When it comes to China wholesale websites, probably everyone knows Alibaba, so what about 1688 and 1688 agent?
1688 is the largest wholesale website in China and a subsidiary of Alibaba. Most of the suppliers on 1688 are factories or other direct suppliers. At present, 1688 has a total of 50,000+ real suppliers, providing a large selection of products. An estimated 60% of Chinese merchants wholesale products from 1688.
The main content of this article:
1. The difference between 1688 and Alibaba
2. Products you can sourcing at 1688
3. Some problems you may have when wholesale from 1688 in person
4. How to choose a reliable 1688 agent
5. The main work of 1688 agent
6. 1688 agent list
1) Many people are curious about the difference between 1688 and Alibaba, mainly in the following points:
1. 1688 only supports Chinese, Alibaba has multiple languages to choose from.
The reason is that 1688 is mainly open to the Chinese market, so it only supports Chinese reading. Alibaba is an international trade website that provides more than 16 languages, which is more convenient for foreign customers to purchase.
2. The price unit of 2.1688 is RMB, and the price unit of Alibaba is USD.
3. For the same product, the price and MOQ of 1688 may be lower.
2) Products You Can Sourcing at 1688
As the largest professional wholesale website in China, you can buy any products you want at 1688. The following products are suitable for sourcing on 1688:
Jewelry, clothing, underwear, shoes and accessories, hair accessories, Pet Supplies, Electronic Products, Office Supplies, Sports Products, Home Decor, Home Textiles, Crafts, Gardening Supplies, Hardware and Tools, Auto Supplies, Mechanical Hardware Tools, Textile leather, rubber and plastics, printing paper and packaging materials, Baby products, toys, cosmetics, daily necessitiesc
But we don't recommend overseas buyers to purchase the following items on 1688:
Strong magnets/liquid or creams/batteries/chemicals/powdered items. They may not be able to pass the normal express shipping inspection.
Compared with Alibaba, the price of 1688 is sometimes lower, but the probability that the product is stock will also increase. If you're looking to cut some costs for your business, then the 1688 is for you.
However, we don't recommend purchasing a small amount of bulky and high-quality products, such as furniture, as the shipping cost will be several times the cost.
3) Some Problems You May Have When Wholesale From 1688 In Person
1. Inventory information may not be accurate
Sometimes you will encounter that it is clearly marked on the page that the stock is sufficient, but a few days later, they will contact you to say that the stock is insufficient, ask for a late delivery, or ask you for a refund.
While this doesn't happen every time, it does happen. Some 1688 suppliers just don't update their inventory information in time.
2. Storage time of goods
When you order a lot of products from 1688 at the same time, but you want to ship by sea, you need to consider the storage of the goods, because you can't keep them in port all the time. Some suppliers are reluctant to let goods stay in their warehouses for extended periods of time because it takes up a lot of space. In situations like this, finding a reliable 1688 agent for yourself is the best option. They can handle all the process of importing from China for you and solve all problems.
3. About transportation
Sometimes you may miss specifics about negotiating shipments with suppliers. Then there may be a lot of follow-up issues when it comes to shipping. For example, the number of products per box, or send your goods directly to the warehouse. Sometimes, when you place an order, the platform will only calculate a minimum shipping fee for you, but in the actual delivery later, the cost incurred is far more than that, and you need to determine all domestic shipping charges.
4. Delayed delivery
As a wholesale site, its promised delivery times can't be as accurate as Amazon's, it's all up to those suppliers.
If your order amount is not very large and it is all in stock, the delivery time is about 1 to 5 days.
If your order amount is relatively large, then the factory may need more time to prepare, the time is about 2~3 weeks. If you happen to be purchasing a popular product, it may take longer to get to production.
5. Language Issues
Because most of the suppliers in 1688 only speak Chinese. And the website doesn't provide other language versions, so if you aren't proficient in Chinese, it is best to choose a 1688 agent to communicate with the supplier for you.
How to translate 1688 into English?
You can use Google Chrome's translation feature to translate websites into English, but translation errors may occur.
6. Payment issues
1688 can use Alipay/WeChat/bank card for payment. It should be noted that 1688 suppliers only accept payment in RMB. But as an experienced 1688 agent, we can accept US dollars, support T/T, L/C, D/P, O/A and other payment methods, and place orders for you to 1688 suppliers.
4) How to Choose a Reliable 1688 Agent
In fact, 1688 agent is usually just one of the businesses of China sourcing agent. So if you want to find a reliable 1688 agent, then you only need to search according to the criteria of finding a reliable Chinese sourcing agent.
We have put together a relevant guide of China purchasing agent. If you are interested, you can go to read.
The basic requirements to be met are:
1. Positive communication attitude
2. No communication barriers
3. Quick response
4. Professional level of answering your questions
5. Provide additional services such as quality inspection and warehousing
5) The Main Work of 1688 Agent
1. Find a product
After you choose the product you need, send the picture to 1688 sourcing agent, or tell them what kind of product you need. 1688 sourcing agent will find products that meet your requirements, including quality and price comparisons.
Professional 1688 agent can find the most cost-effective and most satisfying products for you. We can also provide you with samples if you need.
2. Pay for your product
If you are satisfied with the product that the 1688 agent is looking for, they will make further contact with the supplier to determine the final quotation. In addition to these basic work, we will also calculate a total fee that you need to pay in China.
3. Place an order
After receiving your deposit, the 1688 agent will start to place an order for you. Usually we will finish it within 3~4 days.
4. Logistics warehousing
When your goods are produced, we will have a special warehouse to receive the products for you.
5. Quality Check
After receiving the goods, we have a dedicated quality inspection team to test the quality of the products for you to ensure that the products you receive are consistent with your requirements, whether it is product quality, product packaging or product appearance.
6. Product Shipping
After you pay the shipping fee, we will ship your goods according to your request.
Whether you need DHL/FEDEX/SF EXPRE or traditional sea or air freight, we will arrange it for you.
6) The List of Excellent 1688 Agent
1. Sellers Union Group
As the Yiwu's largest sourcing agent, SellersUnion has 23 years of experience and 1200+ employees. In addition to Yiwu, offices have been set up in Shantou, Ningbo, Hangzhou and Guangzhou. There are many old employees with more than 10 years of experience, who can provide clients with the most professional agent service. Given that they have abundant supplier resources, they can not only help clients sourcing products from 1688, but also sourcing products from Yiwu market, direct factories, Alibaba and other channels. They can help you control all the process of importing from China.
2. Leeline Sourcing
Its predecessor was a Chinese shipping agent company, and later it gradually developed a product agent business, including 1688 sourcing agent business. Their operations include product sourcing, product inspection, consolidated shipments, repackaging, and warehousing shipments. They have cooperative relationships with many small and medium-sized enterprises and provide complete import services.
3. ChinaSourcift
ChinaSourcift sources in China based on buyer demand. Although they have been established for a relatively short time, the business of 1688 sourcing agent is also doing well. The only drawback is that they don't provide free warehousing service.
4. Maple Sourcing
This 1688 sourcing agent was established in 2012. Maple Sourcing strives to maintain a relatively transparent procurement service chain. They offer buyers: product sourcing, order monitoring, manufacturing control and quality inspection services.
5. 1688sourcing
1688sourcing has 15 years of export agent experience and has completed many cases. This is helpful when they are building a complete purchasing agent program for their clients. Their warehouse is free for a month.
All in all, if you want to source products from 1688 and aren't that familiar with Chinese. Then, choosing a 1688 sourcing agent to help you handle these matters is a very good choice.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time, or view our website, which has more detailed information about us.
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