Anyone here have experience with Alibaba?

I wasn't quite sure where to put this. I'm putting this in the "gear" section because it has to do with buying tractors and other heavy equipment, but I'll understand if it needs moved somewhere else.

I have been trying to find small-scale harvesting equipment for a several years now. The stuff I'm looking for exists, but apparently only in Asia. I really don't like the idea of ordering internationally, and the words "made in China" make me cringe. But my farm needs to grow beyond what I can do by hand, and my muscles keep rebelling to the point where what I'm able to do by hand is getting to be less and less every year.

I have found several pieces of equipment that look like what I've been searching for. But the only place I'm finding them is Alibaba.com, from sellers located in China.

I remember Alibaba when it first came out. The pages were barely readable at best, and there were reports from people who used it saying their information was stolen almost immediately, the items sent to them, if the items ever arrived at all, were completely different from what was ordered. And if anyone tried to make a complaint, the entire company ghosted them. But, that was 20 years ago, and I seriously doubt the company would have survived if they hadn't fixed those problems. Yet at the same time, I haven't heard of anybody ordering from them since then, at least not anyone who wasn't in Asia themselves.

So, I'm looking for firsthand experiences. Have any of you in the US ordered tractors or other heavy equipment from Alibaba or any of its partner companies? And if so, would you be willing to share what your experience with them was like?

I have used aliexpress without issue, but I do that for electronics.     I have used it for other items.


Perhaps you could post a link for what you are looking for, and perhaps might give you other options.  

Mart Hale wrote:


Perhaps you could post a link for what you are looking for, and perhaps might give you other options.  

Bearing in mind that these are just examples, I haven't decided on a specific brand or seller:

First thing I was looking for was one of these teeny little excavators.

Second was some kind of single-row combine that would work for beans. Here's one example.


And thirdly, I could really use a rock-picker of some kind. It feels like I'm farming cobblestone sometimes. This one claims it can also be used for harvesting potatoes, which would be awesome! Although I haven't studied it enough to know if it would work with my existing tractor.

I have used aliexpress without issue, but I do that for electronics.     I have used it for other items.

I haven't checked there yet, but I'll take a look. Thank you.

I would be hesitant about buying machinery from Ali. I know someone who orders for work from Alibaba regularly but not machinery. I suspect there may be regs about safety and requirements for import (I know there are in Canada) and would worry about parts compatability and replacements - even fuel type? Note that usually the buyer is responsible for arranging shipping and making it through customs. Not saying not to do it, just that it might be a headache even if the product is fantastic. I do know that the price they quote is never the actual price and there is always negotiations..

For mini excavators - Kubota is one brand that has them. Obviously not at Alibaba prices. Our neighbour works for an equipment rental place and I swear he has a mini hoe in his yard every weekend. I think I have seen some from Hitachi on various job sites also?

For the farm equipment - someone on here linked to some Amish made horse drawn equipment recently that was designed to be dragged by a horse or a small tractor... I didn't save the link but thought it was interest for a smaller scale farmer. I know I was chatting with my grandma recently, who mentioned how when she was a child she would come home from school to find her father had used a horse drawn implement of some description which had flung the potatoes to the surface for the kids to pick up. Not quite as nice as that rock picker but better than hand digging, certainly. Pity you can't rent the 12 kids to do the rock and potato picking.  Might be worth a web search to see before trying Alibaba, or maybe you already have.