Alibaba.com vs AliExpress: Selling Wholesale to U.S. Businesses or Retail to U.S. Consumers, and Who Is Importer, Who Collects Sales Tax, and When You Need a U.S. Company
Alibaba.com is B2B wholesale: a Chinese factory sells to U.S. business buyers, who usually import the goods themselves. AliExpress is B2C retail to U.S. consumers. Trade terms (FOB, EXW, DDP) decide who is importer and pays duty; the platforms collect sales tax on U.S. orders under marketplace facilitator laws, and resellers can claim exemption. A factory exporting FOB through Alibaba.com generally needs no U.S. company.
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