Find suppliers in China: Exploring the popular and not-so-popular ways
Last updated: 07.02.2025
Looking for suppliers in China to expand your product catalogue? Discover the top ways to find reliable and trustworthy suppliers
Key takeaways
- Partnering with trustworthy suppliers ensures high-quality products, enhancing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
- You can find suppliers on marketplaces like Alibaba or AliExpress or trade fairs like the Canton Fair
- WorldFirst enables secure, fast, and cost-effective international payments to suppliers, protecting profit margins
Introduction
A business’s reputation is directly linked to the quality of the products it offers. No matter what discounts and deals you provide, if your product quality isn’t good enough, customers will never come back.
Partnering with reliable and trustworthy suppliers with a proven track record can ensure high-quality products, directly improving brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.
China is one of the biggest manufacturing hubs, and it is preferred by many global businesses. But it can be challenging and confusing to find a supplier in China for the first time when your business is headquartered in Australia.
In this blog, we take a look at the top conventional and unconventional ways to find reliable suppliers in China.
Table of Contents
Check online marketplaces
Alibaba
Alibaba is one of the best-known B2B marketplaces to find suppliers in China. A majority of listings on the platform are made by Chinese manufacturers, allowing buyers to connect directly with them.
With real-time chat translation in 15+ languages, communication is simplified between the buyer and supplier. Here are some tips on how to find a reliable supplier on Alibaba:
- Request business license or certificates: As a buyer, it’s your responsibility to ensure your supplier is trustworthy. Requesting proof of their business registration and relevant certificates will help you shortlist your preferred supplier
- Order a sample: Many wholesale suppliers allow buyers to order samples before committing to a large order. You’ll want to inspect a couple of samples to verify the quality. While MOQs on Alibaba are usually as low as 1 or 2, larger MOQs get bigger discounts. Single sample product pricing is usually higher than bulk product pricing
- Alibaba Trade Assurance: Alibaba’s Trade Assurance is a free program that protects customers until the product arrives and meets expectations. When you make the payment as a buyer and place an order, the money is held in escrow by Alibaba until you confirm that the order has been received and the product quality expectations have been met
- Verified by Alibaba: Alibaba’s goal is to create a safe and easy buying environment for customers. To facilitate this, they have Verified by Alibaba tags for suppliers who have already been vetted
- Support for international payment methods: Alibaba supports payments through all the major international methods, including credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, WeChat, and more
AliExpress
AliExpress is the international B2C offshoot of Alibaba.com that allows domestic Chinese businesses to sell products directly to their customers. There are no MOQ requirements on AliExpress, and the prices are generally higher than those of Alibaba since it’s a retail website.
Here are the top tips for finding reliable suppliers on AliExpress:
- Verified suppliers: AliExpress also has verified wholesale sellers pre-vetted for the buyers. When you see a ‘V’ icon next to the supplier’s name, that means the supplier has already been vetted by AliExpress and they are mostly reliable
- Buyer protection: AliExpress offers buyer protection with a money-back guarantee where buyers can get their money refunded if the product isn’t received within the specified buyer protection period
- Support for secure payment methods: AliExpress also supports all the major international and domestic payment methods, including AliPay, credit/debit cards, and PayPal
- Ordering a single product is possible: While AliExpress sellers don’t directly offer ‘sample products,’ there are no MOQ requirements for most products. So you can order samples before placing a bulk order. As with Alibaba, single products will usually cost you more than when you place bulk orders.
→ Take a look at our head-to-head Alibaba vs AliExpress comparison to understand the major differences between the two major e-commerce platforms
1688
1688.com is another major B2B online marketplace that was mainly introduced to connect domestic Chinese buyers with local manufacturers and wholesalers. It is not as popular among global businesses because the website is entirely in Mandarin, considering its target audience. International buyers can translate the website text using any browser or plug-in.
→ Take a look at our complete guide to buying products from 1688
Here are a few tips for finding reliable suppliers on 1688:
Look for suppliers with the trustworthiness label: You can tick the checkbox 实⼒商家 to view suppliers with the trustworthiness label. This label is given to suppliers who offer high-quality products and timely deliveries
Analyze repurchase rates: You can check the repurchase rate of every supplier to see how often buyers place repeat orders after their first purchase. A high repurchase rate means suppliers are reliable and offer consistent quality
Check factory inspection reports: You can check factory details of a supplier by going to their profile page and clicking on 工厂档案 label, which translates to factory files. You’ll find a lot of information on the supplier’s factory, including the number of employees, fulfillment rate, factory address, contact information, list of products manufactured, and factory pictures.
Choose a secure payment method: 1688 doesn’t directly support international payment methods. The only way you can make international payments on 1688.com is through World Pay.
World Pay is the exclusive payment solution for paying 1688 suppliers. The exchange rate is more competitive than direct bank transfers (up to 0.8%) and it only takes a few clicks to make the transfer.
Here are the steps to use World Pay:
- Register for a 1688.com account
- Register for a World Account
- Convert funds to CNH in your World Account
- Authorise your World Account to link your payments to 1688.com via World Pay
- Open 20+ local currency accounts and get paid like a local
- Pay suppliers, partners and staff worldwide in 100+ currencies
- Collect payments for free from 130+ marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, Etsy, PayPal and Shopify
- Save with competitive exchange rates on currency conversions and transfers
- Lock in exchange rates for up to 24 months for cash flow certainty
Plan a visit to the bi-annual Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair)
The Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou, China, in April and October. It is one of the biggest exhibitions that connects buyers and sellers. The fair is held in three phases over the span of three weeks. Suppliers from all around the country hold exhibitions to showcase their products. By attending the Canton Fair, you can meet suppliers face to face, explore over 100+ product categories, check the quality of products directly, and build long-lasting relationships.
It is organised by the China Foreign Trade Centre and co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China.
Ask people who have sourced from China before
There’s no better way to find reliable suppliers than through direct referrals. You can use your network to ask for referrals from people who have sourced from Chinese suppliers before. In case you have reached out to your network already with no luck, try searching on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
Streamline supplier payments with WorldFirst
The biggest challenge you will face with an international supplier is making fast and cost-effective international payments. Even if you find suppliers selling products at bulk rates, currency conversion costs can very easily cut through your profit margins if you’re not careful.
WorldFirst helps businesses make international payments to China at competitive exchange rates.
With a World Account, you can:
Pay suppliers in their preferred currency: Setup local currency accounts in over 15+ currencies, including CNH, GBP, USD, CAD, EUR, AUD, and NZD
Get your products shipped faster: Send same-day or next-day payments at competitive interbank/mid-market rates (Cut off times apply)
Pay 1668 suppliers: World Pay is the only way to make international payments to suppliers on 1668.com
Protect your profit margins: Lock-in exchange rates for up to 24 months through forward contracts
Make instant payments: Payments are free and instant between World Accounts
Disclaimer: The information contained is general only and largely our views. Before acting on the information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon multiple sources the author believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions, estimates, mentioned products/services and referenced material constitute the author’s own judgement as of the date of the briefing and are subject to change without notice. WorldFirst shall not be responsible for any losses or damages arising from your reliance of such information.
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Find suppliers in China: Exploring the popular and not-so-popular ways
Meta description: Take a look at the top conventional and unconventional ways to find reliable suppliers in China.
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