How to buy from 1688 and ship to any country
1688.com has factory and wholesale prices that are often lower than anywhere else. But it is built for buyers inside China. Here is how importers from Morocco to Brazil buy there safely and get the goods delivered.
What is 1688?
1688.com is the Chinese wholesale marketplace of Alibaba Group. Factories and wholesalers sell to Chinese shops and traders, so prices are in Chinese yuan (CNY), quantities are often small and prices are usually lower than on Alibaba.com, which is the export version for foreign buyers.
- Millions of products: clothing, home goods, electronics accessories, tools, packaging, raw materials…
- Price tiers: the more you buy, the lower the unit price.
- Many sellers are the factories themselves.
Why you cannot simply order from abroad
- The site and the sellers work in Chinese.
- You need a Chinese account and Chinese payment (usually Alipay).
- Most sellers only deliver to an address in China.
- There are no export documents and no after-sales service for foreign buyers.
This is why importers use a buying agent in China: the agent orders in Chinese, pays the seller, receives the goods, checks them and ships everything abroad.
Step by step with DIVAN
- Find the products: search 1688 (you can search by photo), or simply send us a photo or a link and we find suppliers for you.
- Send us the links with colour, size and quantity using the "Buy from China" form.
- We check the seller, the stock and the delivery cost to our Guangzhou warehouse, and send you the full total before you pay anything.
- You pay: in Chinese yuan, US dollars or euros with no commission. We also accept USDT.
- We buy, receive every parcel at our warehouse, count, check and photograph it, and keep everything until your last order arrives.
- You choose the shipping: international express, air freight, sea freight LCL, or rail and truck to Europe. We ship everything together with the export documents.
What you pay in total
- The product price on 1688.
- Delivery inside China to our warehouse (often free or a few yuan per order).
- Our service fee.
- International shipping, by weight or volume.
- Import duties and taxes in your country (paid at customs, or included on duties-included lines).
Ask for the total before paying: product + delivery in China + our fee + international shipping estimate. You see every part separately.
Tips to avoid problems
- Compare at least three sellers. Look at years on 1688, ratings, repeat-buyer rate and the factory badges.
- Order samples before a large order.
- Ask for real photos or a video of the goods, not only catalogue pictures.
- Check the price tier and the minimum order (MOQ) for each colour or size.
- Avoid branded and copied goods: they are seized at customs. We do not handle counterfeit products.
- Batteries, liquids, powders and cosmetics need special shipping lines. Tell us before buying.
- Check the import rules of your country: some products need a licence or certification.
Other Chinese platforms we buy from
- Taobao and Tmall: retail, single pieces.
- Pinduoduo: very low prices, group deals.
- Xianyu: second-hand goods.
- Alibaba.com: export suppliers, bulk orders.
- Yiwugo: the online version of Yiwu market.
