Razors on Alibaba

[Artimid]

So, I was bored after class, full from eating, and decided to browse the web for razors.... hrm.

Anyways, decided to check Alibaba out of curiosity and was amazed at the various razors on there.
(Looks familiar.. wonder if it is adjustable) http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/337786996/Metal_Handle_Safety_Shaving_Razor.html

(this one is kind of cool, I can see a shave shop giving these away with purchase as a travel razor) http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/548217523/promotion_men_card_shape_ultra_thin.html

That one straight is on there, the one always selling for $20 on ebay - http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/505025974/Solid_permanent_blade_razor.html

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/337788930/Metal_Safety_Shaving_Razor.html is kind of neat looking..

Anyway, the point is: I was amazed. Everything from really expensive looking stands to brushes, and it made me think. When I was in my class on modern China, we had a documentary where factory owners in China said, "We don't need to import anything from the U.S. We already make everything they have, and whenever they think of something new they bring it right to us, and then we have the design. That is why we don't need to create original things, as the U.S. is already so good at it." They said this as they showed all sorts of solar panels, computer parts, etc. And this made sense, and was pretty interesting when you think of it, ideas are just thrown at them and they keep what sticks best. I sort of like it.

So thinking of razors, I wondered how many of these were just cheap knockoffs, and how many companies sourced their products from there and these are following the same original plan?
And, along this line of thinking, gotta tell you I thought some of these would look awesome with B&B's logo on the head. ^_^ Sorry for the long winded post, but it was a thought and I figured I would share. (I know, I know "We curse you!!" I hear it every day at work. )

 

[adam833]

they look like knockoffs

 

[wheelhouse]

You're right about China. I have a few friends in the bicycle industry and the game is about making something new and innovative, and making as much as you can for a year or two before the Chinese make it for half the price and every house brand has their own version.

I know another guy that makes a nice, simple, two piece consumer good in China. He has each piece made at a different factory so they dont know what it is.

 

[Luminose]

Alibaba is a source for buying from mainly Chinese manufacturers but they also include India, South America, Etc.
My company has used the site a couple times in the past to find a source for manufacturing parts that can't be found locally.

I wouldn't really use it if I was looking for individual items of higher quality. Many of the items are "knock offs" and require large quantity purchases. I'm not saying that just because something is made in China it's crap and possible dangerous to your health but you have to know who you're dealing with since you never know what you'll get and there is no real government product safety control.

If you're looking to sell items of decent but not high quality and you want to make a good resell profit then Alibaba is a very good sourcing tool.

Remember Alibaba is just the software between you and misc companies. It's your roll of the dice.

 

[ironfist]

Gold one looks like the futur....interesting.

 

[larzone]

My first razor was a chinese one, a really bad ride and I don't do the same mistake twice!
You can pick a Flaretip up at B/S/T for $15 and that flaretip will really give you great shaves for
many years to come. That's not possible with a chinese one, trust me!

 

[Artimid]

Well I am not necessarily looking for quantity, Alibaba has another site, aliexpress.com that lets you buy individual items. However, I was just curious to see what they had. It turned out, that much of the stuff I see on ebay when not searching for "Gillette" is actually some of these Chinese designed. This piqued my interest and I figured I should share. The guy who sells those razors for $20 each might inspire me to buy a thousand for $1 each, and sell them for $10 each instead of $20, and make $9,000 profit. Not everyone can be Tradere or Webber, so many of these might actually be originals and not straight knock offs. That whole "made somewhere else, but put together here... therefore it is from here" idea could mean that the factory decided they could put it together just as well.

Interesting, interesting.