A 1688 sourcing agent buys on 1688 for you, checks the goods in China, and exports them. You need one when the shop will not sell or ship to an overseas buyer. It is a straightforward process unless the product is a technical product. If you don't know what 1688 is, think of it like Alibaba's wholesale site for buyers inside China. The pages are Chinese. Sales people and support are also Chinese. Shops on 1688 expect domestic payment and domestic shipping. There is no checkout that delivers a container to your warehouse out of China. If for a certain product the domestic price on 1688 is cheaper and it is the only way that you can be profitable, then you certainly need somebody who can buy, inspect the goods and organize the shipping process to your country. That is what a 1688 sourcing agent is. What a 1688 sourcing agent does is not too much different from regular product sourcing. But usually the people who are looking for a 1688 agent already know what exactly they want to buy. So for a sourcing agent there is no product research work involved. This of course leads to a lower product sourcing fee.
1688 sourcing agent at a glance
| Path | Who it fits | What you still handle |
|---|---|---|
| Buy on Alibaba yourself | A small generic order where English and platform payment are enough | You will get a relatively higher unit price. And you must handle inspections yourself |
| Hire a 1688 sourcing agent | The 1688 price is why the order works, and the shop does not export | International freight, unless the agent includes it in the price, and duty in your country |
| Go to China and buy it yourself | You can work in Chinese and stay through payment and pickup | Travel expenses and export paperwork if the shop has no export license |
What a 1688 sourcing agent does
The 1688 agent basically negotiates with the shop, handles contracting, payments and local delivery. After the inspection, the agent organizes international shipping, prepares export documentation and ships the goods.
If you haven't selected the product yet, we can search the listing in Chinese, then talk to the shop. On a generic item, a chat or a phone call is enough to confirm the spec, the wholesale price, and the lead time. On a technical product, auto-translate is a weak tool because lots of terms get lost in translation. You might mistakenly agree to a wrong spec or wrong material and think you are getting a great deal until you receive the goods and learn otherwise. If your product is technical, we will write the specs in Chinese and in a way that both sales agents and engineering teams of the factories can understand. We have been doing this for years.
Many 1688 shops will not sell to a foreign client. Some have no export-experienced staff and not even an export licence, which is required by Chinese law to export goods. They have no one who can invoice an overseas buyer or book a container. In China you need special types of bank accounts to receive USD from other countries and you need to get an export licence to open those accounts. The agent buys as a domestic customer, receives the goods in China, and only then moves them into an export shipment. All product sourcing companies, including us, have the required export licences and experience to handle this procedure.
Another pro of hiring a 1688 agent is that you might think you will pay more because of the sourcing fees, but you might actually pay less because at higher volumes the price can always be negotiated down, especially at in-person meetings.
If you like the product and decide to buy, before we pay the full price we inspect the goods. And if there are any problems with the quality, the refund procedures are very easy since 1688 is a local company just like ours. We check quantity, quality, and the spec against the sample (if you have a sample), then we package everything for ocean or air and file the China export documents. If you don't have a preferred carrier, we will find one for you and you will pay them separately, or if you want, we can include it in the price. Of course, as always, we will tell you what and how much you're paying for each item in the list. The only thing you need to handle is destination duties and customs procedures when the goods arrive. The agent fee is for the China-side work. Our price range and what it covers are written here in detail: what a China sourcing agent costs.
Why you cannot check out on 1688 from overseas
1688 expects a buyer who can read and speak Chinese, pay like a local company using Chinese banks or payment processors like Alipay, and take delivery inside China.
You can turn translation on. It is fine for a simple product name. But it is not enough if you are trying to buy a technical product like machinery. There are just so many industry terms and details you need to communicate with the supplier, and translation will do a bad job. Of course you can use AI to do this, which is fine. But do you really want to take that risk for a high value item? In any case, the shop replies in Chinese. If you use a bad translation, you will basically agree on a wrong spec, which will be very hard to fix after delivery because the shop will use chat records as supporting evidence that you agreed to those specs.
Shops expect local payment and the local dispute system. If you can't use a domestic payment system, the shop will ask you to pay out of platform, which will completely remove platform protections and dispute resolution systems. On Alibaba, Trade Assurance is normal for smaller lots. On 1688, your protection is the local entity that purchased the goods.
Shops on 1688 will almost always only ship inside China. And after shipping and inspections, you still will need a company with an export licence to export them.
Don't get me wrong, you can still find shops on 1688 that do export. But these shops are always the identical copies of their Alibaba shops. They are just trying to fish as many leads as possible. Both platforms are owned by the same parent company, by the way. You can read the difference between them here: 1688 vs Alibaba.
Is 1688 perfectly safe?
Yes, this platform has strong buyer protections, but there are still several details you need to keep in mind.
If you see a shocking unit price, that is often a platform promo for one unit, or for a tiny quantity. The number on the page can be real for that promo. It is not the bulk price. You can easily check this by expanding the pricing section.
The cheap shop can be a trader. Not all shops are manufacturers on 1688. But this is not a bad thing per se, a lot of products are distributed through these trading companies. On generic goods a China-only trader can still beat an Alibaba price. Still, it is better to know instead of thinking you are directly dealing with a manufacturer. On a custom, technical, or large order, you need to either hire a sourcing agent or come to China yourself to visit the factory. Never risk 10s of thousands of dollars blindly. There are always problems in the sourcing process.
In case you are looking for the highest quality product, then don't expect to get it for the lowest price. I'm not saying shops will scam you on 1688, they mostly can't due to platform protections. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. There is a quality class for every product. You need to understand what you're gonna get before you order.
When a 1688 sourcing agent is worth it
Here is the simple formula you can follow. If you are planning to order a generic simple product with a small total order value, go to Alibaba and buy directly. Even if it hurts my business, I am honestly telling you that you don't need a sourcing agent. If you buy low order value products but the only affordable option is on 1688, you will need a 1688 sourcing agent due to the reasons above. Lastly, if you are ordering a technical product at any order value, or a high total order value of both simple and technical products, you also need a sourcing agent. Technical products have so many details that you need to check, and email isn't gonna cut it. And a large order value is a large investment to risk because there are always problems during the entire process. The longer, detailed version of this advice is in do you need a China sourcing agent. Read it, it will save you a lot of money and time.
Conclusion
Use a 1688 sourcing agent when you want domestic wholesale prices and you cannot pay, inspect, and export from inside China. Use Alibaba yourself on a small generic order where English and platform payment are enough.
Next Steps
If you want 1688 prices with the China-side work handled, contact us or see pricing. For the platform choice, read 1688 vs Alibaba. For the fee, read what a China sourcing agent costs.
