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Find suppliers in China: Exploring the popular and not-so-popular ways

Last update: February 7, 2025

Contents

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.

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.

Source

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

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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

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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

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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

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.

Rick Hill has worked in payments and financial services for the past nine years. He began his career at a large institutional bank and has since worked across startups and scaleups. Over the past four years, his experience with e-commerce retailers has led him to believe that WorldFirst will be crucial in helping brands expand globally by demystifying the complexities of entering new markets.

Rick Hill

Author

Head of Sales ANZ at WorldFirst

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Find suppliers in China: Exploring the popular and not-so-popular ways

Check online marketplaces

Alibaba

AliExpress

1688

Plan a visit to the bi-annual Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair)

Ask people who have sourced from China before

Streamline supplier payments with WorldFirst

Continue reading

How to import products from China to Australia

Canton Fair 2026: Your guide to the China Import and Export Fair

The Complete Guide to Buy from 1688 Outside China

How to sell on Temu Australia 2026

How to sell online in Singapore

How to dropship from 1688

The simpler way to pay and get paid

Multi-currency accounts, competitive FX, and global transfers — Everything you need to pay and get paid internationally

Who We Are >

Named a Top Global Fintech Company by CNBC & Statista, we’ve supported 1.5M+ businesses since 2004.

Find suppliers in China: Exploring the popular and not-so-popular ways

Check online marketplaces

Alibaba

AliExpress

1688

Plan a visit to the bi-annual Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair)

Ask people who have sourced from China before

Streamline supplier payments with WorldFirst

Continue reading

How to import products from China to Australia

Canton Fair 2026: Your guide to the China Import and Export Fair

The Complete Guide to Buy from 1688 Outside China

How to sell on Temu Australia 2026

How to sell online in Singapore

How to dropship from 1688

The simpler way to pay and get paid

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