Foreign purchasers, especially those running e-commerce businesses, prefer to use Chinese wholesale websites to find suppliers and products at affordable prices. Your budget and business model determine which wholesale site is best for efficient product sourcing.
Here, I list 10 mainstream China wholesale websites and explain which type of purchaser each one is best suited for. Follow me to explore them.
- Major 7 wholesale sites: which suites your business?
- What are 3 main dropshipping websites in China?
- How to evaluate good Chinese wholesale suppliers?
- What to know when buying from China wholesale sites?
- How to find suppliers via local wholesale markets & trade shows?
- What is the best website to buy wholesale from China?
- How to buy goods from China in wholesale?
7 Main China wholesale sites: which suites your business?
Different wholesale websites are suited for different buyers with varying budgets and product needs. Here is a comparison chart of 7 well-established wholesale platforms that offer comprehensive services in payment, shipping, buyer protection, after-sales, and more.
Click to enlarge
Alibaba is the most preferred by international buyers because it is the largest B2B website. It excels in the variety of products and the number of suppliers, as well as in international trade tools and services, surpassing other B2B websites by far.
The main buyers of Alibaba are medium-large wholesalers, such as Amazon/eBay/Shopify sellers. Typically, the order amounts are a few thousand USD dollars. They purchase 1,000 pieces or more per product type for their fast-growing business. Through bulk purchasing, they can obtain more favorable product prices.
If your budgets reach $1,000/style, you can go to Alibaba to browse products and compare suppliers.
Over the past 10 years, Made in China and Global Sources have not fared well against Alibaba in B2B trading services. As a result, they have focused on specific product areas to seek growth.
Made in China focuses on industrial products, ranging from agriculture and construction machines to CNC machine tools, parts, etc. If you want to wholesale these types of industrial machinery, you will find more suppliers on Made in China than on Alibaba.
Global Sources focuses more on gifts and electronics. On this platform, you are more likely to find large-scale manufacturers. Because the platform charges suppliers a high membership fee, about $30,000 per year, which is much higher than Alibaba and Made in China membership fees, around $4,000 per year.
Regarding the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity), Made in China and Global Sources are similar to Alibaba, suitable for medium to large wholesalers and retailers purchasing a few thousand dollars per style.
It’s hard to say which platform is the absolute best. For the same product, you can find suppliers on all three platforms and compare prices.
Over the past 10 years, JingSourcing has helped over 4000 international purchasers wholesale quality products directly from Chinese factories at favorable prices. Most of these purchasers are startups and small businesses, like US and EU Amazon sellers.
JingSourcing offers the best balance between MOQ and product price. Whether you need hundreds of thousands of units or just a few hundred, they can quickly find reliable factories to handle your orders. Because they integrate local factory resources of all sizes and build good relationships through repeated cooperation.
Their MOQ is friendly to startups and small businesses, and they can help negotiate the most favorable prices. This is based on years of experience dealing with factories and familiarity with the costs of various product materials and custom production.
According to your custom requirements and budget, they provide professional and feasible solutions, either custom packaging and existing products, or new product development. No other supplier can match JingSourcing in this regard.
Overall, Jingsourcing makes it easy to buy from China, suitable for
Beginners with no concept of factories or products. Their 1-on-1 purchasing agent guides you and solves issues throughout the entire custom and wholesale process in China.
Buyers with broader procurement categories. They act as your purchasing team in China.
Mature businesses with multiple suppliers. They help manage your suppliers, monitor mass production, handle QC, consolidate, and ship goods to your place at favorable shipping rates.
Unlike Alibaba and other open platforms that require you to invest time in comparing suppliers and weighing price against quality, JingSourcing provides a simpler and more direct solution.
Read More: Is DHgate safe? Must Read Before Use.
Yiwugo is the directory for Yiwu suppliers and serves as the online version of Yiwu markets. Chinese retailers and small wholesalers running small commodity businesses use Yiwugo to buy a dozen or so items per style.
Experienced foreign buyers who are familiar with the Chinese language also use Yiwugo to directly source desired small commodities at competitive prices, bypassing middlemen. They usually have familiar freight forwarders to arrange international shipping.
For any newbies buying varied items for home decoration projects or wholesale for resale, I strongly recommend finding a reliable Yiwu buying agent to solve language barriers, international payment, and shipping issues.
1688.com is launched by Alibaba Group to serve Chinese businesses. That’s why it has only a Chinese version.
Similar to Yiwugo, the mainstream buyers of 1688 are local retailers and small wholesalers, along with some experienced foreign buyers familiar with Chinese. However, the difference is that 1688 suppliers come from all over China, offering a wider and more comprehensive range of products, such as industrial machines, beyond Yiwu’s small commodities.
For inexperienced overseas buyers, I do not recommend using 1688, either for personal use or reselling. The language barrier, along with the shipping and payment hassles, can be very frustrating. If you insist on using 1688, I strongly recommend getting a reliable buying agent.
3 main Chinese dropshipping websites
Here are 3 major Chinese dropshipping websites. These are designed for international markets, so most suppliers can communicate in English.
- AliExpress
- Banggood
- Lightinthebox
AliExpress, launched by Alibaba Group, is China’s largest B2C site. There are 2.5 billion products listed on AliExpress across all categories and at cheaper prices. It’s easy to use and after-sales services are good. All these make AliExpress best for dropshipping beginners on all sides.
BTW, some sellers on AliExpress support small wholesale as well, with extra discounts off the listed prices, such as 3%, 5%, etc. For small wholesale orders, you can try AliExpress and compare it with DHgate.
Banggood
Banggood offers over 500k different types of products, fewer than AliExpress but with more advantages in electronic products. Additionally, all products are directly sold and fulfilled by Banggood. This is different from AliExpress, where retailers sell products and arrange shipping themselves or use the platform’s shipping services.
Because Banggood does not have third-party retailing suppliers, product prices are slightly higher than on AliExpress where sellers compete with each other.
LightInTheBox
LightInTheBox is a Chinese retail website that offers dropshipping services worldwide. The number and variety of products are far behind AliExpress, but LightInTheBox mainly specializes in clothing & fashion. If you engage in garment dropshipping businesses, you can try this site.
How to evaluate a good wholesale supplier?
It’s necessary to check the background of suppliers, such as business licenses and product certificates. However, never assume a supplier is 100% reliable based solely on their profiles, which are all self-reported. Additionally, even if the sample received is perfect, don’t get too excited and place a bulk order immediately. Issues may still arise, such as bulk product quality not matching the sample.
Place a trial order to identify issues.
The only way to know a supplier’s product and service quality is to place a trial order. During the real cooperation process, observe if the supplier actively responds to all your questions, and understands your product requirements, especially custom ideas, etc. When problems arise, see if the supplier actively finds solutions or immediately shirks responsibility.
Overall, this trial order will give you a comprehensive evaluation of the supplier’s professionalism, responsibility, and attitude. Then, decide whether to place a bulk order.
Audit suppliers
Before working with a supplier, even for a trial order, if unsure about the supplier’s reliability, you can hire third-party inspection agencies in China to audit the supplier.
Take JingSourcing as an example. They have a professional audit team and have assisted many buyers in supplier audits. Their auditor will visit and check if the supplier’s actual situation matches what they claim. During this process, you can directly video chat with auditors and see the factory environment.
With years of experience dealing with Chinese suppliers, we know the standards of good suppliers and can comprehensively evaluate the supplier’s basic situation, services, production capacity, product quality, etc., to accurately determine whether they can produce for you.
2 points to consider when buying from China wholesale sites.
Payment methods and payment terms
Mature Chinese wholesale websites support international payment methods, such as Telegraphic Transfer. However, each platform may offer different payment options. For example, Alibaba has 11 payment methods, and trade assurance is the safest way to pay on Alibaba.
Regarding payment terms, the most common are:
30% deposit before production + 70% balance before shipping from China.
Most Chinese suppliers accept a 30% deposit to start production. When products are finished, you need to pay the 70% balance. Then, the goods will be shipped to your place.
30% deposit before production + 70% balance before goods arrive at the destination port.
This method also requires a 30% deposit for mass production. You only need to pay the 70% balance before the shipment arrives at your national port. The supplier will give you the bill of lading to pick up the goods at the port. This can help with your cash flow, at least during the shipping period.
OA (Open account)
OA is commonly used by many big retailers like Wal-Mart, with each order being at least tens of thousands of dollars. This payment is essentially a credit loan. After the goods are shipped, suppliers send the bill of lading and other documents directly to buyers and wait for the promised payment date to receive order payments. This relies on mutual credit and trust between the parties.
QC before shipping products from China.
Check the defect rate of your shipments before leaving China, especially when ordering from a supplier for the first time. For any quality issues found, contact the supplier promptly to arrange for re-production or compensation.
If you wait until the goods arrive to find problems, it will be too late. You may lack crucial evidence for claims, and the supplier may blame the defects in the shipping process, putting you in a passive position and wasting your time and effort.
We’ve helped many buyers inspect their products in an efficient, flexible, and affordable way. If you need QC services, feel free to contact us. If you’re interested in our factory audit cases, follow us on TikTok and Instagram.
Find China suppliers by local wholesale markets & trade shows.
Local wholesale markets and trade shows are alternatives to wholesale websites. If you are an experienced importer looking to expand product lines or optimize your supplier base, it’s worth spending a significant amount of money on a trip to these wholesale markets and trade shows in China.
China wholesale markets
There are so many wholesale markets for different product categories in China, mainly concentrated in Yiwu, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Yiwu markets
Yiwu has the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities. Yiwu market has 5 main districts, each with 3-4 floors and more than 70,000 booths in total.
Find a Yiwu agent to accompany you. Because the Yiwu market is so large, even Chinese buyers unfamiliar with the market map can get lost. Additionally, an agent can help you translate and communicate with suppliers who only understand basic English.
Guangzhou markets
If you trade in clothing, bags, luggage, watches, or electronics, come to Guangzhou. Guangzhou has the largest luggage and clothing wholesale market in China.
Guangzhou wholesale markets are spread all over the city. Find a Guangzhou agent as your guide and translator, or more roles, making your journey smooth and efficient.
Shenzhen markets
Shenzhen is famous for its electronic products manufacturing and wholesaling. Huaqiangbei is a premier electronics hub in China. The electronic wholesale markets are located in those different buildings. Seg Square is one of the most popular electronics markets.
China trade fairs
There are many trade fairs in China. Canton Fair is the largest and most famous, featuring a wide range of product categories. Based on my experience in hosting clients over the years, buyers attend trade fairs for the following purposes:
- Develop new products
- Looking for new suppliers
- Meeting old suppliers
Check out our previous blog to explore more about Canton Fair.
What is the best website to buy wholesale from China?
The best wholesale websites in China are Alibaba and JingSourcing. If you are a beginner, you should definitely choose JingSourcing, making your import business in China easy.
How to buy goods from China in wholesale?
Buying wholesale from China involves choosing reliable suppliers, negotiating prices, payment and lead time, checking product quality, and arranging logistics. The entire process is not easy, and you’ll run into various challenges.
For beginners, read the “Import from China” tutorial before starting. If you know what to buy but want to focus more on marketing and selling, using JingSourcing is a wise choice. They can make your China wholesale journey easy, solving issues that may arise at each step of the supply chain.
great info
Thank you
Nice information
Thanks so much
I want to begin importation, can one of your agents put me through
Hi Destiny，
Send us emails and tell us what you need.
Please help me
Hi Temmy,
Tell us your problems
I like your article!
Thanks, Tanya.
The wholesale Websites information is very useful, thanks
thanks for providing the useful information on 6 Main Chinese Wholesale Websites (Best & Legit)
Please do you help to source, procure and ship from 1688.com?
the website does work just inside china and communication with these people as a foreigner I am saying is not that much easy due to language barriers.
Hi Obi, you can submit a ticket at https://jingsourcing.com/submit-ticket/ about what products you want and the quantity.
Do any of wholesale websites offer name brand items?
Hi, what concrete items do you need？
Thank you for providing this useful information.
very nice information for wholesale business. it can help to promote the business
very nice information for wholesale business
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