Welcome to SaleHoo, plusev - great to have you hear with us!
I think (although I might be mistaken) its hard to come by the original brand manufacturers even if you do find them they are not licensed by the brand owners to distribute their products. This is the case of some Chinese suppliers selling branded electronics, bags, clothing and other products. We all know that almost everything in the market is made in China - many of these manufacturers will make an extra quantity on top of the original order and keep if for their own purposes or sell it to the black market. These products although made by the original manufacturer will still be considered as counterfeits or copies since they do not have the resale rights.
I use to work with a manufacturing company based in Shenzhen and they were quite keen in making a few hundred extras for each order. Also, I've been to a few well hidden stores where brand name products (Nike, Puma, Adidas, Roxy to name a few) that don't pass quality control are sent and sold at very low prices.
When you seek for manufacturers in China best to stick with generic products. You'll find a handful of reliable manufacturers for general items. So clearly those that you have reached through Alibaba.com may only give you counterfeit products.
If you want to purchase branded products I suggest you go through the correct channel, like going to a licensed distributor. Most of these distributors will readily give you the needed documents to support the authenticity of the product they are selling.
What products/brands are you interested in? We can help you locate suitable suppliers and possibly manufacturers too.
Hope this helps. Talk to you soon!
PS Do add a picture to your profile when you get the chance - thanks :)