Sourcing glossary
Trade Assurance
Also known as: Alibaba Trade Assurance, TA order
Alibaba.com's free buyer-protection program that supports refunds when an order paid through Alibaba.com is not shipped, goes missing, or arrives defective or different from the agreed terms.
Trade Assurance only covers orders created and paid online through Alibaba.com; paying a supplier's own bank account outside the platform removes the protection. Claims are judged against the specifications written into the order, and refund requests are time-limited (as of September 2026, 30 days from delivery for most buyers).
Related terms
Guides that use this term
Platforms
Alibaba Trade Assurance: What It Covers and How to Claim
What Alibaba.com Trade Assurance covers and excludes, which payments qualify, refund windows, delivery-delay compensation and how to file a claim.
Updated 2026-09-23 · 5 min read
QC
Defective Goods from China: What to Do When Your Order Arrives Wrong
Defective goods from a Chinese supplier? How to document evidence, use your PO terms, negotiate a fix, file Trade Assurance or insurance claims, and prevent repeats.
Updated 2026-09-21 · 5 min read
Private label
How to Negotiate MOQ with Chinese Suppliers
Why Chinese factories set minimum order quantities and practical ways to lower them: stock colours, shared materials, trial orders, mixed SKUs and how to ask.
Updated 2026-09-18 · 5 min read
Platforms
How to Verify an Alibaba Supplier Before You Pay
Check an Alibaba.com supplier step by step: what Verified and Gold Supplier badges mean, business license lookups, factory vs trader signals and red flags.
Updated 2026-09-15 · 5 min read
Private label
Product Samples from China: Types, Costs and How to Evaluate Them
Stock, custom, pre-production and golden samples explained: what they cost, who pays, sample fee refunds, express shipping and how to judge a sample properly.
Updated 2026-09-11 · 5 min read
Platforms
1688 vs Alibaba vs Taobao: Which Platform Should You Buy From?
1688, Alibaba.com and Taobao compared for overseas buyers: who each serves, language, MOQ, prices, payment, buyer protection and shipping abroad.
Updated 2026-09-09 · 5 min read
Part of 1688, Alibaba & Taobao.