Anyone know any good suppliers without sketchy pricing?

I run a boat restoration business, and almost always buy various mechanical parts, both new and used, on the internet.

Today I particularly found myself leaning toward Alibaba, since you can always negotiate MOQs and get fair prices.

Very rarely have I been disappointed with purchases from well-known suppliers. I mean this is the same stuff you get at your local shop but often cheaper and with better guarantees.

I recently tried to buy some boat engines from a vendor on Alibaba. After I got all the info needed to order around four engines, I sent my request to the vendor. The prices were nowhere remotely in the ball park of what had been listed.

It was actually around 10X higher!

Of course I didn't buy them. Honestly, I was pretty upset, but I wasn't going to fall for the oldest trick in the book, the infamous bait-and-switch.

To be fair, my past experiences buying from Alibaba have always been safe, but there are always risks when transacting online. You gotta know how to spot sketchy vendors to not end up with low-quality, overpriced items.

Not a lot of folks know this, but MOQ numbers and the advertised price don’t always go together. But a huge discrepancy, like in my case, is a red flag. Please run as fast as possible in the other direction.

So, with that said, has anyone got any actual recommendations for legit suppliers for discounted outboard motors?