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Buying wholesale on 1688 from Singapore
1688.com is Alibaba's marketplace for trade buyers inside China, so its prices are wholesale prices. Shops, online sellers, cafés and contractors in Singapore buy stock there. The catch is that 1688 sellers deliver only to Chinese addresses, take payment the Chinese way, and price by quantity in ways that are easy to misread. We read the listings with you, settle the details with each seller, pay them, and receive and count the stock at our hub before it ships.
If you already order on 1688 yourself and only need the freight, the 1688 shipping guide for businesses is the one to read. If you haven't found a supplier yet, our sourcing service looks for one.
How 1688 prices work
| On the listing | Meaning | What we do about it |
|---|---|---|
| 起批量 | The minimum quantity at the listed price | Tell you the minimum before you decide |
| 价格区间 | Price tiers: the unit price drops as the quantity rises | Show where the next tier starts |
| 混批 | Colours or models can be mixed to reach the minimum | Get the mix confirmed in writing |
| 发货时间 | How soon after payment the seller dispatches | Ask for a date and follow it up |
| 拿样 | A paid sample before the full order | Order it, check it at the hub, send it on |
| 定制 | Your logo, colour or packaging: longer lead time, usually no returns | Settle the specification and lead time first |
We also get the packed carton size and weight from each seller, since the freight is worked out from them. The questions we put to a new seller are in what to ask a 1688 supplier before you pay.
Send us your 1688 links
Add the quantities you have in mind. We come back with the minimums, the tiers and the full price.
How the quantity changes the bill
On 1688 a bigger order lowers the unit price, and it can lower the freight per unit too, because sea freight has a 1 CBM minimum. Take ceramic mugs for a café, packed 48 to a carton, each carton 50 × 35 × 30 cm, or 0.0525 CBM:
| Mugs | Cartons | Volume | Sea freight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 144 | 3 | 0.16 CBM | The minimum, S$82 |
| 576 | 12 | 0.63 CBM | Still the minimum, S$82 |
| 960 | 20 | 1.05 CBM | about S$86 |
Four times the mugs, same freight. If 576 also reaches the next price tier, both the unit price and the freight per mug go down. Stock from other suppliers fills the same minimum, since everything at the hub ships on its total volume. Your own carton sizes go in the calculator below; for a long list, the CBM calculator page is easier.
Ordering, chasing and receiving your 1688 stock
- Send the 1688 links and quantities through the enquiry form, on WhatsApp +65 8162 1037 or to info@empiricalmarine.com.
- We confirm the minimum, tier, dispatch date and carton sizes with each seller and send you the full price: goods, any delivery inside China, our fee and the freight. You approve it before we order.
- We order and pay, with our hub as the delivery address and your marking on every carton.
- We follow up dispatch dates and tell you which suppliers have delivered.
- When the last supplier is in, the stock ships as one consignment and is delivered to your premises. Freight is paid on arrival in Singapore, by PayNow or bank transfer.
Counting the cartons before they leave China
A short delivery, or 50 units in the wrong colour out of 500, costs far more to sort out from Singapore than at the hub. Each carton is counted against the order as it arrives and opened for a look: damage, the wrong item, the wrong quantity. Anything off goes back to the seller before we confirm receipt on 1688, for the missing units, a replacement or a refund. We look at the goods; we don't run lab tests or audit factories.
Fewer wholesale listings have the seven-day no-reason return than retail ones, and custom work has none. For a first order from a new seller, order a sample first: it adds a few days and shows you what you are getting.
Restocking
To reorder, send the listing and the quantity; there is nothing to set up again. Sea departures run Monday to Saturday and take 10–14 days hub to door, and suppliers' lead times come on top, so reorder well before you run out. The transit times guide helps with the timing. Stock waits free at our Foshan hub for 5 days while a slower supplier catches up.
Stock that needs care
Power banks and rechargeables, skincare, food and supplements are restricted cargo, and some need a permit. Send us the product before you commit to a quantity, and contact us before shipping anything you are unsure about. More in restricted goods.
Invoices, HS codes and claiming the GST
We lodge the import permit as a Registered Declaring Agent. Your 1688 order records count as the invoice if they show seller, item, quantity and price paid. Past 5 different items, customs also wants a packing list, which we put together from the orders. Every product needs an HS code on the permit; we help you find it, before you buy if you want, and the HS code guide explains how codes work.
GST is 9% of the goods plus freight and insurance. By default we are the importer on the permit, so the GST is a cost to you. A GST-registered business that wants to claim it back can be the importer itself, at an extra charge: see the importer option on our pricing page and the GST and customs guide. Shipping stock you have already bought? Get an instant quote for the freight.
Sea and air are covered in full in the complete guide to shipping from China to Singapore.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy from 1688 in Singapore?
What is the minimum order on 1688?
What if a supplier sends fewer units than I paid for?
Can you order samples from 1688 first?
Does ordering more lower the freight per unit?
Can my company claim the import GST?
Know someone shipping from China? Send them this.