Alibaba Product Scraper

Extract comprehensive product data from Alibaba.com including prices, suppliers, specifications, MOQ, certifications, and more. Perfect for B2B sourcing, market research, and supplier discovery.

🚀 What does this actor do?

This powerful scraper automates the extraction of product information from Alibaba.com, delivering structured data including:

• Product Details: Title, description, specifications, certifications
• Pricing Information: Price ranges, currency, MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)
• Supplier Data: Company name, verification status, Trade Assurance, Gold Supplier
• Product Images: Multiple product images
• Ratings & Reviews: Product ratings and review counts
• Shipping Info: Delivery times, shipping methods
• Technical Specs: Materials, dimensions, features, customization options

💡 Use Cases

• Supplier Discovery: Find and evaluate potential suppliers
• Market Research: Analyze product trends and pricing
• Price Monitoring: Track competitor pricing
• Product Sourcing: Compare products from multiple suppliers
• Due Diligence: Verify supplier credentials
• Competitive Analysis: Understand market positioning

📋 Input Configuration

Required Fields

• Search Queries OR Start URLs: At least one must be provided
  • Search Queries: Keywords to search (e.g., "wireless earphones")
  • Start URLs: Direct product or search page URLs

Optional Fields

• Max Products Per Query: Limit products per search (default: 50)
• Max Concurrency: Concurrent page processing (default: 5)
• Proxy Configuration: Recommended to use Apify proxy
• Price Filters: Min/max price in USD
• MOQ Filters: Min/max order quantity
• Trade Assurance: Only suppliers with Trade Assurance
• Verified Suppliers: Only verified suppliers
• Extend Output Function: Custom data transformation
• Debug Logging: Enable detailed logs

📊 Output Format

Each product includes:

{
  "title": "Product name",
  "price": { "min": 5.99, "max": 12.99, "currency": "USD" },
  "minOrderQuantity": 100,
  "supplier": {
    "name": "Company Name",
    "isVerified": true,
    "hasTradeAssurance": true,
    "yearsInBusiness": "8 years"
  },
  "specifications": { "Material": "Aluminum", "Color": "Black" },
  "images": ["url1", "url2"],
  "rating": 4.8,
  "reviewCount": 156,
  "certifications": ["CE", "FCC", "RoHS"]
}

🎯 How to Use

1. Search by Keywords:

   • Enter search queries: "laptop stand", "phone case"
   • Set max products per query
   • Apply filters (price, MOQ, verified suppliers)

2. Scrape Specific Products:

   • Add product URLs to Start URLs
   • Can mix product and search page URLs

3. Advanced Filtering:

   • Filter by price range
   • Filter by minimum order quantity
   • Only verified suppliers
   • Only Trade Assurance suppliers

⚙️ Configuration Tips

• Use Proxies: Alibaba has anti-bot protection - use Apify proxy
• Concurrency: Start with 5, increase if stable
• Filters: Apply filters to reduce unnecessary scraping
• MOQ: Set min/max order quantity based on your needs

🔧 Extend Output Function

Customize the output data:

async (data, { page, request }) => {
  // Add custom calculations
  data.pricePerUnit = data.price.min / data.minOrderQuantity;
  
  // Add custom fields
  data.isAffordable = data.price.min < 10;
  
  return data;
}

📈 Performance

• Speed: ~5-10 products per minute
• Memory: 1-4 GB recommended
• Best with Apify residential proxies

🚨 Important Notes

• Proxies Required: Alibaba blocks datacenter IPs - use residential proxies
• Rate Limiting: Don't set concurrency too high
• Data Accuracy: Alibaba's structure may change - report issues
• Terms of Service: Use responsibly and respect Alibaba's ToS

💰 Cost Optimization

• Use filters to scrape only relevant products
• Set maxProductsPerQuery to limit results
• Use search queries instead of browsing all pages
• Monitor proxy usage

🐛 Troubleshooting

No products found

• Verify search query or URL is correct
• Check proxy configuration
• Enable debug logging

Blocked requests

• Use residential proxies
• Reduce concurrency
• Check Apify proxy status

Missing data

• Some fields may not be available for all products
• Alibaba's HTML structure varies by product type
• Enable debug logging to see extraction details

📞 Support

For issues or questions:

• Check the logs for error messages
• Enable debug logging for detailed information
• Contact Apify support for platform issues

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Note: This scraper is for educational and research purposes. Always comply with Alibaba's Terms of Service and applicable laws.