{"id":44464,"date":"2020-12-17T17:56:22","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T09:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jingsourcing.com\/?p=44464"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:23:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T08:23:39","slug":"b-alibaba-vs-aliexpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jingsourcing.com\/b-alibaba-vs-aliexpress\/","title":{"rendered":"Alibaba VS AliExpress: Which One is Better for Your Importing Business\uff1f"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Alibaba and AliExpress are two online platforms commonly used by foreign importers to source products<\/a> from China. Both platforms belong to Alibaba Group, you can find tens of thousands of products at a competitive price on these two platforms. But there are many differences between them both. The biggest difference is the business model, Alibaba mainly for wholesaling, while AliExpress is more like a retailing platform, which is a familiar difference to most buyers.<\/p>

In fact, there are many differences\u00a0in many other aspects. In my today\u2019s post, I will analyze the differences between them from\u00a05\u00a0aspects<\/strong>.\u00a0And I will answer some FAQs<\/strong>\u00a0about Alibaba and AliExpress.\u00a0I bet you can benefit a lot from the post and know how to choose the suitable one according to your actual need.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. Why Alibaba price is cheaper than AliExpress price?<\/a><\/li>
  2. What is the shipping service and fees on Alibaba and AliExpress?<\/a><\/li>
  3. Is the MOQ on Alibaba and AliExpress the same?<\/a><\/li>
  4. Do Alibaba and AliExpress support dropshipping?<\/a><\/li>
  5. Alibaba and AliExpress, which is better for custom products?<\/a><\/li>
  6. Six common FAQs about Alibaba and AliExpress?<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    1. Alibaba VS AliExpress, which one to use\uff1f(5 aspects)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    If you don\u2019t want to read many words, you can read the following chart. I summarize the typical difference in it.<\/p>

    \n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    <\/td>Alibaba<\/th>AliExpress<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Business Model<\/td>Focus on wholesale<\/td>Focus on retail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Price<\/td>Competitive and Negotiable<\/td>Relatively higher than Alibaba<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Shipping fee<\/td>Based on goods volume\/shipping methods<\/td>Usually free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    MOQ(Minimum Order Quantity)<\/td>Vary based on sellers and products<\/td>No MOQ requirement<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Dropship<\/td>Vary based on sellers<\/td>Allowed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Custom Products<\/td>Allowed<\/td>Allowed but inadvisable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Price<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    For any business model, a low sourcing price is an important factor influencing profit margin. The price on Alibaba will be lower than AliExpress, as Alibaba is a wholesale marketplace essentially, whose customer group is businessmen. In addition, you can negotiate with Alibaba suppliers\u00a0about the quotation before you place\u00a0an\u00a0order.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    But on AliExpress, the\u00a0price\u00a0will be higher, as it is designed as a B2C platform.<\/p>

    Generally,\u00a0you couldn\u2019t negotiate with the supplier about the retail price\u00a0and place the order directly.\u00a0Only when your business grows and can buy a large quantity, may you can negotiate with AliExpress sellers for a discount.<\/p>

    So if you are running established or growing businesses\u00a0and you can store hundreds or thousands of wholesale items at one time, you had better choose Alibaba.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Shipping\u00a0fee<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Usually, AliExpress provides free shipping service, while Alibaba not.<\/p>

    But for free shipping on AliExpress, the supplier usually just provides economy shipping methods like Cainiao Super Economy to ensure profit. But you can negotiate with them about changing the shipping method<\/a> by paying extra money if you can\u2019t wait for a long time.<\/p>

    For the shipping method on Alibaba, you can negotiate with suppliers about the shipping rates. The shipping fee<\/a> will vary from different shipping methods. There are mainly 3 types: air freight, express, and sea shipping.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    MOQ(Minimum Order Quantity)<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

    Suppliers on Alibaba are mainly manufacturers and traders, so they usually set MOQ at $500 to ensure the profit margin and cover the cost of production. But there are some trading companies on Alibaba or if the manufacturer has existing products, they may set a small MOQ or even supports one-piece order.<\/p>

    In addition, MOQ varies from different product categories. Usually, those products with high value will have a relatively low MOQ on Alibaba and other supplier websites<\/a>.<\/p>

    The majority of the suppliers on AliExpress are resellers or trading companies, and they sell ready-made products, so they usually don\u2019t have requirements for MOQ.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Dropship<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

    Many suppliers on Alibaba are manufacturers, as they need to undertake the production cost, they usually won\u2019t support dropshipping order. But there are also some trade companies on Alibaba. For such suppliers, they may support dropshipping if they have existing styles through negotiation.<\/p>

    AliExpress is a retail platform, and most suppliers on AliExpress are trading companies<\/a><\/span> and they sell ready-made products, they will support dropshipping.<\/p>

    There are two common dropshipping order modes for trading companies no matter on Alibaba or AliExpress: firstly, you can buy one at one time from suppliers and they send the product to your customer. Secondly, you can buy in bulk at first from supplier, but the supplier will help you store the products in their warehouse. Then they will send it to your customer when you receive an order. Of course, they will charge you extra fees like warehousing fee and handling fee.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Custom Products <\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

    If you want to custom products, Alibaba will be better. You can find many factories<\/a> on it, most of them have a professional design team. And you can tell them your idea directly.<\/p>

    For example, if you want to custom a kind of novel jewellery, you can tell them your demands and idea. Then they will help you draw a design manuscript and produce it. And if you want to print your private label<\/a> on the product, manufacturers have the capacity to complete it.<\/p>

    While on AliExpress, although you can find a trading company to help you custom product, the process will be more complicated. Trading company will act as an intermediary to help you convey your idea to the factory. Under such circumstance, you can\u2019t communicate with the factory directly, it may turn out that the product can\u2019t be manufactured well according to your needs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    2. 6 FAQs about Alibaba and AliExpress<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Is <\/b><\/strong>A<\/b><\/strong>libaba<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/strong>reliable<\/b><\/strong>?<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>

    Yes, it is definitely a reliable platform. It is one of the largest online wholesale markets. But there are still some scams on Alibaba<\/a>\u00a0that people may encounter. For example, the supplier raises the price when you place the order, which is higher than the quotation. To avoid the scam, you should find several alternatives rather than just focus on one supplier.<\/p>

    In fact, you may encounter such scams on any B2B platform<\/a>, and what you can do is avoid them. The most important aspect is to find good suppliers<\/a>\u00a0on Alibaba. Only when you find a reliable supplier, can you run your business smoothly.<\/p>

    Can anyone buy from Alibaba?<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

    Yes, no matter you buy for your personal use or company, you can source from Alibaba<\/a>. But if you just buy a single one for your own use, AliExpress will be more suitable for you. Alibaba is a better option for wholesale, as you can get a very competitive wholesale price on the platform.<\/p>

    Is it safe and reliable to shop on <\/b><\/strong>AliExpress<\/b><\/strong>\uff1f<\/b><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

    In fact, it is absolutely safe. There are mainly 4 reasons for letting buyers think it is a scam.<\/p>