On April 14, DHgate, a B2B cross-border e-commerce platform with a 21-year history, unexpectedly soared to third place on the iOS App Store’s free app rankings in the US.
According to data from Appfigures, DHgate was ranked 352nd among free non-gaming iPhone apps in the US as of April 11. By Sunday, it had climbed to sixth place, and by April 15, it ranked second overall in the US, trailing only ChatGPT. DHgate reported that iOS downloads on April 13 surged to 117,500, marking a 732% increase from its 30-day average. US downloads accounted for 65,100 of those—up roughly 940%.
What sparked the surge? A combination of opportunistic messaging by Chinese sellers and rising anxiety among US consumers over tariff hikes.
Since US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, TikTok has seen an uptick in videos from Chinese suppliers. In many of these clips, creators break down how the global mid- to high-end supply chain functions—specifically, how many products from brands like Nike and Lululemon are allegedly manufactured in China.
Many of these videos aim to highlight how US consumer culture is deeply entwined with Chinese manufacturing. It’s not just fast fashion and bargain electronics. Some clips claim that Western luxury brands also rely on Chinese suppliers. Against this backdrop, DHgate is being touted as a go-to source for shoppers seeking near-identical alternatives to high-end products.
Founded in 2004, DHgate was China’s first B2B export e-commerce platform. It was a pioneer in the early wave of cross-border commerce but struggled to compete as giants like Alibaba expanded. By 2020, its annual revenue stood at USD 231 million—a sliver compared to Alibaba’s international business.
A viral moment, engineered or organic?
The latest surge wasn’t driven solely by Chinese influencers. Foreign creators jumped in too.
One TikTok user, “santas4life,” posted a comparison between a Louis Vuitton wallet bought in-store and a USD 100 version from DHgate, which came with a matching pouch. She claimed they were indistinguishable in stitching and material. As of April 17, the video had been taken offline.
Another creator, Ebony Brown (@ebonybrownstyle), told her TikTok followers in a video that luxury boutiques in Italy were simply adding final touches to products made in China, charging steep markups for goods that weren’t entirely European-made.
KrASIA could not independently verify these claims.
What’s new here isn’t the script. Chinese consumers have long traded tips on finding dupes, but the international appeal now is being spurred more by economic stress than bargain hunting alone.
TikTok has hosted DHgate unboxing videos for years, though many attracted little attention. In one 2023 clip, a user showed off a Van Cleef & Arpels-style bracelet and a Chanel-inspired bag. Comments warned against naming brands to avoid takedowns, and users swapped search tips for finding similar goods.
For those unfamiliar with her story, DHgate founder and CEO Diane Wang was among the first employees at Microsoft China. In 2000, she became CEO of Joyo.com—later acquired by Amazon—at the invitation of Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, working alongside Chen Nian, who would go on to start Vancl. Wang left Joyo.com in 2002 and launched DHgate two years later.
Marketed as a “one-stop B2B export platform,” DHgate says it serves buyers in 223 countries and regions, primarily small resellers or end consumers. Its sellers are mostly based in China, offering inexpensive products in categories like apparel, toys, and phone accessories.
In recent years, DHgate has leaned into creator-driven marketing. A WeChat post by the company describes two core services: MyyAffiliate, which links influencers with sellers using algorithmic matching and data analytics; and MyyShop, which supports creators and small merchants with marketing tools and affiliate features.
Whether DHgate’s recent TikTok surge was carefully orchestrated through its marketing tools or happened organically is hard to pin down. What’s clear is that it struck a chord. With consumers increasingly uneasy about tariffs, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Now what?
Visit DHgate’s site and you’ll find a catalog of lookalikes: Minmin bags, Dor accessories—resembling Dior—with prices that sit between those on Temu and Amazon.
Wang’s decision to enter the cross-border B2B space was personal. After years in consumer-facing roles at Joyo.com, she was after a new kind of challenge. But that focus on a niche market may have capped DHgate’s growth. In a landscape dominated by eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba, the company lacked early advantages—like robust payment and logistics infrastructure—that could have helped it scale.
Nearly two decades on, DHgate still sits on the fringes of mainstream e-commerce. It filed for a Hong Kong IPO in 2021, reporting adjusted net profit of RMB 172 million (USD 24.1 million) for 2020. Revenue climbed from USD 117 million in 2017 to USD 231 million in 2020, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.8%.
| Metric | Alibaba International | DHgate | Made-in-China.com | Global Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Visits (Millions) | 88.0 | 17.2 | 13.6 | 2.7 |
| MoM Change | (4.88%) | 0.27% | (2.52%) | (9.40%) |
| Average Visit Duration (Seconds) | 356 | 250 | 226 | 144 |
| Average Pages per Visit | 5.53 | 5.76 | 3.84 | 3.03 |
| Bounce Rate | 45.11% | 48.84% | 54.88% | 52.56% |
For perspective, Alibaba’s cross-border and global wholesale segment brought in USD 2.2 billion in revenue in 2021—nearly ten times DHgate’s 2020 total.
Traffic data from Tianfeng Securities paints a similar picture. Alibaba’s international platform averages about 88 million monthly visits, while DHgate hovers around 18 million.
| Month | Alibaba International | DHgate | Made-in-China.com | Global Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 82.0 | 18.7 | 14.2 | 2.2 |
| July | 88.1 | 18.6 | 14.5 | 2.8 |
| August | 92.5 | 17.1 | 13.9 | 3.0 |
| September | 88.0 | 17.2 | 13.6 | 2.7 |
According to its IPO filing, DHgate had 5.7 million registered buyers in 2018, growing to 8.3 million by 2020. Of those, around 4.9 million were active. Nearly half—48%—were based in the US, followed by 9% in the UK, 9.5% in France, and the remaining 33.5% spread across other markets.
While the US has long been DHgate’s core market, the recent TikTok-driven surge in downloads is unprecedented.
Still, a spike in attention doesn’t erase structural challenges. With the majority of its sellers located in China, DHgate can’t escape the blowback from rising US tariffs. Many new users arrived hunting for deals, but if a USD 100 wallet starts to cost USD 300, the bargain-hunting appeal may fade fast.
Before this viral moment, DHgate barely registered with international audiences. Some YouTubers posted cautionary videos on how to avoid scams when using the platform, often citing unshipped orders and poor communication.
Much of DHgate’s seller base consists of small, individual merchants. Without consistent quality control or reliable customer service, any gains in user numbers could be fleeting.
In the end, this download boom feels more like a reaction to economic angst than a sign of durable growth. With global commerce under pressure and DHgate—a company that once aspired to rival Alibaba—briefly in the spotlight, the real challenge lies ahead: staying relevant long after the buzz fades.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Leslie Zhang for 36Kr.