Everyone who buys products abroad has heard of Alibaba, but people looking for great deals on products directly from factories should check out this list. New websites have been popping up on the scene, and some of them are really useful for larger businesses or the eBay seller who works from home.
Niche Directories – These websites are focused on a particular industry and often provide better tools and information filtering.
MFG – The best website for parts supply. Upload your projects and get quotes from suppliers around the world. Additionally, members have been active in leaving feedback on providers. Now you can also get textiles using MFG. Jeff Beezos of Amazon.com owns this company.
Panjiva – Great for garment manufacturers, their approach is different from other sites. They offer supplier qualifications by reviewing the companies’ current customers and shipments. They offer information on the amount of the shipment and the type of customer and shipments.
Business Intelligence – Have you ever wanted to know who your competitors bought from? US Customs Shipment Reports are open to the public.
Zepol – The most searchable database for US Customs reports Allows the user to create their own custom filters. The system works within a web browser and allows an unlimited number of searches.
Import Genius – Offers searches by customer name, product name, and vendor name.
Commercial Mining – A lower cost system that allows the user to download business intelligence reports one at a time.
Piers – the largest business intelligence company. Piers’ data is entered and analyzed, then placed in their database. The reports look much better, but the searches are more difficult and the results may not have as much detail. They also offer business intelligence on other countries.
Manufacturers and wholesale suppliers– Good websites for smaller orders and selling on eBay.
Doba – Sell products on eBay without the need for stock. Buying through Doba’s wholesale partners allows products to be shipped directly from the wholesale warehouse. The cost to the seller is 50% less than the retailer, and the seller can select his own markup. Doba charges a monthly fee.
World Brands – Allows you to search for suppliers, manufacturers, and wholesale companies. They charge a monthly fee.
B2X – Buy in China – Painless. B2X allows users to search for manufacturers’ products online. No experience is needed, B2X will ship the goods to you and handle all import quality inspections. B2X charges an undeclared fee which should be a great deal for smaller customers looking for good values.
DHGate: a platform to buy products directly from manufacturers in Asia. Be careful with branded products, as the companies that advertise on this site sell a lot of counterfeits. But there are great values if you know how to use it and the site allows comments.
Wholesale Forums – An online forum with 5000 active members discussing goods, suppliers and products. Great information for people looking to start buying and selling online.
Clearance and GoWholesale – A family of websites offering products at reduced retail prices and wholesale discounts.
Simplx – Another great platform that allows users to sell products directly from a drop shipping warehouse.
Directories of major manufacturers and suppliers – If you want to work directly with factories, these are the best big websites. Note that if you are looking for a factory, many companies that advertise on these sites are trading companies.
Alibaba – The largest online sourcing community has suppliers from almost every country in the world. Also included are forums where your sourcing and trading questions can be answered.
Global Sources – Most Trusted Sourcing Website. Global Sources verifies suppliers and works more closely to ensure a smoother supply for its users. Global Sources also operates many large trade shows in Asia and has many print sourcing publications.
Made-In-China – The third largest sourcing website in the world. They also work with SGS and supplier audit reports can be purchased online.
Global Market – A newer sourcing website offers a large number of suppliers and products. Also, you can email them projects and they will send you a list of qualified manufacturers.
India Mart – As the name implies, a huge directory of Indian suppliers and products.
Product Pilot – All vendor and product types are listed on the most visually appealing websites of the major vendors. A branch of the Messe Frankfut trade fair group in Germany, most of the listed vendors have also exhibited at their events, but since these events are so global, the website has a good variety of manufacturers.