Comments on: 9 FAQ to learn how to use Alipay

By: That’s China for you: bootleg software edition

That’s China for you: bootleg software edition — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:09:55 +0000

[...] of Apple’s online sales platform in China, where credit card penetration is very low (and Alipay has made it generally unnecessary), and “government approved” content is generally a [...]

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:39:36 +0000

Hey Steven,
Thank you so much for this precious howto.
It was incredibly valuable for my work.
I have assembled a Chinese-bank and on-line payment platforms guide for my company, and I am sure you guys will find it useful, especially because we have some easy step-by-step howtos that help you through the various Chinese e-banking interfaces linked to Alipay.

Please take a look at my guide on http://fb.cityweekend.com.cn/Intro

Cheers,
Tom

By: Steven Chow

Steven Chow — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:25:23 +0000

Marcus, normally you can buy alipay prepaid card at post offices locally.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:23:45 +0000

can u recommend a trust-worthy sites I can buy Alipay prepaid card from? I don’t have bank account in China.

By: William

William — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:07:32 +0000

Alipay has an international service. Details of the service are on the Alipay site at this link. It seems that in the previous posts, there has been a difference between domestic and international Alipay. Good luck.

http://market.alipay.com/ospay/outboundBusiness/benefitsForInternationalMerchants.html

By: Steven Chow

Steven Chow — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:37:51 +0000

I am glad you enjoy the reading, James. Could you please elaborate on “partner ID” or if you are puzzled, you can email alipay support(email address above) for clarification.

We are happy to assist if you could give us more detailed information.

Regards,

By: James

James — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:03:25 +0000

Thank you, Steven, for your excellent and informative post. I do have one question though. I’m currently trying to set up my website to be able to receive payment through AliPay. I need to find something called a Partner ID, but can’t seem to find it anywhere in my account information. Do you know anything about this? Or whether there is another FAQ dealing with this subject?

Thanks,
James

By: 7 things to consider before marketing your business to China - part 1 | China Online Marketing

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:13:41 +0000

[...] money from China has been an issue for foreigner companies, Alipay recently has launched a service which make the payment of ecommerce in China much easier, however, they do charge USD1000 system setting up fee and 3% transactional [...]

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:18:51 +0000

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the comment and your question.

I just called service staff of alipay, they confirm with me again that foreign company can’t verify their alipay account, and they must have a Chinese bank account to open an alipay account. they can’t directly deposit money or withdrow balance to their overseas bank account, all these has to be done through bank accounts in China.

If we look at the issue from another standpoint, China has been controlling the international transfer of RMB and foreign currency. Alipay has to obey the law.

The alipay staff has reminded you to check again whether the people you are contacting is from Alipay.

By: Charles

Charles — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:14:42 +0000

Hi Mr Steven,

Thanks for your sharing. It is indeed helpful. Recently, I talked to a representative from Alipay. I was told that foreign companies can now tap into Alipay to receive RMB payment. To do that, Alipay has to verify my business and there is a one-time setup cost of USD1,000. Her statements contradict to your claim that foreign-registered companies are not able to use Alipay.

The following is an interesting FAQ provided by Alipay:
http://market.alipay.com/ospay/cooperation2.htm

Would you be able to share more about the possibility of foreign-registered company providing service in return for a fee through Alipay?

I appreciate you can share more. Thanks!