Most Alibaba.com accounts that have been running for a while carry dead weight: listings that went inactive, drafts that were never finished, and live listings with a low score that buyers rarely see. Each one is a product you already did the work for - and isn't earning enquiries.
Find Them
Start with a status check of your account: how many listings are live, inactive, under review or rejected, and which live ones score under 5. Export the list so you can work through it.
Fix the Common Problems
- Missing details - fill every attribute that applies, plus packaging and lead time
- Weak or broken titles - rewrite titles that are vague, repeated or contain error text
- Photo problems - replace any photo Alibaba flags; add photos where there are fewer than three
- Thin descriptions - add specifications, uses and packaging
Bring Inactive Listings Back
Some inactive listings only need to be activated as they are. Others should be fixed first - activating a weak listing brings back a weak listing.
💡 Leave reviews alone
A listing that Alibaba is still reviewing can't be changed. Wait for the review to finish, then check it again.
Do It Across the Whole Account
With Hexlist, no spreadsheet is needed for this. Choose what to fix - live listings under 5, inactive listings or drafts - and Hexlist works through them in your own account, two or three at a time. Listings already at 5 or more are left alone, a live listing is only changed when its score goes up, and you pay only for each one that reaches 5+.
A Simple Monthly Routine
Weak listings creep back as categories and Alibaba's rules change. Once a month:
- Check the status of all listings - live, inactive, under review, rejected
- Fix everything live that has dropped under 5
- Bring back inactive listings that are worth selling
- Finish or delete old drafts
Ten minutes of checking keeps the whole account healthy - and with a tool doing the fixing, the routine costs almost no time at all.
Start With the Listings That Matter Most
If you have hundreds of weak listings, start with your best sellers and the products you most want enquiries for. Fixing those first brings the biggest return, then work through the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Alibaba listing become inactive?
Common reasons are missing required details, policy or photo issues, or listings deactivated during account changes. The listing's status page usually says why.
Should I delete weak listings?
Usually not. Fixing them keeps the work you already did and their history; delete only true duplicates or products you no longer sell.
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