Checked October 26, 2026
What 1688 is, and how it differs from Taobao
1688.com is run by Alibaba for buyers inside China. Many sellers are factories and wholesalers, so prices are often lower than on Taobao, and they drop as you buy more. It is the site small shops and resellers use to source stock, and it works for personal shopping too when you don't mind a Chinese-language site.
| 1688 | Taobao | |
|---|---|---|
| Sellers | Factories, wholesalers, trading companies | Shops and brands selling retail |
| Prices | Tiered: the more you buy, the lower the unit price | One retail price, with shop discounts |
| Minimum order | Set per listing; many start at one piece, custom printing usually needs hundreds | Usually one piece |
| Delivery | Within mainland China | Within China, plus Taobao’s own shipping to Singapore |
Buying on 1688 from Singapore
- Create a 1688 account. The site is in Chinese; your browser’s translate feature helps, and searching in Chinese finds more listings.
- Check each listing’s price tiers and minimum quantity (起批量). Message the seller to confirm stock, colours and how fast they ship to Guangzhou.
- At checkout, 1688 normally expects Alipay. Foreign cards are accepted on some listings only, so check the payment options before you rely on a seller.
- Enter your GoGoShip Guangzhou address as the delivery address, exactly as the Warehouse page shows it, with GoGoShip (#your customer code) as the recipient.
1688 has many unbranded copies of branded goods. Counterfeit and replica goods are seized by Singapore customs, and we cannot ship them. Genuine branded goods ship as super sensitive goods.
Shipping 1688 orders to Singapore
Register each supplier’s tracking number with Add Package and declare the contents. When everything has arrived, we weigh and measure each parcel and you combine them into one shipment. Which method suits depends on size more than weight:
| Order | Method | Delivery time |
|---|---|---|
| Samples and small orders | Air, per kg, no minimum | 5-7 working days |
| Boxes under 30 kg | Sea Courier, per kg; under 120 cm on the longest side and 220 cm length + width + height | 18-22 working days |
| Cartons of stock, bulky goods | Sea LCL, by volume from 0.4 CBM | 14-18 working days |
Wholesale cartons are often light for their size, so the volumetric weight, (length × width × height in cm) ÷ 6000, decides the Air and Sea Courier price. Check the carton size with the supplier and compare methods in the shipping calculator.
GST and buying in quantity
- Air shipments with a goods value of S$400 or less pay no GST; above S$400, 9% GST on the goods value.
- Sea Courier and Sea LCL always pay 9% GST on the goods value.
- GST is added to your shipment payment.
These rules are meant for personal shopping. Customs may treat frequent or large-quantity imports as commercial, which can change how they are taxed. If you plan to import stock regularly, email [email protected] first.
1688 goods we cannot ship
- Power banks without the China 3C mark, loose spare batteries, batteries over 100 Wh
- E-cigarettes and vapes, and their parts and liquids
- Aerosols, flammable liquids, and perfume with more than 24% alcohol
- Counterfeit or replica branded goods
- Medical products by air from China
The full list is in what items are prohibited. If you are unsure about a product, send us the link before you order.
