China manufactures 25% of everything that you see in the world. And because of the internet, people around the world can now contact these manufacturers, and place orders online. This became a lot easier when Jack Ma founded Alibaba for wholesalers, and then became much more accessible to small businesses when Alibaba started a website called AliExpress.
AliExpress is an online marketplace where you can find almost any kind of physical goods that is manufactured. The sellers here are the manufacturers themselves, and they post their products on AliExpress at a really low cost. However, not all people have a great experience on this site. Some receive bad quality products, and some are not happy with the shipping times.
If you are one of those people, especially if you are a dropshipper, then the right thing to do is to look or an alternative to AliExpress. Overall, there are seven that we can recommend.
- DHGate
- Banggood
- LightintheBox
- Chinabrands
- Made-in-China.Com
- Yaaku
- TinyDeals
Before checking out these alternatives, you must also know that there are many fake websites out there. You must know how to spot them and how to protect yourself from fraudsters and criminals.
How To Spot A Scam Supplier Website
If you ever come across a website that offers really cheap products and ultra-fast shipping, then you must ask yourself if it is legit. Always remember: if it is too good to be true, then it probably is.
Here are some tips to keep you safe:
- Read reviews – the reviews you need to look for are from bloggers and consumer review websites. Take your time to research. Also, just because a blogger said it is a legit site does not mean that it is. Some bloggers are paid to do a press release, so beware and be smart.
- Take the time to contact them – contact the customer service department. If there is none, then it must be a scam. Ask them where they are, what the company’s legal name is, and if they are even registered.
- Check the site security – check if the site is secure. You will find this by going to the URL bar on your computer. If it starts with only HTTP, then it is not secure. The website’s URL must start with HTTPS. The letter “S” stands for “secure”.
The 7 Best AliExpress Alternatives
Now, let us review the 7 best alternatives to AliExpress. These are all websites where you can buy on retail, and you can also do dropshipping if you order the product, and then the supplier will send the item to your customer.
1. DHGate
DHGate isn't a new company. This has been around for 15 years, and it sells a lot of kinds of products. If you check out the site, it looks like AliExpress, and it does offer Buyer Protection, too. Here, you can find products in wholesale or retail. If you buy only one piece, you will be paying more.
For example, a basketball jersey may cost $15.40 if bought per piece. But if you buy 11 or more, the price drops to $14.30 per piece. That is a 7% price drop, and you can even get better prices if you buy 36 pieces or more.
The one thing that makes the site a good alternative to AliExpress is that if you buy using the app, the price will be lower. For that basketball jersey, the price will drop to $13.37 per piece if you buy it on the app.
All products here are shipped globally. There are thousands of suppliers and manufacturers here not just from China but from around the world. If you browse randomly, you will see that some of the products listed here are from Canada.
For buyer protection, you will receive a full refund if you did not receive your item. In case the item sent to you is not as described, you have the choice to keep it and then get a refund for half the price, or you can ship it back to the seller and get a full refund.
Also See: 11 Best Alternatives To Shopify That You Could Try
2. Banggood
Banggood is a major competitor of AliExpress. On this site, you can buy products at wholesale, and the best things to dropship from this site are electronic goods and motorized vehicle accessories. Banggood always has a sale, so you have to act quickly before they expire. You can also take advantage of promotions where all you need to do is to invite friends to use it, and then you would get a chance to win money, which you can use in Banggood.
Apart from electronic goods, here are some more items that you can dropship:
- Remote-controlled hobby vehicles like drones, cars, and helicopters
- Kitchen appliances
- Decorations
- Garden supplies
For the phones, the ones that are sold here are Chinese brands like Huawei. For the payment options, there are more than 20 payment gateways, and PayPal is one of them. This is great, considering that AliExpress does not allow the use of PayPal for many countries.
The company also offers buyer protection. You can get a refund if you return an item within four days from receiving it. You also have the option to cancel an order if you changed your mind. However, the order cancellation only works if the item has not been shipped yet. Once the order is shipped, you have to wait for it and return it, and you have to pay for the return shipping.
3. LightintheBox
Lightinthebox focuses on retail sales, so you cannot expect a lot of wholesale deals or prices here. However, the goods are actually affordable, and there is no shortage of sale or discounts here. There is always a flash sale, and you can access that if you click the Flash Sale link from the site’s menu.
During these flash sales, you need to make quick decisions because these stocks would run out. This is not the best option for dropshippers, but this is one of the best choices for those who want to keep their own inventory. Flash sales usually end in five days. What you can do as a dropshipper is to post that product in your site and monitor if it is still available. Take it off from your site once the flash sale period is over.
For buyer protection, you can take advantage of getting a refund if the item you got was damaged upon receiving it. If the items are also not as described, like it is of a different color, you can get a refund if you return it within seven days.
All items also come with a warranty. Appliances and home improvement items have a warranty of one year, and all the rest have a warranty of 30 days only. If the 30-day warranty is over, you can no longer ask for a refund. You can also contact the seller and ask for a replacement.
There are more than ten payment options here, which includes PayPal, Western Union, and major credit cards. The products are shipped globally through UPS, EMS, and DHL, and you the site has a dropshipping and wholesale program.
Related: AliExpress Paypal: Guide On Using PayPal To Buy Items On AliExpress
4. Chinabrands
Chinabrands is a very active business online. It is located in China, but it has warehouses globally so it is a great alternative to AliExpress. If you order here, and the product you ordered is on one of its warehouses near you or your customer, you can enjoy lower shipping rates. On Chinabrands, you can find so many products that are also available in AliExpress.
Examples of things you can find here are:
- Tablets and mobile phones
- Toys and hobby items
- Clothing
- Bags, shoes, and accessories
- Jewelry
- Smart appliances
If you shop here, you can go to the hot sale or clearance areas. These are the two links where you can find good deals. But you have to be quick, or someone else can beat you to it. For normal items, just browse through the different categories, and you will surely find a product that you can add to your store.
One good thing about this site is that it shows you how much you can sell it out there. You can find this information on the right side of the website, where the Chinabands price and the ideal market price are displayed.
For payment options, Chinabrands accepts PayPal, Payoneer, credit cards, and wire transfer. You can also sign-up for a CB Wallet. It is an e-wallet owned by the company where you deposit money. Use this money to buy on the site.
As a buyer or dropshipper, you can return the items and ask for a refund. However, you must request for a refund before you ship back the item, or the management will not entertain your claim for refund.
5. Made-in-China.Com
Made-in-china.com great alternative to AliExpress because of the number of products for sale here. The site has special channels within the platform where you can find suppliers, and this is great if you want the items you sell to carry your brand.
If you think this company is new to the market, think again. It has been around since 1998 and went on business even before AliExpress did. And because it has been in business for so long, it has a long list of sellers and manufacturers.
Here are some examples of the items you can find here:
- Electronic components
- Apparel and clothing
- Motorcycles
- Industrial machines
- Building materials
- Home improvement
- Gardening
- Textiles
This one has everything you are looking for, and it supports different business models like dropshipping, white-label, and private label. The suppliers who post their products offer international shipping, and you can contact them for wholesale pricing.
However, this site is not a place where you can buy anytime you want. You need to contact the supplier and ask how you will pay for the item, and how they will ship it to you. There is no buyer protection here, so you must be very careful when purchasing.
6. Yaaku
If you want to dropship clothing, then Yaaku is a great alternative for AliExpress. There are thousands of clothing items on the site, and you can find any kind of clothing for all occasions. The site offers clothing for men, women, and kids.
Here are the items you can buy from this site:
- Dresses
- Underwear
- Tops
- Skirts
- Shoes
- Sports
- Coats
- Pants
- Pajamas
If you want to buy wholesale, you must contact the seller or supplier, and you will receive a discount if you buy at least $1,000 worth of goods. For payment, you can use PayPal, major credit cards, or Western Union.
For shipping, the site uses three main companies. These are DPEX, DHL Express, and FedEx Express. They don't offer free shipping and they would cost more than the price of the item you bought. The shipping rate is between $ 16 and $22. All products here are shipped globally.
For refunds, you must return the item within seven days from the purchase date. This is a little trouble since the shipping can take 12 days. By the time you receive the product, the 7-day grace period is over. Perhaps you can contact its customer service department for special cases, considering that the one-week allowance is too short.
Related: Buying From AliExpress: How To Stay Safe And Not Get Scammed
7. TinyDeals
This is another marketplace that is based in Hong Kong, China. For as little as $3, you can buy a wristwatch. You can do dropshipping with this website, but you have to list the products manually in your store because it has no app that you can integrate with your online store.
Here are the items you can buy here:
- Mobile phone accessories
- Wearable technology
- Toys
- Hobby materials
- Sports
- Home and garden improvement
- Healthy and beauty
On the site, you can use PayPal and major credit cards to pay for the items you bought. Since it ships globally, it also accepts Qiwi, WebMoney, and eBankX. Free shipping is offered on all products and the shipping partner used is Hong Kong Airmail.
If the item you received is damaged, you must contact the seller or the site customer support to report it. They will provide you instructions as to what to do to be able to get a refund. As a buyer, you do not have to pay for the return shipping fee if you reported the problem within 30 days after receiving the item.
Related: 17 Best Alibaba Alternatives To Find Cheap Products
What Is The Best AliExpress Alternative?
So far, the best is DHGate. It offers the best prices, and you can even get better discounts if you buy in bulk or from the app. Out of these seven alternatives. DHGate is supreme because it has warehouses around the world, plus it offers a reasonable buyer protection program. You can get a refund for half the price if you want the item, which prevents you from spending money on the return shipment, plus it is like buying an item at 50% discount.
Conclusion
AliExpress is not the only online marketplace. While it is true that it is one of the biggest, it is not the biggest and the best. The biggest is Taobao, which we did not include here because it is still owned by Alibaba, and it only focuses on the Chinese market.
Surely, each customer has his own preferences, like free shipping, which you can get from TinyDeals. Some only want clothing, so you can shop at Yaaku if you want. Give these seven alternatives a try. Browse the sites, and perhaps you can find affordable products that you can sell!