Check suppliers, price imports, write RFQs

Chinese Wholesale Websites Compared

What each site says about itself, how it verifies suppliers and how you pay. Then check any supplier you find with the free checker.

Chinese wholesale websites for foreign buyers include Alibaba.com, 1688.com, Made-in-China.com, Global Sources and DHgate. This guide compares them neutrally, using each site’s own published facts and the date we read them, and does not rank them. The Supplier legitimacy checker on this page helps you check any supplier you find on any of them. It runs in your browser, is free, needs no sign-up and uploads nothing, and no website is queried. It gives a list of signals from what you enter, with the sources behind each. It is not an audit, a guarantee or a verdict on any company.
Chinese wholesale websites example

How to use the Supplier legitimacy checker

  1. Open the checker on this page. No sign-up is needed.
  2. Choose where you found the supplier, such as Alibaba.com, 1688.com or Made-in-China.com.
  3. Select the verification status shown on the supplier’s page.
  4. Say whether Trade Assurance is offered.
  5. Enter what the supplier claims to be.
  6. Set how wide the product range is.
  7. Say what a third-party audit report says, if one is shown.
  8. Note where the supplier asks you to pay and how much before shipping.
  9. Mark whether the supplier refused any of these: a live video of the production floor, a factory audit, the business licence or a sample.
  10. Mark whether the price is far below other quotes.
  11. Optional: enter the 18-character unified social credit code. The tool checks its check character and decodes the registering department, entity type and region code of the registration authority.
  12. Optional: paste the business scope in Chinese. The tool highlights manufacturing words (生产, 制造, 加工) and trade words (批发, 销售, 进出口) with English meanings.
  13. Read the result. Each risk signal is marked High, Medium, Reassuring or Note, with a short reason and links to sources. Check the “Looks like a manufacturer / Looks like a trading company / Unclear” card and the list of next checks.

The Print checklist button prints a one-page check sheet, which is useful when you want to take your notes to a call or an email with the supplier.

Which Chinese wholesale websites can foreign buyers use?

Several large platforms list suppliers for overseas buyers, and each publishes different facts about how it verifies sellers and protects payments. Compare them using the same questions, and read each site’s terms yourself.

  • Alibaba.com: Suppliers may carry the Gold Supplier, Verified Supplier or Trade Assurance Supplier badges, which Alibaba defines on its buyer page. Trade Assurance holds funds in escrow when you pay on Alibaba.com. You can search by keyword, send a Request for Quotation so sellers bid, or filter for Trade Assurance suppliers.
  • 1688.com: Alibaba Group lists 1688.com among its platforms (alibabagroup.com, updated January 2026). Read the next section for how it differs from Alibaba.com.
  • Made-in-China.com: Its Audited Supplier reports are produced by SGS and cover business licences, certifications, and production and quality control systems. They show whether a supplier is a manufacturer, a trading company or both (its member icon page).
  • Global Sources: We read these details through search results that quote its pages, because the site’s own pages returned 403 and 429 errors when opened directly on 2026-10-17. Its Verified Suppliers are those whose registration details were checked by outside firms such as Dun & Bradstreet and TUV SUD. A separate Verified Manufacturers tier applies to verified suppliers whose government-issued business licence covers manufacturing. An optional paid Supplier Capability Assessment is based on an onsite visit. The company also runs trade shows.
  • DHgate: Another site buyers ask about. Its own pages could not be opened from our tools on 2026-10-17, so this guide makes no claim about its services. Read its buyer protection terms before you order.

What is the difference between Alibaba and 1688?

Alibaba.com is the international site and offers Trade Assurance, which holds your payment in escrow when you pay on that site. 1688.com was built for a different buyer. According to WorldFirst, a payment provider (article updated 2026-07-03), 1688 launched in 1999 for domestic Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers selling to local business buyers. It was not built for overseas buyers, supports only Mandarin, lists prices in CNY, and most of its suppliers expect Alipay linked to a Chinese bank account, which most international buyers do not have. WorldFirst says foreign buyers therefore usually use an intermediary. That is the vendor’s description, not Alibaba’s.

The practical difference is how you pay and who you talk to. On Alibaba.com, check whether the supplier offers Trade Assurance before you pay. On 1688.com, ask how an overseas buyer can pay and whether an intermediary is involved, and read the answer in writing before you send any money. Either way, use the checker to record what you see on the page.

Sources read for this page

Opened on the dates shown; notes say where we used a substitute.

Frequently asked questions

Which site verifies suppliers?

More than one site runs a verification process, and each checks different things. Global Sources checks registration details through outside firms and labels Verified Manufacturers when a business licence covers manufacturing. Made-in-China.com publishes SGS Audited Supplier reports. Alibaba.com shows badges defined on its buyer page. Read what each badge covers before you rely on it.

Is Made-in-China.com legit?

This tool does not give a verdict on any site or company. Made-in-China.com publishes SGS Audited Supplier reports covering business licences, certifications and production and quality control systems. Ask a specific supplier for its report, then use the checker to note what it shows and whether it matches the supplier’s claims.

Does the checker send my answers anywhere?

No. The checker runs in your browser and uploads nothing. It does not query any website.

Does a trading company mean the supplier is unsafe?

No. A trading company is a normal kind of business. The checker tells you whether the supplier looks like a manufacturer, a trading company or unclear, so you can decide what matters for your order.

Does the checker confirm that a business licence is registered?

No. For the unified social credit code, the tool checks the check character and decodes the registering department, entity type and region code. That shows the code is well formed. It does not confirm that the company is registered, so check the registration through the source named in the result.

Is the result a guarantee?

No. The result is a list of signals based on what you entered. It is not an audit, a guarantee, or a verdict on any company.

  • Alibaba alternatives: Use this when you want to compare other sites with Alibaba.com before you choose one.
  • Is Alibaba legit?: Use this when you want a guide to checking Alibaba.com itself and its supplier badges.
  • China wholesale suppliers: Use this when you have a shortlist and want to compare suppliers on the same questions.
  • Verify a supplier: Use this when you have a specific Alibaba supplier and want to check its verification step by step.