r/alibaba
Are overseas suppliers getting more anxious about payment confirmation lately?
Overseas suppliers are increasingly anxious about cross-border payment confirmations and cash flow timing.
Lately we’ve noticed more international suppliers asking for payment confirmation almost immediately after transfers are submitted.
A few years ago it felt like people were generally more patient with international wires because everyone understood cross-border payments could take time. Recently though, suppliers seem much more focused on settlement timing and proof of payment.
Some are asking for screenshots right after the wire gets submitted. Others follow up a day later asking whether the funds have reached intermediary banks yet, which honestly is information we usually don’t even have ourselves.
Part of the problem is international transfers still don’t move very predictably. One payment clears quickly, another sits in transit for several business days with very little visibility in between.
We had one supplier recently assume the payment hadn’t been sent at all because nothing showed up on their side after two days, even though the bank already confirmed the transfer was processed.
Feels like there’s been a noticeable shift recently where suppliers expect cross-border payments to behave more like fast domestic transfers.
Maybe everyone’s just become more cautious about cash flow timing.
Still mostly using wires on our side, although AP started trying XTransfer for a few regions recently after hearing about it from another company.
Yeah we've had suppliers asking for screenshot almost right after payment gets submitted now.
Part of this is cash flow pressure, part of it is that a meaningful share of international suppliers are working with thin margins and tight credit lines. But there's another pattern worth noting: urgency around payment confirmation is also a classic marker in fraudulent setups, where the goal is to get funds moving before the buyer has time to verify anything.
The shift you're describing is real, but it's worth distinguishing between a legitimate supplier managing cash flow anxiety and one where the urgency is by design.
Probably a cash flow thing, also when a foreign wire transfer goes into a Chinese company account, after the transfer initially comes the bank needs to verify the transaction 1-by-1 before funds can be released and exchanged due to SAFE. So even if a wire transfer comes in 1-2 days, it may take up-to a week for the company to have the funds cleared.
Does this happen even if both supplier and myself are holding ABA/ACH details for USD accounts in the states?
I seriously thought that it would be faster than Swift.
Then that just means they are using a Fintech solution, have had such accounts take about 2 days to receive US - US transfers.
But yes as the funds are "off-shore" there is no SAFE delays.
Alibaba deleted my post .
Dont use alibaba. Shit platform full of scammers . And themeselves are scammers .
Alibaba is an absolute nightmare when it comes to customer protection. I paid for an order, the seller has payment issues, and somehow I am the one being treated like a criminal just for requesting a refund.
They are demanding photos of my ID card, selfies with my bank card, and sensitive banking information — supposedly for a refund they could simply reverse back to the original payment method. That is beyond ridiculous.
Even worse, they asked for screenshots/photos of a temporary Revolut virtual card. Revolut itself blocks screenshots for security reasons, yet Alibaba still expects users to expose all their sensitive financial data. Completely unacceptable.
No legitimate platform should require customers to hand over enough personal information to risk identity theft just to get their own money back. These kinds of invasive requests feel shady, reckless, and dangerous.
People should think twice before trusting Alibaba with sensitive documents or banking details. A refund should not require sacrificing your privacy and security.
Dont use alibaba . Dont click on it . Its a shitty plarform and the platform itself is a scam . For 2 weeks i have send them messages that i cant accept to send my personal information and that i demand the refund to be send via IBAN . That is all that they need .