Made-in-China.com, Alibaba.com or 1688 for a first order.

1. The short answer

For most first orders the deciding question isn't which site lists the item. It's how you'll pay and who will stand behind the order if the goods arrive wrong. All three sites list manufacturers and trading companies side by side, and none of them tells you reliably which is which.

2. Alibaba.com

Alibaba.com is Alibaba Group's marketplace for buyers outside China. Sellers pay for memberships and placement, which is worth remembering when you read a badge or a ranking.

• Prices. Usually shown in USD as a range by quantity tier. Some listings can be ordered at a fixed price; many are a starting point for a quote. Check whether the price is FOB (delivered to a Chinese port) or EXW (collected from the seller's door), because the gap can be meaningful for bulky goods.
• Recourse. Trade Assurance is Alibaba.com's order-protection programme. It generally covers orders placed and paid through Alibaba.com against the terms written into that order. It doesn't cover a payment you send to a bank account the seller gives you in chat, and it can only enforce what the order actually states. The Trade Assurance guide covers how to write a claim it can enforce.
• Badges. "Verified" and similar marks generally mean a third party checked the company, not that it makes the item in a given listing. The factory-or-trading-company guide has the checks that tell you more.

Good fit for: a first order where you want a platform between you and the seller and you're prepared to keep payment and messages on the platform.

3. Made-in-China.com

Made-in-China.com is a long-running Chinese B2B directory for overseas buyers, operated by Focus Technology. It's used mostly as a catalogue and inquiry channel: you find listings, message the seller and agree terms.

• Prices. Most product listings show a seller-published FOB price range and a minimum order quantity (MOQ). That makes it a convenient place to see the spread of prices for one item across many sellers, as long as you remember both numbers are the seller's own and may change.
• Recourse. This depends on how you pay. The site has offered a secured-trading service on some listings; check whether the listing you want has it and what it covers. Many orders found here are paid by bank transfer arranged directly with the seller, and a transfer like that generally has no platform recourse. The payment guide ranks the routes by how reversible they are.
• Badges. "Audited Supplier" generally means a third-party inspection company checked the company, and some audits come with a report you can open. As on Alibaba.com, it describes the company, not the specific product.

Good fit for: comparing published export prices and MOQs before you negotiate, and finding sellers who don't appear on Alibaba.com.

4. 1688

1688.com is Alibaba Group's wholesale marketplace for buyers inside China. It's where many Chinese retailers and online shops buy stock, and it lists a very wide range of products, often at prices below the export sites.

• Prices. In RMB, for delivery to an address in China. Read the price terms: some sellers quote including VAT and an official invoice (含税), others excluding it (不含税), and domestic shipping may or may not be included. None of it includes export handling.
• Access. The site is in Chinese, sellers expect Chinese payment methods and a Chinese delivery address, and seller contact details are generally shown only to signed-in accounts. Most sellers there don't prepare export paperwork. Overseas buyers usually use a purchasing agent (代采) who orders, collects goods at a warehouse, checks them to whatever standard you agree, and passes them to a freight forwarder.
• Recourse. Your contract is with the agent. How well a problem gets solved depends on the agent's terms, how carefully it inspects before shipping, and whether it will chase the seller for you. Read those terms as carefully as you'd read a supplier's.

Good fit for: small mixed orders of ready-made goods through an agent you trust, and as a price reference even when you buy elsewhere.

5. Comparing one product across all three

Comparing a 1688 price with an Alibaba.com price directly is the most common mistake in this choice. Bring every quote to the same basis first.

• Same item. Match material, size, finish, packaging and accessories. Listings that share a photo often differ in exactly these, and the cheapest is usually the lightest specification.
• Same delivery point. Convert everything to one point, for example goods loaded at a Chinese port. For a 1688 price, add domestic freight to the agent's warehouse, the agent's fee, any VAT the price excludes if you'll need an invoice, and export handling. For an EXW price, add the cost of getting goods to the port.
• Same quantity. Price tiers and MOQs differ. Compare at the quantity you'll actually order, not at each listing's best tier.
• Same currency, same day. Convert RMB at one rate and note the date; quotes move with the exchange rate.

After that, a gap that remains is real information: a reselling layer, a different specification, or a seller that will be harder to hold to its quote. The price is only part of what you'll pay; the landed-cost guide covers freight, duty and the fees nobody quotes.

6. A sensible path for a first order

• Survey on two sites. Use Made-in-China.com and Alibaba.com to see the range of published export prices and MOQs for your item. Note the 1688 price for the same specification as a rough floor.
• Shortlist three sellers and ask each the same written questions, including whether they make the item themselves.
• Decide how you'll pay before you negotiate. If you want platform recourse, the order and the payment have to stay on that platform. If you go through an agent, the agent's terms are your protection.
• Write measurable specifications into the order and agree an approved sample as the standard.
• Watch the deadlines. Protected orders can confirm themselves on a timer; the dispute-clock guide explains which clock you're racing.