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Better Buy: Alibaba vs. MercadoLibre

Better Buy: Alibaba vs. MercadoLibre

Two of the leading e-commerce players in developing countries are Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) as well as Latin American e-commerce leader MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI). Both companies were first-movers in e-commerce within their respective regions; Alibaba in China, and MercadoLibre in Latin America. Initially, each company took a capital-light approach to e-commerce, leaving existing carriers to take care of shipping, and merely taking a fee on each purchase while also collecting advertising revenue on their platforms.