What to ask a 1688 supplier before you pay

1Why the questions come before payment

A 1688 seller is quick to answer while the order is still open, and much slower once the money has gone. Every answer on this list affects what the shipment costs, whether it clears customs, or whether it can travel by the mode you planned. A few minutes in the order chat now saves a week of chasing later, usually while your cartons sit at the hub waiting for one missing figure.

This is the checklist we would use ourselves. It assumes the goods come to our Foshan hub and travel to Singapore by sea LCL, the usual route for a business order from 1688. The 1688 shipping guide for businesses covers the whole workflow; this post is only about the conversation with the seller.

2The packing list: count, size and weight per carton

Sea LCL is priced by volume, or by weight for heavy goods at 500 kg per CBM, so the packing list (装箱单 in the seller's terms) is your freight bill in advance. Ask for it per carton, not as one total. A usable packing list gives the number of cartons, the outer dimensions of each carton in centimetres, the gross weight of each carton in kilograms and what is inside each one. If the order has more than one carton size, each size needs its own line.

With those figures you can put the cartons into the CBM calculator and know the freight before you order. Compare it with the price of the goods: a bulky, cheap product can cost more to ship than to buy, and that is better found out before payment. When you get an instant quote, use the same carton figures; the confirmed quote is built on them, and we count the cartons against the packing list when they arrive.

Watch for two things. A seller who gives the size of the product rather than the carton has given you the wrong figure, because freight is charged on the outer carton. And "about 2 cubic metres" is an estimate, not a packing list; ask for the carton sizes behind it.

3The invoice: what Singapore Customs needs to see

Singapore Customs assesses GST on the value of your goods, so the import permit needs an invoice. A commercial invoice from the seller is best. A clear 1688 order screenshot is accepted if it shows the same things:

• The seller's name.
• A plain description of each item: "plastic storage box", not a product code or a marketing name.
• The quantity, the unit price and the total actually paid.

Do not let a seller talk you into a lower figure "to save tax". Declare the real value. An under-declared invoice delays clearance, and if anything goes missing, the claim is settled at the declared figure. GST is 9% of the import value (the goods plus freight and insurance), and the import GST calculator works it out from the invoice total. The GST and customs clearance guide explains how we lodge the permit.

If the supplier quotes a price term such as EXW or FOB, see Incoterms when buying from China. For a filled-in invoice and packing list, see what the commercial invoice and packing list must show.

4Carton marks: your code and the carton number on every box

Our hub receives cartons from many sellers every day. The mark on the outside is how yours are found. When you book, your confirmation gives you a marking code in the form WHL/SHIPLET/ followed by five characters, such as WHL/SHIPLET/K7M3P. Ask the seller to write it on every carton together with the carton number: 1/15, 2/15 and so on to 15/15. If the goods come by domestic courier, the code should also go in the recipient name, because on a courier parcel the label is often the only marking we see.

Each booking has its own code, so book with us before the seller dispatches, then give them the code and the hub address. Copy the address exactly as written in Chinese, because that is what the domestic courier reads:

The hub receives Mon–Sat, 8:00am – 5:00pm and is closed on public holidays. Ask the seller to deliver within those hours. Cargo received on a working day leaves on the next working day.

5Two more questions: what is inside, and when it leaves

Does anything contain a battery, liquid, powder, aerosol or magnet? On 1688 these hide in ordinary-looking orders: lights and toys with batteries, cosmetics and cleaning products with liquids, stationery with magnets. Many can still ship, but the mode and the documents have to be settled before the seller sends them.

When will you dispatch, and how many days to Foshan? If you are buying from several sellers, the shipment leaves when the last carton arrives. The hub holds the earlier cartons free for 5 days, then charges S$20 per CBM per day. Place the order with the slowest seller first, so everything lands within the free window. Transit to your Singapore door is then 10–14 days by sea.

6A message in Chinese to paste into the order chat

Most 1688 sellers work in Chinese only. Paste this into the chat before you pay, then fill in the hub address and your marking code once you have booked with us. It asks for everything above.

1. 您好，付款前想先确认以下几点，谢谢！
2. 请提供装箱单：总箱数，每箱外箱尺寸（长×宽×高，厘米）和每箱毛重（公斤），以及每箱装什么。
3. 请提供发票，写明品名、数量、单价和总金额。
4. 货物里有没有电池、液体、粉末、喷雾或磁铁？
5. 可以用国内快递或物流送到我们在佛山的仓库吗？地址和唛头我稍后发给您。
6. 每个外箱请写上唛头和箱号（例如 1/15、2/15）。
7. 大概几天可以发货？到佛山需要几天？

When the answers come back, you have everything a quote needs. Get an instant quote from the packing list's carton sizes: the figure appears as you type, and the confirmed quote follows in writing within a few hours. For the whole journey from supplier to door, read the China to Singapore shipping guide.