How to buy from 1688 when you don't speak Chinese.

1688 lists factory prices, often 20–40% below the same item on Taobao. The catch is that it assumes a Chinese buyer: a Chinese phone number to register, Alipay to pay, Mandarin to negotiate, and a domestic address to deliver to. None of those is optional on the platform itself.

1. Registration and payment

Accounts need a mainland phone number and Chinese ID verification in most categories. Rather than work around that, we buy in our own name from our Guangzhou entity, in RMB, using our own Alipay and bank accounts. You never create a 1688 account.

2. Minimum order quantities

Many 1688 listings show a minimum of 2, 5 or 10 pieces. Some factories will sell one sample if asked in Chinese; others will not budge. We tell you the real MOQ before you commit, and we ask for a sample when a single unit is enough to judge quality.

3. Judging the supplier

Look at three things: years on platform, repeat-buyer rate, and whether the listing has real factory photos rather than catalogue renders. A supplier with 5 years and a 30% repeat rate is usually safer than a new shop with a lower price. We check the shop record and tell you what we see.

4. Quality is not guaranteed by the price

Wholesale means batch variation. The same SKU can arrive with different stitching, colour or thickness between production runs. That is why we open, count and photograph every parcel at the warehouse, and why a sample order before a bulk order is almost always worth the freight.

5. Getting it out of China

1688 sellers ship domestically only. The parcel comes to our Guangzhou floor, gets checked and weighed, then goes out on an international route — air express in 6–12 days depending on destination, or sea consolidation for heavy goods.

Common questions

Can I mix several suppliers in one shipment? Yes. That is what consolidation is for: several parcels, one box, one freight bill.

Do you charge for sourcing? Sourcing and negotiation are included in the service fee. A search beyond the standard three options is charged per request.

What if the factory sends the wrong specification? We hold the parcel, send photos, and go back to the seller in Chinese before anything ships to you.