Quick answer: Shortlist Alibaba suppliers using company details, product evidence, communication quality, sample results, payment protection, and a small test order before scaling.
When you think of sourcing products from China, what’s the first thing comes to your mind? Very possible you will look upon Alibaba.
Alibaba is the largest online wholesale platform in the world, offering various categories and numerous suppliers. However, on the other hand, finding a good supplier among the overload resources can be a real headache. Following our steps on how to select a good supplier on Alibaba will really ease your burden.
Step 1: Be specific about your needs
If you do not have a clear idea of what you are searching for, you will get flooded easily. Type the keyword as detailed as possible. If you fill in the broad keyword, you will get a very long list of results.
For example, when you type ceramic cup, you can see more specific keywords list below. Select the more specific terms, the better results you can get.
If you are not sure which is the more exact terms, you can go to see how does it describe on Amazon or eBay, and reviewing the top-rated ones always give you a better idea of the type of specification of the products to search for. Then combine the terms of your actual needs, will narrow the results a lot.
Step 2: Find out the industrial cluster of your products
There are different regions in China that specialized in different product categories. A manufacturer’s success highly depends on the support of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, such as raw material, labor, logistics…The concentration of all kinds of resources provides the greatest convenience to the factories in that area, will streamline production timelines, minimize operating costs. In this case, the supplier located in a specific city that high centralized in the same products, will be more completive.
If you know which cities or provinces are the main producing region, it helps you a lot when you are sourcing for suppliers. For example, if you want to import ceramic cups from China, the factory in Fujian might be a perfectly good candidate for you than in other places.
Step 3: Know these tips before searching
- Gold Supplier: Alibaba’s gold supplier is the main income source for Alibaba. Suppliers pay the annual membership fee to get this icon on their profile. The supplier will get more exposure and a nicer presentation on the platform. This is not related to the capacity, qualification, or quality of the manufacturers. But at least it can prove this supplier is serious about their business and want to do real business.
- Alibaba trade assurance: This is a payment protection service for the buyer. Alibaba acts as the third party between the buyer and supplier, adding one more layer of security for the buyer when paying to their suppliers. When the buyer places the order through trade assurance, the wire will go into Alibaba’s account, instead of the supplier’s account. After the goods passed the quality check or after getting the shipping document from the supplier, then Alibaba releases the fund to them.
- Verified supplier: Suppliers verified by independent third-party inspection companies, to evaluate production facilities, procedures, management system…
So you should select all the 3 boxes when you search. And it will filter the results offer you a narrower list.
Tips: Please also take the years of being a supplier on Alibaba into consideration, this is also very important.
Step 4: Click search, initial sort of the suppliers
After the 3 steps above, you will get some results. Now it’s time to dig deeper into those suppliers. Looking at their website and start to identify who is a real manufacturer or middle man. Check the product page on their website, if a company is producing ceramic cups, you should see some other models or other products made of ceramic.
However, if you found they also sell the products that have nothing relationship of ceramic cups, instead, there is a wide range of completely different products, they are more likely are a trading company. The reality is one manufacturer cannot make totally different types of products with the same facility and machinery. If you are looking for a specific product, better to pick the one that specialized in that product.
Step 5: Further dig the potential suppliers.
Now we should move to the homepage, and review their company profile. A professional company always shows full basic information on their front page. You can see the product range, main market, development history of the company.
We should also pay attention to the certification area, for some certain markets, such as the US or Europe, have specific regulations and standards on some items. For example, if you want to import ceramic cups to the US, you may need the supplier to offer the CCIB. By looking at this part, you should have an idea, if this company have the relative certificate or can they produce the products comply with the requirement on your target market.
Step 6: Contact the candidate suppliers.
We have finally started to contact the suppliers now. One tip I think is really necessary is that better to use a backup email. Unless you will get burned by more and more spam.
At this stage, you can do another filter on those candidate suppliers through smooth communication, expertise, and timely reply.
Once you decide who is the final winner, pls also make sure to always ask for a prototype before placing an order.
PS: Let suppliers come to you: Request for Quotation (RFQ)
Alibaba’s RFQ service can help you save time to search for suppliers one by one, and let them come to you.
Firstly you need to go to https://rfq.alibaba.com/ and fill in the form with all the details needed. If you have any special requirements, pls make sure you list them all clearly. Pls keep in mind, the quotation is based on the requirements you offered. On the other hand, the more details you offered, it proves the more serious and professional you are, the suppliers will also pay more attention to your request. Furthermore, you should also do some background checks on the suppliers who send quotations.
However, not all suppliers will respond to RFQs, some suppliers, thought RFQs is for price competition. So you better use it as a supplement to your main sourcing.
Last but not least, please do not forget to verify your suppliers before placing an order with them, especially for first-time cooperation.
Related Post:
Alibaba: A Safe Haven Or A Risky Venture? How To Aviod Scams?
Related: Buy safely on Alibaba | Verify your supplier | Why use a sourcing agent
Cross-check marketplace signals
Use the broader China supplier verification guide so badges do not replace evidence.
