How to Order in Bulk From Alibaba.com: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to order in bulk from Alibaba.com is a key question for many entrepreneurs looking to tap into the booming global ecommerce market. In 2024, there are an estimated 5.35 billion internet users, and more than 50% of them made online purchases over the past year. At the same time, global retail ecommerce sales reached around $6.33 trillion in 2024 and are projected to surpass $6.86 trillion in 2025.​ Simultaneously, the number of ecommerce websites worldwide has surged from around 950,000 in 2004 to over 30.7 million in 2024.

While this growth is impressive, the escalating demand for online shopping appears to outpace the supply of online stores, indicating huge potential in the global ecommerce retail market.​ To capitalize on this substantial business opportunity and explore methods for sourcing products in bulk, continue reading to discover why and how to order in bulk from Alibaba.com, the globally established B2B wholesale marketplace, and pick up essential tips for successful bulk sourcing.

Table of Contents
1. Why order in bulk from Alibaba.com
2. How to order in bulk from Alibaba.com
3. Tips for successful bulk purchasing
4. Bulk ordering to success

Why order in bulk from Alibaba.com

It’s cheap

As a wholesale platform specialized for B2B buyers, sellers on Alibaba.com must offer highly competitive prices in line with its value positioning and target audience. While there are multiple strategic reasons behind these competitively low prices, the fact that most of them are either wholesalers or direct manufacturers themselves makes orders with minimum order quantity (MOQ) requirements inevitable.

Such a condition nevertheless serves as a golden ticket to much lower prices, especially when compared to retail offers. Cheaper stock also signifies more working cash that can last longer between orders, increasing cash flow while improving liquidity.

However, it’s not only about direct bulk purchases straight from factories or wholesale pricing, which is often half or less than half of retail prices that leads to competitive rates. The reality that Alibaba.com supports payment in more than 27 currencies helps further cut down foreign exchange costs, making cost savings and higher margins even more impactful. Essentially, sourcing in bulk from Alibaba.com is about saving costs across multiple dimensions: from unit price to cash flow and even payment currency.

It’s abundant

With more than 200 million products across over 5,900 product categories all competitively offered by more than 200K suppliers, the word abundant can hardly capture the massive scale of selection on Alibaba.com. This breadth also promotes intense competition, which translates to better offers, more competitive pricing, and more options for buyers.

All of these diverse offers are freely accessible to B2B buyers, including Verified Suppliers and Verified Pro Suppliers, both categories strictly screened and certified by Alibaba.com. These stringent supplier standards and the verified badge provide a quick rundown on the credibility and reliability of suppliers among thousands available on Alibaba.com, easing the buyer’s selection process.

It’s flexible

For businesses seeking complete control of their brands and packaging from the start, suppliers on Alibaba.com serve as the ideal choice. From custom designs on logos and packaging to options for product variety and brand identity, multiple suppliers offer flexible branding control for businesses.

What’s more, the platform’s flexibility doesn’t stop at product customization but extends to diverse logistics and shipping options that buyers are free to choose from. Alibaba.com Logistics, for example, covers the entire supply chain. From delivery and transportation to warehousing and customs handling, B2B buyers can expect all-inclusive logistics solutions to ensure a smooth sourcing journey.

It’s protected

All online transactions should be secured, even more so for bulk orders that typically involve much higher financial stakes. That’s why Alibaba.com provides a secure payment channel and ensures the site is fully PCI-DSS compliant and strictly abides by the global standards set by major credit card firms to protect cardholder data.

Alibaba.com’s all-rounded, platform-wide Trade Assurance (TA) program further ensures full buyer protection through secure, escrow-protected payments while connecting buyers to trusted third-party inspection services. With protections like locked-in pricing, guaranteed delivery timelines, after-sales support, and structured refund policies, the TA program helps offer buyers greater confidence and control when ordering in bulk on Alibaba.com.

How to order in bulk from Alibaba.com

Get started with account setup and product planning

First things first, similar to all other ecommerce website ordering processes, begin by setting up an Alibaba.com buyer account. The account creation from either the desktop version or mobile version eventually leads to a similar page, with options to sign in directly using Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn accounts, as shown in the images below.

Desktop version:

1. On the homepage of Alibaba.com, click on the “Sign up” icon in the top right corner and complete the required information to register for a buyer account or for both buyer and seller accounts.

2. Or sign in using a Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn account.

Mobile version:

1. Open the Alibaba.com website from any mobile browser and either choose to sign up directly from the website by clicking the “My Account” icon in the bottom right corner or install the app to continue, as demonstrated in the following screenshots:

2. Alternatively, mobile users can also sign in using a Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn account.

At this initial stage, it is also a great opportunity to clearly define product niches and specifications before starting a supplier or product search, which helps save time and maintain focus based on prior market demand research. Buyers who have a clear idea of expected sales volume and related inventory or warehousing capacity will better ensure sufficient storage capacity before ordering in bulk.

Source & vet suppliers

Once the account is set up with a clear product direction and relevant marketing approach in mind, it’s time to begin the product sourcing process through Alibaba.com.

To reduce risk, buyers can filter for suppliers that carry Alibaba’s third-party verification mark, i.e. those with the Verified Supplier badge to help narrow the shortlist to vetted factories.

For thorough vetting of suppliers, refine searches by checking supplier verification status, ratings, and certifications. Additionally, to secure the best offer and ensure full payment protection, focus on suppliers who support Trade Assurance for added security.

Make full use of the “Add to Compare” feature available on the Alibaba.com search result page to compare quotes and contact the selected manufacturers. This is ultimately a continuous effort involving filtering, evaluating, and requesting quotes.

On the other hand, Alibaba.com also offers two additional tools to support B2B buyers, especially new business owners, in finding the right products and suppliers: Alibaba Lens– a screenshot-to-search product image price tool, and the one-click RFQ (request for quotation) feature, as illustrated below:

Negotiate & payment

To better understand shortlisted or preferred suppliers based on their quotes and features, buyers can click on the “Contact Supplier” or “Chat Now” buttons shown with each product to start a quick chat or submit specific inquiries:

At this stage, it’s essential to request samples and clarify all MOQ figures, payment terms, delivery commitments, and product specifications, especially when customization is required. Sample requests are used for product quality and functionality validation, and also to evaluate how reliable the suppliers are.

The final step in making bulk orders on Alibaba.com involves confirming secure payment terms, ideally done through Trade Assurance, and placing the bulk order with all financial and contractual terms clearly agreed upon.

Post-sale service expectations including warranty, support, or replacements should also be clearly defined in advance. Getting all these details finalized ensures smooth fulfillment while also promoting long-term supplier relationships and encouraging repeat business through dependable after-sales support.

Tips for successful bulk purchasing

Establish a structured & reliable supplier selection process             

Speed is often a key driver of success in business, particularly in intensely competitive markets. That is why when selecting suppliers, it is better to establish a structured and reliable selection process to save time and accelerate the entire vetting for smooth sourcing and consistent results.

On Alibaba.com, buyers can start with a pre-filtered pool of suppliers who participate in programs like Verified Supplier and Trade Assurance. These programs involve third-party verification or offer payment protection through Alibaba.com, helping reduce risk and simplify initial evaluations.

Regardless of program participation, it’s advisable to create a basic supplier background checklist—comparing prices, cross-checking product listings, and reviewing customer feedback—to make informed decisions. With a consistent, systematic, and organized vetting process, better supplier decisions can be made with greater confidence.

Request for sample or pilot test before committing to bulk order

When assessing suppliers, also take the opportunity to assess their “sample willingness.” Always place a paid (or reimbursable later) sample order first to test the unit so any quality issues can be caught earlier. Evaluate vendors on sample turnaround time and payment flexibility, including deposit terms or delayed payment options. This is also a great chance to compare finishes, materials, packaging, delivery speed, and lead-time accuracy among suppliers.

In the meantime, in most B2B contexts, after a sample order, a pilot order may follow, especially for complex or higher-risk products. This means ordering a small batch (not just 1–2 units) to test product performance, market response, and again, supplier reliability before scaling up. Bear in mind that these samples and pilot order feedback are vital for negotiating the final unit price, tooling costs, payment schedule, or penalties for late shipment later. Overall, finalize the order only after sample or pilot test approval.

Whenever possible, request a live walk-through to verify real production capacity and minimize any counterfeit and brand-related risks. These video tours serve as a modern, low-cost substitute for on-site audits. Most Verified Suppliers on Alibaba.com also offer a 360° VR Tour to showcase their facilities and products.

Negotiate with full consideration of logistics and capacity

While Alibaba Guaranteed program offers added peace of mind through pre-negotiated terms and buyer protections, for other deals, negotiation remains a key step when working with suppliers. In this sense, clear and organized on-platform communication helps ensure a successful bulk order. Meanwhile, providing fast responses with structured communication such as using bullet points or numbered lists in messages not only supports effective negotiation but also increases the chances of receiving more welcoming terms and better quotes.

However, to ensure smooth operations for bulk purchasing, B2B buyers should also consider all other shipment aspects when negotiating with suppliers. In other words, apart from the standard MOQ, pricing, and delivery terms negotiations, it is ideal for buyers to also lock down freight methods such as sea, air, or express depending on cost, volume, and urgency, along with warehousing capacity or a just-in-time delivery plan for a seamless fulfillment.

Meanwhile, to support smooth delivery, negotiation with suppliers should also fully consider the appropriate shipping arrangements, including related Incoterms (such as FOB, CIF, DDP, and more) early since the selection of appropriate Incoterms can clearly define the seller and buyer responsibilities.

Bulk ordering to success

Low wholesale prices, a massive number of suppliers and products, high flexibility in product customization and logistics arrangements, as well as many in-house order protection initiatives are among the key factors that make Alibaba.com a leading online marketplace option for global B2B buyers.

Setting up an account and planning for types of products to be offered before starting a supplier search and vetting on Alibaba.com are among the must-have initial steps for purchasing in bulk. After these steps, buyers can move forward to negotiation and sample validation prior to finalizing any bulk orders and arranging after-sales plans.

Ensuring a structured and reliable supplier selection process before requesting any sample or pilot test is a key tip that B2B buyers can rely on to negotiate effectively with suppliers and take all logistics and capacity planning into account. For more insider tips on bulk ordering success on Alibaba.com and all other latest information related to sourcing ideas, wholesale knowledge, and logistics insights, visit Alibaba.com Reads regularly.