Banggood vs. AliExpress
With a virtually inexhaustible selection of items, both Banggood and AliExpress are rising in popularity as global eCommerce marketplaces for direct-to-consumer goods. The main difference between the two is that there are no third party sellers on Banggood so you can feel confident about receiving a certain level of quality, whereas AliExpress exclusively supports third party sellers who may vary in their reliability, but their prices are generally cheaper.
Banggood | AliExpress | |
---|---|---|
Online Marketplace | ||
Third Party Sellers | ||
Direct-to-Consumer Items | ||
24/7 Customer Service | ||
Free to Use | ||
Customer Protections | ||
TrustPilot Score |
4 “Great”
|
3.1 “Average”
|
Intro
So, you’ve heard of Banggood and AliExpress, but you want to find out which one you should be using?
Look no further!
In this article we will break down what each offers and how they compare.
While it wouldn’t be fair to say that Bangood or AliExpress is ‘better’ since they both provide slightly different value, with this article you can discover which one might be right for what you’re after.
Either way, both platforms are free for you to use, and if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for on one, then you can always switch to the other.
We have explained what each marketplace offers, followed by which types of people might benefit from using them the most, and finally, we have provided some useful tips for using these marketplaces.
Tip: Dropshipping is a global phenomenon where you can sell products online without ever having physical inventory. When a buyer places an order, you can get the supplier of the product to directly pack and ship the item to the customer! Many sellers on Alibaba and AliExpress are open to dropshipping arrangements. Want to find out more about dropshipping? We’ve come up with a guide to get you started in just five steps!
General Overview
Banggood was launched in 2006 in China, a few years before AliExpress hit the market. By 2021, it was one of the most downloaded shopping apps in Europe, proving a far stretching influence.
With over 100,000 reliable suppliers and 24/7 customer service, Banggood has established itself as a company to compete with household eCommerce names.
AliExpress is also a mega online marketplace based in China. It was launched in 2010 to compete with two huge names in eCommerce - those being Amazon and eBay, no less!
By 2021, 500 million people were visiting the site each month.
On AliExpress, you can find products of all categories, from exceedingly niche to general use.
Known for its exceedingly low prices, AliExpress can be a great place to source a range of items, just probably not if you need them in a rush due to inconsistent shipping times!
General Overview | Banggood | AliExpress |
---|---|---|
Online Marketplace | ||
Company Origin | China | China |
Retail Suppliers | ||
Wholesale Suppliers | ||
Bulk Pricing | ||
Buy Per Unit | ||
Extensive Product Search Filters | ||
Filters | ||
Range of Shipping Options | ||
24/7 Customer Service | ||
Free to Use | ||
Mobile App Available | ||
Customer Protections | ||
TrustPilot Score |
4 “Great”
|
3.1 “Average”
|
What type of products are Banggood and AliExpress good for?
Yes, Banggood and AliExpress have millions of products each, but when it comes to product categories, there are ones where these two marketplaces perform well and ones where we would suggest looking elsewhere for.
Good for finding:
- Electronics
- Jewelry
- Accessories
- Sports and Outdoors
Consider looking elsewhere for:
- Food or consumables
- Cosmetics and skincare
- High quality clothing
- Recognisable brand-name products
- Books
- Raw materials
Tip: Are you here as a business owner? We know how tricky it can be to come up with bestselling product ideas, which is why we’ve come up with a list of low-cost, high-profit margin products to get you started.
Banggood Marketplace
What should Banggood be used for?
So, by now you’ll be aware that Banggood is a marketplace for direct-to-consumer goods of all categories. Banggood ships all their products from their own warehouses; there are no third party sellers on the platform.
There are a few upsides to this business model, including:
- Quality assurance - you can be confident that your products will be of a certain quality.
- Steady delivery timeframes - shipping times are not likely to vary much depending on the products you purchase.
If you are a business owner (or plan to become one) then Banggood offers a dropshipping program, where you can list Banggood items to sell on your own platform and then when a customer places an order, you can get Banggood to fulfill the order on your behalf.
The key benefit of dropshipping is not having to hold your own inventory or fulfill your own orders, which can save you a lot of time and money.
We should also mention that prices on Banggood do tend to be higher than those on AliExpress. This is because there is less competition on the platform, since third party sellers cannot use the marketplace and drive prices down.
You may deem slightly higher prices worthwhile for the benefits mentioned above.
Screenshots of Banggood Marketplace
Who should use Banggood?
Banggood is likely to be suited for buyers who may be more risk averse and are willing to pay a slightly higher price than on AliExpress for the confidence that they will be receiving what they expect. Otherwise, those who want a faster shopping experience, without having to sort through numerous suppliers selling the same thing, may be best suited for Banggood.
Banggood may be a good dropshipping partner. As part of their dropshipping program, you will have access to a 5-10% price discount on the products available on the Banggood site, which you can then sell at a markup to your own customers.
AliExpress Marketplace
The AliExpress marketplace is a great place to find a whole range of products at extremely reasonable prices that can be purchased as individual items, much like you can on eBay and Amazon.
With a diverse range of products (reportedly over 100 million are listed), you can be pretty confident you will find something for your needs.
AliExpress could be considered to have better capacity than Banggood. This is because they support third party sellers with their own shipping and warehousing processes so these may be more effective than Banggood trying to fulfill all their orders in one system.
Be wary that not all products on AliExpress are created equal. The main reason why there may be a disparity in quality across products is because of the vast range of different suppliers on the site.
It’s also useful to be aware that shipping times can be long, so if you need a product urgently then AliExpress may not be the best option. It can be a great place for buying gifts, but the same applies, you will need to order well in advance if you want it to arrive on time.
The main pro of AliExpress is the massive range of products available and their low prices, which often beat those found anywhere else (including Amazon and eBay). The main con is that finding the right product can be time consuming because there is so much competition on the platform, and also the long shipping times don’t make it the most useful for urgent purchases.
Many suppliers on AliExpress will dropship for you. If you are interested in dropshipping, there are lots of tools out there that can be used in combination with AliExpress to help you easily import AliExpress products and their information into your online store to sell.
Tip: Figuring out what type of dropshipping store you want to build can be tricky. We’ve come up with a guide to give you some bestselling product ideas and useful market research tools.
Screenshots of AliExpress Marketplace
Who should use AliExpress?
AliExpress is the best place to find the cheapest products. It may be more suited to buyers who are comfortable evaluating suppliers to determine whether they are likely to be trustworthy. However, AliExpress does offer a buyer protection policy, so you can apply for a refund if you have any issues with your order.
It is also suited for business owners wishing to dropship their products, as many AliExpress suppliers are open to providing dropshipping services.
AliExpress offers the perfect place for them to get cheap, finished products directly from China.
Tip: Dreaming of dropshipping? Find out just how much it’s going to cost you to start your own dropshipping business (Hint: it’s not much!)
Tips for using the Banggood and AliExpress Marketplaces
- Read the customer reviews and identify the number of orders that have been placed for each product you’re considering (displayed by each listing). If a product has a high number of positive reviews you can feel more confident about the quality of the product and that it will look like the pictures and do what it says it does.
- Use the extensive product search filters to help you narrow down your options and identify the right products quickly.
- Read the return policies and customer protection policies of each seller carefully (AliExpress).
Top Alternatives
By now, we hope you have a better understanding of the differences between these two popular platforms. The great thing about them is that they are not mutually exclusive, meaning you don’t have to pick just one to use!
It may be the most useful for you to go on ahead and check them each out for yourself.
Remember, there are a lot of tools out there that can be used in combination with Banggood or AliExpress. You may wish to use a dropshipping tool that can help you import products directly from AliExpress into your online store to sell.
Another option you might consider is using a supplier directory to find trustworthy suppliers that have undergone a vetting process (from both AliExpress and elsewhere around the world). There are lots of wholesale supplier directories available out there.
Q&A Discussion
We hope you’ve gained a better understanding of what these two tools do, and which one might be right for you. If you have any questions for us about Banggood, Oberlo, SaleHoo, or eCommerce in general, then please reach out to one of our 24/7 customer support’s team members and expect a speedy response!