About Alibaba and supplier

I do not know what product is this that you are considering marketing overseas but I believe that you should establish a market domestically to see if there is a need for this product or has improvements needed for it. Being that overseas market are very particular with track records on quality control, performance and compliance to various safety standard organizations like the EC if you are considering Europe and so forth. If your product has a domestic usage then you will have a local market for your product the necessary records and compilation would be almost automatic. The next step would be to ensure its quality control and research and development. To know if your product would be favored or even preferred does not require you to market it online. However, it would be wise to have your company and product have an own official website to have that professional image and contactable worldwide. As for the demand or popularity of this product, a good starting approach would be to participate in the various domestically organized international trade fair like the one in Guangzhou every twice a year to see if there are interested parties. I am sure you will have a more direct accurate feedback for it. I am sure interested parties will be in touch with you and you would feel that this more tangible here.

I am not sure whether promoting your product in Alibaba can work well. As you said, it is not a small amount. Sometimes I will look for some products from Alibaba. But I don't know whether Alibaba is famous to foreign buyers. In fact I think perhaps it is better to use this money to make a website for your factory. It will not be so expensive and it can also attract buyers.

Not a cheap fee at all. First of all what kind of product or technology are you trying to promote? I can tell you from experience that they are many electronic components directories that will give you a free trial for at least a couple of weeks. You should give them a try and see which one is giving you better results. Since you already have a website, then you can determine which one is reaching better your target audience and then make a educated decision as far as allocating you marketing dollars. Many of this directories don't require the whole amount upfront, so if something is not working out you can go ahead and rethink your strategy. If you have any specific questions please let me know.