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12 Main Chinese Wholesale & Dropshipping Websites (Best & Legit)

Top 15 Chinese Wholesale & Dropshipping Websites You Need to Know (Best & Legit) [2022 ]

Many people want to import products from China. But coming to China to find suppliers can be a hassle and even an actual impossibility for some. The easy solution is searching through China wholesale websites to source products without having to leave home.

Today, let me introduce 8 main China wholesale websites, 4 main dropshipping websites, and other relevant information about them.

Now without further ado, let’s get started.

8 Main China Wholesale Websites (Best & Legit)

A quick Google search will provide so numerous articles listing a wide variety of Chinese wholesale sites that you will grow dizzy from reading them! Actually, the main China wholesale websites existing now are only 8.

Below are the main China wholesale websites and their relevant information for you:

Alibaba

When it comes to buying wholesale from China, almost everyone knows Alibaba. Now let me tell you a few things from my own personal experience.

1. Type of suppliers: Alibaba boasts a wide range of suppliers. But for someone with little or no prior experience, it would be difficult to distinguish among the types of suppliers available.

For starters, there is no need to get too hung up on the type of vendor you’re dealing with. Your focus is on your product, and as you get more experience in dealing with a variety of vendors, it will be a natural measure of whom you’re buying from.

2. MOQ: In general, consumer goods will have a MOQ, except for the large machine and some electrical products.

However, I can’t tell you the exact number of MOQ on Alibaba since it varies from product category and craftsmanship. It is meaningless to offer you a too broad a range of MOQ like from 500 to 5000 dollars.

3. Ways of Communication: There is an online chat on Alibaba called TradeManager where you can communicate with the vendors at any time. You need to download TradeManger to communicate with your sellers.

Plus, you can also connect with them via email, phone, WeChat, etc. You can also communicate with each other through Alibaba RFQ, which is a good tool to compare prices.

4. Payment methods: Alibaba owns a goods channel for buyers and vendors called Trade Assurance. It is very easy to operate, and because Alibaba endorsed it, many buyers trust it.  Click here to learn more about pay on Alibaba.

5. Shipping methodsAlibaba comes with international logistics services and you can communicate with them online. They will send your goods to Alibaba’s cooperative warehouse (air, sea, and express) at a discounted price. Learn more here about Alibaba shipping.

Generally, when you make an inquiry for a product, the supplier will also provide you with a shipping plan. If you have your own forwarder, at this point, you can make a comparison.

For example, if you only have one item that is not very big in size, you will most likely choose express delivery and air freight. In such cases, although you can get a discounted price on Ali, your supplier may be able to find an even cheaper alternative through third-party channels.

As a reminder, when working with a supplier for the first time, you should remain cautious even if they provide you with a cheap freight forwarder. There are too many goods that get held up in customs due to unprofessional freight forwarding.

6. Considerations on Alibaba

On Alibaba, if the quality of the bulk goods you received is different from the sample sent by your supplier, you can ask for a refund in the trade assurance order.

But first, the buyer and the seller must negotiate about the matter. Should the negotiations fail, don’t worry; Alibaba’s customer service will intervene. Both parties should provide evidence including:

  • Sales contract.
  • Both sides of the emails.
  • Other information to prove the supplier’s dishonest behaviors.

Therefore, it is necessary to remind you that when communicating with suppliers, it would be best to use Alibaba’s online chat, emails, etc., to keep records that can be used as evidence should a problem arise. Trivial matters, though, can just be discussed over the phone or through voice calls.

Brief Summary,

 

 

In addition, many buyers are concerned about Alibaba’s safety. Actually, no worry about Alibaba’s overall environment. You just need to pay more attention to some problems and risks with suppliers. And you can check Alibaba scams to avoid them.

Jingsourcing

There are hundreds of thousands of suppliers on the China wholesale websites and you need to select a reliable one on your own. If you can’t determine which manufacturer is right for you, you can seek help from a sourcing company like Jingsourcing.

Jingsourcing is a professional sourcing company in Yiwu, China. They serve to help different businesses wholesale and customize various products from China at very competitive prices.

1. Type of Suppliers: Jingsourcing has abundant factory resources in China, some of which may hardly be found on Alibaba or any other China wholesale websites. They can reach out to both small workshops and large professional factories.

Some large-scaled factories may not focus on online marketing because they may just specialize in manufacturing products for some brands. Thus, you can’t find them on the Chinese wholesale websites though they’re professional enough. With great technology and equipment, they can manufacture products of high quality.

In contrast, small workshops can’t produce products of perfect quality, but they may offer very low prices. If you want more affordable products of average quality, you can choose small workshops.

If you can’t choose the suppliers, you can send the samples to the agents of Jingsourcing and tell them your budget. Then, they can ask for different factories to make samples with different prices and qualities simultaneously. At last, you can choose the most suitable product based on your budget and requirements.

2. Ways of Communication: All their agents can communicate with you in very fluent English. All their agents can communicate with you in very fluent English. If you want to wholesale or customize products from China, you can contact them via email or phone and their specialists will help you.

3. Dropshipping: They have a growth plan for dropshipping and charge service fees based on the product’s values. You can tell them the order information or connect your store with the order system to grab information automatically.

4. Shipping methods: They can provide most shipping methods including courier, sea freight, air freight, or train. Plus, they have cooperated with many logistics companies and they can offer the best solutions based on different destinations and products at a very competitive price.

Brief Summary,

 

Global Sources & Made In China

1. Types of suppliers: The suppliers of Global Sources and Made In China are, generally, factories and large trading companies. It’s hard for small trading companies to enter the market because it requires more funds.

Their products are all sold in bulk and each product’s profit is not high. As a result, there is not much difference in the prices of similar products on Global Sources and Made In China.

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Suppliers usually accept OEM and ODM as long as the quantity ordered reaches their minimum requirement. They also accept customization.

2. MOQ: Usually, MOQ is hundreds of orders. But it also varies from different product categories. And inventory needs lower MOQ generally.

3. Ways of communication: You can get in touch with suppliers using online chatting or sending an inquiry on both websites. If you want to send more important details to the supplier, I recommended that you use Send Inquiry.

4. Payment methods: With regards to payment methods, you can, of course, negotiate with the supplier. Different orders may use different payment methods. Usually, PayPal is used for small orders. But for large goods, L/C, T/T, Western Union, etc. are used.

5. Shipping methods: On Global Sources and Made In China, the suppliers will advise you to ship the goods by sea or air. Shipment takes a long time. Typically, it takes about 30-40 days to arrive (USA & Europe).

However, if you want to receive the goods faster and can afford to pay higher costs, you can ask the supplier to ship your goods by DHL, UPS, or TNT.

6. Considerations on Global Sources and Made In China

After negotiating with a supplier, signing a formal contract is required. Because Global Sources and Made In China only serve as bridges for your inquiry, big orders are considered high value. Signing a contract makes the deal easier.

Brief Summary,

 

 

DHgate

1. Types of suppliers: There are factories as well as small to medium-sized trading companies on DHgate which makes it easy for Chinese suppliers to open a store on it.

2. MOQ: DHgate is mainly focused on small wholesale. You can buy dozens or hundreds of items. Usually, goods are priced according to the quantity purchased: the more pieces you buy, the cheaper the price. This means that you can bargain with the seller when you buy more.

12 Main Chinese Wholesale & Dropshipping Websites (Best & Legit)
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3. Ways of communication: On DHgate, you can contact sellers via online chat and messaging. I recommend that you use online chat because this way, sellers reply to your messages faster.

4. Payment methods: DHgate has a variety of payment methods. There are different payment methods for different regions. Buyers often use Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Moneybookers, Apple Pay, and online bank transfer.

5. Shipping methods: If the value of the goods you ordered is not high and you are not in a hurry to receive the goods, China Post or ePacket may be an appropriate choice. However, the disadvantage is that shipping time takes a while, and because there is no real-time tracking info, your package can easily get lost.

However, if you ordered high-value goods, express delivery is the better choice.

In the case of importing a large number of goods, you should opt for the traditional sea or air transport.

6. Considerations on DHgate 

If you have been waiting for a while and still haven’t received your package, contact the seller immediately because the package may have been lost in transit. If you didn’t receive your package within the expected shipping time, you can apply for a refund or resend the package to the sellers.

Brief Summary,

 

 

AliExpress

Many people are unaware of the connection between AliExpress and Alibaba, and their respective characteristics. But there is no need to worry. I will analyze AliExpress and help you clearly understand its commercial nature.

1. Types of suppliers: Let’s talk about the suppliers on AliExpress– big sellers and small sellers.

The big sellers are the factories and big trading companies. While factories have the capacity to produce large quantities of goods, the big trading companies have sufficient funds to purchase as many goods as they need. Hence, big trading companies purchase large amounts of goods from these factories at really low costs and sell them at very cheap prices on AliExpress.

This explains why you can find similar products having different prices on AliExpress.

The other group of suppliers is the small sellers who have just started their store on AliExpress. They want to expand their own business by attracting as many buyers as possible, so they sell their products very cheaply and sometimes even at zero profit.

As a result, you will see some products being sold at extremely low prices compared to other similar products, but it doesn’t mean that they are fake just because they are a lot cheaper.

2. MOQ: There is no MOQ on AliExpress. You can even buy as little as one item at a time. If you want to buy dozens or hundreds of products, don’t add them to your shopping cart directly. You can send an inquiry to the seller to negotiate. This is a very good way to get cheaper prices.

3. Ways of communication: On AliExpress, you can chat online with sellers, or send messages. They will reply to you within 24 hours.

4. Payment methods: AliExpress’s payment method is flexible. You have dozens of options (e.g. Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Western Union, bank transfer, etc.).

5. Shipping methods: Sellers will choose express delivery for you if you have a high-value order such as electronics, but not for cheaper orders due to the very expensive courier fee.

You know for a fact that logistics costs more than your good’s value. If the sellers have no overseas warehouse, they will usually choose China Post or ePacket to deliver your package.

In general, AliExpress sells cheap products but logistics remains a problem. Many packages delivered via ChinaPost or ePacket do not reach buyers in time. Especially during peak seasons, many packages get stuck in customs for about a month.

Worse, there is no real-time tracking info for logistics. My friends often complain that most of the posts on AliExpress are about delayed packages complaints during peak season. And that’s also why many consumers worry about the legit of AliExpress.

Remember to check and make sure where your package is shipping from before placing your order. If it’s shipping from China and not by express delivery, you can expect that the shipping time is longer. However, if the seller has an overseas warehouse in your country then the shipping time is faster.

12 Main Chinese Wholesale & Dropshipping Websites (Best & Legit)
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6. Dropshipping: AliExpress is a beginner-friendly platform for dropshipping. Almost every dropshipper sells products using AliExpress. You can find all the products you want on it.

7. Considerations on AliExpress

A. If the goods you receive do not match the product description, or if there is a defect or problem in terms of quality, and the shipping time took longer than promised, you can choose to return the goods or ask for a refund.

In this case, you need to take a picture or a video of the product as proof.

B. Once you request a refund, after-sales customer service will contact you and propose some solutions:

  • Direct refund
  • Resend a new one
  • Give you a discount or coupons
  • Return goods and resend

But it may take some time to work it out.

Brief Summary,

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Yiwugo

Yiwugo is the official website of Yiwu markets. If you have not shopped on Yiwugo before, you’d better give it a try after reading my article.

Yiwugo provides you the information of the suppliers in the Yiwu markets, including the store address, product listings, etc. If you want to go to the physical store, it’s a great idea to check the information on Yiwugo in advance rather than get lost in the large market.

12 Main Chinese Wholesale & Dropshipping Websites (Best & Legit)
Click to Enlarge

1. Types of suppliers: Many of the suppliers on Yiwugo come from Yiwu markets. Some of them are direct factory.

2. MOQ: MOQ varies among different suppliers. Most products’ MOQ is more than 10 pieces. Price varies according to the quantity purchased (e.g. buying 2pcs costs $5/pc, buying 200pcs costs $4.5/pc, buying more than 1000pcs costs $4.2/pc).

3. Ways of communication: You can contact a seller using Send Inquiry (Send Inquiry is more formal), or click on Contact to see the supplier’s phone number, email, and address.

4. Payment methods: You can negotiate the payment method with the supplier on Yiwu go. Usually, you can pay through PayPal for small orders. But for big orders, you may need to pay using T/T or L/C.

5. Shipping methods: Logistics options on Yiwugo are similar to Alibaba.

6. Considerations Yiwugo

A. The listing optimization on Yiwugo is not very good. You can even see a lot of Chinese characters in pictures of products. But knowing the details about a product is not a problem. If there is some product information that you don’t understand, you can send a message to the supplier.

B. Sometimes, getting an answer to your inquiry takes a long time. Regardless of how much you are buying, 200 pieces even, you have no choice but to wait for the supplier’s reply. After communicating with the supplier and getting the confirmation, you can now place your order.

Brief Summary,

 

 

1688

1688 is a wholesale website focusing on the Chinese market. It only has a Chinese version and you need to translate the page into English with the Google translate plugin. However, there are still some troubles when using 1688.

Below is some information for you to know 1688 better:

1. Types of suppliers: Not all suppliers on 1688 are factories in China. There are both Chinese trading companies and factories on 1688 as Alibaba and other sites.

2. Ways of Communication: Many suppliers may not speak English. You can contact them by using WeChat after finding their telephone number.

3. Payment methods: Most suppliers only support RMB payment. You can only pay by Alipay, online Chinese banking.

4. Shipping methods: 1688 only support Chinese domestic shipping. You’d better find a sourcing agent or freight forwarder to help you ship your products altogether.

5. Dropshipping: Most suppliers provide overseas dropshipping services for sellers on e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, etc.

6. Considerations on 1688

All in all, for foreigners or Chinese who is outside of China, there are still many limitations when buying from 1688. You need to overcome the language barrier, the shipping and payment hassles. Plus, the products on 1688 are more suitable for Chinese consumers due to cultural differences.

Brief Summary,

 

 

4 Main Chinese Dropshipping Websites

For new business starters, you can choose to buy products in lower quantities from some dropshipping websites. But if you’re not familiar with this business model, you should learn some steps to start dropshipping business before your invest.

Here are mainly 4 common Chinese dropshipping websites for your reference:

  • Banggood
  • DealeXtrme
  • Lightinthebox
  • CJDropshipping

If you want to find more  Chinese dropshipping suppliers, you can also check my previous blog to learn several dropshipping websites.

Banggood

Banggood is a Chinese B2C website offering a wide range of products especially electronic products. It has 37 overseas warehouses covering all regions of the world so that you can order locally to save time. But the stock products in the overseas warehouses may be limited so that you should check the information in advance.

Moreover, you don’t need to pay the extra membership fee to apply for dropshipping program. There are also some benefits for dropship like 5%-20% discount and higher.

CJDropshipping

CJDropshipping is a Chinese website specialized in dropshipping business. There are various categories of products for you to choose from on CJDropshipping.

They have many overseas warehouses in many countries such as the USA, Germany, Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries of Southeastern Asia. You can choose the location of the warehouses according to your customers.

You’re allowed to connect the product data from CJ to your store automatically so you can skip revising the product listing in your store.

DealeXtreme

DealeXtreme is an online platform specialized in dropshipping and wholesaling technical and electronic goods. But they also have extensive categories for you to choose from, including apparel, shoes, outdoors, etc.

DealeXtreme provides free shipping but it doesn’t have tracking information. You can also pay extra money to choose another quicker shipping method and get available tracking information.

Lightinthebox

Lightinthebox is a Chinese retail website who mainly feature in some certain product categories such as apparel, small accessories & gadget, and home & garden. They can also provide many other categories of products.

Plus, Lightinthebox has warehouses in Europe and the USA. And there is no option of shipping regions and you should confirm that with the suppliers in advance.

Alibaba vs AliExpress

I have listed the respective characteristics of Alibaba and AliExpress. But many people are unaware of the connection between them. There is no need to worry. I’ll compare them from different aspects.

Different Business Model

Alibaba and AliExpress are both reliable e-commerce platforms from Alibaba Group. There is the biggest gap between them—the business model. Alibaba mainly focuses on wholesale while AliExpress mainly focuses on retail.

Due to the business mode, there is no MOQ on AliExpress while the MOQ varies from different sellers and products on Alibaba.

Thus, if you just want to buy items for personal use or small wholesale, AliExpress will be better for you. In contrast, if you want to wholesale at more competitive prices, you’d better choose Alibaba.

Shipping Methods

AliExpress provide free shipping by using certain shipping method like Cainiao Super Economy Global. Of course, you can also pay extra money to use faster methods. In contrast, the shipping fee on Alibaba is to be negotiated based on the order and methods.

Dropshipping

Both platforms allow dropshipping. However, you should choose the one depending on your business. Some suppliers on Alibaba may not support dropshipping and some may accept a larger order at a time. If you have a steady business, you can buy from Alibaba to get a more competitive price. If you are new to the business and just need a single item for personal use, you can consider AliExpress.

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Alibaba vs Made in China vs Global Sources

The three wholesale websites have something in common, such as the suppliers, the product categories, the shipping methods, the payment methods, etc., though there are still some tiny differences.

Business Model

There are both trading companies and factories on these platforms. You can find the same suppliers on different platforms. But on Made in China, you can only find Chinese suppliers while on another two sites, you can find suppliers from other countries.

Product Category

You can find a wide range of products on the three sites. However, Global Sources focuses on electronics, auto accessories, and gadgets while Made in China is specialized in machinery, electronics, etc.

MOQ

On all sites, you can place either small or big orders. If you need custom products, MOQ on the three sites is higher. If the suppliers have enough inventory, you can negotiate with them about the MOQ. But generally, most suppliers on Made in China and Global Sources set a higher MOQ.

All in all, when you choose the three wholesale websites, it is best to compare them in all aspects to see which one is more suitable for your business. And you should also focus on the products and the suppliers.

4 Tips to Deal with China Wholesale Suppliers

I have introduced some online platforms for you to search for Chinese suppliers. Besides ensuring which platform is suitable, the most important thing is to find a reliable Chinese supplier.

Over the years, I have learned a lot from selecting Chinese suppliers for our clients. So it’s time to share the valuable and unique experience with several personal cases.

In short, the way to find Chinese suppliers on these websites is similar. What you should do first is to ensure what product you want and then compare as many suppliers as possible from the aspect of the products, credibility, responsibility, cost, etc. Based on these factors, I sum up several tips to deal with Chinese suppliers for your reference.

Verify whether the suppliers are reliable

There are several fundamental things that you should take into consideration when you verify a supplier.

First, you should check the background of the supplier. You can check their business license, product certificates, etc. And if they have a website on Google or Alibaba store, you can look through the website to know more about them.

Then, if you want to place a bulk order, you should always ask for a sample before that. If you find any issues with the samples, you should let your supplier address them at once and make another one.

Moreover, during the cooperation, you can verify whether they’re expertise and responsible enough. If you think communicating between you and your supplier is not smooth, and they’re even indifferent to your order, you can consider looking for another supplier.

Balance quality and price

Undoubtedly, everyone wants to find the lowest price to boost profit. But I bet you won’t buy products quite lower than the market price because low prices sometimes come with several issues.

I will tell you a case. One client of mine wanted to purchase surveillance cameras from us but thought our suppliers offered too high a price. Thus, he found another supplier offering lower prices than us. But in the end, he received some products of bad quality and had to ask us for advice.

From this case can we know that balancing the quality and price of the products is essential. Otherwise, you might lose more for only pursuing the lowest price.

Make use of your suppliers’ resource

If you have built a long-term relationship with your supplier, you can ask them for other help more than only purchasing goods.

For example, if you want to buy other related products, you can ask your old supplier for help. The old suppliers can recommend other reliable suppliers or even source the products for you. They’re just like your sourcing agent in China and you can save your time and energy on sourcing products and suppliers.

Besides, if you want to develop a new product or innovate the current products, you can also ask them for advice. Since those suppliers often deal with different clients, they’re familiar with the latest trends in the industry and can give you some ideas.

Ask for better payment terms

After you have cooperated with a supplier several times, you can negotiate with them for better payment terms to support you on finance.

For example, our company purchases goods for a company in Europe. We have established trust in each other after six-month cooperation successfully. Now, they don’t need to pay the deposit is required when placing the order but just pay the order off before containers arrive at the seaport of Hamburg Germany.

Here are mainly three common kinds of payment terms with your Chinese suppliers:

  • Wire Transfer (Pay 30% deposit before production, pay 70% balance payment before shipment)
  • Wire Transfer ( Pay 30% deposit before production, pay 70% balance payment before goods arrive at the port of your country)
  • LC and OA (Letter of credit & Open account)

FAQs About China Wholesale Websites

1. What is the best China wholesale website to buy wholesale from China?

Many people want to know which is the best website to buy wholesale from China, actually, there is no so-called “the best” website. You can find almost no huge difference among these websites. It’s just up to your needs.

If you have no idea about that indeed, I recommend you to use Alibaba for your business through overall considerations. It has a more user-friendly interface, rich product pictures, and detailed product specifications, which can be convenient for buyers to use.

Plus, whether you want to buy a piece of product for personal use or wholesale for business in small or large quantities, it is both available on Alibaba. You can also negotiate with the suppliers about the prices if you can place a larger order.

All in all, you can choose the website depending on your requirements. And you should pay more attention to the suppliers and products rather than choose the websites.

2. How to identify the suppliers on China wholesale websites?

When you look for a supplier at first, you can see whether they have rich product listings, high-definition product pictures, and detailed specifications. However, this cannot be the only rule to identify the suppliers because you should still check how the real products are.

Some suppliers will give you a perfect impression before you cooperate with them. But finally, they may neither provide you the real products as good as the pictures or the samples nor give you very professional and responsible services.

Thus, you’d better place a small order to determine whether they’re the right supplier to work with. During your cooperation, you can check if they can provide good quality products, as well as fast, professional, responsible services. After the first order, you can know the supplier well and then decide whether you want to further your cooperation.

Finally, it’s your turn

If there’s anything in the guide that confused you, you can leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you soon and I’ll be right here to respond.  Don’t forget to share this blog with your friends or on social communities.

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