Do you want to know how to start a business with Alibaba? And how to use Alibaba to make money? Find here the 30 most trending and profitable Alibaba business ideas that you can consider starting this year.
Alibaba is a Chinese multinational eCommerce company. On 4th April 1999, Jack Ma and Peng Lei founded the company. Nowadays, it is the biggest e-commerce retail globally. The company provides consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business sales services through web portals.
Currently, the company operates in over 200 countries. Under the group, Alibaba operates other online retailers like AliExpress, Taobao, and Tmall. Alibaba also became one of the world’s top 10 most valuable companies. Directly and indirectly, the company has generated millions of jobs throughout the globe. So, if you want to make money with Alibaba, then read these Alibaba business ideas that you can explore with a small investment.
List of 30 Alibaba Business Ideas
#1. Affiliate Marketing
Alibaba offers an affiliate program. So, you can apply for an authorized affiliate and can earn money from selling Alibaba products. Whenever a buyer purchases a product from your link you will get a certain commission.
#2. Amazon Selling
With proper registration and a Tax number, you can register yourself as an Amazon seller. In that case, you will need to procure the product in bulk. Buy the product in bulk from Alibaba and sell it on Amazon. Also, you can set up a store on Amazon to sell the products.
#3. Business Directory
Initiating an online business directory is a delicate thing. However, it is a lucrative business too. You can initiate the directory with Alibaba suppliers in a specific niche. And help the buyers to find out the specific suppliers for specific products.
#4. CCTV Camera Selling & Installation
Currently, Alibaba is the biggest platform for sourcing CCTV cameras and other security surveillance items. These days security is everyone’s concern, So, you can initiate a CCTV camera selling and installation business to serve both domestic and commercial clients.
#5. Computer Accessories Store
Regardless of your location, you can source numerous types of computer accessories from Alibaba in bulk. Several computer peripherals have the potential to earn high revenue. Some of the most trending items are the keyboard, headphones, LCD screen, etc. And if you live in a metro city or small town, you can open a brick-and-mortar store to sell these items.
#6. Cosmetics Retailing
This is another great business you can consider starting both offline and online. On Alibaba, you can find a wide range of cosmetics products. Some of the most popular categories are makeup, haircare, fragrances, nail supplies, body art items, etc. You can consider selling those items from your retail store or you can opt for distribution.
#7. Deals Website
Aliexpress provides flash deals for a short duration of time. And in those deals, the company offers discounted prices. Hence, you can consider initiating a specific site that covers lucrative deals for consumers. Generally, this type of site gains huge popularity by showing the current deals for the audience.
#8. Dropshipping
If you don’t have enough capital to procure the material in bulk, you can still consider starting the Alibaba business as a drop shipper. Among all the online selling options, dropshipping is the most profitable one. Additionally, you can start this business from home with very minimal infrastructure.
#9. eBay Selling
EBay is a vibrant worldwide marketplace. Currently, it has a worldwide community of more than 160 million shoppers. And you can sell any product on eBay. And for that, you can procure the products from Alibaba in bulk quantity. For starting this business you don’t need to have any commercial space. Just you can operate the business from home.
#10. Escrow Service
Generally, buying from Alibaba involves a lot of financial transactions. And when the transaction happens overseas it requires financial security. So, both parties look for a reputed escrow service facility. In most countries including the United States of America, initiating an escrow service requires a specific license and permission.
#11. Etsy Selling
Nowadays, Etsy is a very popular online retail eCommerce. Some of the most popular items are handmade or vintage items and supplies, as well as unique factory-manufactured items. You can start selling on Etsy after procuring the products from Alibaba.
#12. Fashion Design Service
If you are a fashion designer, you can earn a lot of money from Alibaba. You can provide fashion design or apparel design services on Alibaba to apparel manufacturers who are looking for the same. Generally, apparel designing includes garments designing, jewelry designing, footwear designing, accessories designing, etc.
#13. Fashion Line
Starting your fashion line is a lucrative business these days. And to start that, you will need to procure a wide variety of items. And Alibaba is perfect for that. You can procure a lot of items including men’s, women’s, and kidswear.
#14. Gift Card Selling
Aliexpress is a group company of Alibaba. Aliexpress allows people to set up stores for selling gift cards from there. And there are several ways you can promote the cards online including on various social media platforms.
#15. Herbal Products Selling
Currently, herbal products are gaining huge popularity throughout the globe. Due to the harmful effects of chemical items, people are becoming more conscious about their wellness. So initiating a herbal product-selling business is a highly lucrative opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs.
#16. Import Clearing & Forwarding Agency
The import of goods involves a lot of complex procedures in both countries. And often people look for a reputed import clearing and forwarding agency for smooth transactions. It is a service-based business. Additionally, it needs specific knowledge, skill, and expertise.
#17. Import Consultant
In most cases, buying goods from Alibaba involves imports from different countries. And the people who are buying the products from overseas for the first time often look for an efficient import consultant. They want to get advice about what they should do and what not. So, if you have clear conceptions and knowledge about foreign trade, you can provide services as an import consultant.
#18. Logistic Company
As such any product-based company requires professional logistic help for smooth transportation and delivery. So, you can consider initiating a regional logistics company to help your customers get the delivery of the goods at the proper time. However, proper planning and financial management are necessary for operating a logistics company successfully.
#19. Machinery Selling
Nowadays, Alibaba is the biggest platform for procuring machinery throughout the globe. Hence, you can consider selling different machinery and factory equipment through Alibaba. If you are already a machine manufacturer is well, otherwise, you can also consider reselling.
#20. Online Auto Accessories Store
Initiating a small eCommerce or online store is not a big thing these days. And auto accessories are the most trending items that people buy frequently online. If you want to start an online selling business, you can consider procuring the material from Alibaba in bulk and selling it from your website.
#21. Private Labeling
Private labeling is a cheaper way of producing goods of your own. You can engage a third-party product manufacturer to produce your products under your brand name. There are a wide number of sellers on Alibaba who offer private labeling services for their clients. So, one can sell its brand without taking the hazard and risk of setting up a factory.
#22. Product Reselling
This is another great business you can consider worth starting with the help of Alibaba. There are numerous formats for reselling the products in the local market and throughout the globe. You can sell from your retail outlet or consider initiating a retail distribution company.
#23. Product Review Blog
Apart from impulse buying, people always look for honest and non-biased product reviews before a planned buying. So, initiating a product review blog is a lucrative option for aspiring individuals who want to initiate an online business from home. Additionally, there are a lot of free options you can explore for initiating a blog.
Read: How to Start a Blog and Make Money
#24. Quality Control Company
Alibaba caters to Chinese manufacturers. In time for purchasing the materials from China, overseas buyers always look for some trusted and reputed quality control agency for verification purposes. So, depending on your location, you can consider initiating a quality control company for buyers who are importing materials from different countries.
#25. Raw Material Selling
If you are a manufacturer of any kind of raw materials then doing Alibaba business is just perfect for you. You can sell any type of raw materials related to food processing, automobiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc from Alibaba worldwide.
#26. Selling on Shopify
Currently, Shopify is one of the best platforms for setting up an e-commerce store. And from a small online store, you can sell anything you want. However, selecting the right product and proper promotions are mandatory in this business. You can procure the product at a wholesale rate from Alibaba and sell those items on Shopify.
#27. Smartphone Developing
If you can develop new smartphones with some attractive features, you can ask manufacturers on Alibaba to produce those phones. Initiating a new brand of smartphone is a lucrative business opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to start a business in the electronics segment.
#28. Social Media Marketing
Nowadays, social media is the most powerful option for interacting with people and promoting products. And with a blog or a popular Facebook page or YouTube channel that has huge subscribers you can sell any product. Alibaba offers an affiliate program for online sellers. So, you can consider social media marketing for selling those items.
#29. Sourcing Expert
Generally, sourcing experts guide clients on how to source the best quality product at a cheaper rate. Hence, providing this type of service needs a lot of knowledge and expertise in the industry. However, initiating the business demands almost zero startup capital investment as you can operate the business from home.
#30. Wholesaling
This is one of the easiest Alibaba businesses you can start at any time. Depending on your location, you will need to identify the products that have wholesale demand for the local retailers. So, you can procure the products from Alibaba in bulk quantities and start wholesaling those items.
How to Start A Business with Alibaba
The basic steps to start a business using Alibaba are the following:
- Select a product on Alibaba that you find attractive and have a local market.
- Start conversations with the supplier.
- Buy some samples of the product.
- Procure some UPCs for your products (Universal Product Code). These are the numbers on the barcode.
- Negotiate hard on the price and minimum order quantity with the factory.
- Work out the financials (manufacturing, freight forward, customs, tax) and calculate the profit margin
- Find a freight forwarder and customs broker to get the stock to your country.
- Instruct your freight forwarder on how to deliver the item to your location.
- Market your product in your community.
We hope this list of Alibaba business ideas will help you in initiating an Alibaba-related business with a small investment.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
