AliExpress and Alibaba belong to the same parent company “Alibaba Group”. They are both China-based eCommerce platforms. How are they different? Aliexpress is a retail site for individual buyers while Alibaba is a B2B (business-to-business) platform for wholesale orders.
HOW TO BUY ON AMAZON
With its user-friendly website, you are able to navigate and make choices from over 606 million products.
HOW TO BUY ON ALIEXPRESS
Aliexpress has over 100 million products on its platform giving users numerous options to choose from.
- Visit the website (www.aliexpress.com) and search for the product(s) you want to purchase.Compare prices: Different sellers offer the same product at different prices, compare the prices in order to get the best deal.Read reviews: Aliexpress allows buyers to leave reviews of the product they purchase for the next buyer to make the best decision.Chat seller: Aliexpress allows you to chat with the seller, you may ask for more information on the product or even negotiate for a discount.Add product to cart: Once you are satisfied with the review and price, go ahead to add product to cart.Checkout: Proceed to check out when you are done putting all the products you want in your cart.Choose Shipping Method: Aliexpress offers about four shipping options, they vary in prices and delivery time. Choose the one that is most suitable for you. Select payment method: Aliexpress accepts both Visa and Mastercard. Input your card details and make payment. After this, your order will be processed. Sit back, relax while you wait for the delivery.
Related Article: How to pay for goods on AliExpress using M-PESA
HOW TO BUY ON ALIBABA
This is a site for wholesalers who buy in bulk to resell in Nigeria or anywhere else. Alibaba also offers a wide array of products.
- Visit the website www.alibaba.com and search for the product(s) you want to purchase.Compare prices: Different sellers offer the same product at different prices, compare the prices in order to get the best deal. You should note that products on Alibaba come with Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), this is because it’s a platform for wholesale buyers. Read reviews: Aliexpress allows buyers to leave reviews of the product they purchase for the next buyer to make the best decision.Chat seller or send inquiry: Alibaba allows you to chat with the seller, or send inquiry. This can enable you to negotiate prices and get discounts on your order.Add product to cart: Satisfied with the price? Proceed to add the product to your cart, relax while you wait for the delivery.Choose Shipping Method: Alibaba also offers about numerous shipping options, all of which vary in prices and delivery time. Choose the one that is most suitable for you.
Related Article: What is Alipay, Alibaba’s payment system?
Shipping to Nigeria
Third-party logistics companies
You can make use of other logistics companies to ship your products to Nigeria within a shorter period of time and at a more affordable rate.
To do this; use the address of your preferred logistics company and they will be responsible for getting your products into the country.
Individual buyers who need the products urgently can make use of these logistics companies.
Even though waiting for the normal delivery time usually takes a long time, it is quite cheap, compared to using third-party logistics companies. If you can afford to wait that long, cool. If you can’t, then you just have to use the third-party logistics companies.
