Trying to validate an idea

[Charley]

Hello everyone, long time lurker and first time poster ...

I hate to be the guy that posts asking for something without having given anything yet -_- ... All I can say about that is that I appreciate this forum and I take it seriously. I want to become more active in the community and actually give some value back to it.

(1) i'm not selling anything
(2) i'm not trying to advertise
(3) sorry if i'm breaking any rules, it's not on purpose
(4) I'm truly just looking for earnest and honest feedback

I am currently trying to build a tool that aims to make the process of finding products / suppliers through alibaba much easier and faster.

The idea came about because after having used JungleScout for a while, I thought that it would be nice to have something like it but for alibaba.

So following the steps of idea / product validation, I created a site to try to gather emails and see if there is enough interest to start building it

http://www.baballon.com

So what i'm asking for is your general impression of the site and idea
is this a problem worth solving ? or am I imagining that there is a problem to begin with?
If any of you are buying product through alibaba, is there anything you guys would like from a tool like this?

Thanks

 

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[Dazed]

I've been through every page and I still have no idea how this actually works and what it would do for me. So it's a no from me.

 

[devine]

Never heard of alibaba, so I can comment only on your website.
1. Benefits are not strong enough, features are generic - showcase them better.
2. Don't use wix, your home page already takes 3 seconds to load with 99 requests, with almost nothing there.

 

[Charley]

Never heard of alibaba, so I can comment only on your website.
1. Benefits are not strong enough, features are generic - showcase them better.
2. Don't use wix, your home page already takes 3 seconds to load with 99 requests, with almost nothing there.

1. I agree, I got to work on that copy. what do you need by showcasing the features better ? making them more appealing ?

2. [rant]
Only if i would have know before doing business with them -_- ...
My only reason for choosing them was because they had the template I was looking for.
I set up the site (3 pages only with light weighted imgs) and went to do a load speed test and it was horrific !
they have a bunch of scripts you don't really need on the header (loading before the page does).
they gave me a hebrew and korean font package ....
I tried contacting them about it, see if they could take some of those unnecessary request from the HTML ...
That's when i realized that there was no "contact us" number or email, everything directs you to their FAQ.
I shot them a message in Twitter but no response ...
So yeah, wix, i shall give you a 2 / 5

 

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[devine]

1. I agree, I got to work on that copy. what do you need by showcasing the features better ? making them more appealing ?

2. [rant]
Only if i would have know before doing business with them -_- ...
My only reason for choosing them was because they had the template I was looking for.
I set up the site (3 pages only with light weighted imgs) and went to do a load speed test and it was horrific !
they have a bunch of scripts you don't really need on the header (loading before the page does).
they gave me a hebrew and korean font package ....
I tried contacting them about it, see if they could take some of those unnecessary request from the HTML ...
That's when i realized that there was no "contact us" number or email, everything directs you to their FAQ.
I shot them a message in Twitter but no response ...
So yeah, wix, i shall give you a 2 / 5

1. Show your customers how useful your service is, either with a video demonstration or with a complete walkthrough.
2. Either ask for a refund if you're <14 days into, or just leave it and start over with wordpress. Don't waste time.

 

[Charley]

1. Show your customers how useful your service is, either with a video demonstration or with a complete walkthrough.
2. Either ask for a refund if you're <14 days into, or just leave it and start over with wordpress. Don't waste time.

1. yeah, from what i've seen out there that's the way to go ( build a mockup and a walkthourgh video ) ... in my case, I'm afraid of promising things I can't deliver (a feature that I think will be the bomb but then when i go to my developer he tells me it cannot be done because x, y z) or investing time in mocking up features that people are not really interested in.
So my idea to begin with was, ask around for features and benefits that ppl will like to see from a tool like this.

<<I'm starting to realize that I should make more research on review boards and stuff like that, see what the pain points are, and be able to build the mock up from there>> thanks for making me reach this realization, if i had more rep i would transfer to you -_-

2. I also believe that I'm going to have to take that route.

 

[Charley]

I've been through every page and I still have no idea how this actually works and what it would do for me. So it's a no from me.

So ...

- explain how it works

- explain what the tool does for you

Therefore you wouldn't sign up because the site isn't telling you anything ...

harsh, but that's exactly what i need ... Thanks !

 

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[Jon L]

I'm not sure that I would pay for a service like this. Further, when Alibaba realizes that their search system isn't good enough, they could put you out of business rather quickly by improving their search tool.

It might be interesting to give this service away...and then provide add-on features that users pay for. I could see white-labeling in-country negotiators, testing services, drop-shippers, etc. Sell those services and become a trusted adviser for importers

 

[Charley]

I'm not sure that I would pay for a service like this. Further, when Alibaba realizes that their search system isn't good enough, they could put you out of business rather quickly by improving their search tool.

It might be interesting to give this service away...and then provide add-on features that users pay for. I could see white-labeling in-country negotiators, testing services, drop-shippers, etc. Sell those services and become a trusted adviser for importers

And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure how i'd monetize yet :S. But having a certain feature for free and pay for add-on features seems like the most reasonable one, thanks for the tip

I guess alibaba could even shut us down completely if they don't like what we are doing, from what i've seen, they are semi-open with their API (more than amazon for sure) which might give an indication that they are open to third party apps. However, the lack of third party apps for alibaba is what scares me the most.

And finally, becoming a trusted adviser for importers should be our motto xD ... double thanks, awesome advise