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Unlocking China's Sourcing Potential
Popular Online Chinese Marketplace
These are the 18 best popular online Chinese marketplaces for 2022.
In fact, 90% of foreign buyers don’t know some of them, but 10% of most brilliant buyers use them to grow their business, creating a significant competitive edge.
So if you want to get more profit from your China sourcing, you’ll love these fantastic China marketplaces.
Let’s dive right in.
Chapter 1: China Marketplace Basic
What is a Chinese Marketplace?
A China marketplace is an online platform or website that helps link suppliers, factories, and sellers in China to buyers worldwide. Most of these marketplaces are type China b2b marketplace wherein they sell bulk items and buy bulk items.
They are designed to be accessible to anyone to look for products, explore suppliers, negotiate, and arrange shipping modes. For this reason, a long list of online marketplaces in China is becoming popular for retailers and buyers who want to start buying from China but don’t know-how.
Why is China Marketplace important?
The China online marketplace is the second-largest market globally, gathering at least 50% of the world trade. Based on the International Trade Administration (ITA), in 2020, the whole deal using this platform is at $2.29 trillion, and in 2021, the total deal utilizing this platform is at $3.56 trillion.
Using this platform has a lot of benefits for buyers, such as being able to buy a broad range of products from many suppliers. Through this marketplace online shopping platforms, you can buy the best-selling products without needing to buy in bulk, deal with various platforms, and have no seller restrictions.
Chapter 2: Types of Chinese Marketplaces
Today, many firms and businesses seek to buy wholesale goods, reach strong ties, and reduce operating costs. The China online marketplaces addressed such issues. An online marketplace is a platform that links sellers and buyers to transact, make payments, and place orders.
Online marketplaces have grown in favor because of their benefits, especially for buyers. It is a great medium that helps them buy products at their convenience. These marketplaces also provide them with safety, ease of use, lower risk, low cost, etc.
For these reasons, many types of online marketplaces have arisen to cater to the needs of sellers and buyers. There are various marketplace classes, mainly management approach, target audience, and focus. However, the most common type is the target audience, which is B2B, B2C, and C2C.
Business-To-Business (B2B)
The china b2b marketplace is the most common type of China marketplace when buying or selling marketplace online in China. We can differ B2B of other kinds when you hear familiar sites like Alibaba, Made in China, and even Global Sources. In short, a China B2B marketplace is a website where buyers can buy wholesale products or services.
If you’re a buyer who is still confused about which china b2b marketplace is the best type for you, you can refer to the goal and services offered. First, an online b2b marketplace aims to simplify the buy and sell process. Second, they have so many services that both benefit the buyers and sellers, such as:
- Buyers can find, and sellers can list the products in various niches all in one place.
- The china b2b marketplace allows anyone to negotiate and do transactions.
- This market already set payment, shipping, and prices.
Business-To-Customer (B2C)
The B2C china online marketplace is a type that many people know and use. An example of this is Amazon, AliExpress, and even Wallmart. A B2C marketplace is a platform where buyers can find and buy a wide range of products and services.
In this Chinese online marketplace, there are two elements involved, sellers and customers. The sellers will sell their products or services straight to the customers. It is the reason why you cannot see any middleman involved.
If you want to buy from china online marketplace and have no idea where to start, you can buy from AliExpress. It is a B2C china marketplace with several suppliers offering a broad range of products, whether for clothes, food, or supplies.
Customer-To-Customer (C2C)
The C2C china marketplace is an online marketplace that allows customers to trade. It is a market setting where customers buy things from other customers through an online marketplace platform.
This kind of marketplace online shopping is beneficial for buyers who want to eliminate going to a physical store. Or perhaps, if they are looking for a rare item not sold anywhere in their area. They only need to browse through the platform, contact the seller when they list their stuff online, and arrange transactions.
Some of the C2C China online marketplace examples are auctions and online advertising. And some of the C2C online marketplace platforms known today are Etsy, Craiglist, and eBay.
Chapter 3: Popular Chinese Online Marketplace List
China is the home of the largest online marketplaces in the world. This industry alone has generated at least $2.3 trillion in profit in 2020. Plus, it is foreseen to reach $3.56 trillion in 2024.
There are hundreds and thousands of eCommerce firms and websites in the China marketplace, where buyers can buy and sellers can sell. These platforms provide unique services to assist businesses with product and service needs. With these kinds of rates, how would you know which list of online marketplaces is best to buy or sell from?
We included the best marketplaces to sell online and the best local online marketplaces to buy goods in the following list.
Alibaba
Alibaba is one of the most well-known and biggest online marketplaces in China and worldwide. It started when Jack Ma founded this firm in 1999 in Hangzhou, China. If you plan to buy anything from China and look for the best online marketplace, Alibaba should be your number one option.
Alibaba is the best website for the “buy and sell online marketplace.” It is an online marketplace platform that connects sellers and buyers with the goal of sales. Buyers can explore hundreds of products, talk with the sellers, then buy. It’s super easy, especially for first-time buyers who want to know the Chinese market first.
Supposed you want to buy wholesale goods from China yet hesitant if they ship to your location—don’t be. Alibaba has 40 product classes with over 100 million items, plus they deliver in 200 countries. It means it’s very handy and helpful for any buyer!
1688
1688.com is one of the very well-known china b2b marketplaces. They have an online platform that provides sellers with business data. It also allows buyers to have safe transactions and convenience. In short, this is among the marketplaces online for businesspeople to connect through business and links.
For this very reason, they have become the best marketplace to sell online and buy products from. 1688 also provides the best products and services in 12 major sectors, such as:
- Raw materials
- Industrial products
- Clothes
- Household goods
- Minor entities
Taobao
Taobao is another Chinese online marketplace with 617 million active users and over 1 billion items. It is an Alibaba-owned company, but its design is far more different since Taobao has a C2C type of china marketplace. So, it focuses more on selling low-cost items straight to the customers.
Made In China
Made-in-China is one of the best b2b online marketplaces in China. It was founded in 1998, and they are located in Jiangsu, China. This marketplace connects Chinese sellers to buyers worldwide looking to buy the China goods.
If you are a buyer who is particular about using any local marketplace online, this might be for you. They offer buyers various products and services. They also made their platforms buyers friendly, so they provided the following:
- Keep numbers of verified and trusted suppliers.
- They make sure they have secured trading services.
- They offer offline and online sourcing meetings.
- You can ask for a business information report and audit report.
- Suppliers can upload a 360-degree virtual tour of their sites for you to view.
DHGate
DHGate is another best online marketplace that you may use when buying from China. It is a China b2b marketplace with over 10 million buyers from 150 countries worldwide. And they are located in Beijing, China, one of the biggest dens of marketplaces online.
This website is the perfect platform for first-time importers and beginners due to its simple features. The reality is that buying wholesale has a lot of challenges. You need to browse every product, talk with the sellers, and deal with them. This process will no longer be complex when you use DHGate, as you will have all your items and buy.
Through this b2b online marketplace, you can access bulk items on every product niche. They have over 30 million products, for sure, you can find the right products. Plus, each item cost low and inexpensive.
Jingdong (JD)
Jingdong, also known as JD, has a former name 360buy. Since it was founded in 1998 by Liu Qiandong, it has risen to the top and become part of the top online marketplaces. It is one of the firms leading in the China online marketplace in terms of trade volume and income.
JD Chinese online marketplace runs its website to cater to the buying needs of non-Chinese and Chinese customers. They are the largest tech firm and AI shipping firm known for selling more than tech items. Jingdong (JD) deliver their items via drones, airports, and even driverless vehicles.
They now venture into other sectors, such as grocery stores that have a similar concept to Amazon. Jingdong (JD) also added item categories like beauty, health, vitamins, etc. For this reason, the marketplace online shopping experience of buyers is much higher and more solid than any platform.
TMall
TMall is one of the B2C in this online marketplace list. This marketplace has over 500 million with over 40 000 sellers, so this is considered one of China’s best online marketplaces. This marketplace offers a broad range of goods to buyers in China and beyond. If you are looking for china marketplace clothing, TMall might be for you. You can find many brands here, for instance, the following:
- Burberry
- Zara
- Disney
- L’Oréal
- Adidas
- Proctor & Gamble
- Ray-Ban
- Levi’s
Trade Key
Another well-known China online marketplace that has the best website is Trade Key. This china marketplace started its operations in 2006 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is among the best marketplace to sell online and buy from because it’s easy to use, safe and has numerous services.
Because of how credible and experienced they are, buyers worldwide trust and use them. Some of the services they give in with their users and buyers are:
- It has trust points that discern seller or exporter that is more trustworthy and legit.
- They put on trust profile that gives buyers an overview of the sellers’ and business information.
- You can control the delivery time, payment modes, prices, and the sellers.
Pinduoduo
Pinduoduo, also known as PDD, was the second-largest Chinese online marketplace in 2015. It rose to the top and now has over 500 million users and has 12.8% shares in China’s retail sector. The reasons for this are the unique venture and the services they offer.
Pinduoduo is the best online marketplace to sell jewelry, clothes, homeware, etc. And this is also the ideal place to buy items from, mainly if you want unique and personalized items. You can list all your product preferences and send them to the factory, the same way you can group the suppliers fitted for you.
Suning
Suning is a Chinese online marketplace that will give all the services and product items you need. They will provide you with the best “marketplace online shopping experience” with home appliances, tech items, and clothes. They also offer other services, such as the following:
- Home appliances
- 3C products
- Books
- General merchandise
- Household commodities
- Cosmetics
- Infant care products
Gome
Gome is a Chinese online marketplace that focuses more on “e & e products.” However, they are now growing to have a more diverse sector to give buyers the best marketplace online shopping experience. Some of the areas they cater to and give in to their customers are:
- Maternal and baby supplies
- Health and medical products
- Home and textiles
- Cultural and art supplies
Lovely Wholesale
Lovely Wholesale is an online wholesale marketplace or a china marketplace clothing that focuses on clothes and garments. They have a broad range of item styles and sorts per their website. They also have two primary plants sited in Guangzhou and Shanghai, China.
VIP.com
In this online marketplace list, VIP.com is the only one that operates as a discount sales company. This china marketplace is popular too, with over 60 million users and over 20 million daily visitors. These numbers are the third largest online marketplaces after TMall and JD.
VIP.com perhaps is also the best marketplace to sell online in China. In the same way, how it’s best to buy if you’re looking for products in the following areas:
- Fashion
- Homeware
- Cosmetics
- Mother and baby products
- Toys
- Food and drink
Global Sources
Another china b2b marketplace on this online marketplaces list is Global sources which have been in this field since 1995. They are a platform that connects Chinese factories, suppliers, and wholesalers to all global buyers. They have over 100 million users because of how handy they are and how numerous the products and services they offer, such as:
- Car accessories
- Car parts
- Clothing
- Fashion accessories
- Footwear
- Hardware
- Homeware
- Tools
Dangdang
Dangdang provides the best marketplace online shopping experience. You can find anything in this china online marketplace, from clothes to jewelry to makeup to books. For this reason, it is the best online marketplace to sell jewelry, clothes, and anything you can think of, in the same way how you can purchase anything from their website or device.
HKTDC
The Chinese online marketplace that has top sellers from China is HKTDC. HKTDC, also known as Hong Kong Trade Development Council, has over 150 000 suppliers. It was founded in 1966 in Hong Kong and has become one of the top china marketplaces.
DIYTrade
DIYTrade is a china b2b marketplace and a China product directory. This company started its operations in 1999 and is now based in Shenzhen, China. This platform is well-known in China, and they claim to have over 5 million products in their marketplace.
Global Market
Part of this online marketplace list is Global Market which has a marketplace type of M2B. It was founded in 1995, and they are based in the Baiyun area in China. This platform helps connect buyers worldwide with Chinese suppliers and factories.
Moreover, Global Market is among the Chinese online marketplace not meant for direct buyers. So if you want to buy from this online marketplace platform, it’s best to work with a sourcing agent or company. If you don’t want to, you need to break the logistical code by talking with a supplier.
Chapter 4: Pros and Cons of Chinese Marketplaces
Pros
Market stability
China has a very stable market which has been growing steadily for the past few years. For this reason, selling and buying from the Chinese online marketplace is guaranteed to be safe, reliable, and offers more room for expansion.
Innovative
The Chinese marketplace is an innovative field. It always offers something new to the market at a meager price. If you’re a business or buyer exploring creativity, this market is the best. You can find new and improved products in tech, transportation, mobile, homeware, etc.
MOQs
Another benefit of using the China marketplace is the set MOQs. Suppliers have this kind of rule wherein the higher the MOQ, the higher the chances are for lower prices. It is the reason why this marketplace is best for selling and buying bulk or wholesale products to get the best deals.
High overseas sales possibilities
The China b2b marketplace opens up new chances for much higher global sales. The reason for this is because of how diverse the product line is to the point that you can find anything starting from pets, athletic products, homeware, and clothing.
Top products
The Chinese online marketplace has all the products you need from multiple styles, materials, and sizes. If you are looking for a distinct and personalized item at a low price, China is the best place.
Has good firm setting
The marketplace that welcomes anyone is the china marketplace. This industry is versatile and start-up friendly. In fact, as per the data given by The World Bank, China is part of the top 31 of the Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2019. And after a year, their order rose as they became part of the top 10. Because of how good the China marketplace setting is, many buyers worldwide pursue doing business in China.
Multiple ideal partners
One of the advantages of using the china marketplace is the number of suppliers you will meet. Over 20,000 suppliers offer you products in various niches on a single platform. Some of these suppliers are part of the list of the best in China, which will provide you with high-quality products.
Cons
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is one of the issues that buyers will face when they choose to use the Chinese online marketplace. When you buy from a supplier and haven’t drafted a firm IP contract, your designs can be copied and stolen.
Business culture
We have mentioned that the Chinese business culture is far different from the US. You need to research the etiquette, market, and traditions to gain benefits even though you are not exposed to them firsthand.
Every sale accumulated in the marketplace might result in hidden fees. Whether you are to sell or buy, you should expect that there are fees you’ll be asked to cover, for instance, an increase in prices. For this reason, it is essential to research the marketplace structure to avoid paying higher.
Strict laws and regulations
Anyone can buy and sell from the best Chinese online marketplace. However, even though it is very welcoming and open, these laws and regulations the government imposes. These laws are common on hazardous items.
Market limitations
The China online marketplace may limit how the sellers can brand their products on the market. In the same way, how buyer’s market limits buyers with their buys and buying decisions.
Chapter 5: How to use the Chinese marketplace to grow your business, including tips and advice
Do you think you can grow your business using the Chinese marketplace? If so, then the following strategies will help you enter and gain leverage.
Understand the Chinese market
The Chinese marketplace has a different approach compared to western markets. The best way to gain leverage in this market is to research how the Chinese do their business, adapt, and what you can do to grow your business.
Put cultural awareness
As noted above, China has a different way of doing business. It is why it’s crucial to learn and know what these are to connect more with the suppliers and wholesalers. This awareness will also help you build strong ties with them, which will benefit your company.
Know your role
When buying things from other countries, especially in China, you should be aware of the part you will play in the process. If you are buying from the Chinese online marketplace alone, you should know that you are finding suppliers, looking for prices, arranging shipping, etc. Using the Chinese marketplace is easy if you know what to do and your part.
Look into the best products
The China online marketplace produces a broad range of products that is of high quality. However, you will sometimes encounter terrible ones since many suppliers will sell them at a low price. It would be best to avoid it when you look for the best products in China.
You should also remember these two things when you find products in a Chinese online marketplace:
- There are many counterfeit products in China.
- Suppliers will sell low-cost products of low quality.
- There are different product standards between China and US.
Convey your requirements
If you aim to have unique products, you must discuss them with your supplier. This process will ensure that the supplier can meet your standard before starting the production ad shipping all the items to you.
Pay attention to shipping
Shipping is an essential aspect of the Chinese online marketplace. If you are buying outside China, you have to note that there are numerous fees that you need to pay, such as packaging fees, broker fees, etc. You must also note not to negotiate with shipping fees because this is far beyond the supplier’s control. What you can do is compare the fees and record the documents needed, such as:
- A Commercial Invoice
- A Packing List
- A Detail Sheet
- Bill of Lading
Go to trade shows
Trade shows are another way that you can use to grow your business using a Chinese marketplace. There are many trade shows in China where hundreds of suppliers flock and put on their tents to offer their services to potential buyers. You can meet the suppliers face-to-face, negotiate, and plan possible transactions in these shows. Some of the trade shows you can visit are:
- The Canton Fair
- Yiwu Wholesale Marketplace (or Commodities Fair)
- East China Import and Export Commodity Fair (ECF)
- Global Sources Tradeshow
- Bauma China
- Beijing International Auto Show
Be straight to the point
When talking with your supplier or drafting a contract, you should be direct. You will often encounter suppliers in the Chinese online marketplace who don’t know how to speak and communicate English. For this reason, misconceptions and high expectations will grow and can affect the process of your business.
Make use of negotiation
Negotiation is one of the best methods that you can do to grow your business in China. Suppliers are open to hearing your queries about the price change, and they’re also open to adjusting it. Plus, you can get the best deal and build relationships through negotiation.
Know the import law
When buying in the Chinese online marketplace, you must know the commercial import laws. This law is vital, mainly if you are importing for reselling and trade reasons. The custom will examine the items included in the cargo, and if they rule out that it’s commercial rather than personal, this law will matter the most.
Chapter 6: FAQs With China Marketplace
The following are the frequently asked questions included all you need to know in the Chinese online marketplaces.
What are the best online marketplaces in China?
The best Chinese online marketplace will still depend on the buyers. However, as per the data given by Statista, the leading china online marketplace based on the number of the monthly visits are:
- Taobao, with 265.9 million
- Pinduoduo, with 235 million
- JD.com with 160.8 million
- TMall, with 97.7 million
- Amazon, with 49 million
Is it best to buy in china marketplace clothing?
The finest china marketplace clothing is DHGate, Alibaba, and Lovely Wholesale. You can find many clothing pieces in various styles, textiles, shapes, and sizes on these websites. You can also get the best clothing deals at lower costs.
Does the China online jewelry marketplace have trendy and quality accessories?
In finding the best online marketplace to sell jewelry in China, you should note of factors of your product like design, trendiness, and quality. In the same way, when buying from China, you would also look for the best quality accessories that will top the market. And for sure, the China marketplace has jewelry of any kind, and with your customization.
How to purchase wholesale products at the China online wholesale marketplace?
There are many ways where you can buy products at china online marketplace. First is looking at the top marketplace platforms that will fit you and that you can navigate into. The second is to work with a sourcing company like JustChinait to do all the processes for you.
Is it legal to buy from online marketplaces and resell?
Yes, it is legal and safe to buy from an online china marketplace, then resell it. However, you will still need to be wise when marketing it due to the competition in the market.
Chapter 7: Conclusion
Using a china marketplace to buy wholesale products, find suppliers, and avail services are the best way. Even if you own a small business, physical store, or website, you can reap its benefits. These China marketplaces are also easy to use; you can buy and meet suppliers at a broad range in a single platform. It is why this online marketplace list and guide can help you start!