Alibaba your country | Order from Alibaba & Ship to your country

Alibaba is wholesale. Most listings have minimum order quantities (MOQ) starting at 50–500 units, and prices are quoted "per piece" assuming you'll buy in bulk. If that fits what you're trying to do — sourcing for resale, manufacturing, or stocking up on something specific — Alibaba is hard to beat for unit economics.

We can help two ways: give you a free China warehouse address so you handle suppliers directly, or take over the whole flow and source on your behalf.

Two ways to do this

Shop yourself. Use your free iWishBag China address as the supplier's delivery point. Pay through Trade Assurance (Alibaba's escrow) with your card or PayPal. We receive at our China warehouse, photograph for your QC, and forward internationally as one shipment. Best when you've already vetted a supplier and just need a forwarding address.

We source for you. Tell us the product, target unit cost, and quantity. We talk to suppliers in Chinese, negotiate MOQ and price, vet samples, and handle Trade Assurance ourselves. You pay one quote locally, and we deliver finished goods to your door. Best when you don't speak Chinese, don't have a Trade Assurance account, or just don't want to spend three weeks vetting factories.

Alibaba vs AliExpress

People mix these up. They're owned by the same company, but they're for different jobs:

Rule of thumb: if you're buying 1–5 of something for personal use, AliExpress. If you're buying 50+ for any reason, Alibaba.

MOQ and negotiating

The "MOQ" listed on Alibaba is the supplier's opening position. Real MOQ is usually flexible — especially if you're testing a supplier with a small first order before placing a bigger one. Asking is how you find out.

What works in our experience:

• Be specific about quantity you actually want, not what you think they'll accept
• Ask for a "sample order" of 10–20 units to test quality before committing
• Compare three or four supplier quotes before settling — prices vary 30–50% on identical-looking products
• Use Trade Assurance for any first order. Skip suppliers that refuse it
• Get the spec sheet (materials, dimensions, packaging) in writing before you pay

If we're sourcing for you, we negotiate all of this. If you're shopping yourself, budget two to three weeks for supplier conversations before you place the order.

Air or sea freight?

Air is fast and pricey. Sea is cheap and slow. The crossover usually sits around 200 kg of total chargeable weight.

• Air Express (14–25 days) — fastest, most expensive. Worth it for time-sensitive launches or sample shipments.
• Air Standard (20–35 days) — balance for most B2B shipments under ~150 kg.
• Sea Freight (45–60 days) — significantly cheaper per kg above ~200 kg. Plan for it if you're stocking inventory rather than restocking.

We give you all three options on the quote so you can pick based on your timeline.

What to watch out for

• "Free shipping" listings — these are usually for domestic China only. International is quoted separately
• Counterfeit risk — branded electronics, luxury, or pharma listings on Alibaba are usually fakes. Stick to white-label or generic categories
• Quality drift — first order quality is often best. Always inspect (or have us inspect) ongoing reorders
• Currency on the listing — sometimes USD, sometimes RMB. Confirm before sending payment
• Customs paperwork — for higher-value imports, you may need a commercial invoice and packing list. We prepare these as part of the forwarding

Common questions

Do I need a business license to buy on Alibaba? No. You can buy as an individual. Some suppliers ask for a business name on the order, but most accept "personal" too.

What's Trade Assurance? Alibaba's escrow service. Your money is held by Alibaba until you confirm the goods match the agreement. It's the only way to get a refund if a supplier ships the wrong product.

Can you source things not listed on Alibaba? Sometimes. If we have a relationship with a factory in that category, yes. Tell us the spec — we'll let you know quickly if it's feasible.

How are duties calculated for B2B imports? Based on the HS code, declared value, and your destination country's tariff schedule. We pre-calculate duty in your quote so the landed cost is fixed before you pay.

What if the goods are defective on arrival? We photograph everything at the China warehouse before international shipping. If we catch a defect, we coordinate with the supplier to fix it before forwarding. Issues caught after international shipping are harder — that's why the warehouse QC step matters.