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Buying from China when you are not in China
The cheapest prices in China sit behind a wall built for people who live there. 1688 is in Chinese and its sellers only deliver inside China. Factories quote on WeChat and want paying in RMB. A Taobao shop will not usually post to Lagos, Dubai or Melbourne. And when the goods finally reach your forwarder's warehouse, nobody on your side has looked at them.
We work on the inside of that wall. Shiplet is a Singapore company with its own hubs in Foshan and Shenzhen, and people in China working for our customers there. You deal with us in English; we deal with the suppliers, the payments and the drivers in Chinese.
What we do, from your message to your forwarder
- You tell us what you need. Product links, photos, a drawing or just a description, with the quantity, your target price and the date you need it.
- We find and compare. We ask suppliers for their price, minimum order, lead time and carton size, and lay the answers out side by side. You choose.
- We place the order. The full specification goes to the supplier in Chinese (model, material, colour, quantity, packing and labels) and they confirm it in writing. We pay them in RMB, or you pay them yourself if you prefer.
- The goods come to our hub. We count the cartons and open them for a look: damage, the wrong item, a short quantity. Problems go back to the supplier while the goods are still in China.
- We deliver them. By express, shared truck or whole truck to your forwarder's warehouse or any other address in China, and tell you when they are signed for.
Send us a link or a description
We reply in English, every day from 9:00am to 6:00pm Singapore time (GMT+8).
Where we buy for you
| Source | What it is good for | Our part |
|---|---|---|
| 1688 | Factory and wholesale prices, low minimums | Search in Chinese, compare sellers, order and pay |
| Taobao and Tmall | Single items, samples and small quantities | Order, pay and chase the shops |
| Alibaba.com | Exporters who already sell abroad | Ask for a price delivered to our hub, then receive and check |
| Your own factory | Repeat orders and your own designs | Confirm each order, follow production, receive and check |
| A factory we find | Products you cannot find listed | Shortlist suppliers and get quotes and samples |
Samples first is the sensible way with a new supplier: a sample can come through our hub and on to your forwarder before you commit to the full order. Our 1688 buying page explains how 1688 price tiers and minimum orders work, and the Incoterms guide explains why a price delivered to a Chinese address is often better than FOB.
Delivered to your forwarder, anywhere in China
Most importers already have a freight forwarder with a warehouse in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yiwu or Ningbo. Send us that address and any reference they want on the cartons, and we deliver there with our China domestic delivery service. Every shipment is insured by our delivery partners, and the goods are photographed before and after loading. From there your forwarder handles the export and the freight to your country, as they do now.
Not sure how big the order will be once packed? Put the carton sizes into the CBM calculator and give your forwarder the volume. How shipping within China works compares express, shared truck and whole truck.
Shipping to Singapore instead?
Then the goods stay with us: freight, customs clearance and delivery to your door on one all-in price. See the complete guide to shipping from China to Singapore.
What it costs and how you pay
| Part | Price | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Our fee: finding, ordering, checking | From S$50, quoted before we start | Agreed before we order |
| The goods | The supplier's price, in RMB | To the supplier, by us for you or by you |
| Delivery inside China | Per trip, quoted in USD, EUR, SGD or RMB | Before pickup |
| Freight to your country | Your forwarder's price | To your forwarder |
Payments to us for delivery inside China can be made by card or PayPal, in Singapore dollars by PayNow or bank transfer, or in RMB by Alipay, WeChat Pay or a Chinese bank transfer. How you pay us for the goods themselves is agreed before anything is ordered, and nothing is ordered until you have agreed the total.
What our check is, and is not
Our check at the hub is a visual one: cartons counted, goods looked at for damage, wrong items and short quantities. It is not a factory audit or a lab test; if your product or your market needs one, it is arranged separately. Batteries, liquids, food and cosmetics may need permits in your country, so ask your forwarder before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What does a China sourcing agent do?
Can you buy from 1688 for me if I live outside China?
Can you deliver to my freight forwarder's warehouse?
Do you inspect the goods?
How do I pay?
Do you ship to my country?
Know someone shipping from China? Send them this.