How to Buy from 1688 Without a Chinese Bank Account

A practical guide from someone on the ground in Yiwu

I talk to a lot of small buyers from the US, Europe and Australia.
Most of them discover 1688 very quickly:

“Prices look amazing, but the whole site is in Chinese.
I don’t have RMB or Alipay. How do people actually buy from here?”

If that sounds like you, this article is for you. I’ll walk through:

• What 1688 really is (and what it is not)

• The four main obstacles you will hit as an overseas buyer

• The practical options you have without a Chinese bank account

• A simple step-by-step workflow I use when helping clients buy from 1688

I’ll keep it honest and simple, based on what I see every day in Yiwu.

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1. What 1688 actually is

1688 is basically Alibaba’s domestic wholesale platform for the China market.

• Prices are usually lower than Alibaba.com because they are in RMB and target Chinese buyers.

• Many shops are factories or small wholesalers who only sell inside China.

• Most sellers don’t speak English and don’t know anything about export, customs or Amazon standards.

So 1688 is great for:

• Getting a realistic idea of local prices

• Finding more styles and suppliers than on Alibaba.com

• Sourcing simple products where you mainly care about price

But it is not designed for:

• Foreigners paying in USD/EUR

• Export packaging, labelling, compliance

• Hand-holding you through the import process

Knowing this helps you set the right expectations.

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2. The four big obstacles for overseas buyers

If you try to use 1688 directly from outside China, you will usually run into four problems.

2.1 Language & communication

• The whole interface is Chinese.

• Product descriptions are often short, with a lot of assumptions.

• Suppliers reply quickly in Chinese slang and shorthand, not in textbook language.

Machine translation helps, but for specs, plating, materials, and packaging, half-understood messages can easily create expensive mistakes.

2.2 Payment in RMB

Most 1688 sellers accept:

• Alipay bound to a Chinese ID

• WeChat Pay

• RMB bank transfers

They usually do not accept:

• PayPal

• Wise

• International credit cards

This is the main reason many overseas buyers stop at the “add to cart and stare” stage.

2.3 Domestic shipping & consolidation

Even if you manage to pay:

• Each shop ships only within China, often to a local warehouse or address.

• If you order from 10 shops, you will get 10 separate parcels inside China.

• You still need someone to receive, check, repack and send out one export shipment.

Without someone on the ground, you either:

• Ship each parcel separately overseas (very expensive), or

• Hope a random forwarding warehouse does quality checks for you (usually they don’t).

2.4 Supplier risk & quality

1688 has gems and disasters mixed together:

• Some shops are real factories with strong capabilities.

• Some are middlemen reselling whatever they can find.

• Some have good ratings but poor consistency.

From abroad, it is hard to:

• Judge if photos are real or stolen

• See production scale

• Solve problems when something goes wrong

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3. Your main options without a Chinese bank account

Let’s be direct: you cannot “fully” use 1688 from overseas in the same way a Chinese buyer does.
But you have several workable options.

Option 1 – Work with a trusted sourcing / 1688 agent in China

This is the model I use with my own clients.

How it works in practice:

1. You send your 1688 links and quantities.

2. I check suppliers, confirm real prices, and discuss details in Chinese.

3. I pay them in RMB, receive the goods in my office, check quality, and consolidate everything.

4. I ship one export parcel or shipment to you.

Pros:

• You don’t need RMB accounts or Chinese apps.

• You get one clear invoice in your currency.

• Someone in China is actually opening boxes and checking goods.

• It’s flexible: you can mix 1688 shops with factory orders I source directly.

Cons:

• You pay a service fee/commission. (In my case, usually 5–10% of goods value or a fixed fee for micro orders.)

• You need to choose an agent you really trust and who is transparent with pricing.

This is usually the best option for small buyers who value time and risk control.

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Option 2 – Use a “mystery” Taobao / 1688 forwarding agent

If you search online you’ll find many agents who:

• Give you a WhatsApp or WeChat

• Ask you to send links

• Send you a total price including everything in one line

Pros:

• Often very cheap on paper

• Fast quotes, low entry barrier

Cons (and I see this a lot):

• You rarely see exact 1688 prices or supplier names

• Hard to know if they changed products, downgraded quality, or switched suppliers

• Limited quality control – they ship what arrives

• If something goes wrong, you don’t know who is really responsible

This can work for extremely simple, low-risk items when you are comfortable with “whatever comes, comes”.
But if you care about brand reputation, it is risky.

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Option 3 – Ask a friend / contact in China to help

Some buyers ask:

• A Chinese friend

• A student

• A random freelancer

to place 1688 orders for them.

Pros:

• Can be cheap or even free if it’s a favour

• Works for very small test orders

Cons:

• Your friend is not a sourcing professional

• They may not know how to evaluate suppliers or do inspections

• Mixing friendship and money can get awkward when something goes wrong

This is fine for very small personal projects, but once you treat it as a business, you probably need a more structured setup.

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4. A practical workflow you can use (with an on-the-ground partner)

Let me share the basic workflow I use when overseas clients want to buy from 1688 without a Chinese bank account.
You can follow the same steps with me or with any serious sourcing partner.

Step 1 – Collect and clean your 1688 links

You:

• Save product links in a spreadsheet (Google Sheet works well)

• Add:

  • Rough quantity for each SKU

  • Color/size preferences

  • Any notes like “logo here”, “need better packaging”, “must be nickel-free”

Tip: Don’t chase 50 links at once. Start with 10–20 that you really like.

Step 2 – Initial review and supplier check

I:

• Open each link, check:

  • Store rating and years active

  • Whether they are factory or trader (when visible)

  • Product photos vs. what I know from local markets

• Eliminate obviously risky shops (bad ratings, unrelated products, etc.)

Then we discuss:

• Which items are “must have” vs. “nice to have”

• Your target quality and budget level

Step 3 – Confirm real prices and MOQs in Chinese

I contact the remaining suppliers and:

• Confirm real prices at your quantities

• Ask about:

  • Material and finish details

  • Packaging options

  • Lead times

  • Whether they accept custom logo or colour

I put everything into one English quotation sheet so you don’t have to read Chinese screenshots.

Step 4 – Decide on samples vs. direct order

Together we decide:

• Which items you want to sample first

• Which items are simple enough to go straight into bulk

For samples:

• I have suppliers send them to my Yiwu office

• I check and photograph them side by side

• I ship samples to you in one parcel, so you only pay international freight once

Step 5 – Agree on total cost and pay in your currency

When you are ready to place an order, I share a clear cost breakdown:

• Goods value for each item (based on 1688 prices)

• My service fee (percentage or fixed)

• Estimated domestic + international freight

You pay this total in USD/EUR via PayPal, Wise, or bank transfer.

I then:

• Pay each 1688 supplier in RMB

• Track their shipments into my office or warehouse

Step 6 – Consolidate, check, and ship out

When goods arrive:

• We open boxes and do basic checks:

  • Correct items and quantities

  • Visual quality (obvious defects, wrong colours, damaged packing)

• We repack and consolidate:

  • One export shipment instead of many small parcels

  • Stronger cartons if needed

Finally, we:

• Book express / air / sea shipment based on the plan

• Prepare invoice and packing list in English

• Share tracking and keep an eye on transit until you receive everything

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5. How to keep 1688 projects safe and transparent

No matter who you work with, I strongly recommend these principles:

1. Always see the original 1688 prices.

   • Ask for screenshots or a shared sheet with links.

   • Your agent’s service fee should be separated from the goods cost.

2. Agree on responsibilities in writing.

   • Who checks the goods? To what level?

   • What happens if there are defects or short shipment?

   • Is there any compensation or credit for next order?

3. Start small and increase gradually.

   • Use your first order to test not only the suppliers, but also your agent.

   • If communication and execution are smooth, then scale up.

4. Don’t chase the lowest possible quote.

   • If one offer is much cheaper than all others, something is usually missing:

     • material quality, plating thickness, packaging, or after-sales.

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6. My personal view as someone in Yiwu

I like 1688. It gives me a very quick, realistic view of what is possible in China for a certain price.

But I don’t think 1688 is a magic solution for every small buyer.
It’s a powerful tool when combined with a local person who can filter, communicate, and check.

If you try to handle everything alone from overseas, you might save some service fees, but you will pay in:

• time,

• stress,

• and sometimes, painful mistakes.

If you’d like someone on the ground to help you use 1688 safely, my typical process is simple:

1. You send me your 1688 links and target quantities.

2. I review suppliers, confirm details, and share a transparent quotation.

3. You pay in your currency; I handle RMB payments, consolidation, inspection and export.

4. You receive one shipment and one clear invoice.

Whether you work with me or someone else, I hope this guide gives you a clearer picture of how to buy from 1688 without a Chinese bank account – and without gambling your budget.