Alibaba is one of the hugely popular eCommerce platforms in the world. It is more in demand in Asia and China. To be honest, there is nothing that Alibaba does not sell. You can find anything and everything, big and small on the website. Anyone can be a supplier and buyer because of the ease of use and flexibility of the platform.
Alibaba is ideal for bulk purchases between two businesses. If you are looking for a supplier in China, there is no better place than Alibaba. A simple search will list all the suppliers available on the platform. But there are other platforms that can serve as an alternative to Alibaba. Why do you need an alternative? Although it is rare, there are a few products that are unavailable on Alibaba. A similar platform can be helpful in finding better quality or rates. In addition to that, there are some features and payment methods that are better supported on other platforms.
Are you wondering if you should try out alternative eCommerce platforms? What if there are alternatives with better quality? What if they have more local suppliers? Read this post to answer these questions and find a better solution.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: What Is Alibaba?
Alibaba was created in 1999, amidst the Y2K hype, by Jack Ma and a group of 18 friends. It originally aimed to cater to small/medium China-based businesses and large businesses exporting to other countries. But within 3 years of its creation, it started to grow into one of the biggest names in online trade.
It has steadily grown to become the leading Iaas service provider in China. It holds 44% of China’s retail eCommerce. As per statista, the estimated retail eCommerce in China is 3.99 trillion USD.
Alibaba is not just one company, it is a group of companies that provide B2B, B2C, C2C, cloud computing, logistics, and financial services. It is not just extremely popular in China but is also a global eCommerce empire. In the first quarter of 2022, the number of Chinese active consumers reached 903 million while the international consumer number reached 305 million.
Alibaba’s global market share contributes to 9.5% while in the Asia Pacific region, it is 25.5%.
As per the March 2023 stats, Alibaba’s market cap is 216.96 billion USD, making it the world’s 40th most valuable company.
1) What is the Significance of Alibaba?
China is the leading eCommerce market in the world and the second largest economy. The Chinese online market size is almost double the size of the US online market. It has a predicted revenue of 1,487,233.0 million USD in 2023. The revenue is expected to show a compound annual growth rate of 12.4%.
Alibaba is the uncrowned king of the Chinese market with its websites like Taobao and Tmall. Both of these control a big chunk of the e-market in China as well as globally. Taobao shares 15% of the global eMarket while Tmall owns 14%.
Alibaba also owns many international websites and e-markets. Popular names include AliExpress, Lazada, and Daraz.
Chapter 2: Why Do You Need More Sites Like Alibaba?
There are several reasons why there is a gap in the eCommerce market that needs to be filled. One of the main reasons is that there are some areas where Alibaba is lacking. Every website has its strengths and weaknesses, and Alibaba is no different. Expansion and scalability have its downside as well.
The main reason why people have now started to look for alternatives to Alibaba is that sellers sometimes lie about their products. The search results on Alibaba are redundant as everybody searches on Alibaba and gets the same products. Other reasons include:
1) Not All Suppliers are Available on Alibaba
All websites have their limitations; due to saturation, many suppliers are not present on Alibaba. Popular sellers make it to the top of the search lists while newcomers hardly get the chance to get noticed in search results. They get a better chance with less competition on other websites.
2) Some Websites Provide more Cheaper Prices than Alibaba
What works for others might not work for you. With all the benefits of Alibaba, the biggest drawback is that the main focus of the platform is the Chinese market. It is not surprising since most of its revenue and presence are in the Chinese market. Alibaba doesn’t aim to improve for the Western market. In addition to that, the check and balance about allowing the sellers to make an account are rather poor. Many of these alternative websites offer cheaper rates encouraging new sellers to signup. You can easily find manufacturers on these websites.
3) More Variety of Products Than Alibaba
The alternative websites try to populate their websites with a wide range of products to compete with websites like Alibaba. That is why you might find some unique or uncommon products on these websites even if they are unavailable on Alibaba.
4) Search Suppliers Using More Filters Options Then Alibaba
Alibaba has pretty good search filters but they are still no match for wholesale supplier directories. After trying different alternative websites, you might find one with better search filters that can help you find the products and suppliers you are looking for.
For more information regarding Alibaba alternative sites, get in touch with our sourcing agent right now!
Chapter 3: What Are The Other Sites Like Alibaba?
Several sites have almost similar features to Alibaba but may differ in some aspects. A detailed guide is mentioned below about some of the other websites like Alibaba.
1) 1688.com:
1688 is one of the sites similar to Alibaba which is a B2B website in China for wholesale and drop shipping. It receives millions of manufacturers/suppliers, traders/sellers, as well as buyers/customers together and makes the online business easier.
Good fortunes in the longtime run are the pronunciation of 1688 and many Chinese people especially businessmen think it is auspicious. Besides, 1688 is easy to remember and spread, that’s why Alibaba created its Chinese website 1688.
How Does It Work:
The website is in Chinese so you can use it in google chrome and translate it into English. Two buying scenarios are either you buy products yourself or hiring somebody or a company for the dealings.
One can easily register a user or buyer account on Alibaba, or just sign up with Facebook /Google+/ LinkedIn/ Twitter.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Full category of products | Language barrier |
| The best way to contact China real manufacturers | Payment Security |
| The cheapest price for the same products | / |
| Directly talk with the supplier online. | / |
2) made-in-china.com:
Made-in-China.com (Short as MIC) was established in 1998, in Nanjing. They only charge suppliers’ membership fees, for buyers are free to use them. They assist Chinese suppliers to make advertising and SEO work.
How Does It Work:
You can easily register MIC, as we told you before, and suggest a domain email address. The company name is not necessary for buyers; you can use your name or brand name.
Open the homepage of MIC, enter product keywords in the search tab, and choose from the suggestions below the search box that will appear as you type.
The product’s result list and the supplier’s result list can be chosen by you. Online Trade Messenger can be used to talk directly to the supplier, and also support contact forms send to suppliers.
Log in/ Sign up:
For buyers, you can join and register your account for free, or with a quick sign-in with Facebook. You can contact with China supplier by online chat or send an inquiry.
Membership/ Premium Offers:
MIC has two kinds of certification suppliers; one is a Gold supplier charges 4700 USD/year, and the other is a Diamond supplier charges 9500 USD/year.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Easier to verify suppliers, from Audit Profile. | Not too many options for suppliers, and products. |
| Goods like apparel & accessories, handicrafts, transportation, industrial supplies like electronics, machinery, etc. | Request MOQ. |
| Mainly concentrated on the consumer. | / |
| Directly talk with the supplier online. | / |
3) globalsources.com:
GlobalSources.com is a B2B platform that serves buyers and suppliers online and offline. Unlike Alibaba, a Made-in-China platform, they also offer services for suppliers like offline Exhibitions: the company organizes export sourcing shows in Hong Kong every April and October; they also provide Free Sourcing e-Magazines for buyers.
How Does It Work:
You can locate your favorite products easily on the platform because of advanced SEO optimization that allows you to get access to all the relevant products for which you are searching.
Login/ Sign Up:
You can create your Account for free or just sign in with LinkedIn, and contact suppliers using online Chat or send Inquiries.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Easy to find some leading suppliers | High MOQ |
| Feature industries: electronics and gifts | The sample charge is very high |
| Serves buyers and suppliers online and offline | / |
4) aliexpress.com:
Sites similar to Alibaba, AliExpress.com is the branch of Alibaba.com but this site mainly focuses on B2C business. You can always buy much more reliable and cheaper price products from AliExpress than buy in your own countries. It’s one of the most popular Chinese retail online stores for foreign buyers.
How Does It Work:
The estimated delivery for reference of the customer is shown on the website. Carefully, check and make sure that from where the parcel is shipped.
If the seller has an overseas warehouse in your country then the shipping time could be very fast; if the package is shipped from China and not by express shipment, you always got to wait for a long time.
Login/ Sign Up:
Similar to sites like Alibaba, you can easily register a buyer account on AliExpress, or just sign in with Facebook /Google+/ LinkedIn/ Twitter.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| No minimum order quantity | Shipment delay: For cheap products, normally the package will be delivered via |
| Communication is not required with suppliers; you can buy directly on AliExpress, as easily as buying on Amazon. | China Post or ePacket, and can’t reach buyers in time, especially during peak seasons (for example the Christmas month), more than one month many packages get stuck in Customs. |
| Friendly to drop shipping and free shipping | / |
5) dhgate.com:
Similar to Aliexpress.com, Dhgate.com is a B2C platform both for wholesale and retail, which is very similar to AliExpress.
How Does It Work:
Search for a product, order the quantity needed, and pay via online transaction. DHgate has a variety of payment methods. Customers often use Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, or online bank transfer. Users have buyer protection with secure payments, guaranteed refunds, and Escrow protection on every order.
Login/ Sign Up:
On sites like Alibaba.com, you can join for free with your account or just sign in with Facebook/Google+. You contact sellers via online chat.
Membership/ Premium Offers:
Suppliers can easily list their product’s prices, coupons, etc. that are listed on this website. There is a banner for daily deals with discounts, which are suitable for the one who likes to buy with coupons and deals.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Feature Products: electronic products and wedding dress | The quality of the supplier is relatively low compared with Alibaba. |
| No need to communicate with suppliers, you can buy directly | AliExpress’ product range is more vast and huge than this |
| Show the different prices for different quantities | / |
6) chinabrands.com:
On the list of sites like Alibaba.com, this is one of the best sites that will provide you with a large variety of goods at the wholesale rate and you can add your desired products after selecting your very own store and get the products shipped to any location in the world.
How Does It Work:
A search engine is used to find the products and order them like usual online stores. The qualified team manages the product descriptions related to SEO optimization, which leads to overall higher chances of buyer turnout.
Login/ Sign Up:
China Brands allow you to join for free with your account or just sign in with Facebook/Google+. You contact sellers via online chat.
Membership/ Premium Offers:
Promotions, discounts, and CB points are some of the specialties of this website that can reduce your cost significantly.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Feature products: electronics, household items, toys | Prices are a bit expensive |
| Communication is not required with the supplier. You can directly buy here. | Compared to AliExpress, the range of the product is not that wide |
| Show the different prices for different quantities. | / |
7) lightinthebox.com:
LightInTheBox has millions of registered customers which make it one of the best alternatives to Alibaba. The quantity of products available for the customers is 60,000 approximately, including electronics, toys, furniture, clothes, and various other things that you can think of.
Their major categories like wedding dresses and other special occasion dresses are hot-selling on their websites.
How Does It Work:
LightInTheBox website has the characteristic that it is easy to navigate and thus, it is famous for this feature over other such sites. After visiting Alibaba, you might not like websites like Alibaba because of the difficult interface that they are using to categorize the products, but this website is a good alternative that facilitates navigation.
Login/ Sign Up:
You can easily register a buyer account on Lightinthebox, or just sign in with Facebook /Google+/ LinkedIn/ Twitter.
Membership/ Premium Offers:
Wholesale and retail are combined by them. That means there are no minimum order limits. Orders reaching $300, can get a 6%-8% discount based on the items that have been ordered. They also provide dropshipping services to most countries.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Wholesale and retail | The quality of the supplier is relatively low |
| Overseas warehouses | The product range is not huge |
| Good after-sales service | / |
8) jd.com:
It is an e-commerce website that enables and assists seeking already dominating and established, assured, and reliable third-party suppliers to sell and deliver their products directly to customers via the online platform of JD.com and their mobile applications.
JD.com’s infrastructure is made with industry-leading elements, their online marketing, and services that target customers, financing, and other such valuable services that may be used by Approved sellers.
In October 2010 it was launched to broaden the selection of products available on the platform and further enrich the customer experience.
How Does It Work:
JD.com sources products directly from brands and suppliers and sells them directly to customers through the company’s website and mobile channels and that is how JD.com’s direct sales work. In China, it is open to well-established reputable brands and merchants.
Login/ Sign Up:
You can create Your Account for free or just sign in with Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn, and contact suppliers using Online Chat or send Inquire.
Pros and Cons:
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Easy to find some leading suppliers | High MOQ |
| Feature industries: electronics and gifts | The sample charge is very high |
| Serves buyers and suppliers online and offline | / |
JD offers international merchants the ability to tap into the Chinese market even if they do not have a physical presence in China.
JD is open to brands, franchisees, retailers, and traders that are legally registered outside China and selling products that originate from outside China.
Looking for Alibaba alternative sites? Contact our sourcing agent today for detailed information.
Chapter 4: FAQs About sites like Alibaba
1) Why is no big B2B wholesale website like alibaba.com in the USA?
The cost of production in China is much lower than in the US. That is the reason why the wholesale market in China is the largest in the world. That is also the reason why Chinese B2B wholesale websites are successful within the country and globally.
2) Is 1688 better than Alibaba?
1688 is a part of the Alibaba group. It is the local version of Alibaba and is in the Chinese language. The locals prefer it more than Alibaba.
3) Is it true that Alibaba does not have all the suppliers? Why is that?
Alibaba has the largest number of suppliers in all categories. The problem comes in finding them. The search filters are not easy to use which is why finding the right supplier is difficult. This makes buyers feel that Alibaba does not have all the suppliers.
4) Who is bigger, Amazon or Alibaba?
In terms of Gross Merchandise Value, Alibaba is the largest in the world. But when it comes to revenue generation Amazon is leading the way. Since China is a larger market, the growth rate of Alibaba is faster than Amazon’s. Amazon controls around 39% of the American eCommerce market while Alibaba has a whopping 58.2% share in the Chinese market. Alibaba is more prominent in Asia and the Asia Pacific, while Amazon is more prominent in the western market. They both have their respective regions where they dominate the market.
Conclusion
China is a huge wholesale market; millions of users from around the world and China itself do business there. Alibaba is the largest and most popular platform used to access this market. However, sometimes finding the right supplier becomes difficult for Alibaba. The reason is the saturation of the platform and difficulty in using the correct search filters.
Luckily, there are many alternative websites available. They might not be as popular as Alibaba, but they can get you better results. The intent behind compiling the list of alternative websites in this post was to make it easier for you to find suppliers. Hopefully, this information will be useful and help you in finding the right supplier for your business.
