It’s been a whirlwind week for the relationship between e-commerce giant Alibaba and the Chinese government. After one agency released a report criticizing the company for allowing fake goods to be sold online through its vendors, and another government group promised to crack down on such practices in general, Alibaba is now pledging to shape up its business practices. [More]
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China’s Ministry Of Commerce Pledges To Crack Down On Counterfeit Items Sold Online
By 1.29.15
After another Chinese government agency scolded e-commerce giant Alibaba and its eBayesque subsidiary Taobao over its mismanagement of its business and for selling or allowing bogus goods to be sold to the public, the country’s Ministry of Commerce has pledged to crack the whip on the online industry and try harder to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods. [More]
Chinese Government Accuses Alibaba Of Selling Fake Goods, Taking Bribes
By 1.28.15
China-based e-commerce megasite Alibaba is catching heat in its home country following a government report that scolds the company for lax controls over the sale of bogus goods to consumers, along with allegations of bribery and using its size to bully merchants from working with Alibaba’s competitors. [More]
Alibaba Promises To Help CPSC Keep Banned Merchandise Out Of The United States
By 1.13.15
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is the world’s largest online marketplace, and its wide reach has a downside for consumer safety. Retailers and consumers alike use the site to source parts and products directly from factories abroad. The lack of intermediaries makes it very easy to order products that have been banned in the United States for safety reasons, and that’s why the Consumer Product Safety Commission has teamed up with the site. [More]
Today Is The Biggest Online Shopping Day Of The Year… In China
By 11.11.14
While today might be Veterans Day or Remembrance Day in countries that took part in World War I, retailers in China want us to celebrate it as something else. There, November 11 is Singles Day, which started as an anti-Valentine’s Day of sorts, and has somehow evolved into the biggest online shopping day in the world. [More]
What Is Alibaba, And Can I Use It To Buy 280 Pairs Of Pants At A Time?
By 9.16.14
If you’re like most Americans, you’ve never heard of Alibaba or Taobao, even though they’re the biggest e-commerce sites in the world. That was the case for Bloomberg’s Sam Grobart, who was curious about the site because of its upcoming initial public stock offering, which experts think will be the biggest ever. So Grobart did what all business reporters do to learn about an unfamiliar company: he hired a factory in Pakistan to make $2,500 worth of hideous pants. [More]
‘Sound By Steve’ Is Basically The Same As ‘Beats By Dre,’ Right?
By 9.17.13 — Updated: 9.16.14
Beats by Dre headphones look pretty cool, probably double as earmuffs, and even our audiophile friends over at Consumer Reports think they sound okay. Whether they’re worth the high price tag is up for debate, but most of our readers would probably say “nahh.” Fortunately, you can get that sleek Beats look on a budget. [More]
