Below is a concise cost-comparison and practical guidance for leading B2B marketplaces (supplier / seller costs). I’ve focused on the platforms most used by international and U.S. buyers/suppliers: Alibaba, Amazon Business, IndiaMART, GlobalSources, Thomasnet, and Made‑in‑China. Costs on these platforms vary by country, product category, feature package and whether you use add‑ons (ads, RFQ credits, trade-show services, fulfillment), so I give typical ranges, what you actually pay (type of fees), and quick pros/cons. Key sources are cited so you can verify pricing for your product/category and region.

Summary (high level)

• Alibaba.com (global B2B — supplier-paid “Gold Supplier” packages): typical annual supplier membership and paid packages commonly range roughly $1,400–$6,000+ per year for Global Gold/Gold Supplier packages; larger premium packages and advertising add substantially more. Fees and exact package details vary by country and package. (alifaq.org)
• Amazon Business (B2B sales channel on Amazon): seller subscription is the usual Amazon Professional plan ($39.99/month) plus referral fees per sale (commonly ~8–15% depending on category). Fulfillment (FBA) and storage add per-unit and monthly charges that materially affect costs. Business-specific deals/fees can differ on qualifying B2B orders. (sell.Amazon.com)
• IndiaMART (India’s leading B2B marketplace): free basic listings are available; paid supplier subscriptions (lead/visibility packages) commonly run from a few thousand INR/month to larger annual enterprise plans (examples: small/SME plans ~₹3,000/month; mid/large plans tens of thousands of INR/year; top enterprise packages much higher). IndiaMART primarily uses subscription/lead models (not per-transaction marketplace commissions). (chetanwrites.com)
• Global Sources / Made‑in‑China / Thomasnet (specialized / regional B2B platforms):
  • Global Sources and Made‑in‑China: typical supplier fees are similar order-of-magnitude to Alibaba (several thousand USD/year for premium visibility, verified supplier badges, trade-show packages); many sellers pay for verification, exhibitor/trade show services and advertising. (Exact package/pricing is quoted to suppliers by sales teams and varies by region & services.)
  • Thomasnet (North America industrial catalog / lead-generation): primarily paid marketing/listing/lead products and custom packages (pricing quoted by Thomasnet sales; can be from low hundreds to thousands USD/month depending on level and audience targeting). For these platforms it’s common to contact the platform sales rep for an exact quote tailored to your company size and goals.

Detailed comparison (fees you should plan for)

• Alibaba.com (suppliers)

  • Typical supplier costs: Free basic listing exists; Gold Supplier / Global Gold packages commonly ~USD 1,400–6,000+/year (region & package dependent). Add‑ons (RFQ credits, advertising/KWA, premium storefronts, verification) increase costs. Some reseller/agency pages show packages at ~$1,399–$5,699 typical ranges for common tiers. (alifaq.org)
  • Buyer-side: buyers generally pay nothing to browse; transaction costs (payment/escrow/trade assurance) depend on payment method and contract.
  • Pros: huge global buyer reach, strong RFQ system; Cons: cost can be high for premium visibility, competition and buyer screening required.

• Amazon Business (sellers)

  • Typical seller costs: Professional seller plan $39.99/month (US) or individual plan per-sale fee; referral fees per sale typically ~8–15% depending on product category (some B2B orders can have different/refined fee tiers). FBA/fulfillment/storage fees are additional and vary by size/weight and season. Expect multiple fee layers: subscription + referral % + fulfillment + storage + other programs (ads, premium analytics). (sell.Amazon.com)
  • Pros: enormous demand and logistics (FBA), Business Prime buyers; Cons: fees stack quickly (especially storage & long-term FBA), competition price pressure.

• IndiaMART (suppliers targeting India)

  • Typical supplier costs: free listing available; paid visibility/lead plans commonly start at a few thousand INR per month (examples cited ~₹3,000/month for smaller plans) up to ₹80k–₹200k+ per year for enterprise-tier packages and lead volumes. IndiaMART emphasizes subscription/lead-generation rather than per-transaction commissions. Advertising and premium lead options add cost. (chetanwrites.com)
  • Pros: best reach inside India, lead-driven model; Cons: lead quality can vary, negotiation/closing still required offline.

• Global Sources

  • Typical supplier costs: free basic presence; premium supplier/exhibitor/verified packages and trade-show participation commonly start in the mid-thousands USD per year and rise significantly for trade‑show & lead generation bundles. (Vendors typically get a bespoke quote from Global Sources sales.) — contact sales for exact current packages.
  • Pros: strong for electronics and verified sourcing events; Cons: costs for trade-show + verification add up.

• Thomasnet (US industrial / manufacturing)

  • Typical supplier costs: Thomasnet sells lead-generation/listing and advertising packages; pricing is custom (examples from market sources show plans ranging from a few hundred to several thousand USD per month depending on targeting and campaign scope). Thomasnet is oriented to North American industrial buyers. Contact Thomasnet rep for exact pricing.
  • Pros: high-quality industrial buyer audience; Cons: custom pricing — needs budgeting for monthly/annual commitment.

• Made‑in‑China / DHgate / TradeIndia

  • Typical supplier costs: Made‑in‑China and TradeIndia mirror Alibaba/IndiaMART-style packages (free basic + paid premium listings from a few hundred to several thousand USD/yr depending on tier). DHgate is more transactional with lower up-front costs but per-transaction commissions/fees. Exact packages vary by region/service. Contact platform sales for firm quotes.

What’s likely to move your total cost most (so budget for these specifically)

• Visibility/lead generation packages (Gold/paid supplier) — often the single largest fixed annual cost for suppliers on Alibaba/GlobalSources.
• Per‑sale referral/commission (Amazon) or marketplace transaction fees when applicable.
• Fulfillment & storage (Amazon FBA) — variable but potentially large for slow-moving or bulky B2B SKUs.
• Advertising and sponsored listings/KWA (Alibaba) or sponsored products (Amazon) — pay-to-play for visibility.
• Verification/audits (third‑party factory audits) and trade-show participation (GlobalSources) — one-time but sometimes substantial.
• Payment/escrow fees, shipping, duties, returns — operational costs outside the platform that affect margins.

Practical guidance / recommended next steps

1. Pick 2–3 platforms that match your target buyer geography and buyer type (e.g., industrial buyers → Thomasnet/Thomasnet + Amazon Business for US; global wholesale → Alibaba + Global Sources; India market → IndiaMART).
2. Get precise, up-to-date quotes from each platform’s sales team. Many platforms negotiate and offer country/industry discounts — public “typical” ranges are only estimates. (For Alibaba/GlobalSources/Thomasnet you’ll usually need a sales quote.) (alifaq.org)
3. Model your unit economics including:
   • Platform fixed costs (membership/subscription)
   • Per-order fees (referral % or lead cost)
   • Fulfillment & storage (or your own pick‑pack & shipping costs)
   • Ads/paid promotion budget
   • Expected conversion rate from leads/visitors to orders
4. Ask platforms for a trial or short-term campaign so you can measure lead conversion before committing to the highest-tier annual packages.
5. For Amazon Business specifically: use Amazon’s fee calculators and run category-specific referral + FBA estimates before listing, since referral % and fulfillment fees vary by product size and category. (sell.Amazon.com)

If you’d like, I can:

• Build a customized cost model for your company (enter: product price, weight/size, expected monthly volume, target marketplaces) and show break‑even / margin under 2–3 platform scenarios; OR
• Pull current, platform-specific public pricing pages and create a side‑by‑side table with direct links to each platform’s supplier pricing page (I’ll fetch live pricing quotes from their sales pages).

Which would you prefer? (If you want a model, tell me one product example — price, weight/dimensions, and expected monthly orders — and I’ll produce side‑by‑side margin comparisons.)