Why Is Alibaba So Cheap? (In-depth Explanation!)

Why Is Alibaba So Cheap

One reason that they are cheap is because overall manufacturing costs, including labor, are considerably less in China. For example, you can buy fidget spinners directly from the manufacturer at 80 cents per with a MOQ of 1,000 units (if not more).

One of the reasons for Alibaba’s popularity is because it offers its users the opportunity to both buy and sell products. The platform works incredibly well for bulk buyers and sellers. It gives individuals a chance to work directly with manufacturers and wholesalers who are actively involved in wholesale on an international scale. 

Since trade is conducted this way there tends to be competitive pricing overall, making personal purchasing decisions more affordable than they could be otherwise. Currently, there are more than 726 million active buyers using the Alibaba marketplace – so you can never go wrong if you’re planning on buying or selling something within China!

It’s often difficult to understand how Alibaba grows each year and how they are able to maintain such low prices for the products their site sells. It’s a tough question to answer, but one that can be answered if we take a look at Alibaba’s history and where it came from (in this case China) and what the company does to make money.

Alibaba: Cheapest E-commerce Company 

Alibaba: Cheapest E-commerce Company

The history of Alibaba goes back to 1999, when Jack Ma, along with 17 others, launched Alibaba in his apartment. Now known as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., investors can purchase shares through their brokerage accounts and enjoy annual Alibaba stock growth. The company offers a business-to-business (B2B) platform for wholesalers and manufacturers to connect with international buyers.

Alibaba saves time for anyone who wants to purchase products for sale. With their platforms, businesses can create more than just an online store. They can transform into a system that continues to operate efficiently and effectively to various sellers, customers, and the brand itself.

Alibaba and its affiliates focus on a variety of industries, including the cloud computing branch, which runs Amazon’s infrastructure for customers. Alibaba is also in charge of digital media and entertainment – whereas some users may purchase a new Kindle book using Amazon, with Alibaba being linked to Alibaba Pictures and Ali Pictures one could actually purchase that same book via the web portal Taobao.

How Does Alibaba Work?

How Does Alibaba Work

Alibaba’s stated mission is to “make it easy to do business anywhere.” That includes both small businesses around the globe as well as their local suppliers who may be based in China. To facilitate this process, Alibaba offers a range of tools and services that make it easy for small businesses to find the products they need at competitive prices and for individual manufacturers to reach new customers around the world without having to pay high commission fees normally associated with international trade channels.

Alibaba’s business model provides a template for online businesses to follow: that is, it has created an interesting dynamic akin to B2B trading (Alibaba manufacturers can negotiate with Alibaba buyers), but with the advent of Tmall and Taobao, it opened the door for exponential growth in the e-commerce business-to-consumer (B2C) and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) spaces.

Reasons Why Alibaba Is So Cheap

We’ve highlighted some of the major reasons why Alibaba is so cheap. Let’s check them out!

Bulk Purchasing

Wholesalers who also sell their products directly on Alibaba benefit by being able to offer lower prices on bulk products, which makes them appealing to buyers who don’t want to order in large quantities or need expensive shipping. This is good for both the buyer and seller because the seller doesn’t have to spend time or money doing labor-intensive tasks such as packaging and shipping the items individually. This saves them a lot of time, energy and money that would otherwise be spent on these things, making your supplier more efficient. Since many wholesalers are also the manufacturers for Alibaba products, they are able to offer much cheaper prices directly to the consumers.

Lower Manufacturing Costs

Many Alibaba manufacturers produce goods in China or other nations. As indicated before, in this particular article Alibaba is considered part of the China scene as an e-commerce provider and subsidiary of their country. With nearly 1.4 billion people, China has the highest population in the world and everyone should be aware that it holds an abundance of willing laborers which makes Chinese manufacturing particularly attractive when thinking about marketing. While China has been promoting reforms, the rate of their implementation is somewhat slow and may take some time.

Price Negotiation

Sometimes it can be more cost effective to buy and resell wholesale, but the process is far from easy. Using Alibaba, sellers and buyers are given the opportunity to negotiate a lower price than what might have previously been acceptable when buying direct from manufacturers. 

It’s important that if you’re considering this route to understand your product and industry, as well as the seller you’re buying from so that you know what kind of shipping price you should expect and whether or not a higher initial deposit is necessary for them to begin work on the order (but don’t forget to ask about payment options too!).

When dealing with suppliers, a lot often comes down to how well you’ve established yourself as a customer. If you’ve been consistent in your dealings with them and have developed a good relationship with them, they may be more open to negotiating prices.

Purchase Directly from Manufacturers

Buyers and sellers on Alibaba’s wholesale marketplace are able to work directly with manufacturers. This arrangement allows them to avoid some of the overhead costs associated with additional marketing, advertising, and customer service programs. The majority of Alibaba wholesalers do choose to work with these paid options but it still equates to less than working directly with an end consumer from numerous sources.

MOQ {Minimum order quantity}

 There is a big misconception amongst importers that the more they buy at once; the less they will have to pay per unit. This applies only if you intend to make long-term purchases. Sure, there are hefty benefits behind ordering product by quantity but if you do decide to take this approach, you must ALWAYS be sure of your supplier’s credibility and reputation. Remember that prices may seem cheaper but shipping costs could eventually add up. It wouldn’t cost much simply to adjust the MOQ of a product but think about what would happen with each successive order and how expensive it would get. So when it comes to price and MOQ, always consider whether or not you are prepared for the risks involved in smaller quantities..

If you want to buy the product but for a low MOQ, the price of the product will change. As for asking for samples from manufacturers or suppliers on Alibaba, some prices might be too high because depending on the industry, samples can sometimes be provided free to a customer.

Accessibility of products and materials

One of the biggest reasons for the cheap price of products and materials on Alibaba is the availability of these products and materials in various provinces throughout China . For an example, buying bedsheets from a Chinese supplier selling from Nantong will significantly cheaper than say buying directly from foreign wholesalers. The reason as to why companies sell their bedsheet’s at such a discounted price–even though they’re more expensive by a fraction than international suppliers–is because they know if they undersell supply to other sellers, chances are that you might decide to buy with them over the multinationals no matter the quality difference!

Bottom Line – wrapping it up!

Alibaba is a leader in the global wholesale markets and is often seen as the “Amazon of China.” This is because Alibaba is essentially a hub for wholesalers, which means entrepreneurs will be able to find low prices on bulk orders from Chinese sellers.

References:

https://moneymorning.com/why-alibaba-products-are-cheap/
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/cheap-products-in-alibaba.html

Last Updated on August 6, 2022 by Ana S. Sutterfield

Scroll to Top