On this page
- Who this is for, and who it is not for
- Why most 1688 sellers will not ship to Singapore
- Consolidating several suppliers into one shipment
- Packing-list discipline: the habit that saves you money
- Documents: what Singapore Customs needs
- What it costs: sea LCL by the CBM, with a worked example
- GST on 1688 imports
- What to ask your 1688 supplier before paying
- Timing suppliers so the order sails together
- Air for urgent samples and small first orders
Who this is for, and who it is not for
This guide is for a Singapore business buying stock on 1688: cartons of product for a shop or online store, packaging, fittings for a café, components for a workshop. You are buying from one supplier or several, in cartons or pallets, and you want the whole order to arrive together, cleared, at your premises.
It is not for a single small parcel. We are a freight forwarder: our sea LCL service starts at 1 CBM and our air service at 10 kg. One box from one seller is a job for a parcel forwarder or a courier. If your order is a few cartons or more, or you are combining several suppliers, read on. The pillar guide to shipping from China to Singapore covers the modes in general; this page is about the 1688 workflow.
Why most 1688 sellers will not ship to Singapore
1688 is Alibaba's domestic wholesale marketplace. Its sellers are set up to deliver by domestic express to a Chinese address, and that is what their prices assume. Many offer no international shipping at all; those who do are often quoting courier rates that make the purchase pointless. The seller is not the problem. The route is.
The fix is to give every supplier a Chinese address to deliver to. Our consolidation hub in Foshan, Guangdong exists for exactly this. Your suppliers ship domestically, which they are happy to do and which costs very little; we receive the cartons, hold them until the order is complete and move the lot to Singapore as one shipment. Copy the Chinese address exactly as written, because that is what the domestic courier reads, and add your name and Shiplet reference so we can match the cartons to you.
Give this address to your supplier
Address in Chinese — this is what your supplier needs
Ask your supplier to write your name and Shiplet reference on every carton.
Receiving hours
Mon–Fri, 9:00am – 6:00pm (China time)
Sat, 9:00am – 1:00pm (China time)
Closed Sundays & public holidays
Receiving hours at the hub are Mon–Fri, 9:00am – 6:00pm (China time) and Sat, 9:00am – 1:00pm (China time). Departures run Monday to Saturday, and cargo received on a working day leaves the next working day; the cut-off is 6:00pm China time the working day before (1:00pm on Saturday). Tell suppliers to deliver within receiving hours, or the courier will attempt delivery to a closed door and try again the next day.
Consolidating several suppliers into one shipment
Most 1688 orders for a business involve more than one seller: the product from one, the packaging from another, a display stand from a third. Each delivers to the hub under your reference. We log every carton as it arrives and tell you what is in and what is still missing. When the last carton lands, we pack everything into one consignment with one CBM figure, one price, one import permit and one delivery in Singapore. GST is collected once, on the combined value.
Storage at the hub is free for 5 days. After that it is S$20 per CBM per day. The free window is there to absorb the normal gap between suppliers, not to warehouse stock. Consolidation itself is included in the sea LCL rate; you pay per shipment, not per supplier.
Tell us what you're shipping.
Send the details and any invoice or packing list you have. You get a reference number immediately and a written quote the same business day.
Packing-list discipline: the habit that saves you money
Sea LCL is priced by volume, so carton dimensions decide your freight bill, and the packing list is the document everything is checked against. Before you pay a 1688 supplier, ask for the carton count, the outer dimensions of each carton and the gross weights. Sellers will provide these if asked; they are far less forthcoming after the goods have shipped.
- Get the packing list first. Put the dimensions into the CBM calculator and you have your indicative freight before the order is placed.
- Mark every carton. Ask each supplier to write your name and your Shiplet reference on the outside of every carton. A hub receiving cartons from hundreds of sellers cannot otherwise tell whose cargo is whose.
- We count on arrival. Every carton is counted against the packing list and the outer cartons are photographed. If the numbers do not match, we tell you before it sails, not after, while the supplier is still reachable.
- We do not open cartons unless you ask.
Documents: what Singapore Customs needs
- Commercial invoice showing the seller, a plain description of the goods, the quantity, the unit price and the total value actually paid. This is what Singapore Customs assesses GST on. A 1688 order screenshot is accepted if it shows those things clearly.
- Packing list showing carton count, dimensions and weights. This is what we check the cargo against at the hub.
Declare the real value. Under-declared invoices delay clearance, and if anything is lost the claim is settled at the declared figure. The GST and customs clearance guide explains how the permit is lodged and what a Registered Declaring Agent does.
What it costs: sea LCL by the CBM, with a worked example
Sea LCL from the Foshan hub to your Singapore door is S$82 per CBM, minimum 1 CBM. The rate includes receiving and carton check at the hub, consolidation, sea freight, the Singapore import permit and customs clearance, delivery to your address, cargo cover at declared invoice value and 5 days' storage. Excluded are GST and any duty, the supplier's domestic delivery to the hub, storage beyond the free days and special handling such as stairs or timed delivery. Transit is 10–14 days hub to door.
A worked example. A supplier sends 20 cartons of garments, each 60 × 40 × 40 cm. One carton is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.4 = 0.096 CBM, so 20 cartons come to 1.92 CBM and the freight is 1.92 multiplied by S$82. Add a second supplier's 10 cartons of hangers at 40 × 30 × 30 cm, 0.036 CBM each or 0.36 CBM in total, and the consolidated shipment is 2.28 CBM, priced as 2.28 multiplied by S$82. The second supplier added a small increment rather than a second shipping bill, which is the point of consolidation. A mixed order below 1 CBM is billed at the minimum.
Rates are indicative and confirmed on the written quote. FCL is quoted per booking because carrier rates move weekly. You pay on delivery, cash or PayNow, with no deposit and no card details.
GST on 1688 imports
Singapore charges GST at 9% on the import, calculated on the value of the goods plus freight and insurance, plus duty if any. It applies regardless of shipment size; there is no low-value exemption for goods arriving as sea or air freight. We lodge the permit as Registered Declaring Agent, pay the GST at clearance and pass it through at cost as a separate line on your invoice, payable on delivery with the freight. Ordinary 1688 stock is duty-free but GST-liable. GST-registered businesses can generally claim import GST as input tax.
What to ask your 1688 supplier before paying
| Ask | Why it matters | What to do with the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Carton count, outer dimensions and gross weight per carton | Sea LCL is priced by volume; this is your freight bill | Enter into the CBM calculator |
| Can you deliver by domestic express to an address in Foshan? | Almost all can | Give them the hub address exactly as written, in Chinese |
| Will you write my name and Shiplet reference on every carton? | Unmarked cartons cannot be matched to you at the hub | Confirm in the order chat |
| Can you provide a commercial invoice with unit prices? | Singapore Customs assesses GST on it | Ask before payment; a clear order screenshot is accepted |
| Does the product contain a battery, liquid, powder, aerosol or magnet? | Decides the mode and the paperwork | Tell us before the supplier ships |
| When will you dispatch, and how many days to Foshan? | Lets you land all suppliers within the free storage window | Order the slow suppliers first |
| Are the goods branded, and is the branding authorised? | Counterfeit goods are not accepted | If in doubt, do not order |
Restricted goods hide in ordinary orders
Electronics on 1688 usually contain lithium batteries; cosmetics contain liquids; cleaning products can be aerosols; toys and stationery can contain magnets. Each can ship in many cases, but the mode and the documents must be sorted before your supplier dispatches. Read the restricted goods guide and contact us before shipping anything with a cell, a liquid or a power supply inside.
Timing suppliers so the order sails together
The transit clock starts when the last carton arrives, because we ship your order as one consignment. Ask each supplier for their dispatch date and domestic transit time, then place the slow ones first, so the last carton lands within a few days of the first and inside the 5-day free window. If one supplier is badly late, tell us and we will work out with you whether to wait or to ship what has arrived; the 1 CBM minimum applies to each shipment.
Around Chinese New Year, factories and domestic couriers close for a week or more and the weeks either side are congested. Order early; we publish each year's cut-offs under Updates.
Air for urgent samples and small first orders
If you need a sample run in Singapore this week before committing to a production order, air is the fit. Air freight is from S$6.00 per kg on chargeable weight, the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000), with a 10 kg minimum, and takes 3–5 days hub to door. Same hub address, same permit and clearance, same pay-on-delivery. Samples of electronics often contain batteries, which is where air carriers are strictest, so tell us what the sample is before the supplier sends it.
Ready to consolidate? Send us the supplier list, the packing lists you have and a rough idea of the volume, and get a quote with sea LCL pre-selected. You receive a reference number immediately and a written quote the same business day. Nothing is booked and nothing is payable until you confirm.