How do I know if a company is legitimate and not a scam?

Hi Guys

I am a newbie to salehoo and all ebay selling etc and am trying to find my way through this jungle of nightmares! I was scammed last week for

[quote='stentiford2006':8cbc964e]Hi Guys

I am a newbie to salehoo and all ebay selling etc and am trying to find my way through this jungle of nightmares! I was scammed last week for

Hi stentiford2006,

Welcome to SaleHoo! Sorry to hear of your troubles. Hope you can recover your losses soon. Here are some simple things you can do to protect yourself when dealing with any supplier (especially those found outside of SaleHoo).

1. Run a whois check on the supplier's website to verify when it was created (it is safest to deal with suppliers who have been online at least a couple of years as most scam sites disappear within a few months to a year once word of their reputation gets out), who owns the domain, and where the domain was registered (the country should match the contact details on the supplier's website). We recommend using Link hidden: Login to view
whois.ch?ip=salehoo.com&cache=off (replace salehoo.com with the url of the supplier).

2. Search the SaleHoo forum for the supplier's website/company name and see what other members have to say.

3. Call the supplier's telephone numbers to ensure they are genuine.

4. Purchase a sample before bulk ordering to ensure that the item meets your expectations.

5. Watch out for sellers asking you to 'safeguard' your purchase by sending your money transfer in the name of a friend or loved one, or by establishing a 'test question'. These actions will not protect you from a fraudulent seller.

6. Low prices do not necessarily mean fraud, but radically low prices should warrant a closer look. If a price seems to good to be true, it probably is. Ask the seller as many questions about the item's authenticity as you can before you go any further. Request for a proof of authenticity as most brand name items come with official paperwork for resale.

7. Always use a credit card or PayPal to purchase goods. These forms of payment are safe because they give you a comeback if something goes wrong. With these payment methods, you can usually have the transaction reversed fairly easily if necessary.

Hope that helps - somehow. All the best!

Hi stentiford2006,

Welcome to SaleHoo =D Great question to start off with!

Another thing you can do is try googling the 'supplier's name'+scam and if they have scammed other people, I'm pretty sure you will find various posts on other wholesale forums.

After about a year of going through the SaleHoo forum, it would quite safe to say that for ANY product made by Apple, they (Apple) would still be your best choice!

Also, please be careful with Chinese suppliers claiming to sell you an authentic iPod/iPhone or any other brand name products for that matter, 9 out of 10 times they products usually are not real.

Cheers :)

Thanks guys I really appreciate your input. I have just started reading the auction inspector and your xmas ebay tricks!! Very good. Hopefully be selling soon!!!

Hi Stentiford2006,

Welcome aboard! It's great to have you here!

They have covered pretty much everything that you need to know but I have provided some links below that you might find helpful.

For some excellent tips on protecting yourself from getting scammed:

Link hidden: Login to view

For more information on importing from China:

Link hidden: Login to view

Christmas is fast approaching and we sure will be expecting good sales :) It is definitely a perfect time to start selling!

Please don't hesitate to post here or email us at Link hidden: Login to view if you have any other questions or concerns.

All the best,

I see they have a video on youtube, just google their email address. You need to put a review on there as they have none, to warn people about them...

Hi aglingerie,

Can you possibly post the link to that video? It may be something interesting to see.

Cheers :)