Tips on Finding Reliable China Suppliers on Alibaba

There is a limitless opportunity of making money by doing business in Chinese market. But identifying the proper suppliers is one of the most challenging tasks in your consumer good business. Because labor is an order of magnitude cheaper in China, it’s in your best interests to find China wholesale suppliers and import direct from Chinese factories. If you have a good number of suppliers to choose from, create a “pre-selection system” that helps you shortlist.

If you already have your product idea, the next step is finding the perfect suppliers in China. There are Business-2-Business platforms you can turn to when looking for suppliers. The most popular and largest among them is Alibaba. This platform has tens of thousands of suppliers. Alibaba can be excellent tool for Amazon vendors looking to bulk up their inventory via overseas manufacturers. Before buying from suppliers, it is essential to check both Alibaba and Amazon to compare product price points. On Alibaba, you’ll see two ways to search through Alibaba on their search bar:

• First one is based on products
• The second one is based on suppliers

Use the “Products” search option if you’re still in the brainstorming stage and are trying to figure out what product you want to produce. When you’re actually looking to find a factory to work with, you’re going to want to use the “Supplier” search option.

Know Your Product Specifics

1. The specifics of your product
2. The characteristics of your ideal factory
3. The location where your ideal factory is likely to be found

The China suppliers online with a solid reputation is good indication of willingness to work with you. There are two types of suppliers you will get on Alibaba:

Gold Supplier

Gold Supplier is a premium membership for suppliers on Alibaba.com. According to their website, being a Gold Supplier means you have a paid membership on Alibaba.com. Every Gold Supplier is a legally registered company, unlike Free Members who are not verified. To become a Gold Supplier, members must pass a verification conducted by a third party agency. The verification process enables Alibaba.com to confirm that the business is legally registered in its region. Alibaba does not and cannot guarantee the authenticity or genuineness of any of goods listed for sale by sellers.

Assessed Supplier

Similar to the Gold Supplier selection, an Assessed Supplier is someone who has been quality inspected as well as had their company completely scrutinized to make sure they are legit. Any assessment, certification, inspection and/or related examination related to any sellers on Alibaba.com are provided or conducted by independent third parties.

The Alibaba marketplace is where people who want to sell manufactured goods can find them. Alibaba is best for experienced entrepreneurs who want to sell their own custom products, have the lowest prices, want to have a competitive advantage, and have an existing audience keeping their risk low.