade Assurance Amount, you will receive a 100% refund.
a) Make sure you have inputted the shipping date in the contract. In case the supplier doesn’t ship or doesn’t ship on time, submit a claim. After you submit a claim, the supplier should respond to the buyer and/or offer a solution. If the issues cannot be resolved, you can ask Alibaba.com to step in and make a determination.
b) If the supplier is found to be liable, then you will receive 100% refund of your Trade Assurance Amount. Alibaba.com will then seek reimbursement from the supplier.
You can refine your supplier search with the Trade Assurance icon , and identify the suppliers with the same icon. Make sure the supplier you place an order with is one with a Trade Assurance icon.
The buyer should place the order online through Alibaba.com with the qualified suppliers that have the Trade Assurance label and icon with the Trade Assurance amount displayed along with their product listings. Input & confirm the shipping date when placing an order and timely shipment will be ensured under Trade Assurance. Once you select “I also want to use Trade Assurance to ensure order quality”, make sure your order quality requirements are clearly contained in the contract. The quality requirement should be measurable and detailed.
1) The Trade Assurance Amount shows the suppliers qualifications and trade history
2) Suppliers who participate in Trade Assurance will attract more buyers and orders via Alibaba.com.
Placing an online order via Alibaba.com will help us to identify and track each order in case there is a dispute. The online contract with clear shipping dates and quality requirements will assist with making a judgment regarding a dispute.
You need to negotiate and confirm with the supplier the initial payment amount, and make sure it is covered by the Trade Assurance Amount. Make sure the supplier has an adequate Trade Assurance Amount to cover your payment. This amount will be frozen when you confirm the order.
The Trade Assurance Amount is the amount that will be protected in your purchase order. This agreed amount will be reserved for the buyer when an order is placed with the supplier. This amount will be frozen when you confirm the order. We suggest that you make sure this frozen Trade Assurance Amount is equal to the initial payment(deposit)you will make before shipment. If suppliers don’t fulfill their promises regarding shipping dates and product quality as stated in the contract, you can submit a claim right away. After you have submitted a claim, the supplier should respond and offer a resolution. If the supplier doesn’t offer any resolution and you are not able to resolve the issue with your supplier, Alibaba.com Trade Assurance will be exercised, and this Trade Assurance Amount will be used to reimburse you for 100% of your protected payment amount.
The payment which is covered by the Trade Assurance Amount is protected. Make sure you have confirmed with your supplier the payment amount you want to be protected, and that an equal Trade Assurance Amount has been frozen in the contract. Please make sure you have placed an order only with a supplier who has agreed to participate in the Trade Assurance service, and the order is placed online via Alibaba.com.
Firstly, negotiate and confirm with your supplier agreed quality requirements. These agreed quality requirements should be measurable and actionable. They will be used for the designated inspection company to inspect the goods quality in case there is a quality dispute. Make sure your supplier has agreed to the requirements in the purchase order and you have confirmed the order, with the agreed quality requirements, before payment.
If there are no agreed quality requirements, Alibaba.com’s system will remind you when the supplier asks for your confirmation of the order. You can request the supplier modify the purchase order and input agreed quality requirements. If you don’t have any quality requirements but choose the ensure quality service, we will provide a standard inspection requirement for you to confirm in the purchase order. If it does not meet your quality requirement expectations, you should use the “Request supplier to modify order” tool to request the supplier to input your quality requirements in the contract.
If your agreed quality requirements are not clear and are not quantifiable and actionable, in case of a dispute, we will adopt a third-party inspection company’s recommendation of industry standards as a basis for determination.
Input the shipping date in the purchase order and make sure it is confirmed by both you and your supplier.
Follow the instructions in the online order process and pay into the supplier’s bank account, which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
Alibaba.com does not hold the payment. It will be paid to supplier’s bank account which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
Please make sure you are aware that only the payment amount which is covered by the supplier’s Trade Assurance Amount can be protected by Alibaba.com.
You can negotiate with your supplier to use the supplier’s Trade Assurance Amount to cover the whole order payment amount, and then make the entire payment at the one time, into the supplier’s bank account which has been designated by Alibaba.com.
Firstly, it is an optional service. You have to click the “I also want to use Trade Assurance to ensure order quality” in the purchase order and make sure you have chosen this service. Once you select “I also want to use Trade Assurance to ensure order quality”, make sure your order quality requirements are clearly contained in the contract. The quality requirement should be measurable and detailed.
a) Before shipment: We recommend you strictly control the quality of the goods before shipment, if the order quality can’t meet the quality requirements before shipment, you can submit a claim. After you submit a claim, the supplier should respond to the buyer or offer a solution. If the issues cannot be resolved, you can ask Alibaba.com to step in.
b) Alibaba.com will step into your case. Alibaba.com has designated three inspection companies (SGS, TUV Rheinland & Bureau Veritas) to conduct a third-party inspection of the order under arbitration. You can engage one of them to perform an inspection of the quality of your order. You are required to pay the inspection fee upfront. Alibaba.com’s arbitration determination will be influenced by the third-party inspection company report. If the supplier is found to be responsible, then you will receive a 100% refund of your initial payment.
If there are no agreed quality requirements on the purchase order, you will be reminded for such when the supplier asks for your confirmation of the purchase order. You can request the supplier to modify the purchase order by using the “Request supplier to modify order” on the system and allow the supplier to put in the product quality requirements. If you don’t have any quality requirements, we can provide you with a standard inspection requirement for your confirmation in the contract.
The supplier will use Alibaba.com’s affiliated company's trade export services to export the goods, and therefore all data are retrieved directly from Customs and their data will likely be real and reliable.
You can initiate a dispute from the transaction section in “My Alibaba”, and the disputes entrance will be accessible to you once the order payment has been made.
The refund process is simple, easy and quick. There are 4 simple steps: Submit Claim – Request for Alibaba.com to make a determination– Alibaba.com makes a decision - Refund.
If a buyer has a transaction-related issue, submit a claim right away. After you have submitted a claim, the supplier should respond to the buyer or offer a solution. Typically, buyers and suppliers can quickly resolve most issues on their own without Alibaba.com’s intervention. If the buyer and supplier can’t reach agreement, Alibaba.com will step into the case if either party files a request for Alibaba.com to make a determination.
After a buyer submits a claim, the supplier has 15 days to respond and offer a solution. If the supplier can’t offer a resolution or does not respond to buyer, then the buyer can request Alibaba.com step into the caseand make a determination.
The inspection companies designated by Alibaba.com are fully-independent from Alibaba.com.
After you submit a claim, there are 15 days for the supplier to respond and offer a solution. If there is no agreement between you and your supplier, Alibaba.com will step into your case and make a determination. For late shipment disputes, the dispute determination process normally takes 7 days.