Everyone who sources products from abroad has heard of Alibaba, but people looking for great deals on products straight from the factories should check out this list. New websites have come 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. 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 finding clothing manufacturers, their approach is different from other sites. They offer vendor ratings by reviewing companies’ current shipments and customers. They offer information about the amount of the shipment, and the type of client and shipments.
Business Intelligence – Ever wanted to know who your competitors have been buying from? US Customs shipping 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.
Trade Mining – A lower cost system that allows the user to download trade intelligence reports, one report at a time.
Piers: the largest business intelligence company. Dock data is entered and analyzed, then placed into your database. Reports look much better, but searches are more difficult and results may not have as much detail. They also offer trade intelligence on other countries.
Manufacturers and Wholesale Suppliers– Good websites for small orders and eBay sales.
Doba – Sell products on eBay with no stock required. 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 retail price and the seller can select their own markup. Doba charges a monthly fee.
World Wide Brands: Allows you to search for suppliers, manufacturers, and wholesale companies. They charge a monthly fee.
B2X – Buy from China – No pain. B2X allows users to search for manufacturers’ products online. No experience necessary, B2X will ship the products to you and take care of all import quality inspections. B2X charges an unreported fee which should be a great deal for smaller customers looking for good value.
DHGate – a platform to buy products directly from manufacturers in Asia. Beware of brand name products as there are many counterfeits being sold by companies advertising on this site. But, there are great values if you know how to use it, and the site allows comments.
The Wholesale Forums – An online forum with 5,000 active members discussing goods, suppliers, and products. Very good information for people looking to start buying and selling online.
Liquidation and GoWholesale: A family of websites that offer discounted products for retailers and discounts for wholesalers.
Simplx – Another great platform that allows users to sell products directly from a drop shipping warehouse.
Large directories of manufacturers and suppliers – If you want to work directly with factories, these are the best big websites. Please 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 – The most reputable sourcing website. Global Sources verifies suppliers and works more closely to ensure a smoother supply for its users. Global Sources also operates many major 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 website offers a large number of vendors and products. Plus, you can email projects to them and they’ll send you a list of qualified fabricators.
India Mart – As the name suggests, a huge directory of Indian suppliers and products.
Product Pilot – All types of vendors and products are listed on the most visually appealing sourcing websites. An arm of the Messe Frankfut trade show group in Germany, most of the vendors listed have also exhibited at their events, but since these events are so global, the website welcomes a good variety of manufacturers.
