1688.com is the largest B2B marketplace and wholesaler in China. Catering to domestic businesses, it has over 120 million customers. Operating as the local arm of the Alibaba group, this B2B supplier has its website present only in the Chinese language.
As you probably already know, you can easily source cheap products from AliExrpress and Alibaba.com. In fact, 1688.com has cheaper prices for the same high-quality products. Therefore, most sellers on other platforms such as Aliexpress and Alibaba, eCommerce stock buy directly from 1688.com, add their own 20-30% profit and sell it to you.
In many cases, sellers on other platforms receive your order and place it on 1688.com, and subsequently ship the item to you, thus running their business without any inventory. When you buy from 1688.com you will find the cheapest prices compared to all other platforms.
About 1688.com platform
1688 platform a subsidiary of Alibaba, is the e-commerce giant’s Chinese commerce wholesale business marketplace. it has all the necessary approvals and permits to serve as a sourcing agent in the B2B business. trusted by 10 million businesses in the country with 120 million users.
When you buy from 1688.com, you can reduce your purchasing costs and save money. This, in turn, helps you to sell at a more competitive price.
Many sellers on other platforms such as DHgate and AliExpress buy from 1688.com and resell. Basically, 1688.com is cheaper than Alibaba.com when sourcing items from China. Amazon sellers, eCommerce, Shope, etc, and other buying agents, do not buy from Alibaba.com. Instead, they buy from 1688. com.
Difference between 1688.com and Alibaba.com
Well, the main difference between the two should have been clear by now.Alibaba.com is a global business in over 240 countries with a presence in a different global language,1688 is its Chinese counterpart.
The main difference between 1688.com and other websites is that 1688.com focuses on domestic trade wholesale only. Meanwhile, other sites such as Alibaba.com and AliExpress have been focused on exports from the beginning. For this reason, 1688.com is only available in Chinese, while the other platforms are in English and also have translations in Spanish, French, and other major languages.
Does the 1688.com legitimacy of the online market?
Don’t worry! Any supplier who wants to sell 1688.com must be a valid business license issued by the Chinese government.
They are also required to pay a membership fee of 6889 CNY to keep their memberships and community activity worthy. Therefore, one could easily trust the website and make their choices.
To check a business’s credentials, you may visit the vendor’s home page. Click on “Company “– click on “View Business Registration Information”.
Why should Chinese trading companies buy products from 1688.com?
To tell you the truth, this is a huge OEM or ODM platform with 15 main catalogs and 80, 000 suppliers. In fact. a lot of trading companies and firms purchase products and sell them to other overseas vendors, wholesales, or factories.
1.cost-effectiveness: they have the largest sellers of products listed on their website. these bulk suppliers can give you an unbeatably low price.
2. Choose variety: there are 80.000 legitimate sellers listed on 1688.com who will you choose?
3. Quality: bulk orders or small order quality is not a problem for the companies.
4. Supplier platform: Now many merchants buy products from the best 1688 sourcing agent. such as eBay. Amazon. Local retailer. Wholesales etc.
At 1688.com, many of the suppliers are genuine factories that sell their products at wholesale prices. Therefore, when you buy from 1688.com, you can get much better prices.
A large number of manufacturers join 1688.com as the annual membership fee is quite low. In addition, almost all the factories are experienced in handling custom orders as they often handle overseas orders from trading companies.
Who wants to buy from 1688.com ?
1688.com is considered one of the main databases for sourcing Chinese products, often offering the same products on Alibaba, but at lower prices.
If you are a business person looking to reduce costs and make more money. The site is also an ideal place to buy items if your aim is to buy and sell to your customers.o, 1688.com is not only for wholesalers.
The following people can purchase from 1688.com
1.Companies that need promotional gifts or other consumer goods
2.Local buying agents who receive large orders from end customers
3.Suppliers to supermarkets or department stores
4.Offline or local shops.
5.Shopify, eBay and Amazon, eCommerce, etc.
6.Online resellers or sellers who sell goods on websites.
You should consider sourcing from 1688.com as it offers great business opportunities, and secure online transactions for thousands of suppliers and buyers worldwide.
How to communicate with the 1688.com supplier?
The problem is compounded when there are language barriers. All the suppliers speak the Chinese language only, anyone can’t speak English on the 1688 platform.
You can actually buy directly from Alibaba, but in my experience sometimes the quality is not so good, the colours are different, or the sizes are different. Delivery sometimes takes a long time, depending on the location of the supplier. It is difficult to contact 1688 distributor when there is a problem with your purchase and most of them speak Chinese.
It is easy to find a Chinese agent to help you ship or wholesale from 1688 as you can find hundreds of results on Google, but it takes time to sift through a reliable 1688 agent to help you ship or sourcing from China.
A wise choice. You should hire a 1688 sourcing agent or your friend who supported your services, if you put your money in the wrong hands, you may be cheated. we are a professional china purchasing agent on 1688.com with more than 10 years of purchasing experience.
Where and how can I find reliable a 1688 sourcing agent in China?
In the market more agents from China who is best for your idea. China purchasing agent offers varying services, such as 1688 agent, products checked for quality and quantity before shipment, FBA amazon labeling, repackage, customize services, logistics, money exchange, etc.
There are cost-effective solutions available, as well, giving you 2 free trial order services before charging close to a 2% fee.
What products can you buy from 1688.com?
1688.com is a well-known website, in fact, it is the largest wholesale website in China. There are currently over 100,000 legitimate sellers on the site, which means you won’t have any difficulty purchasing the products you’re looking for. At 1688.com, you can find products that fall into any category you can possibly think of.
Beauty: nail polish,hair dryer,DIY mask machine,cosmetic tools,led mask,head massage,etc
Hard tools: hand drills, adjustable spanners, dowel sets, hole cutters, hexagonal spanners, etc.
Garden: food storage bins, cat litter, water pumps, vases, garden tools, flower pots, trowels, etc.
Clothes: kids’ clothes, girls’ clothes, body, clothes, women’s clothes, men’s clothes,etc.
Sport: dumbbells, skipping ropes, yoga mats, tents, sleeping bags, LED lights, BBQ,etc.
Electric: wifi earphones, intelligent watch, power bank, intelligent glasses, USB cable, muse,etc.
Auto parts: car charger,car camera, hoover,mobile phone holder, sunshade,steering wheel cover, foot mats, LED light,etc.
5 tips on how to buy from 1688.com
1688.com has a versatile and detailed system to find precisely what a business is looking for. The client has the option of filtering business by type-supplier or image search, wholesalers who offer the best price made as per requirements can talk to producers of goods.
1.Using “Google translation plus “ translate 1688.com to the English version. If you don’t know Chinese, you need to use Google Translate Plus to have the home page translated into the English language of your preference.
2.Product search: Write your keyword on the search bar, Chinese or English, then translate it to the English version.
3. Image search: if you come across an exciting product on a search engine, don’t worry. 1688.com has a convenient image search feature where you have to download the image of your product and then upload the image on the site,
the platform will display similar products across thousands of sellers for you to choose from.
4. Supplier search: proper sourcing is essential and therefore, the choice of the right suppliers becomes very important. One mistake here and your business will suffer terribly.
1688.com will have hundreds of sellers listing the same products, factories, wholesalers, vendors, and trading companies. How do you identify which one is the right choice for you?
5. Using the platform filter tools: So easy, you can filter the business by various attributes: These include Area, business pattern, employees, and turnover. who you want to deal with.
What problems can 1688 agents solve for their customers?
1688.com is designed for Chinese people, so you may face many problems in purchasing. You may need to rent or hire the services of a local 1688 agent. Here are some of the problems that many people face and how you can overcome them.
Language
Almost all the employees of domestic wholesalers or manufacturers speak Chinese to operate their accounts on 1688.com. Therefore, there is a major communication problem. Even when keeping in touch with suppliers through the translation software WeChat, it is difficult to achieve accurate product information.
Payments
The financial system in China is becoming increasingly strict. Only 50,000 USD can be deposited in a personal bank account. If you wish to pay in RMB or Renminbi, you will first need to have a Chinese bank account. Simply put, suppliers on 1688.com can only accept Chinese currency, i.e. RMB or CNY.
Packaging
Products purchased from 1688.com are packaged in Chinese. Therefore, if you intend to purchase goods from 1688.com and then sell them on an online platform such as eCommerce, then packaging will be an issue.
Of course, to build a good brand you could consider replacing the packaging or having a better design, or even changing it to English. This will ultimately give you more profit.
Quality
Again, products bought from any platform or any supplier must first be inspected. However, in my experience, sometimes the quality is not so good, the colour is different or the size is different from the actual product description which may be defective.
Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of your order, you cannot inspect the product now and it is best that you choose a trustworthy inspection agency to do this.
Storage
Also, you are in another country if you intend to buy multiple products from different suppliers on 1688. com. The shipping address on the platform is limited to China, so collect all the items, returns, etc, and store them in the warehouse. This is a difficult task for the customer to accomplish. Alternatively, you can hire an agent to take care of the warehousing service.
Shipping
As an overseas buyer, shipping costs are also an important part of the equation. Again, the transport of some large items can be an issue. For example, bulky items are cheaper to ship. However, the cost of transporting them will be three to five times higher than the actual cost of the items themselves.
By using consolidated shipping, your shipping costs are significantly reduced and you can buy the items you want and complete your order in one go.
Customs clearance
As 1688.com suppliers are mainly focused on the domestic market, they do not need to apply for an export license. Of course, a supplier can solve his problems by taking the help of an export agent, but in most cases, a supplier will not go through all the hassle of paperwork for just one client.
Ideally, a sourcing agent will again be of great help. The purchasing agent will not only coordinate the delivery but will also manage the export procedures and administer the payments.
DropShipping
Firstly, you are an eCommerce store, amazon seller, shopee, etc. When you ship from 1688 or wholesale, you may need sourcing, purchasing/sampling, quality control, repackaging, consolidation, and shipping services, and if you ship from 1688, you may also need barcoding, warehousing, and pick and pack services. Choose a reliable 1688 agent to help you through the whole process. Of course, the agent will charge a commission based on the value of the order, which is much lower than the cost of labor abroad.
Conclusion
All the above-mentioned questions are frequently used and are core to the working of 1688. com. Business needs inventory and new products regularly. Finding and collaborating with a trusted supplier is essential for a flourishing business.
