When sourcing products from China, Alibaba is often the first platform that comes to mind. There are millions of Chinese manufacturers and suppliers across all product categories, meeting the needs of most importers. However, as beginners with little experience, they often wonder:

Over the past 10 years of dealing with Chinese suppliers, I’d like to share useful experiences to address these common concerns of beginners.

Are there manufacturers on Alibaba?

Yes, there are manufacturers on Alibaba. But more than 90% are trading companies, not real factories. Why?

In China, the number of small factories far exceeds that of large ones. However, many small factories can’t speak English and don’t understand marketing. To do business on Alibaba, an international platform, suppliers need to have some knowledge of English, Alibaba SEO, and marketing strategies.

For small factories, hiring and building an English sales and marketing team is costly and challenging. Hiring a full-time English salesperson costs at least $7,000 per year. If the employee doesn’t perform well, factories can’t get orders and the money is wasted. Therefore, very few small factories publish product information on Alibaba. They usually work with domestic trading companies, who are good at English and more skilled in Alibaba marketing.

Still, many people want to know how to find genuine manufacturers on Alibaba. Here are some tips to help you make an initial judgment and screening.

How to find an actual manufacturer on Alibaba?

Look for the supplier’s name and address

When searching for “X hose” on Alibaba, you will discover that most suppliers are concentrated in Zhejiang, followed by Guangdong. This means that X hose is produced in these two industrial clusters. It is easy to find a real manufacturer here.

open-book  Read More: China’s top 20 production cities and their specialized products.

Additionally, manufacturers often name themselves based on the product, raw materials, and production techniques. For example, with “X hose”:

  • Manufacturers’ names typically include words like hose production, manufacturing, processing, or raw materials like plastic (mainly PVC) or rubber.
  • If you find suppliers’ names include words like E-commerce or trade, they are typically trading companies.

Check the supplier’s categories

Manufacturers specialize in one product category, while trading companies usually sell many different types of products.

Still, use “X hose” as an example. If you find “XX Fitness Products Co., Ltd.” or “Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd.” whose main products are fitness supplies or crafts, you can judge that they are not factories. Instead, they are trading companies that have just uploaded the sale of magic hose on Alibaba to supply this product to a few customers in a year.

Similarly, if you’re looking for LED light manufacturers, real factories typically produce only one or a few similar types of LED lamps. It’s impossible for them to manufacture kitchenware or cosmetics, etc. If you find suppliers selling LED lighting, party supplies, garden tools, etc., then they are trading companies.

Alibaba trading company's catalog reference
Alibaba manufacturer's catalog reference

Video call manufacturers to check factory situations & audit factories before bulk orders.

The above methods are based on suppliers’ profiles and self-reports, which can only initially distinguish manufacturers from trading companies.

For manufacturers that look good after your inquiry and communication, you can video call them to check out the factory situation. If your order value is several thousand or ten thousand dollars or more, I strongly recommend an on-site factory audit before placing a large order. This will confirm whether the manufacturer’s actual situation matches what they have claimed, especially their production capacity and actual scale, to ensure they can fulfill your order.

For example, we once audited a factory in Shanghai that claimed to produce LED lights. We found that it was actually a trading company. Later, we conducted an on-site inspection of a real factory in Zhongshan and discovered that the factory’s actual scale was not as large as shown in the promotional pictures.

Factory promotional picture
Factory promotional picture
factory audit 1
Photo from our factory audit

Ask JingSourcing to help you do factory audits.

Get Started Now

Any practical tips on how to find good suppliers on Alibaba?

Good suppliers do not necessarily mean finding a real factory. Usually, startups and small businesses with $1,000-$2,000 budgets for small-batch customization are not suitable for buying directly from manufacturers. Because factories have a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of $2,000-$3,000/type. Factories also prioritize large orders, so you must wait a long time for your turn. For small MOQ custom orders, factories generally are not willing to cooperate.

Most trading companies can make products according to your requirements, even if your MOQ is small. They have access to many factory resources, including both large and small factories, making them more flexible than manufacturers.

Therefore, good suppliers should have the following features:

  • Take you seriously and actively cooperate with your custom requirements.
  • To be professional in your target products.

Talk with suppliers about products to assess their expertise and cooperation.

Talk to suppliers about product materials, production techniques, and other details, especially for complex product customization. From their responses, you can initially judge if they are professional in your product. An experienced supplier not only answers promptly but also supplements your problems and provides professional suggestions based on your situation.

Taking Xhose as an example, you can ask the supplier what’s the price for 50FT, 75FT, 100FT, and 10FT hose, the width and weight of the textile, rubber materials, specifications related to rubber, connecting accessories available, maximum water pressure and so on. Inexperienced suppliers are not able to answer all questions well, due to a lack of product knowledge and little or no experience in selling the product.

For another example, among wide-type glass bottles, such as cosmetic glass bottles, candle holders, drinking glasses, whiskey tumblers, etc., each type involves different production processes, machine types, and production areas. Suppliers with limited knowledge and customization experience can’t accurately understand your actual demand, and their quotes may be too high or too low.

In short, extensive product questions can help you eliminate unprofessional and less cooperative suppliers.

Compare quotes and samples to choose a suitable supplier for a test order.

Ask suppliers for quotes as many as possible. Then compare them to know the product’s price range. Avoid being misled by high or low prices. Pay special attention to very low quotes, such as prices 15% lower, as the product quality might be poor and not meet your requirements. If the price is 5% lower, there are indeed some suppliers who might quote that low. Usually, these are very small trading companies willing to narrow their profits to receive orders.

After filtering out the suppliers with whom communication and quotes seem okay, you can order a few samples to visually check the product quality and overall effects. Especially with complex products like jewelry, different materials or processing techniques can lead to different quotes. Examine samples at different prices and choose the one that fits your budget and requirements. Also, remember to have an extra 1-2 suppliers as backups.

Place a small order to test and observe the supplier’s capability and service quality. If everything is okay, then place a bulk order. If not, use backup suppliers and continue this process. Just like with our suppliers, we only know about their products and services after working with them.

JingSourcing can do more than Alibaba for your sourcing in China.

It’s easy to source suppliers on Alibaba, but the difficulty lies in getting good suppliers who can deal with your order seriously and responsibly. Finding experienced sourcing agents like JingSourcing can resolve your concerns. Our advantages include:

The most competitive quote

We have our own supplier database to obtain factory-direct prices, at least 5%-10% lower than Alibaba’s.

Our cooperative factories are located in industrial clusters specializing in target products and can always provide the most competitive prices. For daily-use products, which are majorly manufactured in Zhejiang and Guangdong, we have gathered a lot of suppliers in the 2 areas. Suppose you want to source beauty products, we will find suitable Guangzhou factories from our database. Manufacturers in other areas will quote higher due to the higher cost of materials and labor.

MOQ friendly to small businesses and newbies

For small custom orders like several hundred pieces, many Alibaba suppliers will not take it seriously. Because the quantity can’t reach the MOQ and they can’t earn much money.

But we can do it, as we cooperate with our suppliers for a long time and have good relationships with them. Even if your order 300 pieces, they are willing to produce for us.

Rich experience in complex products and customization

When it comes to complex products that need several factories to work together, for example, remote control toy cars with many custom parts like PCB, plastic body, etc., most suppliers are not willing to do that except for very large order quantities.

We are able to do it and will ensure the product meets your expectations. The first step is to exactly understand your ideas through communication. Then, we select suitable factories from our database to make sample products and send them to you. And refine the sample until you think it is OK.

Management of the entire sourcing process, minimizing your risks

Compared to local sourcing, purchasing overseas involves more risks. We have successfully helped 4000+ clients to source products from China. Many of them are customizing products in small quantities. Some of them are purchasing multiple types of spot goods with large order values like $500,000.

Multiple sourcing is time-consuming and tedious. For each product type, we will compare the price quoted by dozens of suppliers, and choose several good suppliers for your confirmation. This smoothes your process of supplier selection. And we’ll check product quality for each category, and consolidate all the goods you require for shipping to your designated place.

For custom products, we not only simplify your process of supplier selection but also help you manage the entire custom phases from a product idea to a prototype and finished product. We’ll keep you informed about each supply chain link and ensure your order time and quality, minimizing your risks.

Want to source Chinese suppliers and products in an easy, cheap, safe way?

Start with JingSourcing

More questions highly concerned by our clients

How to find out who manufactures a product?

Product manufacturers are generally located in industrial clusters. For certain product categories, I share a practical tip to help you identify where these clusters are. For example, when browsing fishing gear, you’ll find that over 60% of the products come from Weihai, Shandong. This means that fishing gear is produced in this area, easier to find a real factory.

How do I find manufacturers outside Alibaba?

JingSourcing can connect you with manufacturers outside Alibaba. We have our own network of partnered factories, and most of them are not available on Alibaba.

How do I search for brands on Alibaba?

The sales channels for branded products are fixed: brand official websites and authorized dealers, thereby controlling brand image and customer service.

However, Alibaba is essentially a platform that connects Chinese suppliers to overseas buyers for wholesale. Suppliers on Alibaba are usually not authorized distributors of branded goods, as obtaining authorization requires substantial funds and meeting the brand’s strict requirements.

Therefore, there are no branded items on Alibaba. It is not recommended to search for branded items on Alibaba, as they may be counterfeit or fake, which could cause you significant trouble.

open-book  Read More: Alibaba Sourcing Resources (find suppliers, payment, shipping, trade assurance, etc.)

4.8 12 votes
RATING