1688 Agent vs Trading Company, when sourcing products from China,...
1688.com and Alibaba.com both belong to the Alibaba Group and were founded by Jack Ma. In fact, 1688.com is the largest B2B wholesale platform in China, where almost all products can be found. The price of each product is displayed directly on the page, it supports online transactions, and all transactions are guaranteed by Alipay, which is very reliable.
1688.com has about 1 million suppliers, more than half of which are factories, so the prices are much lower. Skip the middlemen, traders and exporters and directly buy products in bulk on 1688.com can save you a lot of cost.
Although you can find Chinese suppliers through exhibitions, it takes a lot of time and cost to participate in exhibitions. Most exhibitions focus on a certain industry. If you are a trader, importer or you want to purchase products in different industries, then have to attend multiple exhibitions.
In order to save time and cost, many people choose to find suppliers on Alibaba.com. Many people only know about Alibaba.com, but they don’t know about 1688.com, 1688.com has a large number of suppliers covering various industries, and the prices on 1688.com are very competitive. Purchasing from 1688 can help you easily beat your competitors.
On 1688.com, you can search for the product you want with one click through pictures or keywords, and you don’t have to go out, it’s very easy and will help you save a lot of time.
Alibaba.com often sets a high minimum order quantity, which requires a lot of investment and takes a lot of risk. If you hesitate, you will often miss the opportunity.
For small sellers and startups, 1688 is the best choice because it has no MOQ and most of the products are in stock. You may market test many products and find the best sellers, reduce inventory pressure by fast turnaround of small batch orders.
Moreover, some suppliers on 1688.com offer dropshipping services, allowing you to start a business with almost zero inventory cost.
1688.com supports Alipay or mainland China bank card payment, and opening an Alipay account also requires a mainland China bank card for verification. The process of applying for a bank card in mainland China is very complicated. You need to travel to mainland China in person and provide a lot of necessary documents, which is time-consuming and expensive. This is a very difficult thing for foreigners.
Unfortunately, there are no other options other than the above payment methods. Therefore, foreigners cannot rely on themselves to complete transactions on 1688.com.
1688.com supports Alipay or mainland China bank card payment, and opening an Alipay account also requires a mainland China bank card for verification. The process of applying for a bank card in mainland China is very complicated. You need to travel to mainland China in person and provide a lot of necessary documents, which is time-consuming and expensive. This is a very difficult thing for foreigners.
Unfortunately, there are no other options other than the above payment methods. Therefore, foreigners cannot rely on themselves to complete transactions on 1688.com.
1688.com is a pure Chinese website, which mainly targets the Chinese domestic market.
It is not surprising that 1688.com lacks English or other language options, both 1688.com and alibaba.com belong to Alibaba group, the latter mainly caters to the international market. The founder Jack Ma is known for his astute business acumen, it is unlikely that he will allow 1688.com to compete with alibaba.com.
Despite the language barrier, 1688.com is still popular for its large number of products and competitive prices. Non-Chinese users can cooperate with third-party service providers or buying agents to overcome language barrier.
1688.com is a pure Chinese website, which mainly targets the Chinese domestic market.
It is not surprising that 1688.com lacks English or other language options, both 1688.com and alibaba.com belong to Alibaba group, the latter mainly caters to the international market. The founder Jack Ma is known for his astute business acumen, it is unlikely that he will allow 1688.com to compete with alibaba.com.
Despite the language barrier, 1688.com is still popular for its large number of products and competitive prices. Non-Chinese users can cooperate with third-party service providers or buying agents to overcome language barrier.
If you buy products from different suppliers, you’d better consolidate all the goods and then arrange the international shipping, because consolidated shipping can save a lot of shipping costs.
Suppliers on 1688.com often have inconsistent delivery times, so you need a warehouse to receive, check and consolidate their shipments, also need English invoices, packing lists and other documents to finish the custom clearance, but suppliers often cannot provide these services.
You only need to use keywords or pictures to search for the products you want, then send us the links, and we will handle the rest.
Most 1688 suppliers do not understand English at all, we can quickly and accurately translate descriptions on web pages and conversations with suppliers into English.
By checking the company’s registration information and on-site visits, we can determine whether the supplier is operating normally and whether it has a bad reputation record, helping you avoid potential losses.
You can conveniently pay us in USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, and we will convert them into RMB according to the real-time exchange rate, and then pay to all your 1688 suppliers.
All your purchased products from multiple suppliers can be sent to our warehouse, where we’ll consolidate and ship them out together.
If you want to save the shipping cost of the sample or you are in a hurry, we can test the sample according to your request and send you detailed photos and videos for your reference.
According to the rules of 1688, products with quality problems need to be returned to the supplier to get a refund, but the supplier does not bear the shipping cost of the return, so it is better conduct quality inspections in China, and we can do that for you.
According to your requirement, we can put labels on the products, packaging or outer boxes to distinguish the different commodities you purchase, so that you can store them quickly after receiving them.
If you have your own brand, we can help you customize the packaging boxes and instructions, and pack the products and instructions into custom packaging boxes.
Whether it is a large order or a small order, we can choose the appropriate shipping method according to your expectation, including sea freight, air freight, rail freight, land freight, express delivery, etc. We will also provide invoice and packing list to facilitate your customs clearance.
Many products require certifications to enter a particular market, such as CE, RoHS, FCC, and we can assist you if a supplier is unable to provide the necessary certification documentations.
If you want to visit suppliers in China, we can provide an invitation letter to assist you in applying for a visa, help you book hotels, provide pick-up services, and accompany you to visit suppliers.
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A 1688 buying agent is a third-party service that helps international buyers purchase products from 1688.com, China’s largest domestic B2B wholesale platform operated by Alibaba Group. Overseas buyers need a 1688 agent because the platform is designed for the Chinese domestic market and presents three key barriers:
Dawon1688, based in Shenzhen, solves these problems by providing a one-stop service that covers product sourcing, translation, RMB payment, quality inspection, warehousing, and international shipping.
1688.com offers significantly lower prices than other Chinese and global platforms because it connects buyers directly with factories and domestic wholesalers. Based on price comparisons for the same product:
| Platform | Price (USD) | Price Difference vs. 1688 |
| 1688.com | 11.72–12.84 | Baseline (lowest) |
| Alibaba.com | $17.50 | ~49% higher |
| AliExpress.com | $23.28 | ~98% higher |
| eBay.com | $61.10 | ~421% higher |
| Amazon.com | $69.99 | ~497% higher |
The price gap exists because 1688 is a domestic wholesale platform with approximately 1 million suppliers, over half of which are direct manufacturers. By skipping middlemen, traders, and exporters, buyers can save 49% to nearly 500% compared to retail platforms.
The purchasing process with Dawon1688 involves six clear steps:
Buyers only need to search and send links—Dawon1688 handles everything else.
No, 1688.com has no minimum order quantity requirement for most products. This is one of the key advantages over Alibaba.com and other B2B platforms that typically require MOQs.
Key points about 1688’s MOQ policy:
This makes 1688 particularly suitable for small businesses, e-commerce startups, and dropshippers who cannot meet traditional wholesale MOQs.
A professional 1688 sourcing agent like Dawon1688 provides 12 integrated services covering the entire procurement cycle:
| Service Category | Specific Services |
| Sourcing & Communication | Product sourcing, English-Chinese translation, supplier evaluation |
| Payment & Finance | Multi-currency payment (USD/EUR/GBP/JPY), RMB conversion at real-time rates |
| Quality Control | Sample testing with photos/videos, pre-shipment quality inspection |
| Warehousing & Processing | Consolidation warehousing, product labeling, custom packaging & assembly |
| Shipping & Logistics | Sea/air/rail/express shipping, customs documentation |
| Value-Added Services | Certification assistance (CE, RoHS, FCC), factory visit support with visa invitation letters |
These services eliminate the need for buyers to hire separate translators, freight forwarders, quality inspectors, or packaging providers.
Overseas buyers cannot pay 1688 suppliers directly because the platform only accepts RMB payments via Chinese payment methods. Dawon1688 solves this by acting as a payment intermediary:
This eliminates the need for buyers to open Chinese bank accounts, register Alipay, or navigate cross-border payment complexities.
Getting started with Dawon1688 is straightforward and requires no upfront commitment:
The company is located at B305, Building D, Yuxing Science & Tech Park, Baoan District, Shenzhen, China, with dedicated teams for procurement, logistics, and warehousing.
