They belong to the same company - Alibaba Group, which was founded by Jack Ma in 1999 in Hangzhou, China. In addition, these sites are united by a single electronic payment system, which was created by the same company in 2004 - Alipay.

Alibaba.com

An online resource designed for large wholesalers. The site was created to carry out purchase and sale transactions between factories and owners of large stores or chain stores. The advertisement indicates only approximate prices, the minimum batch available for order, the location of the seller (from where you can pick up the goods), payment methods that are set by the seller himself, and contact information. The owners of the resource have virtually no control over the process and do not provide any guarantees that the obligations assumed by the seller and buyer will be fulfilled, i.e. no transaction protection. Because of this, there are a huge number of scammers on this resource.

In essence, this platform can be called information rather than trading. It does not have any advantages or conveniences for the average retail buyer.

Taobao.com

Auction and the largest online trading platform in China, focused on the end consumer. Let us list the main pros and cons that are discernible at first glance, which most beginners identify.

pros:

• incredibly huge selection of products


• low prices


• retail

Minuses:

• Chinese


• delivery from the seller only in China


• required for sending to another country (which means additional expenses and controversial situations)

Now let's look at the purchasing process on Taobao in more detail.

The huge selection of products is without a doubt a very, very significant and undeniable advantage. However, it is precisely this that makes the search for the necessary product so long and not always productive. And if you add to this the Chinese interface language, then the task of finding the right thing becomes even more difficult.

Low price is one of the main components of the attractiveness of this trading platform and one of the big misconceptions of buyers. Since the delivery of goods from Taobao is carried out mainly only in China, the question of an intermediary arises. Therefore, you always need to add to the price of the product the percentage of the intermediary (on average it is 5-10%), the percentage for transferring money to the intermediary (usually the PayPal payment system is used, which takes about 5%), the cost of delivery in China (if any) + shipping cost to your country (depends on delivery method and country). After all the calculations, it turns out that the price of the product increases by 20-50%, depending on the weight of the parcel.

The need to use an intermediary for purchases on Taobao entails not only an increase in the cost of the order, but also obvious/hidden methods of deception. Here are some of them:

• repurchase of goods not through the buyer’s links;


• delaying the processing and shipping of the order so that the dispute time in PayPal expires and the buyer is no longer able to return the money for an incorrect or non-arriving product;


• increasing the weight of the parcel due to a large amount of paper or garbage.

To be fair, it is worth noting that purchasing through an intermediary involves checking the product for defects while the order is still in China. If the item is the wrong size, color or damaged, it can be promptly sent back to the seller.

Due to the fact that delivery within China, order processing at the intermediary's warehouse and delivery to the buyer sometimes take a lot of time, the benefits and security of payments via PayPal lose their meaning, because the system gives only 45 days from the date of payment to open a dispute for a refund.

Thus, shopping on taobao.com is profitable only for large and bulky orders. Never forget that, despite the budget savings (and sometimes significant ones), they still involve a certain risk (and sometimes even a complete loss of money in the case of a dishonest intermediary).

Aliexpress.com

was created by Alibaba Group as the younger brother of taobao.com, aimed at the international market. Initially, the developers of the trading platform did not invest in the development, advertising and promotion of the resource on the Internet, and this somewhat slowed down its growth in the e-commerce market. The fact that previously there were quite a lot of sellers selling lots (3-5 or more pieces of the same item) did not add to the popularity of the resource. However, at the end of 2012 - 2013, the site’s management took it seriously. As a result, the interface and rating system were improved, trading rules were tightened, the Paypal payment system was replaced by a more suitable one - Escrow, and the rules for conducting disputes were gradually improved. We also need to pay tribute to the owners of the trading platform for keeping their finger on the pulse and quickly responding to the situation with delivery times - the maximum number of days on the counter first increased to 90, and then to 120, for the situation with disputes - it was expanded and clearer a list of reasons for opening has been formulated and some gaps have been removed, for example, it is no longer possible to open a dispute for partial compensation for a parcel in transit.

If we consider Aliexpress in its current form (as of August 2014), we can highlight the following pros and cons:

pros:

• low prices;


• large selection of payment methods;


• availability of a buyer protection system - escrow;


• English and Russian interface and search languages;


• competitions, sales, discounts and availability;


• the ability to leave product reviews in Russian, English, Spanish and some other languages ​​and attach real photographs;

Minuses:

• lower selection of sellers and products compared to Taobao


• there is no consolidation of parcels (an order from each seller arrives in a separate parcel, and not in a common box, you will have to run to the post office)


• You can check the product for compliance with the order only after receiving the parcel


• limited number of delivery methods (no cargo or sea shipping)

Taobao.com and Aliexpress.com have a similar positive aspect - low prices for goods. Let's look at an example, where is it cheaper, on Taobao or Aliexpress? Click to open full-size pictures

The bag on Ali costs $7.51 with free shipping by China Post Air Mail. In addition to this, you can also return up to 2% cashback for your purchase, i.e. it will cost approximately $7.36. A bag with Tao at today's rate (10 CNY = 1.6 USD) will cost $3.15 + 15% for the intermediary and money transfer via paypal (price will be ~ $3.62) + delivery (on average for the same China Post Air Mail to Russia intermediaries charge 18 yuan per 100 grams, the bag weighs 400 grams, we get $11.66). In total, a bag from Taobao will cost approximately $15.28.

This was a direct and average calculation “head-on”. Of course, few people order one inexpensive and light item from Taobao, besides, each intermediary sets its own price for delivery and offers different methods. You can choose shipping via cargo (approximately 300 rubles per 500 grams, minimum order weight from 5 kg) or delivery by sea (but the waiting period increases significantly). The calculation just shows that it is more profitable to buy cheap and light goods on Aliexpress.com, and heavy ones on Taobao.com.

eBay.com

American company founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995. In 2002, the company acquired the PayPal payment system, which had previously been used for payment at the auction. An undoubted advantage over other sites is the presence of different versions of sites for countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Russia, which actually means a much more diverse selection of goods compared to China, where most sellers sell the same type, not unique things.
pros:

• the ability to place bets and receive goods for literally pennies;


• availability of original, authentic goods;


• double buyer protection (from ebay and paypal);

Minuses:

• the seller himself regulates the rate step;


• the seller may not sell the goods to the buyer who wins the auction if the final price is lower than what he planned;


• the cost of goods from Chinese sellers is higher than on Tao or Ali;


• some goods are not sent to Russia, Ukraine or other neighboring countries, even by Chinese sellers;


• small choice of delivery methods (mostly only state mail);


• the number of characters in a product review is limited to a very small number, i.e. It is impossible to write a full, detailed review.

I would like to clarify about authentic products on ebay.com. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It’s not uncommon to have doubts about the originality of an item purchased on eBay, so you need to be extremely careful when you buy an expensive branded product. Don’t forget about resellers; from time to time you can meet American and European sellers with goods from Chinese sites. If we talk about whether Aliexpress or eBay is better, where it is cheaper, I would answer that it is more profitable to take goods from Chinese sellers on Chinese sites, and use eBay to purchase European and American goods and original branded products. Here is an example of the cost of a similar product from the same seller on ebay.com and on aliexpress.com. Pictures enlarge by click.

Let's compare the above trading platforms with , and others small Chinese online stores. Auctions and online megamarkets charge sellers a kind of rent, which entails an increase in the price of the product. As an example, I’ll give you the price of a phone on the website buyincoins.com and in the same seller’s store on aliexpress.com

As you can see the price difference is quite high. However, sometimes the comparison is in favor of the trading platform:

We see that on aliexpress.com this dress from the same store () is cheaper, and it is also possible to apply a coupon for $3 and $5. Let's look at a similar product in another popular Chinese online store - romwe.com:

Thus, we can conclude that small and cheap goods (makeup brushes, wall stickers, rubber bands, etc.), some electronics are more profitable to buy on individual websites of single stores, but it is better to purchase clothes, shoes, children's products on taobao .com, aliexpress.com, ebay.com.

As a conclusion, I will once again write the main conclusions :

• It is more profitable to buy bulky and heavy goods, or make wholesale or large orders and save due to cheap delivery.


• It is more convenient to purchase goods individually or in small lots. This is a great option for those who cannot or do not want to take a lot of things at once.


• It’s better not to order goods from Chinese sellers and always remember about resellers who sell at a higher price what you can buy elsewhere at a lower price.


• In small separate ones it is cheaper to take small things, some electronics and equipment.

Finally, I would like to remind you that it is necessary to compare prices on different resources, calculate the final cost of the product, not forgetting about additional expenses for third-party services, and look not only at the benefits, but also at the safety of the purchase. I hope the article was useful to you. You can post your additions and wishes in .

Due to the fact that cases of account blocking on Aliexpress have become more frequent, and in disputes it has become very difficult to get their money back, buyers began to be interested in alternative stores where they could order goods from China just as cheaply. At the moment, the closest analogue of Aliexpress is the Chinese online store Gearbest. At first glance, both sites are similar. But there are a few differences.

1. Lifetime of stores

The Aliexpress platform began its work in 2010. And has been trading successfully for almost 7 years. And the Gearbest store was created in 2014. The work has only been going on for a little over two years. Although for such a young project the results are very impressive. The store has already won the attention of millions of customers.

2. Aliexpress is a retail platform, Gearbest is an online store.

The global difference between Aliexpress and Gearbest is that Aliexpress is a trading platform on which thousands of different sellers display their goods: from resellers to large Chinese factories and brands. The platform only provides them with an account, taking a percentage of the transactions. Gearbest, on the contrary, is an online store. That is, this is one company that sells you a product. This is a plus, since the company has a uniform policy, they are interested in the goods coming to you, they will not give you a fake tracking number. Accordingly, if there are problems with the product, you talk directly to the support service, without going through the stage of communication with the seller.

3. Product prices

The approximate price order for Aliexpress and Gearbest is similar. Previously, when the Gearbest store was gaining popularity, the price of almost all products was lower than on Aliexpress. Moreover, the savings could be quite significant. Now that Gearbest has already established itself all over the world, prices are no longer always lower than those offered by sellers on Aliexpress. Therefore, if you have an account on both sites, you can compare the cost of the desired product and choose the site where it is cheaper.

4. Product range

As for the assortment, Aliexpress undoubtedly wins here. You can buy absolutely any goods there. You can find unusual, rare items that are not sold in stores in your city. And precisely because of this extensive assortment, the lion’s share of purchases on this site consists of all sorts of small things. Gearbest mainly sells technology. Although now they are actively expanding their range. And you can already find goods for the home, for beauty, children's things, etc. But still, the bulk of sales comes from appliances and electronics. And this is not surprising, since technology is their strong point!

5. Product warranty.

On Aliexpress there is basically no warranty for products, except for the “Lightning” section. A number of sellers also offer to purchase a warranty for their products for an additional fee. If there are any problems, you can only return all the money or part of the amount through a dispute.

On Gearbest, products have a one-year warranty. During this period, if the product breaks, you can send it for repair. It will be repaired and returned to you.

6. User-friendly interface.

Over the years, the Aliexpress interface has become clearer and clearer. The team is constantly working on improvements, and the results are already very good. But the site itself is famous for the fact that little can be understood from the name of the product in translation. Often the result is some kind of nonsense. This was not and is not the case on Gearbest. All categories and product names were originally written in English, so everything is clear and correctly translated. For a long time it was believed that Gearbest’s interface was more customer-friendly. Previously, the lack of Russian language on Giarbest was considered a slight disadvantage, but now the site has been completely translated into Russian and everything has become much more convenient. And even the most ardent fans of Aliexpress do this: they go to Gearbest, select the desired product in a convenient interface, and then go to Aliexpress and place an order there.

7. Product comparison function.

On Aliexpress, the product comparison function is completely absent. Buyers have to open many tabs with product options and scroll through them, choosing the most suitable one in terms of parameters, characteristics and price. Gearbest has a very convenient product comparison feature. You can select several and see the basic parameters in the table. This really saves a lot of time and effort when choosing a product! And here gearbest turns out to be far ahead of Aliexpress.

8. Payment methods

The clear leader here is the Aliexpress platform. There you can pay for your purchase in various ways: bank card, mobile phone, cash, electronic money, etc. Available payment methods may vary depending on your region of residence. There are not many payment methods on Gearbest. The main ones are payment by card and PayPal. And here we see a huge advantage that Gearbest accepts payment through PayPal. Since this payment system has its own protection system, and if there are problems with the product, even if Gearbest does not approve your return, you can open a dispute on Paypal and get your money back. Since at the moment in a dispute, PayPal employees take the buyer’s side in most cases. That is, Gearbest buyers have additional insurance in the form of a second method to return their money. While when ordering on Aliexpress, you will have the chance to place or.

9. Track numbers and delivery

On Aliexpress, the issue of tracking numbers and delivery has always caused buyers a lot of trouble. Either sellers give fake tracking numbers, or other people's tracks. Then they save money and send it without a track at all, using the longest and cheapest delivery service. On Gearbest, the tracking track is provided free of charge for products over $40. If your purchase is cheaper, then you will need to pay an additional $2 for the track. But many Aliexpress buyers would like to have this opportunity, pay a couple of dollars extra and get a normal tracking number. And don't worry about tracking your parcel.

10. Dispute and refund

Back in early 2017, it was quite easy for an Aliexpress buyer to win a dispute and get their money back. But Ali's administration began. And now it has become very difficult to return the money. The Gearbest store has an almost similar dispute system. If you have a problem with a product or parcel, you need to open a ticket and describe the situation. And if the evidence is sufficient, then your money will be returned. At the moment, winning a dispute on Gearbest is many times easier than on Aliexpress.

11. Aliexpress and Gearbest Coupons

Previously, you could find many Aliexpress coupons online that could be applied to any product from any seller. But over time, the site no longer needed promotion with the help of additional discounts. Therefore, there are actually no free coupons for all purchases right now. Coupons from sellers are available, which in fact are an additional discount from the store when purchasing more than a certain amount. Which are not of particular interest. Also, coupons can be won or purchased before sales. Sometimes you can make money in some stocks. But all this is not particularly profitable.

Gearbest still has many valid coupons that can be applied on all products. And sometimes with very tasty discounts! And before purchasing, you can look for a coupon. Sometimes it turns out that even if on Aliexpress the price for the product you need is lower, then after applying the Gearbest coupon, the price there will be more favorable.

Have a question? Write it in the comments or chat

Aliexpress is undoubtedly the leader among online stores. This trading platform is visited by about 200 million people every month. The store's audience is mainly CIS countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine). But it also occurs in a small percentage of European countries, such as Latvia and Poland.

Of course, the global giant of online shopping attracts a huge number of visitors with its low prices and HUGE selection of goods. But, believe me, there are many online stores similar to Aliexpress, which are also very interesting, just less popular.

All online stores are analogues of Aliexpress

The list will include all online stores like Aliexpress with a Russian-language version and delivery to Russia.

Russian analogue of aliexpress - Tmall (TeMoll)

Russian section of goods from China from aliexpress. The most famous brands of household appliances and electronics at tasty prices. Besides, Tmall famous for fast delivery throughout Russia. After all, the warehouse of goods is located right here.

ADVANTAGES:

• Fast delivery
• Original products
• Low price

FLAWS:

• Poorly organized courier delivery
• Small assortment

TMALL store of world brands at low prices

Ebay is a good analogue of Aliexpress

Back in 1995, an American programmer created his own online auction, where he sold a faulty laser pointer to a collector of faulty laser pointers. This marked the beginning of the world famous American site eBay.

If you don’t yet know what kind of portal this is, then I’ll briefly tell you why it is a direct analogue of Aliexpress. eBay, like Aliexpress, is only an intermediary between sellers and buyers. It collects tens of thousands of merchants and hundreds of thousands of products on its online spaces.

But unlike the Chinese giant, where you can only buy new things. eBay also sells used goods. This site is something like Russian Avito and Aliexpress combined. But the product items here are much more exclusive. It’s not for nothing that many collectors graze here.

GearBest (Gerbest) - a huge electronics store

This trading platform is located in China. More precisely, a trading warehouse, because Herbest does not have a physical store, only a virtual one. The portal specializes mainly in electronics and gadgets. But don't be surprised if you find home and garden products, toys, clothing, and so on. GearBest is constantly expanding its product range.

ADVANTAGES:

• Free shipping
• New electronics
• Huge assortment
• Prices are lower than store prices
• One year warranty
• Delivery is faster than with aliexpress

FLAWS:

• Orders are often delayed due to lack of stock
• Insurance
• Not very fast support responses

Go to the GearBest store in Russian

BangGood (Bangud) - Chinese electronics and more

Bangood is a Chinese online store with a huge range of products. Here you will find electronics, clothing for the whole family, accessories for gadgets, toys, goods for cars and motorcycles and much more interesting things. Why not an analogue of Aliexpress? Moreover, the prices for some goods are much lower than on Ali.

ADVANTAGES:

• Constant discounts and sales
• Original products from suppliers

FLAWS:

• Poor Russification of the site
• The support team speaks only in English
• Delivery may take several months

Go to BangGood

JD.RU (JD ru or ZheDe ru)

Another Chinese Internet platform, but only with a Russian section. Apparently this store has a warehouse in Russia, because delivery is promised in two days. JD.ru is an international store that ships goods anywhere in the world.

The store has two domains.com and.ru, the latter is intended, of course, for residents of Russia and neighboring countries. Russification is quite good, but still somewhere you will come across a ridiculous translation.

ADVANTAGES:

• Free shipping anywhere in the world
• Products directly from the manufacturer
• Prices are lower than in city stores
• Ability to open a dispute with sellers
• Russian section

FLAWS:

• Small assortment
• Many buyers complain about long delivery

JD.RU official website of the online store

DealExtreme

This trading platform is the most reliable for delivery and refunds after Aliexpress. This conclusion can be drawn from customer reviews that can easily be found on the Internet.

By the way, this store is international. But in Russia it is not as popular as throughout the world. This is the store's audience DealExtreme by SimilarWeb:

ADVANTAGES:

• Huge assortment
• One of the most reliable Chinese stores
• Low prices
• Free worldwide shipping

FLAWS:

• Poor Russification of the site
• Long delivery to Russia
• Payment for track numbers for parcels less than $10

Go to the DealExtreme store

JOOM (Jum) the youngest analogue of aliexpress

A young trading platform for goods from China. What attracts me is their website and user-friendly mobile apps. Well, we tried and did everything original. Not a carbon copy, like other Chinese online stores.

The site is basically “designed for Aliexpress”. There are also a lot of different Chinese goods, promotions, discounts and all kinds of sections like: joint purchases, a blog with reviews, and so on.

But the prices here are even lower than on aliexpress! Yes this is true. Where else below? -you ask. But the store needs an audience, and due to great competition, these guys are ready to set the lowest price tag.

ADVANTAGES:

• Very low prices
• Lots of products
• Convenient mobile applications for Android and iOS
• Fast refund without opening a dispute
• Lots of promotions and discounts

FLAWS:

• VERY poor translation of product names and descriptions
• The search for a specific product may take a long time due to poor Russification
• Long delivery, but this is more the fault of the post office itself

Free JOOM mobile app for IOS

JOOM for Android

TAOBAO (Taobao) is an exclusively Chinese online platform

Finally the intermediaries were found Taobao, who created the Russian-language website of this trading platform. After all, previously the store portal was exclusively in Chinese, which did not allow you to place orders yourself.

But that's a thing of the past now. Today everyone can shop on this interesting online platform. TAO is similar to Aliexpress and the range of products you will find is simply HUGE. The price tag will also pleasantly surprise you.

The broker guys are just 10 minutes from China! In the city of Blagoveshchensk, Amur region. So your orders will be delivered as quickly and reliably as possible.

ADVANTAGES:

• Fast delivery throughout Russia
• Big choice
• Low prices
• Reliability
• Possibility of wholesale purchases

FLAWS:

• Cheating mediation
• Expensive delivery of goods to Russia (sometimes exceeding the cost of the goods themselves)

Official Russian section of TaoBao.com

Lightinthebox (Light in the box) is the dream of every woman

I would call this store more feminine or something... It is more aimed at a female audience. There is simply an incredible variety of women's clothing here. Starting from small hair accessories to shoes.

In addition, this site has a whole section dedicated to wedding topics. So if you want to buy bridesmaid dresses or other wedding accessories at a low price, then lightinthebox this is something that will definitely help you.

ADVANTAGES:

• Large assortment of goods
• Ideal for female audiences
• Free shipping
• Well-organized product search on the site
• Availability of not only cheap Chinese consumer goods, but also expensive quality items

FLAWS:

• Long delivery
• Long delivery time
• Possible damage during transportation

Lightinthebox fashion, home and wedding store

Tinydeal (Tinidial) products at Chinese prices

Another Chinese online store similar to Aliexpress. The policy of this company is goods at Chinese prices for residents of the entire planet Earth. That is, when purchasing on this site, you do not overpay for goods. It’s as if you are purchasing them directly from China itself.

ADVANTAGES:

• A large assortment
• Free shipping
• Secure payment via PayPal

FLAWS:

• Non-Russian speaking support service
• Long delivery
• Only two payment methods

Go to Tinydeal store

My list has come to an end. Of course, these are not all online stores similar to Aliexpress. But there is no point in writing about smaller sites. Even from large stores there are delays or loss of parcels. So it’s generally dangerous to order from more or less unpromoted stores. You can meet scammers and lose some money.

If you know any other good analogues of Aliexpress, then share in the comments with others and with me =) Happy shopping everyone!

Every day many competitors arise around the Aliexpress website. Analogue sites and trading platforms like Aliexpress are ready to give the buyer the opportunity to buy goods from them under the same conditions as on Aliexpress.

Chinese equivalent of Aliexpress

If you use Chinese analogues of Aliexpress in order to find even lower prices, then the chance that you will find something similar is very small. Since there are also products offered to the buyer without dropshippers, that is, without intermediaries. The price indicated there will be basic, without markups, just like on AliExpress.

List similar to Aliexpress:

1. www.GearBest.com
2. www.Banggood.com
3. www.LightInTheBox.com
4. www.MiniInTheBox.com
5. www.buyincoins.com
6. www.dresslily.com
7. www.sammydress.com
8. www.tomtop.com
9. www.soufeel.com
10. https://ru.tvc-mall.com
11. www.dhgate.com
12. www.newfrog.com/ru/
13. www.gamiss.com
14. www.geekbuying.com
15. www.yoins.com
16. www.chinavasion.com

The interface of these sites is quite convenient to use. On the left is a menu where products are sorted into categories and subcategories. In addition, these sites have a convenient filter by price categories and an informative search, where when you enter, a list of products that are available and their quantity immediately appears.

For the most convenient shopping, each online store has a Russified version of the site, where prices are presented in rubles, not dollars. In addition, there are also mobile versions of sites and applications that can be downloaded from Google Play.

On these Chinese trading platforms you can find almost everything: men's, women's and children's clothing, gadgets, stationery, hygiene and health items, household appliances and tools.

Russian analogue of Aliexpress

Is there a Russian analogue of the Aliexpress website with Russian goods and free shipping? Nothing came to my mind that could be called the Russian analogue of Aliexpress.

On the Internet you can find many popular Russian online stores (M.Video, e96.ru, svyaznoy, ozon.ru), but they will not be an analogue of Aliexpress, since they sell goods that are not produced in Russia, but mainly abroad . But I think that in the near future the Russian government, inspired by the successes of Aliexpress, EBay and Amazon, will decide to create their analogue for selling Russian goods abroad.

American analogue of Aliexpress

There are similar sites in America, where the Chinese also post their goods. Such as EBay and Amazon. But there, the same goods that were offered on AliExpress will already have a markup, and not a small one.

Thus, we can conclude that now mainly Chinese goods are placed on online trading platforms. They can be bought in various online stores, with a large markup and delivery fees, or purchased without intermediaries from a Chinese seller directly, that is, on