Top 5 China Wholesale products sourcing websites

When it comes to sourcing products online from china, there are 5 major sites you must visit to get the best price and satisfaction.

These sites are:

1. alibaba.com

2. aliexpress.com

3. 1688.com

4. Dhgate.com

5. Chinavasion.com

1. Alibaba.com

Alibaba is like the Holy Grail for outsourced manufacturing. Since Alibaba's suppliers are based around the world, entrepreneurs can find a source for virtually anything that they need to produce. The options on Alibaba seem endless, from toys and clothing to motorcycles. But with so many suppliers to choose from, how do you know which one is reliable?

An entrepreneur can use Alibaba to sift through the products listed to figure out what he or she wants to manufacture and then ask a trusted supplier listed on the site to make another product to certain specifications. Or it's possible to just rebrand a product listed on Alibaba.

There are two main ways to sort through the plethora of options on Alibaba. First you can search based on a product description like "jeans." If you search for "jeans" on Alibaba, thousands of products are shown. This leaves you with the hassle of sorting through products that may come from the same supplier.

A better approach would be to first find a reliable supplier and then work with that company to create your product. To do this, change the search tab from "products" to "suppliers" and you’ll find manufacturers that focus on making the very product you’re looking to produce. Now when you search for "jeans," you’ll find companies instead of individual products.

Here comes the hardest part of manufacturing: ensuring that your supplier is reliable. Out of the hundreds of manufacturers on Alibaba that might claim to have the capability to produce your product, few will be able to fulfill your needs. Here are three key steps to take when sourcing a manufacturer for your product on Alibaba

a. Conduct initial communication.

Having communication with a product supplier is probably the most overlooked part of the process of outsourcing manufacturing. But in order to manufacture anything, you must first clearly present what it is you’re trying to make. Your wording needs to be as simple and straightforward as possible.

Alibaba is in English as well as several other languages. Companies on the site are based around the world and are not limited to China.

When you’re dealing with manufacturers abroad, you might find that the companies have someone on staff who speaks English but not well. Too many mixups result from using complex terms without an easy translation.

b. Cross reference.

Why trust one source when there are multiple? If you’ve found a manufacturer on Alibaba that seems legitimate, start searching the Internet to learn more about the firm. Find out if the company has its own website. 

Check the trade shows for your industry to see if that company has attended and investigate if it is listed on outsourcing websites like Global Sources and HKTDC. If everything adds up, perhaps you have found a reliable manufacturer.

c. Follow up.

Once you’ve begun the outsourcing process and feel comfortable with the manufacturer you’re working with, start getting to know the company better. Initial communication can be used to judge response time. Then follow up by being in constant communication with the supplier. For your production run to stay on track and result in success, be in touch with your supplier at least once a week. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the supplier and ensure that your products meet your expectations.

The above tips can guide you to successfully produce almost anything by using Alibaba. With all the frauds and scams taking place online, do put the time into researching a reliable manufacturer. 

2. Aliexpress.com

AliExpress.com is an online shopping mall owned by China's top online marketplace, Alibaba.com. On AliExpress, you will find thousands of top Chinese exporters and suppliers selling millions of products at low wholesale prices. This article will guide on how to buy on AliExpress.com.

At AliExpress you will find mobile phones, tablet PCs, laptops, clothes, shoes, watches, and more at wholesale prices whether you buy just one item for personal use or you buy in volume to retail in your country. Before we go into details on how to buy products on AliExpress let us inform you about what you need to shop on the online shopping mall.

Tools of the Trade

To Shop on AliExpress, you need five things:

 1) Money: Enough Money to pay for the product or products you wish to buy as well as pay for shipping and if required import/custom duty.

 2) A Means of Payment: Having money in the bank is not enough, you need to be able to make payment online. Mastercard and Visa debit/credit cards are recommended means of payment. Other payment methods include Wire Transfer, Western Union, Web Money, and Maetro Debit card.

 3) Internet Access: AliExpress.com is an online shopping mall, so you need internet access to shop on the website. You can use a secure cyber cafe or preferably your own personal internet access to order products on the website.

 4) AliExpress Account: Just click on the Create an Account link on AliExpress to create your free account. You can also signup during an order.

 5) A Means for receiving your Order: When you order a product online it will be delivered to a physical address or the nearest post office.

 If you have all these, congratulations, you are well equipped to buy products on AliExpress.com.

How to Buy on AliExpress

Here is a brief guide for beginners starting out on AliExpress. As you continue to shop on the site, you will gain experience and form your own methodology.

Identify the product(s) you want to buy

Before shopping on AliExpress draw up a list of what you want to buy. There are some benefits in buying related products at once as there is a good chance that the same supplier will offer all the products. Buying multiple products from the same supplier enables you consolidate shipping cost and save your overall cost.

 If you have no idea what to buy, just visit AliExpress.com and wander through the product categories. If you have a particular product in mind, just do a product search. With over 10 million products on the website, it is very unlikely that your search will not turnout something.

Identify a Good Supplier

Finding a product on AliExpress is not a problem, finding a reliable supplier is where to put most of your attention. AliExpress has a rating system for suppliers to help buyers identify sellers with good reputation. Clicking on the Seller rating link while on a search page, category page, or brand page will prioritise the result according to the reputation of the sellers.

 This is a good way to identify reliable suppliers on AliExpress.com. Click on the Positive feedback rate to read feedback from other people who have bought products from the seller.

Check the Features and Specs

Once you are on the product page of your chosen seller, go through the features and make sure it is what you want. On the product page, you will see the specs, features, and photos of the product. You will also see the price and possible discounts as well as the shipping method and shipping cost.

Confirm any Issues

If there is any aspect of the product that is not clear to you, contact the seller for clarification. For example, you may wish to confirm whether a tablet features 3G/4G internet or just Wi-Fi. You may also make a request to the seller. If a seller only ships via post office, you may prefer speedy and more reliable services like EMS and DHL.

 To contact a seller on AliExpress.com, just click on the Contact Now link and leave a message. Never assume anything, if you are not sure of any details of a product, contact the seller to confirm. Doing this will come in handy if any dispute arise as a result of the transaction. Contact the seller only through AliExpress messaging channels.

Order the Product

Once you have sorted out all the grey areas, you can now order the product. If you have multiple products to buy, click on the Add to Cart button on the product page of each product. After adding all products to the cart, you can then click on the Buy Now button.

Note that products ordered from different suppliers on AliExpress will be shipped separately hence separate shipping cost. However, all orders from a supplier will be shipped together with shipping cost consolidated.

Track your Order

If your order is successful, the supplier will then make arrangement to ship the products. This can take from 1 to 7 days depending on the supplier. Once the supplier ships the product, a tracking number will appear in the transaction area of your AliExpress account.

 With the tracking number you can track the progress of the order on the shipping company used to ship the goods eg. DHL, EMS, etc.

Receive your Order

With the tracking feature you will know when the products get into your city. If you use services like DHL, EMS, or Fedex, the product will be delivered to your doorstep. However, if the product requires custom duty or other taxes, you will be required to pay the duty before you collect the product.

3. 1688.com

This website is owned by alibaba and is more or less a direct Chinese site for mainly people living in china. There are ways to go about trading on this site.

Firstly you would need the google chrome browser, where you would go to the settings and add extension for google translate, with this you would see a sign that shows google translate icon. Any time you visit 1688 you can just click the icon, you would see translate page, click on it and the whole page is translated. You can use the method accredited to freight forwarders to transact with the site.

4. Dhgate.com

This site is simple and easy to use just like aliexpress, this site converts how much you need to pay in naira before you pay.

5. Chinavasion.com

This is a tech related wholesales store that allows you purchase at relatively very low price. The only flaw here is their method of payment. They mostly receive funds transfer from Nigerians.