Sourcing platforms in China: Alibaba, 1688, Made-in-China

Most import projects start with an online search. Three names come up almost every time. Alibaba.com, the Alibaba Group's export showcase designed for foreign buyers. 1688.com, the same group's platform focused on the domestic Chinese market, entirely in Chinese. Made-in-China.com, an export catalog run by Focus Technology from Nanjing, leaning toward machinery and industrial equipment. Other marketplaces exist, such as Global Sources or DHgate, each with its niche.

These three marketplaces essentially do the same thing: publish seller profiles, provide catalog access, and open a messaging system. However, they behave quite differently in practice: language, price, seller profiles, and protections vary significantly. Choosing wisely from the start avoids weeks of misunderstandings.

Alibaba.com is designed for buyers outside China. The interface is available in English and several other languages, prices are displayed in foreign currencies, and quantities are geared for export. Many profiles have a supplier verified status from the platform. The Trade Assurance mechanism governs payment: funds go through the platform, and a claim can be made within a specific timeframe if delivery does not match the order.

You will find factories that export, but also open trading companies and intermediaries of all types. The profile does not always reveal which one you are dealing with. The displayed price includes the export chain: it generally exceeds the domestic price of the same product. Finally, protection only covers what is written in the order placed on the platform. Going outside its channels means leaving the safety net.

1688.com belongs to the same group as Alibaba but primarily serves Chinese buyers. Everything is in Chinese, from the catalog to after-sales service. Prices are close to domestic wholesale levels, minimum order quantities are often lower, and the range goes beyond what the same sellers publish in export versions: finishes, parts and references unavailable elsewhere.

Conversely, the platform is not designed for export. Sellers generally do not speak English and handle neither export invoices nor customs documents. Payment goes through domestic instruments like Alipay, delivery remains within China, and there is no international equivalent of Trade Assurance. Buying directly requires a Chinese account and payment method, a consolidator for packages, and a contact who speaks the sellers' language. This is the territory of an agent or broker, not a foreign credit card.

Operated by Focus Technology, a company based in Nanjing, Made-in-China.com built its reputation on industrial export. The catalog leans heavily toward machinery, production equipment, construction materials, energy and automotive. Sellers often have a real export sales team, formalized quotes and familiarity with equipment projects.

The catalog leaves out a large part of everyday consumer goods: small leather goods, accessories, brand launches. And as everywhere, the listing remains a listing: it guarantees neither the actual size of the workshop, nor the quality of the series, nor the product's compliance with European regulations.

A marketplace publishes listings, connects buyers and sellers, and sometimes processes payments. It does not do the rest. It does not send anyone to verify that the workshop exists and manufactures what it claims. It does not write your specifications, does not follow production, does not inspect the goods before container loading, and does not handle customs clearance upon arrival.

Built-in protections have precise limits. Trade Assurance covers documented discrepancies between order and delivery, not perceived quality, not unspecified defects, and not European regulatory compliance, such as CE marking or packaging obligations. Certificates displayed on a listing must be verified with the issuing body, never on the listing itself. A low price in a catalog says nothing about the real cost of a non-compliant series.

The right choice depends on the product and the project stage. For a first contact in English on a consumer product, Alibaba.com is the direct channel. To tighten a price on an already defined series and access domestic references, 1688.com opens doors, provided you have a sinophone relay. For a machine or equipment, Made-in-China.com and physical trade fairs complement each other.

In any case, the platform remains a more or less supervised directory. The value comes from what you do around it: verify the seller, define the product, negotiate, inspect, ship. A common sequence is to test in small series on an export marketplace, then source at domestic prices once the specifications are stable.

Our brokerage and sourcing firm uses these platforms every day, like everyone else, but does not stop there. Our sinophone team in Guangzhou verifies each potential supplier directly: legal existence, workshop, export experience, consistency of prices and documents. We do not speak Chinese ourselves, and that is precisely why this team exists: it negotiates, reviews proformas, follows production, and has the goods inspected before containers leave.

In most cases, you do not pay fees: you open a file, we negotiate the goods for you, and we take a commission on their ex-works value. The choice of platform then becomes a logistical decision, made with you according to your product and volume.