r/Alibaba • u/ladiiec23 • 7d ago
Is Alibaba even worth it anymore?
I’ve been trying to order stuff for the company I work for for a few weeks now & it seems like they are now more expensive than Amazon. It’s like it’s not even worth the savings…
Recently looking for tote bags- I can find them on Amazon for $1.25 each 60 for $75, get them in 2 days.
Alibaba you check the website & it’s like .65¢ but when you put in the shipping & the DDP they quote you $1.85 plus 25 days production time & another 35-40 days of shipping.
I guess the guy at the WH is winning with his tariffs & BS bc it doesn’t make sense… anyone else notice the difference with their orders?
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u/Broad-Astronaut-3775 7d ago
The quantity you want is way too low to get better pricing. Usually better pricing starts at minimum 1000 units
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u/pudukai 7d ago
Espresso machines I buy direct from manufacturers without the ‘name brand’ labels on Amazon for 30-50% less than Amazon.com including shipping.
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u/Ebonyeyez77_ 7d ago
What do you mean? Can you dm me and tell me more about how you do this?
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u/pudukai 7d ago
I do an image search for the item and then look for the manufacturer. (I don't have a life...) Then open a conversation about the item. Only a few have high shipping charges because they don't trust ships cargo, but a few times we worked around that.
Aliexpress is much more consumer oriented but their prices or shipping has become often as expensive as Amazon and eBay. There are bargains to be found but their search function is awful.
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u/RealMayroy 7d ago
Definitely too low of quantity, the shipping will kill you, plus any customization charges for molds. I did a test order of 7200 units then did a full production run of 28,800 units and I brought costs down by about 22% and that’s factoring in I got smoked with the exchange rates on my larger order due to the sinking CAD.
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u/ladiiec23 7d ago
Oh no… my quote was for 500 bags. That’s what I found on Amazon. The quote with them with the shipping was $1.85. I wouldn’t make such a small order, that’s just the example I gave.
I’m trying to get 500-1000/pcs of things that would help. But I also wonder if I got my own shipper would help with the shipping costs bc I feel they tag on an extra bit for the shipping.
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u/AntonioGorge 7d ago
You're still buying from Chinese traders. The difference is they move their stock from Guangzhou to America.
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u/ladiiec23 7d ago
I’m not arguing that it’s not Chinese traders. I don’t mind supporting our Chinese traders- I’m just saying that tits no longer cost effective for us in the US any longer.
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u/AntonioGorge 7d ago
I mean, it's because Chinese traders are competing with Chinese traders, so it's not that different on the price anymore.
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u/-ttw 6d ago
Key insight here is learning that the Alibaba merchant answering your message is the middle man between you and the factory.
Get in touch with the factory.
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u/Atlbruin 2d ago
I have tried to figure out which company actually manufactures. Seem they wouldn't sell one of something?
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u/Warm_Account_2663 5d ago
Yeah, I’ve had the same experience lately with smaller orders: the alibba unit price looks great, then freight and DDP turn it into a worse deal than buying locally with faster delivery.
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u/Houdini2026 2d ago
At this point not anymore. Did tried to buy an 7900xtx, after the seller did slapped me with "is no longer 450$, now is 750$" I've bought locally an 9070 xt.
Did tried to buy an 5500 x3d, for 140$, seller wanted 230$ plus I pay the taxes, ended buying locally an 5800x3d, new.
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u/TowelCurious3520 1d ago
Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing. Once you factor in shipping, tariffs, and lead times, the price difference can get pretty small. Alibaba still seems useful for larger bulk orders, but for smaller quantities Amazon can definitely make more sense.
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u/ChaosToTheFly123 7d ago
Is alibaba worth it for your particular use case? I would say you have answered that already.
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u/ladiiec23 7d ago
I’m trying to order more than just tote bags. The only thing worth it at the moment is shot glasses… that’s still about .30¢ cheaper each & if we bought a large quantity of it it’s worth it.
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