BigVin Atlas

Resources

The China Trade Toolkit.

The links themselves are free — anyone can search them. The value is in the notes: when to use each one, and where the catch is. Curated from daily practice, no affiliations, no kickbacks.

Finding suppliers

  • Alibaba.com

    The default starting point — but treat every listing as a trading company until proven otherwise. Gold Supplier badges are bought, not earned. Verify separately before you wire anything.

  • 1688.com

    China's domestic wholesale platform. Often 20–40% cheaper than Alibaba for identical goods — the catch: Chinese-only interface, most sellers won't ship overseas, and disputes run entirely in Chinese. Use it to benchmark prices, buy through an agent.

  • Global Sources

    Strongest in electronics and mobile accessories. Their Hong Kong show exhibitor lists are a good pre-trip planning tool.

  • Made-in-China.com

    Better machinery and industrial-equipment coverage than the others. Listing quality varies widely — the verification rules above apply double.

Verifying a supplier

The step most buyers skip, and the step that would have prevented almost every horror story I get called in to fix.

  • GSXT — National Enterprise Credit System

    China's official company registry, free. Check the registered capital, the business scope, and whether that "factory" is actually registered as a trading company. If a supplier's name doesn't come up here, walk away. Fair warning: the site is temperamental from overseas IPs — if it won't load, that's the site, not you (I run these checks as part of verification work).

  • Tianyancha 天眼查

    The richer view: lawsuits, ownership networks, related companies, frozen shares. Chinese interface — this is one of the tools I run during a verification engagement.

  • Canton Fair exhibitor search

    Being a multi-session Canton Fair exhibitor is itself a credibility signal — booths are vetted and cost real money. Cross-check any supplier who claims to exhibit.

Trade shows

  • Canton Fair — official site

    Buyer badge and invitation letter are free here. Never pay a third party for "invitation services". Deciding whether to go? I wrote an honest breakdown: Is it worth going to the Canton Fair?

  • HKTDC events

    The Hong Kong shows — electronics, jewellery, gifts, lighting. Smaller and easier to work than the Canton Fair; often the same factories with their export-facing teams.

  • EventsEye — China trade shows

    Industry-specific fair calendar for all of China. If you're past the generalist stage, the specialized shows are where the depth is.

Shipping & logistics

  • Freightos

    Instant freight quotes. Use it to sanity-check what your forwarder quotes you — the spread can be educational.

  • 17TRACK

    Universal tracking that actually understands Chinese carriers — one search box for parcels across every courier your suppliers use.

  • SeaRates

    Port-to-port transit time and route estimates. Good for setting realistic delivery expectations before you promise dates to your own customers.

Tariffs & customs

  • HS Code lookup (hsbianma)

    Find the right HS code before you ask for quotes — FOB conversations go smoother when you name the code, and your customs broker will thank you.

  • USITC HTS (United States)

    The US tariff schedule. Check the landed cost before you fall in love with a product — a 25% Section 301 line item changes the whole math.

  • EU TARIC

    Same exercise for European buyers: duty rate, VAT treatment, and any anti-dumping measures on your category.

Coming to China

The practical layer. I keep full write-ups on these in the Atlas.

  • Chinese Visa Application Service Center

    The official visa centers, country by country. For trade activities you want the M (business) visa — my China business trip checklist covers the rest of the paperwork.

  • Trip.com

    The booking app that actually works inside China — hotels, high-speed rail, domestic flights, in English, with international cards.

  • Wise

    Mid-market exchange rates for topping up or paying invoices. For paying inside China day-to-day, see my guide to payment methods for foreigners.

Reading the Chinese market

  • Baidu Index

    China's Google Trends. Search demand curves for your category, in the search engine Chinese consumers actually use.

  • Xiaohongshu 小红书

    Where Chinese consumer taste forms. Search your product category and see what real users praise and complain about — it's free market research if you can read it (or know someone who can).

  • Tmall Global

    The main cross-border channel for overseas brands. Browse your competitors: pricing, positioning, and how their reviews read.

Go deeper

Guides that pair with this toolkit:

The honest limit

A link list can't walk a factory floor, read a boss's body language, or tell you which "no problem" means a problem.

That part is what I do