back to article Top execs fly from Alibaba after supplier frauds

Two top execs at e-commerce giant Alibaba have taken the fall for alleged fraud by some of the suppliers on its platforms. The Hong Kong-listed firm announced today that chief exec David Wei and COO Elvis Lee had resigned to take responsibility for the fraudulent actions of some of its B2B sellers, though they were not …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. jake Silver badge

    Alibaba?

    Who?

    Seriously, I never heard of 'em ... I must be in the wrong demographic.

    1. Goat Jam

      Agreed

      I thought it they were talking about the fast food chain that makes dodgy kebabs in the food courts of shopping malls across Australia.

    2. Anthony 13

      Wrong demographic?

      Don't worry, you are in the El Reg demographic i.e. People who insist on posting about things they know nothing about.. But you did do it without personal abuse ... So maybe you don't really belong ...

  2. Simon Lyon
    Thumb Up

    This often happens in APAC firms when a screw happens ...

    ... and is to be applauded, even if it may seem a little over the top if the people concerned were genuinely not directly culpible.

    When was the last time anyone in a US or EU company demonstrated they'd even heard of the word "honour" when things went the way of the pear on their watch?

  3. Conrad Longmore
    FAIL

    3 things

    From my experience:

    1) The pope is Catholic

    2) Bears shit in the woods

    3) Alibaba is a hotbed of scams and fraud

    I'm surprised that anyone actually still takes Alibaba seriously as a trade site.

  4. Steve Evans

    No shock...

    I regularly find things I would like turn up on Alibaba, but the reputation the Asian continent has for scams and such has always put me off...

    Well that and naming your site after a guy who is associated with 40 thieves and was guilty of breaking, entering and theft.

  5. Valerion
    Coat

    Elvis Lee...

    ... Has left the building

  6. JaitcH
    FAIL

    Alibaba is good for sourcing - not purchasing

    When I am searching for a product I often use Alibaba but after that I investigate the sources and buy direct.

    A while ago I built a mini-hotel and wanted to source a particular colour shade of marble. Alibaba allowed me to determine what area I could buy it from and afterwards I made a trip, selected the marble and 3 weeks later crates of the stuff were delivered.

    I feel Alibaba has grown beyond it's original mandate, China, and now provides weaker coverage for more countries.

  7. Trev 2

    Good idea but treat site with caution

    I've always suspected that much of what you find on there will be counterfeit anyway considering where it's coming from, but interesting to see them resigning over this - assuming they don't just come back in "consultancy" roles like they would over here.

    Letting your sales people determine whether a site or supplier is legit is absolutely asking for trouble as they want their commission.

    If someone could create an Ebay system but for mass supply of goods then it might work, albeit with the same problems as Ebay and Paypal admittedly.

  8. Tempest
    Unhappy

    New listings don't reply, don't add data

    Newer listings seem to have just been added as there is little enthusiasm shown by filling all the details. No contacts, no web site, no pictures.

    Perhaps Alibaba just added the names to keep their numbers high.

  9. Yag
    Joke

    the two execs had decided to take responsibility for the situation and had fallen on their swords.

    If only...

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like