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Alibaba's billionaire founder opens Australian headquarters (smh.com.au)

submitted by ripyourbloodyarmsoff

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[–]karl_w_w 13 points14 points  (1 child)

Alibaba is like ebay, except no auctions, and it's originally designed around businesses being the sellers rather than individuals.

[–]Offgrid2Local 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Correct.

For those well into home manufacturing alibaba slaughters ebay. I still use ebay.au sellers for raw materials when it can supply what I need because I am familiar with it but am buying raw ingredients much more often from alibaba these days.

[–]manfrommacau 3 points4 points  (4 children)

Considering the piece of crap the previously venerable South China Morning Post has become under Jack Ma's ownership it is clear that Jack Ma is an opponent of freedom of speech, freedom of information and judicial independence.

Jack Ma's businesses really ought to be boycotted - he has acted in Hong Kong as an agent of the CCP and used his business might to bring the SCMP under the oppressive thumb of the CCP - reducing HK's only English language daily paper into an absolute joke.

Australians had better not be fooled by his nice statements but recognise him for what he is. An agent of the Chinese Communist Party.

Boycott Alibaba. I do. Fuck the CCP, fuck Jack Ma and fuck Alibaba.

[–]aussiegreenie -2 points-1 points  (3 children)

The only thing you missed is EVERYTHING on Alibaba is fake. No matter what you buy, it is a fake.

[–]manfrommacau 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Well, that isn't true. What is true is that Alibaba and Jack Ma operate soley by the grace and favor of the CCP and judging by the harm Jack Ma's ownership has done the SCMP it is clear that neither he nor any of his words are to be trusted.

Jack Ma and Alibaba are directly in opposition to regular Australian values of freedom of information, freedom of speech, judicial independence and so on and so forth. I cannot stress enough just how much anti-all that is good is the CCP and Alibaba/Jack Ma agenda is.

[–]aussiegreenie 0 points1 point  (1 child)

You misread my comment. All the product are fake. Jack Ma, like all Chinese Billionaires, live and work with blessing of the CCP.

Even well connected Billionaires have trouble.

[–]manfrommacau 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea but no. Some of the products are fake, a lot of others are just generic or branded with small unknown brands. Not everything is "fake". If you buy a window repair kit it will be a real window repair kit. If you buy random handbags or clothes they are not fakes of anything in particular, usually, just random designs....

[–]pirate_wizard_ninja 2 points3 points  (12 children)

While finding it difficult to exactly understand what his business does, it seems globalisation isn't content with gutting aus manufacturing, now it's retail.

I wouldn't care except our government struggles to tax them accordingly or have any plan for how the nation should respond.

[–]ClippedShadows 8 points9 points  (5 children)

Alibaba is an online marketplace. They have worked with Australian companies to sell Aussie goods into China.

Edit: This Melbourne HQ, as mentioned in the article is all about helping Australian companies sell goods into places where Alibaba operate. It doesn't mention anything about opening Alibaba to Australian consumers (at present).

[–]eatsleepborrow 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is real free trade. Something that politicians want to complicate and do secret deals that helps their mates.

A market place like AliExpress could sell wheat, wool and whatever else you wanted to export without these silly free trade agreements. The only clause that should be in a free trade agreement is that participating countries must not block or interfere with the process. I wonder why small companies can conduct trade and run a business successfully without a 10,000 page treaty? Politicians are too stupid to understand something as basic as free trade.

[–]Bennelong 1 point2 points  (3 children)

This could be a positive thing, as I have previously tried to register on Alibaba to sell my company's products in China, but couldn't translate the complicated registration requirements well enough to do so. If I am now able to register in English and access the 450 million people who speak some form of English in China, I am happy.

However, people should be wary that all customer and vendor details registered with Alibaba are also required to be registered with the Chinese government.

[–]ClippedShadows 2 points3 points  (2 children)

My guess is they want to do whatever they can to be the single marketplace for foreign goods sold into China. So setting up a HQ here to service AU/NZ is part of that strategy. Genuine products from non-Chinese countries are often regarded as "premium" in China and much sort after by the increasing middle class in China.

[–]Bennelong 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The single marketplace for foreign goods sold into China.

That's a good point - eBay is blocked in China. Perhaps we shouldn't be assisting them while they have protectionist trade policies.

[–]ClippedShadows 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It'd be hard. On the one hand, yes China is quite protectionist and we shouldn't support them. On the other, this would be a unique opportunity for boutique brands (who would otherwise find it difficult to market themselves there). I imagine their local presence would also assist with logistics for the smaller boutique brands. Alibaba has already established a partnership with AusPost (as per the article).

[–]thenewkumden 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I don't think you can lump retail and manufacturing in the same boat. One of them can't compete on a global scale and the other one chooses not to adapt.

[–]eatsleepborrow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But its politicians who foster a protection crony capitalist mentality that causes free markets not to work. Its not that the market could not adapt, its because they did not have a friend in politics or could not give donations. A good example is the petrol market place, try and get planning approval for a retail petrol outlet anywhere in Australia, you will understand the council and politician corruption once you have gone through this process. We operate a crony capitalist planning approval process that hinders a truly competitive market.

[–]andytango 1 point2 points  (1 child)

What the heck? Let's just jump to conclusions shall we? This encourages Australians to be freely able to conduct trade in an online global marketplace. The HQ is likely designed to cater for support for Australian businesses and consumers.

No need to bring in misplaced prejudice for Chinese businesses and consumers here. Australia can do its own manufacturing if it invested more into robotics. Again, no need to blame Chinese labour costs since even Chinese labour is being phased out by robots. Blame the governments since the Howard era for not investing into our skills and infrastructure and just handing out tax cuts/literal bribes for reelection.

[–]pirate_wizard_ninja 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Didn't say China or Chinese. Read my post dude, I said "globalisation" which refers to all countries.

No Chinese hate here. I note Amazon is setting up shop in Australia too, same feelings apply.

[–]wotmate 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If our retailers weren't ripping us all off, global companies like Amazon and Alibaba wouldn't have an opportunity to enter our market.

[–]keyboardromeo88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alibaba is for sellers more than buyers, but with the domestic launch of Amazon on the horizon, our biggest industry might get reemed a new one.