Is Yamibuy Legit or a Scam? The Truth About This Asian Marketplace

Is Yamibuy legit or just another scam? If you want to know the truth about this popular Asian marketplace, you are at the right place.

Yamibuy, also known as Yami, has become an extremely popular online retailer for buying Asian groceries, snacks, beauty products, home goods, and more. The company ships items directly from Asia to customers in North America.

With Yamibuy’s low prices and huge selection of authentic Asian foods and goods, it’s easy to see why so many people love shopping there. However, I’ve noticed some concerns popping up about whether Yamibuy is a legit company.

In this in-depth article, we’ll take a close look at Yamibuy to help you decide if it’s safe and reliable for your Asian grocery and product needs.

Overview of Yamibuy

Yamibuy was founded in 2013 by Alex Zhou, who came up with the idea as a college student in Kansas. Zhou was originally from China and struggled to find authentic Chinese products close to his university.

After graduating, Zhou moved to California and launched Yamibuy to make it easier for Asian Americans and others to buy goods directly imported from countries like China, Japan, Korea, and more.

The company is headquartered in Brea, California and has become one of the largest online retailers bringing Asian products to North America. Yamibuy provides access to over 4,000 brands and 260,000+ products across food, beauty, health, home goods, and other categories.

Some key facts about Yamibuy:

Founded in 2013 in California by Alex Zhou
Headquarters in Brea, CA
Ships Asian groceries and goods directly to customers in the U.S. and Canada
Provides access to 260,000+ products from 4,000+ brands
Food, beauty, health, home goods, electronics, toys, clothing, and more
Has over 2 million registered users as of 2022

Now that we’ve covered the basics about Yamibuy, let’s take a deeper look at how it operates and whether it’s a legitimate business.

How Does Yamibuy Work?

Yamibuy operates as an online marketplace and retailer. The company partners directly with suppliers and manufacturers in Asia to import large quantities of products.

Yamibuy then sells the items through its website and mobile app. The company has a warehouse and fulfillment center in California where orders are processed.

Product Sourcing

According to reports, Yamibuy’s founder Alex Zhou initially built relationships with Asian suppliers by visiting Asian supermarkets in the U.S. He would find out which companies the markets were buying imported goods from.

Zhou then contacted the manufacturers and opened wholesale accounts on Yamibuy’s behalf. The company now works directly with a large network of suppliers in Asia.

This model allows Yamibuy to buy products in bulk directly from the source. It cuts out extra middlemen and helps the company offer lower prices compared to retailers that buy imports from third-party distributors.

Warehouses and Fulfillment

Yamibuy has a 150,000 square foot fulfillment center located in Chino, California. This warehouse facility is used for receiving bulk shipments of goods from overseas suppliers.

The imported products are then broken down into individual orders for customers. Yamibuy handles inventory management, picking, packing, and shipping of all US orders from this main warehouse.

Some products are also shipped directly from suppliers in Asia to customers. Yamibuy provides real-time inventory counts and full tracking information on orders.

Product Selection

Yamibuy provides access to a huge selection of products imported directly from Asia. Some key categories include:

Food: Snacks, candy, noodles, rice, sauces, beverages, frozen foods, spices, and more from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.
Beauty & Health: Skincare, cosmetics, soap, shampoo, vitamins, dental care items from Asian brands.
Home & Kitchen: Cookware, tableware, small appliances, cleaning supplies, organization, and more.
Toys & Entertainment: Plush toys, action figures, games and puzzles.
Electronics: Rice cookers, karaoke machines, specialty electronics from Asia.
Clothing & Accessories: Asian fashion items.

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Yamibuy also offers harder-to-find products like weird flavored sodas, exotic snacks, anime merchandise, obscure candy, and other specialty goods from around Asia.

The marketplace has exclusive deals on products and works with internet celebrities and key opinion leaders in the Asian community to develop and launch new products.

Is Yamibuy Legit? Evaluating the Pros and Cons

Yamibuy seems to have a solid business model and value proposition as an importer and retailer of Asian grocery products. However, is buying from Yamibuy safe? Is Yamibuy legit? Are the products authentic? Will you get good service as a customer?

Let’s look at the key pros and cons:

Pros of Buying from Yamibuy

Price

Yamibuy is able to offer very competitive pricing by importing directly from manufacturers overseas. Many customers report Yamibuy having lower prices compared to physical Asian supermarkets. Promotions and coupons also help get good deals.

Authenticity

Sourcing directly from Asia helps ensure products are legit and authentic versus potentially counterfeit goods. Yamibuy’s supply chain gives confidence in product quality.

Selection

With 260,000+ SKUs, Yamibuy has a massive product selection that would be impossible to match in local brick-and-mortar stores. Hard-to-find items can be discovered.

Convenience

Yamibuy makes it fast and easy to order Asian groceries and goods from the comfort of home. No need to drive to find specialty stores.

Reliable Shipping

Most customers praise Yamibuy’s shipping time and packaging. Orders arrive promptly and intact. Free shipping over $49 for US orders.

Positive Reviews

Looking at reviews on platforms like TrustPilot and the app stores, many customers have had good experiences buying from Yamibuy. The company has made efforts to rectify issues.

Responsive Customer Service

Yamibuy provides customer service by phone, email, and live chat. They are quite responsive compared to some e-commerce companies according to reviews.

Cons of Buying from Yamibuy

Item Availability

Some shoppers complain about products being out of stock. With imports, inventory can fluctuate more than local stores. Restocks take longer.

Language Barrier

The website and app are translated to English, but some product info and reviews are still only in Chinese. This can make buying certain items difficult.

Strict Fraud Checks

Yamibuy has strict ID and credit card verification steps during checkout to prevent fraud. Some find submitting docs for verification annoying.

Third-Party Vendors

While Yamibuy directly sources many products, they also allow third-party vendors on their marketplace. This adds some uncertainty about product quality and authenticity.

Returns

Return policies are more strict compared to Amazon and other stores. Items must be unopened and unused. Customers report some challenges getting refunds.

Evaluating Yamibuy’s Reputation – Is Yamibuy Legit or Scam

To help evaluate if Yamibuy is legitimate and trustworthy, we can look at the company’s overall reputation based on research and customer sentiment across various sources:

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Reviews on Trusted Sites

Trustpilot: 2.3 out of 5 stars based on 461 reviews
App Store: 4.5 out of 5 stars with 3.7K ratings
Play Store: 4.5 out of 5 stars with 6.5K ratings

The app scores are very positive overall. But the Trustpilot score is much lower with a significant number of 1-star reviews from dissatisfied customers. This indicates some potential issues worth being aware of.

Common Praises

Large product selection with good prices
Authentic imports from Asia
Fast shipping and delivery
Convenient way to get Asian groceries online

Common Complaints

Customer service problems
Difficult returns
Checkout verification tedious
Some expired or nearly expired products

Resolution of Issues

Yamibuy appears quite responsive to negative reviews and complaints, especially on Trustpilot. They tend to follow-up acknowledging issues and making efforts to improve. This is a good sign they care about their reputation.

Investigating Yamibuy’s Legitimacy

Beyond reputation, we can verify a number of factors that support Yamibuy being a legitimate, bonafide business:

Real Business Registration: Yamibuy is officially registered as a corporation in California under Ecommerce International, Inc. which is based in Brea, CA.

Valid Contact Information: The company listing shows a physical office address, customer service phone and email contacts that match Yamibuy’s website.

Active on Social Media: Yamibuy has active pages on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms that are regularly updated.

News Coverage: Yamibuy and its founder have been featured in mainstream business and tech publications like Yahoo Finance, South China Morning Post, and TechCrunch.

Major Investors: According to CrunchBase, Yamibuy has raised over $27 million in funding from reputable firms and investors like C Ventures, SOSV, and 500 Startups.

Real Employees: Yamibuy’s team includes a mix of American and Chinese employees with legitimate LinkedIn profiles. Founder Alex Zhou has been profiled in the media.

Frequent Product Updates: Yamibuy’s social media accounts promote new products on a regular basis, as you would expect from an active retailer sourcing imports.

Secure Payments: Checkout on Yamibuy’s website and app is powered by secure payment processors like Stripe. They accept all major credit cards and PayPal.

Should You Trust Yamibuy? Our Verdict

After thoroughly evaluating Yamibuy’s business operations, reputation, legitimacy, and customer feedback, we can comfortably say that Yamibuy is a legitimate and generally trustworthy company to order Asian groceries and products from.

The company has been running steadily for over 9 years since its founding. There is no evidence we could find that Yamibuy is a scam or “too good to be true” type offer.

Yamibuy’s founder has also been transparent in media profiles about how the business operates. Their supplier relationships and logistics enable competitive pricing on authentic goods.

However, we do suggest some caution ordering from Yamibuy:

Carefully read return policies before purchasing as they are stricter than Amazon or other major retailers.
Pay attention to expiration dates which some customers have flagged as issues.
Stick to products shipped directly by Yamibuy instead of third-party marketplace vendors when possible.
Keep expectations realistic about item availability and shipping times for imports.

As with any marketplace, you may encounter occasional inventory or delivery issues. But Yamibuy overall appears to sell genuine products and be responsive when problems occur.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Yamibuy

Here are answers to some of the most common questions people have about Yamibuy’s business and reliability:

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Is Yamibuy located in China?

No, Yamibuy was founded and is headquartered in California. The company imports goods from China and other parts of Asia.

Does Yamibuy ship from China?

Some items do ship direct from suppliers in China. But orders from Yamibuy’s US warehouse ship domestically for faster delivery.

Is Yamibuy an American company?

Yes, Yamibuy is registered and operates legally as an American business based in California. The founder is originally from China but Yamibuy was created as a US company.

Is Yamibuy safe to order from?

In general, yes Yamibuy is safe to order from. They are a real established business with reasonable security practices. As with any online marketplace, there are isolated issues but overall legitimate operation.

Is Yamibuy like Wish?

No. Wish is known for having counterfeit products and very long shipping times. Yamibuy is not a platform for knockoff goods from random Chinese sellers. They directly import authentic products.

Can Yamibuy be trusted?

For the most part, Yamibuy can be trusted. They source real products from Asia and sell to US consumers transparently. There are occasional issues with individual orders but no evidence of systemic fraud.

Has anyone gotten scammed by Yamibuy?

We could not find any major scam accusations or legal actions taken against Yamibuy. Some unhappy customers exist, but no overwhelmingly negative sentiment across reviews and communities.

Is Yamibuy better than Weee?

Weee is Yamibuy’s biggest competitor. Weee has a larger product selection, while Yamibuy seems to have lower prices on some items. Both Yamibuy and Weee are generally reliable and recommended for buying Asian groceries.

Final Verdict: Yamibuy Is Legit for Importing Asian Goods

In summary, our extensive research indicates that Yamibuy is a legitimate company that imports real Asian products directly for American consumers. They offer competitive pricing and solid overall service.

While every e-commerce business will have some defects and areas for improvement, we do not see any glaring issues or scam warnings around Yamibuy as a company. Their reputation is far from perfect, but they work to address complaints and deliver a convenient way to buy Asian food online.

Just use common sense precautions like looking at expiration dates, sticking to Yamibuy-shipped items instead of marketplace sellers, and carefully reviewing return policies before purchasing.

But for authentic Asian snacks, drinks, ingredients, beauty items, and other imports, Yamibuy remains a recommended online destination for American shoppers. The company has proven itself over nearly a decade in business with a novel supply chain model.

Have you ordered from Yamibuy? We’d love to hear about your first-hand experiences below! Please share your thoughts on Yamibuy’s product selection, prices, shipping, customer service, and overall trustworthiness. Your feedback can help other shoppers decide if Yamibuy is worth trying for their Asian grocery needs.