Where do I find suppliers online?
Most importers start on a B2B marketplace, and for a first search that is the right move. Four are worth knowing, because each is built for a different buyer:
- Alibaba.com. The largest English-language wholesale marketplace and the default first stop. Huge selection, but a large share of the sellers are trading companies rather than the factory itself, so treat every listing as a lead to check, not a factory confirmed.
- Made-in-China.com and Global Sources. Two competitors worth searching in parallel. Global Sources is Hong Kong based and historically strong for electronics and hardware, and it runs its own trade shows where you can meet the same suppliers in person.
- 1688.com. Alibaba's China-domestic marketplace. Prices are lower and the sellers sit closer to the factory, because it is built for Chinese buyers rather than exporters. The catch is that it is entirely in Chinese, most sellers will not export or speak English, and payment and shipping assume you already have someone inside China. You use 1688 through an agent or a forwarder, not directly.
Search the same product on two or three of these at once. If a supplier shows up on all of them with the same photos but a much higher price on the English sites, you are probably looking at a trader's markup.
Trade shows: the Canton Fair and category fairs
Nothing shortens the search like standing in front of a hundred suppliers in one hall. The Canton Fair (officially the China Import and Export Fair, held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn) is the largest, running in three phases split by product category, from electronics and machinery to homeware and textiles. For small commodities, the Yiwu market in Zhejiang runs year-round across tens of thousands of stalls. Many product categories also have a dedicated fair, and Global Sources runs its own electronics and lifestyle shows in Hong Kong. A show lets you handle real samples and watch how a supplier answers a hard question on the spot, which separates a factory rep from a sales agent fast. Bring a clear spec and a short list of the exact questions you need answered.
Sourcing agents and referrals
The fastest route is often someone who already knows the factories in your category. A sourcing agent based in China keeps a working list of manufacturers they have visited, and can put three or four qualified options in front of you in days rather than the weeks it takes to filter a marketplace yourself. A referral from another importer in a non-competing product is worth even more, because it comes with a track record. The thing to check with any agent is how they get paid. A flat fee or a transparent retainer keeps them on your side, while a hidden commission from the factory quietly puts them on the other one.
How do I find a factory that isn't on Alibaba?
If you have searched Alibaba and keep landing on traders, that is the signal to change channels rather than keep scrolling. The factory-direct routes are the ones exporters do not reach as easily: 1688.com through an agent, the Canton Fair in person, and a China-based agent who can drive to the industrial cluster for your product and walk in. China concentrates manufacturing by region, so once you know your product's cluster (for example Shenzhen and Dongguan for electronics, Ningbo and Yiwu for household goods, Foshan for furniture and ceramics), you can target factories in that zone directly instead of hoping a marketplace surfaces them.
How many suppliers should I contact?
Aim for a shortlist of five to ten, not one. Message them with the same clear brief, then compare who asks the sharpest questions back and who quotes a realistic minimum order without dodging the technical detail. The supplier with the lowest price is rarely the one to pick first. From that shortlist you will usually keep two or three worth verifying properly, and one becomes your first order. Keeping a second qualified supplier warm is cheap insurance for the day your main one raises prices or misses a season.
Finding one is the easy part: verify before you pay
Search gets you a name and a quote. It does not tell you whether the company owns a production line, or whether the bank account and the polished photos actually belong to the business. Before any deposit leaves your account, confirm the supplier's business license and its registered manufacturing scope, then cross-check it on China's official registry at gsxt.gov.cn. Get eyes on the actual floor too, through a live video walk or a third-party audit from a firm like SGS, TÜV, or Bureau Veritas. That verification step is where a good supplier separates from an expensive mistake, and it matters far more than which website you found them on.
Where Mila Sourcing fits
Finding a name is easy. Standing on the floor before you wire a deposit is the part most importers cannot do from another country. That is what we run for you: a verified agent inside China builds the shortlist, cross-checks each business license, and walks the production line on camera, so the manufacturer you pick is one you have actually seen. It is the core of Sourcing Activation and Full Production Management.
Related, if you are starting a supplier search right now:
- How do I verify a Chinese supplier before I order?
- Real factory or trading company: how to tell
- Is Alibaba safe for sourcing from China?
- How to find reliable suppliers in China
More questions answered in the Sourcing Answers hub.