List of B2B Directory Websites to Find Suppliers

Saturday, September 20th, 2008 by King

Are you looking for a comprehensive list of business to business websites? If you are just starting out in business finding a list of suppliers can be the most challenging one. However, you are not alone in this. Many business owners have gone online in their search for a supplier. B2b business websites have cropped up in response to the demand of customers just like you. Many wholesale manufacturers and distributors have just started to realize the importance of entering the b2b marketplace. Although not all b2b companies have their own websites; a big portion have registered their companies in a b2b directory where buyers can search for products, ask for a quote from a wholesale supplier (or manufacturer) and finalize the transaction.

Hunt 4 Wholesale’s list of B2B directory websites (to find suppliers)

Here is a list of b2b directory websites which I have experienced using in the past to find a supplier. As there are many b2b directory sites I have only picked those which have established themselves online and have a big number of wholesale suppliers (as well as customer base). I have also included the predominant country for each of the b2b websites and other information I think would be useful to you. If you think there are other b2b directory websites which should be included in this list do drop me a comment.

1. Alibaba

One of the largest and most popular online b2b marketplace. Alibaba has been around since 1999 and has well established themselves in the b2b industry. Searching for a product and a list of suppliers is easy. You can not only view the company’s background, website and address but alibaba allows upload of products so you may see the pictures of the company’s products neatly categorized.

Many of the wholesale manufacturers in Alibaba come from China and other Asian countries. There are non-asia b2b companies on Alibaba but in my opinion there are few compared to manufacturers from countries like China, Hong Kong and India. A typical search using the term “apparel” will give you over 66,000 results but over 53K of the products are from China and only over a thousand is from US/UK/Australia combined. So, if you have no problems sourcing products from an Asian country, Alibaba would be a great place to start.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - free and paid

2. Export Bereau

Founded in 1998, ExportBereau is a b2b directory renowned for its comprehensive list of manufacturing companies for trade. The listed wholesale manufacturers are from various countries and I can’t conclude if there is a predominant country (due to the lack of statistic). This b2b website is neatly organized and categorized so searching for the right product is easy. When searching for a specific term, they will provide you with further sub-categories and the results will list the company’s website, email address as well as company’s report.

One downside of ExportBereau is many of the manufacturer’s websites have either expired or no longer exist. Some of the websites that I browsed looked like they were created in the 1990s and have not been updated since. This raises another question: is this manufacturing company still in business? I think in the absence of a live website the only way for you to request for catalogue or product information is to email the supplier personally. ExportBereau does not have a product section so you will not be able to view product pictures of the wholesale supplier that you are interested in.

Predominant country: Unknown
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

3. TTNet

TTnet is one of the most complete online b2b marketplace with company profile and contact no as well as product pictures. On top of that, they also have a special section for trade shows and trade publications. The TTnet team attends many of the trade shows organized in China and abroad. If you need help sourcing for a product simply browse the TTnet website or just ask the TTnet team when participating in a trade show that they attend. They are definitely more than willing to help you.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

4. Made In China

Like its name, Made In China is a b2b directory which focuses on connecting buyers from all around the world to wholesale suppliers from China. Its b2b marketplace is similar to Alibaba in its core features. There is a product pictures section so potential buyers may see the full pictures of the products offered by the wholesale manufacturer. The company’s contact no and address is clearly visible. Searching is easy and the categories are neatly organized.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - free

5. Fuzing

Another b2b trade portal that connects potential buyers with seller, Fuzing has quite a large pool of suppliers divided and organized in many categories. Unlike Alibaba, you can’t see the full product pictures of the wholesale supplier.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - free

6. Global Sources

Looking for a comprehensive list of manufacturers and verified sellers? Global Sources offers just that. Like TTnet, Global Sources also attends trade shows and offers sourcing services to potential buyers. They have a trade publication which they give freely to their registered members.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

7. Global Textiles

Global Textiles is a B2B directory which main focus is in the textile industry. If you are looking for textile products such as apparel, bags and fabric then Global Textiles would be the best choice.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

8. Euro Pages

Euro Pages is a b2b directory which consist of mainly European companies. It has over 900,000 suppliers, wholesale manufacturers and products from both European and international companies. Searching for the term “shoe” will bring over 3000 results with more than 95% coming from European countries.  You can further refine your search by country or category heading in the left navigation of the search listing. If you are looking for a wholesale supplier from an European Company do a search at Euro Pages and you won’t be disappointed.

Predominant country: Europe Countries
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: No
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

9. eSources

Containing over 700,000 listings, ESources is a UK B2B trade directory which will definitely help you to source for suppliers from the UK or Europe countries. The website is well organized with over 25 categories with many suppliers under the apparel and gifts categories.

Predominant country: UK
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free and paid
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - paid

10. Gulf Business

A B2B business directory powered by Trade Holding, Gulf Business is a middle east b2b directory. They encourage sellers who wish to promote their products to the middle east to list their items in their business directory. They have many sellers coming from a wide variety of countries including China. You can search for a product by country or further refine your search term by their category heading. The company’s listings are quite organized with detailed information on the company and company’s products. The website looks a bit confusing at first (with the many navigations) but once you get used to it shouldn’t be a problem.

Predominant country: Unknown
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: No
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - free

11. Toy Source

Searching for wholesale toys and toy manufacturers? Toy Source is a b2b toy directory which contains a comprehensive list of toy suppliers and manufacturers.

Predominant country: USA/Canada
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: Yes - free
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes

12. TBC World

TBC World is a b2b marketplace website where users can search for trade companies such as manufacturers and wholesale suppliers. This website is well organized and categorized. All information is freely displayed including company’s background, address, website and export information. You do not have to become a member in order to see all those details.

Predominant country: China
Registration required:

• (Buyer) To find a supplier and browse for products: Yes - free
• (Buyer) To keep track of suppliers and contact information: Yes - free
• (Seller) To list company and products: Yes - free

Conclusion

Visit these b2b websites if you want to find wholesale suppliers, manufacturers or simply increase your business trade contacts.

Leave a Reply