Companies both small and large have bought and sold white label products for many years. You can use white label products from Alibaba.com to create a brand or to grow your existing business.

Thousands of white label goods manufacturers trade on Alibaba.com, and each supplier makes a variety of products. Faced with such a large amount of choice, discovering the right manufacturers and finding high-quality white label products can be challenging.

We'll begin this article with a definition of white label products, and then we'll explain how you can find high-quality Alibaba white label products.

• What exactly is a white label product?
• What is Alibaba.com?
• How to find high-quality white label goods on Alibaba.com

What exactly is a white label product?

Simply put, white label goods are mass-produced products that companies buy and resell under their own brand names. White label goods can help new companies get established and help existing companies expand their product ranges. 

If you want to create a white label business strategy, you can search Alibaba, find and bulk buy a product, get it rebranded and resell it. You can use this tactic to latch onto on-trend items. Many seasonal companies fill their physical or digital shelves with white label products because they're inexpensive and convenient: they don't require a lot of manufacturing investment, for example.

What is Alibaba.com?

Alibaba.com is an established online platform, and it's one of the world's largest e-commerce companies. In short, Alibaba.com works like an online directory for manufacturers. It's a hub for business to business (B2B), consumer to consumer (C2C), and business to consumer (B2C) sales, and its electronic payment system is accessible from most countries. 

Marketplace sellers all over the world use Alibaba.com to find high-quality wholesale white label products. Then, having found suitable suppliers, they specify branding requirements, order products in bulk and apply a markup in their home countries. 

If you want to use white label goods to improve your brand visibility or grow your business, you're in the right place. 

How to find high-quality white label goods on Alibaba.com

Finding the right Alibaba white label items begins with thorough research. Market research can help you discover trending products and hot seasonal goods. If you have a product in mind, assess market demand before placing a large wholesale order. Then, create a robust advertising and sales strategy. 

Step 1: Find the right manufacturer

You can use the on-site search function to find white label products on Alibaba.com. Highly rated products tend to be made by reliable manufacturers. 

When you find a potential lead, dive deeper. Check manufacturer ratings and reviews, and make sure that your chosen company is an Alibaba.com Verified Supplier or Gold Supplier. Finally, ensure that your chosen manufacturer is enrolled in Aliababa.com's Trade Assurance Scheme.

What is an Alibaba.com Verified Supplier?

A Verified Supplier is a company that has been able to meet specific Alibaba.com criteria. Verified Suppliers are subject to detailed inspections performed by independent parties. These inspections frequently cover things like:

• The basic profile and company overview of the manufacturer 
• Shipment options
• Quality control measures
• Aftercare service 
• Inspection videos 
• Production capabilities
• Trading capabilities
• R&D capabilities 

For more information, please take a look at Alibaba's Verification page. 

What is an Alibaba.com Gold Supplier?

Some manufacturers are Alibaba.com premium members, also known as Gold Suppliers. Gold Suppliers don't have to pass in-depth inspections like Verified Suppliers, but they do have to consent to on-site checks. 

Gold Suppliers pay membership fees to Alibaba.com; in return, they can use special tools to promote their businesses. In itself, Gold Membership isn't an indication of superior product quality, so it's important to check reviews before proceeding with orders.

What is Alibaba.com Trade Assurance?

Alibaba.com Trade Assurance is a free protection service for transactions, which helps to cover delayed shipments. Trade Assurance also protects buyers if goods don't meet the quality standards outlined in their contracts with suppliers. 

For more information, please take a look at our detailed guide covering Trade Assurance.

Step 2: Contact your chosen Alibaba white label manufacturers

Choosing an Alibaba.com Verified Supplier or a well-vetted Gold Supplier can help you narrow down your list of potential manufacturers. Opting for suppliers with Trade Assurance might trim your prospect list down a little more. 

Try to come up with a maximum of three potential manufacturers and then contact each of them. Begin to build a positive relationship and gain as much information as possible from them: costing, lead times, shipping arrangements, minimum order amounts and so on. 

The manufacturers' responses can help you calculate price points and profit margins on the products you resell. You'll also get a good impression of how they work and whether they'll be the right fit for you and for your business. 

If you chat through the Alibaba.com messaging system, you can take advantage of Alibaba Translate. Your messages get automatically translated into your supplier's language and vice versa. You'll also be protected if something goes wrong with the transaction: if the goods you receive don't meet your requirements, for example, or if they don't arrive.

It's okay to haggle on Alibaba.com: most products have flexible margins. Negotiating a reasonable price for your products is part of the deal. Perhaps surprisingly, haggling in a respectful way can help you build a better business relationship.

Alibaba white label goods and SOPI

When you source high-quality, white label products via Alibaba.com, you'll also gain access to the manufacturer's Supplier Online Performance Index (SOPI). 

A company's SOPI rating can tell you about: 

• Product popularity
• Service quality
• Transaction volume
• Presentation quality  

SOPI ratings run through six levels, from 0 to 5, with the highest rank being 5 — the higher the ranking, the better the manufacturer. 

To find the SOPI rating, look for the diamonds under the manufacturer's name on the product listing (on the right-hand side). You'll find the response rate, the number of transactions and the manufacturer's delivery rate in the same location.

Should I sample white label goods?

In a nutshell, absolutely! Most manufacturers happily send prospective wholesale customers sample products - either for free or for the cost of shipping. You can use the sample to gauge product quality, and to make sure the item incorporates the features you need. 

It's a good idea to ask suppliers for samples before you get too involved. You can use the samples you receive to negotiate prices and to ask manufacturers to adjust production methods to improve product quality.

Step 3: Specify branding for your white label goods

Before you can move on to labelling and branding the item, make sure you address any product concerns. Once labelling or etching has taken place, it becomes hard - and in some cases, impossible- to return the product.

Try to get an idea of the manufacturing process so that you can adjust branding accordingly. It might be helpful, for instance, to know when a certain component is made if you plan to apply a logo to it. 

Alibaba and WorldFirst: Making international money transfers easy and safe

Alibaba.com has been on the scene since 1999, and it has gone from strength to strength. This marketplace mega hub has brought manufacturers and buyers together globally and has helped online sellers create workable white label branding strategies quickly and easily. Before Alibaba, UK-based small businesses mainly bought white label goods via costly trade shows, which were often time-consuming and inaccessible. 

You can use Alibaba.com to find high-quality white label goods, and in turn, reliable manufacturers. Production times tend to be quite short, and shipping costs are generally reasonable. 

You can use a World Account to pay suppliers on Alibaba quickly and efficiently. WorldFirst accounts make paying in renminbi easier than ever and help you build a more robust business profile abroad.