Responces from Alibaba.com to our call to action: Stop the Trading of Shark Products Web Site.

December 6, 2006

Thanks Richard,

Just a note to let you know I have received this and we will discuss.

Thanks for the proposal. And you made some especially good points about the
younger generation in China and the fact that they are really not so
interested in "status" dishes like shark's fin and prefer other ways to
spend their money.

To be up front, I don't expect any change to our policy. It is not a
question of whether or not we are "for" or "against" shark fin trade. We
just don't see our role as an arbiter on this issue.

Cheers,

Porter

December 5, 2006

Greetings Porter -

My colleges and I with the Ocean Realm Society and our partner, the Shark
Research Institute, realize the issue of hosting a shark parts trading web page
versus terminating the site has a lot more to do with revenue than tradition. As
such, we would like to offer Alibaba.com a face saving and potential revenue
alternative to boycotts and anti Alibaba.com campaigns.

Shark trading is most concentrated in the Asian community but, the fact is with
the Chinese market young people are becoming less and less interested in
traditional items such as shark soup as they grow the ability to afford items
such as an iPod. Nevertheless, it is widely thought that by the time this new
generation is in a position to have an effect on the demand for shark, the shark
itself will have already vanished.

It would appear to us that Alibaba.com would find this youth market not only a
current major source of income but the future source as well. And in addition,
as a global trading platform it would seem that reaching the global market with
a pro Alibaba.com message would also have a financial return from the
recruitment of new clients.

Therefore what we are proposing is the creation of a global "Protect & Respect
the Sharks" public awareness advertising campaign featuring Alibaba.com as the
corporate champion or sponsor of the campaign.

The Ocean Realm Society's sister organization, Ocean Realm Media, has been in
the print, television and internet media business for over 35 years. Our
relationship with the world's ocean media is extensive and as a result, we can
partner with hundreds of media vehicles for such a campaign.

The end results for Alibaba.com are two fold: 1) the warm, fuzzy consumer image
from a global corporation that really cares about the environment and; 2)
hundreds of thousands of new users that are introduced to Alibaba.com via the
global advertising campaign.

I dare to say the small amount of income Alibaba.com earn's from the shark
trading site pales in comparison to having thousands of new traders joining the
system.

Let us not wait until the shark populations have to be listed on the endangered
species list before we take action. Lets work together as environmentally
responsible and moral organizations and individuals and chose to do the right
thing.

In the long run everyone benefits.

Thanks for keeping the door of communications open.

Regards,

Richard Stewart
Executive Director
Ocean Realm Society
www.OceanRealmSociety.com

Editor-in-Chief
Ocean Realm Journal
www.OceanRealmJournal.com

PO Box 2388
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169
352-817-5893

Friday, October 20th, 2006.

Dear Richard,

It was a pleasure to speak to you and I am glad we had to the chance to better understand your views and the views of the Ocean Realm Society. We certainly welcome your suggestions and opinions.

As you know, Alibaba.com is the world’s largest marketplace for global trade with members from more than 200 countries and territories. We serve as an important platform for entrepreneurs to post company profiles and market their products to buyers around the world. We were founded in China and have grown to become a truly global community, with our products and services developed based on the suggestions of our members worldwide.

We appreciate the suggestion from the Ocean Realm Society to remove member postings of shark products from the Alibaba.com site. As I promised, we will review our policies on this matter and engage in dialogue on this issue with environmental groups, our employees, and the entrepreneurs who use Alibaba.com.

With members in 200 countries and territories, Alibaba.com always strives to balance the different perspectives of our members, taking into account the many cultural considerations. We appreciate your suggestion and will take a sincere look at the issues raised by the Ocean Realm Society.

Sincerely, Porter Erisman
Vice-President, Alibaba.com