Best Things to Buy on Alibaba to Resell: Wholesale Prices on Popular Products

Would you like to resell products to make a quick buck on the side? Look no further than Alibaba, the best wholesale marketplace for small and medium-sized businesses.

Here’s a list of the best things to buy on Alibaba to resell based on profit margins and demand.

Why Alibaba Is the Best Place for Resellers

Alibaba is the largest wholesale e-commerce platform by volume in the world. They have a robust communications system between reliable suppliers and buyers, allowing them to set incredibly low prices thanks to affordable Chinese manufacturers and low shipping costs.

The platform allows you to tap into the wholesale market and take advantage of economies of scale. You don’t need to be a major retailer that can afford to invest millions; there is something for everyone.

In simple terms, you can buy an item on Alibaba for $5 per piece and sell it for $15, allowing for a healthy $10 profit. Even if you have to pay fees on the e-commerce site you use, you’ll still be able to double your money.

And if you can invest large amounts of money, that’s even better. Alibaba sellers offer discounts on large orders, and you’ll save on shipping, too. This strategy allows you to outcompete other local and online sellers on price.

The best part is that before you make the commitment and order 500 charger cables, you can actually request a sample to ensure the product quality is up to your expectations.

28 Best Things to Buy on Alibaba to Resell

Here are the best products on Alibaba that are perfect for resellers:

1. Smartphone Case

Price on Alibaba: $0.5 to $4

People love putting custom cases on their smartphones. And with 44% of users buying a new phone every other year, cases are always in demand and one of the best-selling products in the world. 

Even better, people tend to buy multiple cases for a single phone for the purposes of customization and adding a little flair to their handheld gadget.

You should focus on buying more unique and custom cases for popular devices, such as the flagship Apple and Samsung smartphones. That way you won’t have any dead stock as they’re likely to sell out fast.

2. AirPod Case Cover

Price on Alibaba: $0.3 to $3

Silicone cases for the world’s most popular wireless earbuds sell like hotcakes. They’re yet another opportunity for people to express their style. Use that to your advantage by ordering cases with custom logos and patterns.

You can get the cheapest AirPod cases for as low as 30 cents and sell them for over a dollar.

3. Wireless Earbuds

Price on Alibaba: $2 to $20

Most Bluetooth earbuds on Alibaba are cheaper models from lesser-known brands, but that doesn’t mean they suck. They have decent sound quality and battery life, considering the low price.

There are also copies of Apple AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds. That said, if you choose to resell these, make it clear to your customers that they’re not original to avoid legal repercussions.

4. Smartphone Charger

Price on Alibaba: $2 to $25

There are all kinds of smartphone chargers on Alibaba. 

You can choose between Qi wireless pads and chargers that double as phone holders, cheap fast-charging adapters, and multi-port power bricks.

And since more and more smartphones come without chargers in the box, people are forced to buy them separately. Many choose to save a buck and get the cheapest one available, which is where you come in.

Just make sure to order a sample and thoroughly test it with multiple devices before placing a bulk order, especially if it advertises fast charging.

5. USB Cables

Price on Alibaba: $0.2 to $2

EU lawmakers have made USB Type-C standard in all rechargeable devices starting in 2024. Even Apple had to adapt the Type-C port.

What this means for you is millions of consumers will order Type-C cables to charge their phones and transfer data. And since Type-C is here to stay, these cables won’t turn into dead stock anytime soon.

Alibaba has an excellent assortment of USB cables, including magnetic cables that don’t snap as easily. Bonus points if the cable is braided, making it a lot sturdier. 

6. USB Hubs and Adapters

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $20

Laptop users are always searching for USB hubs with HDMI adapters, as modern thin laptops only have one or two USB-3 ports. And since these adapters and hubs love to break or get lost, this product category is always in demand.

7. Fake Eyelashes

Price on Alibaba: $0.3 to $3

One of the cheapest beauty products on Alibaba is also one of the most popular. Fake eyelashes are the item to put on your face to attract attention to your eyes.

The weird thing about fake eyelashes is that the quality doesn’t differ much between these cheap Alibaba ones and those you’d find in an upscale cosmetics store. And since they’re disposable, they’re a surefire way to keep a steady stream of customers coming back for more.

8. Nail Polish

Price on Alibaba: $0.3 to $2

Nail polish is an affordable, high-volume item that allows for high markups while keeping the final cost incredibly low. Plus, people love ordering 10 different nail polish colors at once because it’s cheap.

The best part is you can create a custom brand by adding a printable logo to each nail polish. Good branding gives your business legitimacy and helps you set yourself apart from hundreds of other wholesalers.

9. Lip Products

Price on Alibaba: $0.5 to $4

Liquid and regular lipstick, lip liner pencils, and lip gloss are the most prevalent makeup items in the world. Virtually every woman or girl owns at least a few different pieces.

Lip products are unsurprisingly some of the most popular private-label products on Alibaba. Like with nail polish, it’s easy to print your logo and create a whole lineup with dozens of different shades.

10. Eyeshadows

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $16

What else to add to complete your makeup line other than eyeshadows?

There are all kinds of palettes you can order. There are ones with 180 different colors and a large mirror to boot! It makes for a perfect luxury gift and allows for a high markup. That said, if you want to start off slowly, you can get a few 9 or 12-color palettes, slap your logo on them, and start shipping.

11. Makeup Brushes

Price on Alibaba: $0.5 to $10

Applicators like makeup brushes and sponges are the perfect add-on to go with all the makeup. They’re usually cheap and have a high turnover rate, making them a perfect product for online sales.

These can be ordered as individual pieces or as part of large brush sets. Either can be reasonably sold for double or triple the Alibaba price.

12. Yoga Pants and Leggings

Price on Alibaba: $3 to $12

Health-conscious young people are now hitting the gym more than ever before. Since yoga pants and gym leggings are part of the dress code in most gyms, they’re almost a requirement at this point.

High-waisted leggings and yoga pants are trending products thanks to the excellent support and freedom of movement they provide.

As a bonus, they wear out relatively quickly and are cheap to replace, allowing you to turn a steady profit by selling quality leggings as part of your clothing resale business.

13. Wristwatches

Price on Alibaba: $2 to $50

Small business owners turn to Alibaba to create wristwatches with a custom brand logo. 

They make for the perfect Father’s Day gift, and they’re also highly collectible items.

Alibaba has an impressive assortment of all kinds of watches, from vintage and traditional styles to basic smartwatches. This is your chance to create an ecommerce business by creating a new brand. The quality is solid, too, as quartz watches are cheap to make yet incredibly reliable.

14. Jewelry

Price on Alibaba: $0.3 to $20

Alibaba’s selection of rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings is unmatched. Type the material of your choosing in the search bar, and you’ll be greeted with thousands of different models. There’s also a particularly fancy selection of affordable 925 silver and stainless steel rings.

If you can’t afford to trade in diamonds or gold, you can buy silver jewelry at a wholesale price and double or triple your money by selling it on social media platforms.

15. Stickers

Price on Alibaba: $0.01 to $0.10

Vinyl stickers on Alibaba are often sold in assorted collections of 50 pieces or more. The stickers usually share a common theme, such as anime, gaming, modern cartoons, TV shows, movies, vaporwave, etc.

You can get them for cheap and sell them individually, or you can sell them in large packs as they come.

16. Plushies

Price on Alibaba: $0.7 to $10

Cute plush toys are such an easy sell, and buyers often have no idea how much they go for. You can easily get a plushie for $1 and sell it for $5, both parties leaving satisfied.

The selection on Alibaba is vast, allowing you to stand out by selling a type of plushie that isn’t common in your local area.

17. Art Supplies

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $20

Art supplies on Alibaba often come in sets, regardless of whether it’s acrylic paint, markers, brushes, crayons, etc. These sets are especially popular among first-time artists and kids who need them for art & crafts.

What this means for you is that they’re a great seasonal back-to-school item, but they won’t turn into annual deadstock like other school supplies.

18. Cleaning Supplies

Price on Alibaba: $0.15 to $10

Alibaba has some cleaning tools you’ve never seen before. There are all kinds of high-quality sponges, microfiber cloths, brushes, mops, and cleaning solutions. 

One novelty item that stands out is a toilet brush with disposable sponges as they’re more hygienic than traditional brushes. A great sales strategy is making additional money on refills for this product when your customers run out of sponges.

19. Smart Light Bulb

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $6

Unlike the popular Philips Hue smart RGB bulbs that retail for over $30, smart lights on Alibaba cost a fraction of the price.

These light bulbs can be controlled via smartphone apps, making them a great high-tech home accessory that you can resell in bulk. 

20. Power Bank

Price on Alibaba: $3 to $20

Travelers know the struggle of a dead smartphone battery. That’s why they opt for easy-to-carry power banks to keep their phone juice topped up.

Alibaba offers an excellent selection of cheap power banks of varying sizes and features. We recommend focusing on higher-quality power banks that will get you referrals from loyal customers. If possible, purchase a sample and field test it on your phone before you commit.

21. Dehumidifier

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $70

From small disposable humidity trap boxes to smart dehumidifiers, there’s a range of household dehumidifiers on Alibaba.

They’re popular in humid parts of the world, as they prevent mold and make air more comfortable to breathe by lowering air moisture.

Dehumidifiers rank among the more popular household items, as most people don’t own one yet, and they’re relatively cheap.

22. Humidifier

Price on Alibaba: $3 to $10

Humidifiers are the yin to dehumidifier’s yang — they add moisture to dry air. Heating in winter dries air out, which means these are the perfect seasonal item to resell.

Humidifiers often double as essential oil diffusers and have RGB lights on them, the perfect resellable home decor. This makes humidifiers an excellent gift and a profitable item for your Alibaba resale business.

23. Automatic Soap Dispenser

Price on Alibaba: $8 to $20

The future is here, and it comes in the form of sensor-equipped soap dispensers that cost under $20. These wall-mounted dispensers are hygienic, convenient, and gorgeous, which is why buyers are going to line up to get one off your hands at a premium price.

24. Coffee Grinder

Price on Alibaba: $5 to $30

Alibaba offers artisanal hand grinders, cheap burr grinders, and everything in between. They double as spice grinders, but since the aroma linger afterwards, avid chefs often own multiple coffee grinders for different culinary uses. Unless they like their coffee to have a note of cumin, that is.

You can expect a 30% to 50% profit margin from coffee grinders.

25. Water Bottles

Price on Alibaba: $1 to $5

It’s safe to assume that 100% of the world population drinks water, which is why you can’t go wrong with reselling containers that hold it. And you’ll definitely be surprised by the selection of water bottles and tumblers on Alibaba. 

Some fancy double-wall flasks even have built-in displays that tell the temperature of the liquid inside, perfect for coffee addicts, too!

26. Car Accessories

Price on Alibaba: $2 to $30

Car knick-knacks like cup and phone holders, USB chargers and lights, pillows, and cleaning kits are in massive demand.

These don’t have to be particularly expensive, either, they just have to work. And thanks to cheap wholesale prices, you can turn a quick profit by reselling them on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace.

27. Wallets

Price on Alibaba: $2 to $15

RFID-blocking leather wallets and thin card holders are cheap on Alibaba but sell for good money on other online platforms. 

Some sellers even allow you to add a custom logo, perfect if you want to build an online wallet empire.

28. Biodegradable Food Box

Price on Alibaba: $0.05 to $0.20

With so many restaurants getting takeout orders thanks to food delivery companies, someone has to supply all those food boxes. Eco-conscious buyers have recognized the waste and have demanded a shift to biodegradable food boxes. 

Alibaba has all kinds of cheap clamshell boxes that you can resell to restaurants for a small profit. And they’re much cheaper than those you’d find at Walmart.

Now that you’ve decided which items are worth reselling, how do you determine the resale price?

• Research your competition: You’re most likely not the only person reselling the same item. Check how much others sell it for, and try to undercut them by a small amount.
• Order large quantities: Ordering a large quantity puts you in a position to negotiate a lower price and shipping fees.
• Calculate all costs: The initial shipping and item cost on Alibaba is easy enough to check. But you may also have to pay customs duties, taxes, and a margin to online marketplaces. Get a precise idea of your costs before you start selling.
• Monitor market trends: If you notice a dip in sales or your competitors have undercut you, adjust your prices to keep your competitive edge.
• Set a realistic profit margin: A 70%+ profit margin isn’t unachievable, but it’s quite optimistic. Instead, aim for around 30% to create a healthy balance between revenue and customer satisfaction.

Final Thoughts

Alibaba has a range of quality products that you can resell through an online business or on local marketplaces. The most profitable items are tech-related, but if you’re not into that, there are many other miscellaneous haberdasheries in high demand. Stickers, jewelry, and nail polish are some of the safest and most profitable products. 

Share with us what you think in the comments below, and share this with someone looking to start an Alibaba resale business!