Our Verdict
Are you looking for a platform that can help you find and sell high-quality products with ease? Then, SaleHoo is the clear winner. SaleHoo offers you a dropship tool that lets you import products to your store with one click, a supplier directory tool that gives you access to thousands of vetted suppliers and products from around the world, and a 100% money-back guarantee, a Better Business Bureau accreditation, and a 24/7 customer service. SaleHoo also has a higher TrustPilot rating than Alibaba and more extensive product search filters to help you find the best products for your niche.
Alibaba, on the other hand, is a risky and complicated platform that requires you to have upfront capital, deal with scams and quality issues, and handle shipping and customs by yourself. Do not expect dropshipping services from Alibaba. Alibaba neither vets its suppliers nor their products, and does not have a money-back guarantee, a Better Business Bureau accreditation, or 24/7 customer service. Alibaba also has a lower TrustPilot rating than SaleHoo and more limited product search filters.
Therefore, the verdict is clear: SaleHoo is the better platform for you if you are an online seller who wants to start rolling in sales fast and easily. Alibaba may be the worst platform for you to waste your time and money on unreliable and low-quality products. Choose SaleHoo today and start building your successful online store!
Why Choose SaleHoo
Who SaleHoo Is Best For
Make SaleHoo your go-to solution if you are an online seller who:
- Seeks a reliable dropship and wholesale supplier for his/her online business.
- Sells on eBay, or Amazon runs an online store or owns a small business.
- Needs a dropshipping tool that allows you to import products effortlessly with just one click.
- Needs access to a vast array of vetted suppliers and products worldwide.
- Wants a market research tool that can give you a competitive edge
Who SaleHoo Is Not Right For
Know that SaleHoo may not be the ideal fit for you if you:
- Prefer more control over your inventory and shipping processes and are willing to take on the risks of dealing with unvetted suppliers on Alibaba
- Have substantial upfront capital and can meet the minimum order quotas on other online stores.
- Seek an all-in-one platform that offers website building, payment processing, and marketing tools.
- Are not interested in selling branded or niche products, but instead, generic items that are available on multiple platforms.
Why Choose Alibaba
Who Alibaba Is Best For
Pick Alibaba if you are a buyer who:
- Wants to purchase large quantities of products at the lowest price possible
- Likes to negotiate directly with manufacturers, create custom products, and achieve significant cost savings.
- Wants to have more control over his/her inventory and shipping processes and is willing to deal with the risks and challenges of buying from unvetted suppliers.
- Have a lot of upfront capital and can meet the minimum order quotas that most Alibaba suppliers require.
- Is looking for a platform that offers a wide range of products from different categories and regions.
Who Alibaba Is Not Right For
Forget about Alibaba if you are a buyer who:
- Wants to purchase small quantities of products or test the market before buying in bulk.
- Wants to avoid the hassle of handling shipping and customs or paying expensive fees.
- Wants to ensure the quality and reliability of their products and suppliers and avoid scams and frauds.
- Wants to sell branded products or niche products that you may not easily find on Alibaba.
- Wants to use a platform that offers more than just a marketplace, such as a dropship tool, a supplier directory tool, or a market research tool.
SaleHoo vs Alibaba: Main Differences
Idea For
To know a platform that is ideal for your business, consider your goals, budget, niche, and risk tolerance. Choose SaleHoo is better for low-budget, dropshipping, branded, or niche products and reliable suppliers. Alibaba is better for large-budget, wholesale, custom, or generic products and direct manufacturers.
Pricing
Indeed, the pricing model is a significant distinction between SaleHoo and Alibaba. With SaleHoo, you can access valuable dropship and supplier directory tools for a reasonable annual fee of $67 or $127, depending on your chosen plan. This unlocks for you a world of vetted suppliers and products, along with added benefits like a 100% money-back guarantee, and round-the-clock customer service.
On the other hand, Alibaba adopts a different approach, offering you its online marketplace of suppliers and products for free. However, keep in mind that purchasing in bulk from Alibaba suppliers typically requires a substantial upfront investment due to minimum order quotas. Moreover, prepare to handle shipping and customs fees by yourself, which can be both costly and complex. Be cautious about the quality and reliability of products and suppliers on Alibaba, as they remain unvetted, and there have been reports of scams and frauds.
Accounting Integration
When it comes to accounting integration, SaleHoo and Alibaba have different approaches. SaleHoo does not have a direct connection with any accounting software or system, but you can use Zapier to create workflows between SaleHoo and your preferred accounting tool. This gives you more freedom and choices for your accounting needs. Alibaba has a Trade Assurance feature that protects your orders and gives you an online contract that you can use as a reference for your accounting records. However, this also restricts you to the contract terms and conditions.
The winner of this comparison depends on your preferences and needs. If you want more flexibility and options for your accounting integration, SaleHoo might be better for you. If you want more protection and simplicity for your accounting integration, Alibaba might be better for you.
Standout Features
With SaleHoo, you have access to a dropshipping tool that enables you to import products to your online stores such as Shopify. Not only that, you have access to a large number of vetted suppliers and a 100% money-back guarantee. Alibaba gives you a large supplier platform with a trade assurance service. In addition, Alibaba allows you to communicate directly with manufacturers.
SaleHoo vs Alibaba: Standout Features
SaleHoo
- Offers a dropshipping tool that allows you to import products directly to your Shopify store with one click, without having to deal with inventory, shipping, or minimum order quantities.
- Has a supplier directory tool that enables you to browse through thousands of vetted suppliers and products from around the world, with extensive product search filters and market research data.
- Has a 100% money-back guarantee, a Better Business Bureau accreditation, and 24/7 customer service, which show its commitment to customer satisfaction and trustworthiness.
- Has a TrustPilot rating of 4.8 out of 5, which reflects the positive feedback and reviews from its customers.
Alibaba
- Has a Trade Assurance service that protects your orders from payment to delivery, ensuring timely delivery of all your products and meeting quality standards.
- Allows you to communicate directly with manufacturers, create custom products, and achieve significant cost savings.
- Has a rating system that allows you to see the feedback and reviews from other buyers on the suppliers and products, as well as their transaction history and response rate.
Pros and Cons of SaleHoo
- Pros
- Has over 8,000 vetted suppliers and products from around the world, which means you can avoid scams and quality issues.
- Allows you to import products directly to your Shopify store with one click.
- Enables you to browse through thousands of products and suppliers, with extensive product search filters and market research data.
- Has a 100% money-back guarantee, a Better Business Bureau accreditation, and 24/7 customer service.
- Cons
- Has a limited number of products compared to some other platforms, with only 1.6 million products in its directory.
- Has a marketplace fee that applies when you buy products from drop shippers and sell them to customers.
- Does not have a direct accounting integration with any accounting software or system.
- Does not offer any other features or services besides the dropship tool and the supplier directory tool, such as a website builder, a payment processor, or a marketing tool.
- Requires you to pay an annual fee of $67 or $127, depending on the plan you choose, to access their platform.
Pros and Cons of Alibaba
- Pros
- Has a large number of suppliers and products from different categories and regions, which means you can find a wide range of products at competitive prices.
- Has a Trade Assurance service that protects your orders from payment to delivery.
- Provides you the opportunity to interact directly with manufacturers, create custom products, and achieve significant cost savings.
- Provides you feedback and reviews from other buyers on the suppliers and products, as well as their transaction history and response rate.
- Has a low platform fee that does not charge you to access its marketplace, but only charges a small commission on successful transactions.
- Cons
- Has a high upfront capital requirement to purchase products in bulk from suppliers, as most of them have minimum order quotas that you need to meet to get wholesale prices.
- Has a high shipping and customs cost that you need to pay for yourself, which can be expensive and complicated.
- Has a low quality and reliability guarantee for the products and suppliers you buy from, as Alibaba does not vet them and there are many reports of scams and frauds on the platform.
- Does not offer any dropshipping services, which means you need to handle the inventory and shipping processes yourself or use a third-party service.
- Does not offer any other features or services besides the marketplace, such as a dropship tool, a supplier directory tool, or a market research tool.
SaleHoo vs Alibaba: Customer Reviews
Know that the winner of this comparison depends on your preferences and needs. If you want a platform that has a better reputation, accreditation, and customer service, SaleHoo may be better for you. If you want a platform that has more reviews, product options, and trade protection, Alibaba may be better for you.
SaleHoo has a Better Business Bureau accreditation and an A+ rating with 0 complaints in the last 3 years1. Also, on TrustPilot, SaleHoo has a rating of 4.8 out of 5, based on 431 reviews, with 93% of them being 5 stars. However, SaleHoo does not have any reviews on ConsumerAffairs.
On the other hand, Alibaba does not have a Better Business Bureau accreditation and has a B- rating with 1 complaint in the last 3 years.
Also, Alibaba has a Trustpilot rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on 21,596 reviews, with 81% of them being 5 stars. Customers appreciate Alibaba for its product variety, trade assurance, negotiation feature, and rating system. In addition, Alibaba has a ConsumerAffairs rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on 1,082 reviews. Customers complain about Alibaba for its scams and frauds, shipping and customs issues, quality and reliability problems, and customer service.
SaleHoo and Alibaba Competitors
Printful
Use this print-on-demand platform that allows you to customize and sell products like clothing, wall art, and accessories. Printful handles the printing, fulfillment, and shipping for you. Don’t worry about the monthly fees, you only pay for the products you sell.
Global Sources
Do you need a B2B platform that connects you with verified suppliers from China and other Asian countries? Global Sources offers a wide range of products, trade shows, and online services. You can join for free, but you need to negotiate with suppliers for product prices.
DHgate
Do you want a B2B platform that offers dropshipping and wholesale products from China? If yes, can you imagine DHgate has over 30 million products in various categories, as well as buyer protection and escrow services? What are you waiting for? Join now for free. However, you need to pay for the products and shipping fees.
Pro Tips
- Have a clear idea of what kind of products you want to sell and what criteria they should meet.
- Compare the product variety and quality.
- Compare the supplier’s reliability and reputation.
- Compare the pricing and fees.
- Test the products and suppliers by ordering a sample or a small quantity.
Recap
SaleHoo and Alibaba are two different platforms that offer you dropshipping and wholesale options. Choose SaleHoo if you need a vetted supplier directory and dropshipping tool that helps you find reliable and profitable products and suppliers for your online store. Consider Alibaba if you want a mega marketplace of suppliers with products that you can purchase as inventory for your store, but you need to have some upfront capital and be careful of scams and quality issues. Depending on your preferences and needs, you can choose the best platform for your online business by following the pro tips above.
