Using Alibaba.com with or without an agent
Alibaba.com is Alibaba Group's cross-border wholesale marketplace. It is built for buyers outside China: listings are in English and other languages and suppliers quote for export.
Where an agent fits
You can contact suppliers yourself. Buyers bring in an agent for work the platform does not do for them: visiting the factory, checking samples and production, consolidating several suppliers, or negotiating in Chinese.
Cost lines to expect
The supplier's quoted price under the agreed trade term, the agent's fee if you use one, inspection, and freight. If the supplier's quote already includes delivery to a port, do not enter domestic freight a second time.
What to settle with the agent first
Whether the agent is paid by you only, whether orders go through the platform or directly to the factory, and who holds the supplier relationship afterwards.
What this site cannot tell you
Order protection, dispute handling and supplier verification labels are defined by the platform. Read the current terms on Alibaba.com before relying on them.
This site is not affiliated with Alibaba Group, 1688.com or Alibaba.com. The names are used only to describe the marketplaces. For rules, fees and protections, the platform's own pages govern. Official site: alibaba.com