Alibaba

If you see a FOB after the price it means Free On Board indicating that the seller will pay for all of the costs associated with getting the product to the marine port and then the buyer pays the remaining shipping cost.

The ways to pay for items varies in risk with the following forms approximately ranked with safest to riskiest so you generally want to try to negotiate to either pay be letter of credit or paypal if possible:

1. Letter of credit
2. PayPal
3. Upfront TT (Bank Transfer)
4. Western Union
5. Escrow

Also the quality of overseas products are generally of low quality so you may need to ask questions if possible.

To reduce your risk of getting scammed, you should ask questions such as a copy of their business license, ask for a phone number and test it, have a Skype meeting, and ask for photo and to stick with verified businesses with the following ranking from the strongest to weakest forms of verification:

1. Supplier Assessment
2. Onsite Check
3. A&V Check

You should also look for online complains about the supplier and you can speed up the shipping time as well as avoid dealing with customs using Alibaba's Freight Logistics resource if you can find a supplier with a warehouse in the United States.