Alibaba probably makes a lot of money through foreign sales.
According to Wikipedia, the company began as a Business-to-Business website that linked Chinese manufacturers directly to foreign buyers.
They also started a Chinese “Pay-Pal” knock off, so they probably earn substantial money by financing small consumer purchases, since credit card use is still quite limited in China.
Also of interest:
They own the largest TV shopping network in China.
They deliver more than 60% of parcels in China.