I was assigned to buy company shirts with our logo embroided on the chest and had a sample of an old one that we ordered previously. I was to look for a cheaper alternative because they old ones we had were a bit pricey and the quality was falling off.

So with this in mind the first place I thought of was alibaba. I used alibaba's rfq feature which allowed supplies to contact me and was contacted by a company in Pakistan. At first I didn't want to deal with them because alibaba's trade assurance did not cover them, but they provided me with a local reference that they already worked with.

I decided to give them a shot and requested they make a sample first and show me through photos and videos. The first sample they made looked horrible, but after requesting them remaking it, the embroidery started to look good. I then made the order of 30 shirts and after paying them for the rest, it was shipped.

On arrival after opening up the package, almost all the shirts looked rushed and had much worse quality then the previous ones. My boss who is rightfully disappointed told me that he can't accept those and needs me to find a way to return or get a refund on them. I've contacted them and they said they don't do refunds and can only give me a discount on the next order. I'm not really sure what to do with them, help me out reddit.

TL;DR TIFU by ordering company shirts from Pakistan through alibaba without trade assurance because they provided a local reference and they came in looking like garbage even though the first sample was good.

Comments

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q_t_puella t1_jahgg5b wrote on March 1, 2023 at 1:49 PM

#2,137,630

cant you do a charge back from your bank?

Leighgion t1_jahlkha wrote on March 1, 2023 at 2:28 PM

#2,137,815

And the moral is, if you’re going through a Chinese middleman, just go with a Chinese manufacturer already.

RRoyale57 t1_jaibfsy wrote on March 1, 2023 at 5:19 PM

#2,138,943

Maybe the cheapest option isn’t the best option. Hope that helps.

iLikeButterChicken OP t1_jaj0n6n wrote on March 1, 2023 at 7:58 PM

#2,139,875

Replying to q_t_puella (#2,137,630)

I'll try that, paid him though payoneer which was supposed to be another paypal so going to dispute it there first

iLikeButterChicken OP t1_jaj0o9b wrote on March 1, 2023 at 7:58 PM

#2,139,880

Replying to RRoyale57 (#2,138,943)

Lesson learned.

iLikeButterChicken OP t1_jaj0ox9 wrote on March 1, 2023 at 7:58 PM

#2,139,881

Replying to Leighgion (#2,137,815)

Amen.

Issardo t1_jakx2g7 wrote on March 2, 2023 at 3:53 AM

#2,142,532

My 2cents.

If they were purchased for staff to wear, maybe you can use them as promotional giveaways to clients. Some kind of “get a free t-shirt when your order is over $XX amount”.

Similarly, if your company does any kind of charity work or outdoor retreats…Maybe they can be worn to those events. It still promotes the company and they may get dirty or torn during those events. Makes the cheapness of them quite disposable.

Finally, if the shirts are ok but the embroidery looks trash, you could have patches made with company logo/image. You can order patches online. Take them to a local sewing company and have them sewn them over the original work.

If you’re looking for better quality shirts…send me a pm.

witchhunt_999 t1_jam8oso wrote on March 2, 2023 at 1:08 PM

#2,144,124

Owner did the same thing. Ordered low quality dress shirts with company logo. I had to spend close to $100 to have my 2 shirts tailored to fit as the fit on those cheap shirts always seem to be for someone with a square body. Historically I would have just chosen to never wear them but they were purchased for a conference.

I still cringe just thinking about the feel of those cheap shirts against my skin.