Own a business? Don't bother.
I would strongly recommend anybody that is purchasing part of a business regularly to not use this platform. I spent close to $350,000 using Alibaba, then one day they just disabled my account. I had several orders that I had deposits paid on to suppliers, and Alibaba basically said "Sorry you can't use our platform anymore". Fortunutely I had a good relationship with my suppliers and i've been able to come off the platform and resolve it. If I had not, i'd be probably $20,000 down, with no help to refund or resolve. Also, if you every have an issue that's over $200, Alibaba won't do anything to help you. On the surface they seem like they will with their "Insurance" or "Guarantees", but they'll just draw it out till you quit asking. I shopped on Alibaba out of convenience, but after being in business for over 12 years, I've learnt my lesson. Please, please, please go find suppliers independently.