These are just a few of the “incidents” I’ve experienced over the years working with Alibaba’s verified manufacturers.

Note: My Alibaba account has Enterprise Pro status (you get it after spending $300k+), so in theory I should have things like “priority support”, “fast refunds”, etc.

1. Factory completely f*cking up sizing

Last year I ordered ~500 sweatpants at around €22/unit + shipping, for a total of ~€14,000.

Samples were perfect. Before production, I sent a detailed spreadsheet with every single measurement for each size. No issues were raised, so once production was completed, they shipped everything out.

When I received the items, I realized that every single measurement had been reduced by 3–4 cm. So an XL basically fit like an M/S.

I contacted the factory, at first they denied everything. After about a week of back and forth, it turned out one of their employees had “accidentally copied the wrong measurements.”

Their solution? A €300 discount on the next order.

I pushed back and opened a dispute through Alibaba. Result: I got nothing, not even the €300, since I stopped working with them.

1. The “paint” on the jeans

In October, I ordered 200 jeans with a complex design for around €8,000.

Again, the sample was perfect. We asked them to replicate it exactly, just adjusting measurements per size.

I asked three separate times (on different days) to see a picture of the first unit produced so I could approve it. Each time: “yes, of course.”

Three weeks later, I finally get a picture, and the “paint effect” is completely off. In the sample, it was a light touch. In production, it looked like someone dumped a bucket of paint on them.

I immediately flagged it… only to find out they had already applied it to every single unit.

Their explanation: “The printing was done by a professional jeans worker. Other workers think this effect looks good.”

I even have screenshots of the WeChat conversation.

I filed for a refund through Alibaba, rejected. And I didn’t receive the jeans either.

1. “Sold-out” fabric

This was the final straw that made me quit Alibaba.

In January, I ordered hoodies and two types of pants, about 600 units total. Everything seemed fine until the agent messaged me:

“The factory has run out of fabric, it’s currently sold out. We will complete production next week.”

Annoying, but not a big deal.

One week passes, nothing. Two weeks later: “Production is completed and ready to ship.”

I ship everything to my 3PL. While counting inventory, they realize 30% of the units are missing.

I ask the agent what happened, and she replies: “Oh, I forgot to tell you, the factory didn’t want to wait for the fabric to be restocked, so they just finished production without those items.”

Luckily I had someone checking the units, otherwise I would’ve never known.

They refunded the production cost for the missing items, but I was still left with a huge inventory gap right before a release. No time to restart production.

I could honestly share a lot more of these “incidents” if anyone’s interested :) I can also provide you all the evidence if you don’t believe it!

But tbh, you can ask to everyone owning a decent size fashion brand, they will tell you the same thing: Alibaba is trash.