Greg Alexander, a self-professed car fanatic, started his US-based company Sad Car in 2017 to help other enthusiasts find parts to help fix their vintage automobiles and motorcycles. While not entirely a hobby, Greg says, “We had a decent little business with just the new stuff and the new stock parts. Now the parts from Alibaba.com completely dominate our business! It’s somewhere between 80 to 90 percent of all the products and parts we source.”

Greg began working with the Alibaba.com platform shortly after establishing his company. He was familiar with the platform and knew that no other partner could help provide the same broad reach and accessibility to high-caliber manufacturers overseas. Although there are millions of ready-to-ship products across the more than 2,000 international suppliers on Alibaba.com, Greg’s company requires the intimate care and customization that suppliers on Alibaba.com provide.

Usually, Greg develops a CAD model of the car part he needs mass-produced and works hand-in-hand with the manufacturer to determine the best materials, product specifications, and quality that can be offered. During this process, Sad Car relies on the minimum order quantity (MOQ) listing feature on Alibaba.com to purchase samples to test. Given the size and weight of the parts needed, it’s imperative that Greg be allowed to only purchase a few samples before committing to a full order. “I typically order 10 or 20 samples, and because the parts are so heavy, I usually ship by boat rather than air. My orders are typically around 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, but MOQ only requires around 400 pounds to ship by sea. I have no trouble meeting that requirement,” said Greg.

Shipping Overseas
For shipping by sea internationally, Sad Car relies on the delivery duty paid (DDP) feature on Alibaba.com. DDP is a shipping agreement that places most of the shipping obligations on the seller and limited obligations on the buyer. For Sad Car, the seller or manufacturer of the goods that Greg purchases from will cover the import costs for US delivery, including inland transportation, duties, taxes, and other charges related to delivery.

“We use delivery duty paid service on Alibaba.com, which pretty much takes all the handling and processing out of our hands,” said Greg. “It’s really simple. All the things you need for shipping are taken care of. I get simple, clean, and regular updates as to where my goods are during transit, and I’m able to follow them through the process. It’s really nice that I’m able to follow my order and know when it’s going to show up – it’s really that simple!”

Alibaba.com Continues to Help Sad Car Grow
“There's no real limit to what we do,” said Greg. “We’re very particular and we want to grow at a measured rate, which is what we're doing.” The partnership between Alibaba.com and Sad Car has only just begun and will continue to grow and flourish as Greg continues to strengthen the relationships with his suppliers.

“I’ve made friends with some of my vendors through the platform as there’s a lot of communication about parts, shipping, payments, and more. Overtime, I’ve noticed that communication with my vendors has become a lot more social, which is nice. That was a little bit unexpected but an added bonus to using Alibaba.com!”