How to Buy from 1688 without Agent?
How to Buy from 1688 without Agent?
Although 1688 launched a cross-border e-commerce business in 2018, it was impossible for foreigners to place an order in 1688 without an agent at the beginning, because of the four problems of language, payment, product quality and transportation.
Why? Let me explain in detail.
Language.
Although 1688 is the largest B2B wholesale platform in China, it is still very unfamiliar to overseas small businesses, and it is in Chinese. If people don’t know Chinese very well, they may not know how to search for products by keywords, let alone how to contact suppliers for product details and bargain with suppliers.
Payment.
Since 1688 is mainly aimed at the Chinese market, it currently only supports UnionPay and Alipay, and few suppliers support credit cards and some Alibaba financial products for buyers to pay for goods. For small businesses overseas, paying directly on 1688 is an almost impossible option.
Product quality.
Just like AliExpress small businesses can only check the quality of the goods on the photos if they are not in China, and it is difficult to return the goods from overseas if they find that the quality of the goods matches their price, and Alibaba does not support disputes due to shipping costs for a long time.
Shipping.
Since 1688 mainly focuses on the Chinese market, the supplier only supports domestic shipping methods. Therefore, most suppliers have no way to ship from China to overseas unless they apply for an international freight forwarder.
All in all, if you are an overseas small business and want to order and ship from 1688, you can hire a reliable 1688 agent to help you order and ship from China for a small fee.
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