If you ever thought of selling items or want to research more on where to find suppliers, check out Alibaba and AliExpress. Have you ever heard of Alibaba Or Aliexpress? No, I’m not talking about a Middle Eastern genie name or a fast pass name. I’m talking about some of the biggest online markets in the world that competes with eBay and Amazon.
Alibaba and Aliexpress are online marketplaces that sells practically everything from wholesale to retail. When I say, I mean everything from make up, car accessories, medical supplies, and everything in between. This e-commerce empire was started by Jack Ma, a former English teacher from Hangzhou, China and is one of the most successful Chinese entrepreneurs today. Both Aliexpress and Alibaba have a global reach that is very comparable to Amazon, eBay, etc.
What’s the difference between Alibaba and Aliexpress?
Let’s start with Alibaba.com
Alibaba connects to so many sellers that venture in wholesale and retail. Many of the companies listed that do business in this site are manufacturers based in China. Alibaba has been around since 1999 for those who are curious as to how long Alibaba has been around for.
Alibaba.com is an online marketplace where you connect with wholesale manufacturers to buy anything you need in bulk. See the below screenshot from Alibaba.com.
Depending on products you look into and if you decide to buy from there, you can have items custom branded, but like I said, it all depends on the manufacturer where you buy your products from.
Buyer beware: some sellers require you to buy a minimum amount of items, so make sure you take note of this as well. Read product descriptions carefully. Communicate with the sellers you’re interested in doing business with. Also, shipping times vary due to many of these products coming from China.
As an example, I used the keyword “nursing”, and below is an example of some items you may see on Alibaba.
Let’s now talk about Aliexpress.com
AliExpress is Alibaba’s online retail platform, which competes with eBay and Amazon. There is no minimum quantity purchasing like Alibaba does. Sellers are based worldwide, not just in China. According to AliExpress’s website, they are available across 230 different countries and regions, have more than 150 million active shoppers on their platform, get at least 200 million monthly user visits, and this platform is in 18 different languages. The reach this store has in unbelievable.
Why should you consider even looking into Alibaba Or Aliexpress for inspiration?
There are many ways that you can utilize Alibaba and AliExpress to your advantage when it comes to doing eCommerce, online selling, etc. You can buy products to re-sell, buy items and have them customized with your branding, learn about what items are popular in the market right now, etc. These sites are definitely worth a try if you want to venture into online selling or add another resource to your business already.
