As a former Alibaba.com Investment Manager, I’m going to share three little-known secrets about Alibaba.com.

1. Most top-performing stores on the platform belong to trading companies. Their core strength lies in marketing — they invest heavily in professional store design, product videos and high-quality photos. In contrast, most manufacturers either lack dedicated marketing staff or are reluctant to spend on such services.

1. Factories are not always your ideal choice.

Large established factories have steady order volumes, so they tend to be less responsive to individual buyers. They also set high minimum order quantities and prices, unless you place bulk purchases. Small factories, on the other hand, often fall short in production capacity, equipment and technical capabilities.

1. You must conduct strict quality inspections.

From my experience, some manufacturers only focus on products’ outer appearance while cutting corners on internal quality. Prioritizing output over craftsmanship, they may even ship defective goods to buyers.