1688 vs Alibaba

They are built for different people

Alibaba is built for buyers outside China. English, export services, international payment, and sellers who expect to deal with foreigners.

1688 is built for buyers inside China. Mandarin, RMB, Chinese bank accounts, delivery within China. Same parent company as Alibaba.

Why 1688 is cheaper

Two reasons. The prices are domestic wholesale prices, with no export service attached.

And plenty of Alibaba sellers are trading companies who buy on 1688 themselves and add their margin. Sometimes you are looking at the same goods, from the same factory, one step further up the chain.

The catch

1688 assumes you are in China. In practice that means four things.

• The site and the sellers work in Mandarin only.
• Payment expects a Chinese bank account or Alipay.
• Sellers deliver to a Chinese address, not to Nigeria.
• There is no export paperwork, and nobody holding your hand.

How to read a 1688 listing

Browser translation is enough to look around. Once a listing is open, four things matter.

• The tiered prices. Most listings show two or three, and the price drops as the quantity rises. The cheapest tier is the one people quote at you. Your price is the tier your quantity lands in.
• 起批量 is the minimum order. It is often lower than you expect, and plenty of listings start at 2 or 10 pieces.
• Sales volume and repeat purchase rate. A listing that Chinese wholesalers keep going back to is worth your attention.
• Weight and carton size, when they are shown. Freight is priced on these, so write them down while you are there.

How to spot a reseller on Alibaba

There is nothing wrong with a good trading company. You just want to know what you are paying for. These are the signs that an Alibaba factory is reselling 1688 goods.

• The same product photos turn up on several different storefronts.
• The catalogue is wide and unrelated. Ovens, wigs and solar panels, all from one factory.
• The company profile or the licence scope says trading, not manufacturing.
• An image search finds the same product on 1688 at a fraction of the price.
• A real factory can send you live video from its own floor with your product being made. A reseller cannot.

Where Taobao fits

Taobao is China's retail site. Single units, no minimum order, prices above 1688's wholesale tiers.

That makes it the cheapest way to test an idea. Buy one or two, hold the quality in your hands, then place the wholesale order on 1688 once you are sure.

Same catch as 1688, so it works through whoever is already buying for you over there.

How to use both

Use Alibaba to research. See what exists, what it is roughly worth, and who makes it.

Then buy where it makes sense. When the real maker is on 1688, buy at the domestic price and let somebody in China handle the payment, the collection, the inspection and the export.

That last part is our job. You do not need Mandarin or a Chinese bank account. You need somebody in China who has both.