Alibaba and AliExpress are two of the biggest players in the ecommerce industry. In the fourth quarter of 2020, there were more than 779 million active buyers on each site. Aliexpress is especially popular in Singapore, and its mobile shopping app is one of the top 10 best selling apps in the country.
| Alibaba | Aliexpress |
| Designed for B2B sales. | Aliexpress primarily deals with B2C transactions. |
| Do not normally offer dropshipping. | Very useful for sourcing products for dropshipping stores. |
| Online marketplace where businesspeople can connect with suppliers and manufacturers in China. | Perfect for new online retailers and small ecommerce businesses. |
The Alibaba Group, with headquarters in Hangzhou, China, owns both companies, but they are designed for different purposes. Alibaba is a popular online marketplace where businesspeople can connect with suppliers and manufacturers in China. It is possible that Aliexpress will primarily deal with b2c transactions, and some retailers prefer not to use Aliexpress. A new merchant who wants to join Aliexpress dropshipping and Shopify can use this tool.
What is the primary difference between Alibaba and Aliexpress? It is true that each site was created to cater to different types of customers. It is important to note that the two sites cater to different kinds of sellers and have different functionality. For you to understand the differences between Alibaba and AliExpress, you need to know how each site operates.
Alibaba is a platform that is specifically designed for conducting business between businesses. This is the way that Aliexpress started to serve individual customers. It also has many small businesses that use AliExpress, especially dropshippers.
There is an easier way to buy custom-made or private label products on Alibaba. When you buy things directly from manufacturers and wholesalers, you can easily request modifications—like putting your brand name or logo on your products—for very low prices. What’s more, AliExpress is designed for consumers, so it only sells pre-made items, so they can’t make custom items.
Alibaba was initially designed for B2B sales. As a result, most of the suppliers on the site offer wholesale prices, and you may be asked to prove that you are a business to get these rates. Also, sellers may have minimum orders. The lowest order is usually around 50 pieces.
In the case of new online retailers and small ecommerce businesses, Aliexpress may be more useful for sourcing and testing products. Although the prices on Alibaba are higher than they are on other websites, sellers on Alibaba do not require any minimum order requirements.
Suppliers on Alibaba may also use couriers (OR, epacket, DHL, UPS, or Fedex) to send small orders. Sometimes suppliers choose ocean freight for bulk orders, in order to keep costs low. If your product is sent by courier from China to Singapore, it will arrive within two days. However, ocean freight can take up to 10 days. It is important to remember that alibaba suppliers do not normally offer dropshipping.
Because it is a regular online ecommerce site, Aliexpress suppliers usually offer free shipping through courier. Many retailers also offer dropshipping, so the platform is very useful for sourcing products for your Amazon dropshipping store.
