How to buy from 1688

The eight steps

• Find the listing. Search in Chinese for a wider result set; sort by transaction volume rather than price.
• Check the seller. Years in business, repeat-purchase rate and whether they are a factory or a trading company.
• Confirm the specification in writing — material, dimensions, weight, packaging. Do not rely on the description table.
• Request a landed-cost quote: unit price, domestic freight, service fee, international freight, duties.
• Order a sample if the item is new to you. One sample costs less than one wrong container.
• Pay the agent. The agent pays the seller in renminbi from a domestic account.
• Inspect on arrival at the agent’s warehouse, with photographs, before anything ships internationally.
• Consolidate and ship. Multiple sellers become one export shipment.

Where the money actually goes

A typical small order breaks down as goods, domestic freight to the warehouse, an agent service fee, consolidation and repacking, international freight, and duties or tax on arrival. On a light, high-value order the goods dominate. On a heavy, low-value order international freight dominates and can exceed the goods.

This is why the unit price is a poor decision input. Two listings at the same price can land at very different totals once volumetric weight is applied.

Checking a seller before you buy

• Transaction volume and repeat-purchase rate matter more than star ratings.
• A factory will answer specification questions precisely; a trading company will answer slowly and vaguely.
• Ask for a photograph of the actual item on the actual packing bench, not the listing image.
• If the price is far below the other listings for the same item, it is a different item.