1688 Spreadsheet: Factory Prices From Alibaba's Domestic Marketplace

What is 1688, and how is it different from Alibaba.com?

Both are Alibaba Group's business-to-business marketplaces, and they often list the same factories. The difference is who they're for. Alibaba.com is built for foreign businesses: English, international payments, Trade Assurance, export shipping. 1688 is built for Chinese buyers: Mandarin only, Alipay as the default payment, domestic delivery only. WorldFirst describes its minimum order quantities as low to medium — lower than typical Alibaba.com quotes, which is what makes it interesting for small resellers.

Sources: WorldFirst (July 2026); Alibaba.com Trade Assurance policy.

Verdict: For ready-made items in small quantities, 1688 through an agent is usually cheaper. For custom or branded-packaging orders, Alibaba.com's English contracts are worth the extra cost.

Working out the landed cost of a 1688 order

A cheap unit price is only half the story. WorldFirst lists the extra costs a foreign buyer meets on 1688: domestic Chinese shipping of about ¥5–20 per kilogram to reach your agent, then international air freight of roughly $4–8 per kilogram, or sea freight with higher minimum charges. Add duty in your country, and the agent's fee if any.

Illustrative mid-range figures within WorldFirst's ranges, at about ¥7.1 to the dollar. Duty depends on your country; see our landed-cost estimator.

The per-unit landed cost is what you compare — against Alibaba.com quotes, against AliExpress, and against what you can sell for. Our free supplier template has columns for every line above and adds them up for you.

Verdict: On 1688, freight often costs a third as much as the goods. Put it in the sum before you decide an item is cheap.

How MOQs and price tiers work on 1688

1688 listings usually show a price ladder: one price for the minimum quantity, lower prices for larger quantities. The headline price in search results is often the lowest tier, so read the ladder before you compare. Many 1688 sellers will also sell below the stated minimum for a higher unit price, especially for a first order — your agent can ask on your behalf.

1. Find the listing and note each price tier and its quantity.
2. Ask your agent to message the seller about samples or a smaller first order.
3. Order a sample or a small batch, and judge it on your agent's QC photos.
4. Scale up only after a sample passes, and record the result in your supplier sheet.

Google's suggestions for "1688 spreadsheet" include "taobao 1688 spreadsheet" and "1688 link spreadsheet" — people building lists that mix single retail pieces with wholesale sources. That's a sensible approach: test a style as a single Weidian or Taobao piece, then source it on 1688 once you know it sells.

Which agents buy from 1688?

Most of the agents we track accept 1688 links, and it's one of the platforms where published fees are lowest: Superbuy lists no service fee on 1688, and several newer agents describe zero commission across common platforms. For bulk orders, check two extra things with your agent — whether it offers sea freight for heavy shipments, and how it handles storage for larger volumes.

Sources: the agents' own pages where they publish fees, rep.tools profiles, and Trustpilot (fetched Sept 26–28, 2026). 'Score withdrawn' means Trustpilot removed the rating after guideline breaches. A dash means no primary source confirmed it.