Suppliers in China are not hard to find nowadays. When you are selling on Amazon the most important thing is identifying the cheapest and fastest source of the product. China is the most prefered location to every seller in Amazon. Since the last two decade, china is the most powerful in the manufacturing sector which is a 40% contribution to china’s GDP. At the beginning of the 1980s, if you want to buy goods from China, one must find an agent or they must personally visit china to order products. After the advancement of eCommerce business in 2010, dropshipping, wholesale, and private label selling has dramatically increased. The main reason everyone looks at china is because of inexpensive products.
Compared to the US, UK and Europe or other parts of the world, China has proven its ability to produce a large number of products with less cost. Large orders will even reduce the production cost and hence Return on Investment.
In the early days, the quality of the products was not up to the standards of the Western world. However, recently the production quality is comparable and even much better along with incredibly lower prices. While choosing the supplier, one must be careful and always order the sample. If you making huge orders, it is recommended to visit the factory and check the standards. Sourcing from China is not just limited to basic items, even the complicated medical equipment to aerospace all type of products available in China. Let’s have a look at Chinese sources for Amazon or eBay sellers;
Alibaba
Alibaba is the world’s largest sourcing platform, office headquarters located in Hangzhou, China. Alibaba.com is the best place to find a wide range of products and trading companies. However, despite it is the largest platform to access china factories, it is very difficult to identify the good source. Since it is very famous and your competitors are most likely looking at the same platform. This situation not good for an average Amazon seller and probably you will end up in price war. In recent days, Alibaba’s reputation is going down because of poor quality products, scams and counterfeits.
Global Sources
Global Source has good experience in offering the trading platform and host international trade fairs in Asia. Many sellers on Global Source platform have a good reputation and one can see the similar shops in trade fairs. Global Source focuses on reputation, Western companies and less middleman compared with other platforms. Similarly, it is hard to deal for small retail Amazon sellers and prove the capability for Global Sources.
AliExpress
AliExpress is owned by Alibaba and this platform is suitable small retail sellers with fewer orders. Any individual seller in China can also register as a supplier in this platform. AliExpress ships across the world and it is difficult to verify the sellers in this platform. Good for starters with low orders. When you are buying in this platform, most likely you are buying from an agent.
DHgate
DHgate offers low orders with a wide range of products. Even they ship one order across the globe. The platform has good trustworthiness but not as big as Alibaba, not suitable for large quantity orders.
Made-in-china.com
Made in China is very similar to Alibaba which offers customised page for Chinese sellers. 10,000+ verified seller registered in the site. Very easy to navigate and user-friendly. The variety of products is wide with cheap price and bulk orders are accepted.
Apart from above-mentioned sourcing from China, one must consider visiting trade shows to meet suppliers directly. Which keeps a competitive edge with many sellers in Amazon. This will also build a relationship, trust and a great business. Canton Fair is one the largest Chinese trade show which offers a wide range of products, new trends and much more. The Canton Fair is so large that it requires many days to cover the entire show. HKTDC, CES, Intersolar and much other trade fairs which specifically related to individual category offer great deals. If you are looking to scale your business with the private label it is best to visit the factory and see the facility, equipment, raw materials and workforce.
