I've recently been investigating Alibaba and Aliexpress. A recent poster had written that Aliexpress had an escrow policy, where the buyer posts his money to place the order, and the seller (in China) cannot access the money until the buyer verifies he has received the product, and it is just as it was advertised. (is there a re-stocking fee for refusing to accept a product when it arrives?)
If you go to one of these sites, and type "electric bicycle" into the search window, you get 2,000 vendors and thousands of products. I have recently read that a large E-bike manufacturer (like "Geoby" and others) will make a bicycle for you if you order enough units. They will make it to order, cheapest quality or high quality, everything is negotiable. Then the middle man exports them to Europe/North America, etc.
Some middle men are in it for the long haul, but there are enough scam artists that Geoby is now selling E-bikes direct to US retailers under their own name. Concerning scams, there are companies that "file for bankruptcy" once a month, and the only thing that changes is the name that's on the sign on the door.
Another sour note is that if you come up with a truly innovative product, and you get big enough that there is a cost advantage to having it made in China, the exact same assembly line that makes your product, will make extras to sell to middle men who will compete directly with you. The clones will likely be made to a cheaper level of quality, while hoping their similar appearance will fool many potential customers over the next year.
If you want to manufacture a new-style custom CroMo E-bike frame in bulk, I recommend you start with a batch from Costa Rica (PM member John in CR). High quality and affordable work, and this should give you a half-year head start before the Chinese begin copying you when they see the finished product being ridden and reviewed (all they need is a picture).
Anyways...just was hoping some of the members could respond with their experiences, length shipping times, customer service, etc...
If you go to one of these sites, and type "electric bicycle" into the search window, you get 2,000 vendors and thousands of products. I have recently read that a large E-bike manufacturer (like "Geoby" and others) will make a bicycle for you if you order enough units. They will make it to order, cheapest quality or high quality, everything is negotiable. Then the middle man exports them to Europe/North America, etc.
Some middle men are in it for the long haul, but there are enough scam artists that Geoby is now selling E-bikes direct to US retailers under their own name. Concerning scams, there are companies that "file for bankruptcy" once a month, and the only thing that changes is the name that's on the sign on the door.
Another sour note is that if you come up with a truly innovative product, and you get big enough that there is a cost advantage to having it made in China, the exact same assembly line that makes your product, will make extras to sell to middle men who will compete directly with you. The clones will likely be made to a cheaper level of quality, while hoping their similar appearance will fool many potential customers over the next year.
If you want to manufacture a new-style custom CroMo E-bike frame in bulk, I recommend you start with a batch from Costa Rica (PM member John in CR). High quality and affordable work, and this should give you a half-year head start before the Chinese begin copying you when they see the finished product being ridden and reviewed (all they need is a picture).
Anyways...just was hoping some of the members could respond with their experiences, length shipping times, customer service, etc...