An Alibaba-to-own-website migration takes your product catalog, customer data, and order history off the marketplace and onto a branded e-commerce site you actually own. That means full control over pricing, branding, and sales channels — no commissions, no algorithm playing gatekeeper.
FAQ
How long does it take to migrate from Alibaba to my own website?
Most leather and textile manufacturers go from kickoff to live in 4-6 weeks. That covers data export, storefront design and build, catalog migration, payment integration, and SEO setup. Catalogs with 1,000+ SKUs or complex B2B portals sometimes push to 8 weeks — that's normal.
Will I lose my Alibaba customers when I migrate?
You won't lose buyers if the transition is planned properly. We export all accessible customer data before cutover and set up email campaigns to bring them to your new site. Most manufacturers run both channels during the transition, then wind down Alibaba once direct traffic and organic search pick up.
How much does a manufacturer website cost compared to Alibaba fees?
A custom storefront starts at $8,000, with ongoing hosting around $50-100/month. Compare that to Alibaba's 5-8% per-transaction commission. On $500K in annual revenue, you're paying $25K-$40K in fees every year. Most manufacturers break even within 6-9 months and go on to save $50K-$200K annually.
Can I still source from Alibaba suppliers with my own website?
Yes — your website is a sales channel, not a supply chain replacement. We can integrate supplier APIs and dropshipping tools like DSers to auto-fulfill orders from your existing Alibaba suppliers. You keep the sourcing relationships and drop the marketplace dependency.
How do I get traffic to my own website without Alibaba's marketplace?
Through SEO-optimized product pages targeting buyer intent keywords like "custom leather shoe manufacturer," Google Ads at $0.50-$2 CPC, email marketing to your migrated customer list, and content that shows off your craftsmanship. Most clients see organic traffic matching their Alibaba referrals within 6-12 months.
Do I need a custom website or can I use Shopify for my manufacturing business?
Shopify works fine for simpler catalogs. But leather and textile manufacturers with complex variant structures, B2B tiered pricing, and custom configuration workflows tend to hit its ceiling pretty quickly. We build on Next.js with headless commerce backends like Saleor — you get the ease of use with the flexibility to actually handle product configurators and wholesale portals the way they need to work.
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