Quick answer: Alibaba, 1688, Yiwu markets, and other B2B channels serve different buyer needs. Choose a marketplace only after matching product, language, MOQ, payment, and inspection requirements.
It’s most likely that when most customers search for products from China, their first sourcing stop probably is Alibaba.
As the largest network and search engine for factories and suppliers in the world, Alibaba offers enormous supply resources for all overseas customers. But besides Alibaba, other professional platforms can be chosen according to your different needs.
Here let’s discuss the difference between the mainstream sourcing marketplace.
1. Alibaba
Business type:
There are many traders or middlemen on Alibaba. As a starter, it’s kind of difficult to distinguish who is a real manufacturer or trading company. You can try to check by this method as below.
But you should be more focused on the products, there is no need to concentrate on the type of the suppliers you work with, some other factors are more vital: smooth communication, timely delivery, good quality, stable supply.
MOQ
The MOQ on Alibaba is quite different based on different products and suppliers. For some items(such as wallets, handbags), most of the vendors have stock, they can sell less than 100pcs. But for OEM/ODM designs, normally require a much bigger quantity. Sometimes, for the same product, different vendors, also set different MOQ.
Payment methods
You can choose to place the order through trade assurance to protect your orders from beginning to delivery. You can get a refund via trade assurance if the supplier did not ship your goods or defective products.
Please keep in mind that you must list the requirements clearly on the contract and save the emails, communication records with the sales. Just in case have some issues in the future, evidence is needed when you want to claim through Alibaba.
Shipping methods
Currently, Alibaba provides ocean shipping services from China to some regions of North America, Europe, and Australia. Air and express delivery are the same. The specific place where does Alibaba.com Freight operates, please check the below chart.
You can get an estimated shipping cost after providing a zipcode or FBA warehouse code in their logistics system. But pls note, the customs clearance fee and duties are not included.
For bulk goods, you can consider using this service after comparing it with other shipping forwarders. If the value of the goods you ordered is low or weight is not much, you will most likely ship the goods by air or express. Your supplier may be able to get a better rate for you through a third-party shipping agent.
Tips:
Overall Alibaba is a really powerful supplier search engine, but If you are sourcing from the same supplier as your competitors, how will you stand out from them? It’s likely to end up in a price war.
2. Global Sources
Alibaba and Global Sources both aim for the same goal, to be your one-stop sourcing platform. What’s the main difference between Alibaba and Global Sources? Generally, I think the quality of the suppliers is better than on Alibaba.
Business type
On Global Sources, the business type is exporter and manufacturer, which you can see from the company profile.
Because of the high annual fee, let small trading companies are hard to access. So you tend to find fewer middlemen than on Alibaba. Many suppliers entered Global Sources also attend offline trade shows, which proves that these attendants are more reliable.
MOQ
As for this aspect, Global Sources is the same as Alibaba. For some items, the MOQ is low, even can be 1 pcs, for example, the large product, furniture, appliances. Some low-value products, normally need a much bigger quantity requirement.
Payment methods
Global Sources only serve as a platform for your inquiry, so you need to communicate with your supplier about how to settle the payment. For small value orders, usually use PayPal, as for larger amounts, like L/C, T/T, D/P, Western Union can be used. But most suppliers are more likely to use T/T.
Shipping methods
Global Sources itself did not offer a logistics service, so you still need to discuss with the vendors the way to ship the goods out. Normally the mold of transportation is based on the weight and volume of the goods. For bulk goods the CBM is big, the most cost-efficient way is ocean shipping. For sample order or small volume shipment, air cargo and express is also selected for some situation.
Tips:
There are also more than 40 product categories, but the product categories are not as rich as Alibaba. In the industry positioning professional strong, focus on the development of consumer goods, electronic components industry.
3. Made-In-China
While Made in China is far less well known at home than Alibaba and Global sources, it has some influence among overseas buyers. The overseas promotion of Made in China is mainly carried out through Google and other search engines and overseas exhibitions.
The inquiries of overseas buyers in Made in China are one-to-one high-quality inquiries. A buyer can only send inquiries to suppliers after clicking to see the specific product information of suppliers. Therefore, the quality of inquiries is high and the turnover rate is higher than that of other similar platforms.
Business type
The charges are cheaper than Alibaba, however, the number of suppliers is far less than Alibaba. The main products are large machinery, the majority of manufacturers. But for other common products, there are also many trading companies because of the cheap membership.
MOQ
For large machinery, the unit price is high, so the minimum order quantity can be one or a few units. For other common products, according to the type of the product is different, the minimum order quantity is not the same. Some suppliers have inventory, small wholesale will be also acceptable. For those products that need to be customized, a MOQ of several hundred is required
Payment method
Made-In-China platform offers T/T, Western Union, Paypal, Money Gram. If customers pay through the bank transfer, please sign in and upload the receipt in the order list: Order -Manage Order. To faster expedite the order process, recommend paying online.
Shipping methods
Same as Global Sources, Made-In-China doesn’t provide logistics services. So customers need to communicate with suppliers to confirm the way to ship their products.
Tips:
In clothing, handicrafts, vehicles, machinery, and other industries. The key industries are heavy industrial large machinery.
4. AliExpress
AliExpress is the branch of the Alibaba Group, but this platform focuses on B2C business. The sellers on this website, mainly provide drop shipping and retailer services.
Business type
In the past few years, most sellers on AliExpress are individuals. But the entry requirement right now is much harder, only companies can apply. But still, not many manufacturers on this platform.
Even the sellers are not direct factories, you can find that the cost still is cheaper than you bought on the local market. In today’s serious homogenization and fierce competition, small profits but quick turnover is the main character of this platform.
MOQ
There is no MOQ on AliExpress, you can buy 1 pcs/1 item at once. If you want to buy more quantity, for example, 1 dozen, you can negotiate with the vendor before putting it in the chart. You always can get an even better deal.
Payment method
AliExpress supports below 5 ways to settle your payment. You can choose any of these which is convenient for you.
Shipping methods
Normally China Post or ePacket is the most popular method used on this website, as the international express is much expensive, in most cases, the courier fee will be even more than the value of your product.
However, if you are willing to pay extra, the supplier will send your package by express. Normally for the low-value package, China post and ePacket is the cheapest way, however, the delivery time will be not stable especial for the peak season.
Tips:
If the goods you got do not match the description on their website, or with obvious defectives, you can apply for a refund. When there is a dispute, the platform customer service is more inclined to the buyer’s right.
Logistics is still the biggest problem for AliExpress. By China Post or ePacket, cannot track your package, and delivery time is not stable.
5. DHgate
Dhgate.com is a B2C platform both for wholesale and retail, which is very similar to AliExpress. You can join free with your account or just sign in with Facebook/Google+. You can contact sellers via online chat.
Business Type
The main type of suppliers on DHgate are individuals, trading companies, and small factories that have stock to sell. And Many of the sellers buy products from 1688.com(this is the largest domestic wholesale platform in China, I will introduce more about this in the following articles.) then sell on DHgate. When you want to buy something, you can compare it on this platform and AliExpress.
MOQ
There is also No MOQ on DHgate, you can buy one or two on each mold. You can get a better deal if you want to buy more, negotiating with the seller before placing an order is always worth trying.
Payment method
DHgate offers below 10 ways to pay, most buyers are willing to use Visa, Mastercard, or online bank transfer. They have buyer protection with secure payments, guaranteed refunds, and the third- party protection on every order.
Shipping methods
DHgate supports international express, such as China Post, DHL, EMS FedEx, UPS, but each region will be slightly different. Free shipping products normally include the cost for the pocket. If you want a faster delivery need to pay extra.
Tips:
DHgate is a good option for small business starters to buy small quantities or samples to test the market, especially on electronic products and wedding dresses. However, if you want to buy a bit more quantity or look for more diversity, you may want to move to other platforms.
6. Yiwugo
You may have never heard about Yiwugo before. Now let me introduce you. Yiwugo is an online B2B platform of the world’s largest consumer goods market in Yiwu(Yiwu International Trade City.)All 75,000 booths and their products have been moved onto Yiwugo. All booths and products in Yiwugo are one-to-one correspondence of the physical market.
Currently, it only supports Chinese and English. Maybe in the future, more languages will be available.
Business Type
Most of the suppliers on Yiwugo own their factories, and trading companies on this platform is rare.
MOQ
MOQ is different for each supplier, some of them have stock, then set MOQ to 1 pcs. But most of them require a higher quantity, as this is a wholesale platform, not for retail. Some of the products, do not show price or MOQ, you need to send inquiries to vendors to get detailed information.
Payment method
Online transaction is not supported by Yiwugo. You have to contact vendors by email or other communication tools to discuss the order details and payment terms.
Tips:
Overall, Yiwugo is still a developing platform, there is a lot of immaturities. Many of the vendors on Yiwugo are not good at English, this is not friendly to foreign customers. According to my experience, this platform uses more by the trading companies who need to source factories or products for their customers.
Above 6 platforms are widely used by overseas customers, however, there is a very powerful wholesale website 1688.com you have to know, even it only supports Chinese, it’s still can offer you valuable information when you source products from China.
Related Posts:
Top 10 Must-Know Domestic Wholesale Websites in China
Choose the channel by operating need
Compare 1688 and Alibaba alongside local-market options before contacting suppliers.
