How to source wholesale using 1688.com outside China
If you’re doing research on how to source wholesale from 1688.com, you may have a few questions such as:
- What’s the best way to use and source from 1688.com?
- How do I pay suppliers on 1688.com?
- When does it make sense to use 1688.com for sourcing products?
1688.com is one of the largest B2B marketplaces for wholesale purchases, sourcing and dropshipping. It offers buyers low prices, a wide variety of products and low minimum order requirements, making it a very attractive wholesale option for e-commerce businesses and international companies.
For a long time 1688.com was largely unavailable to international buyers because suppliers mainly accepted domestic payment methods in CNY. This has now changed thanks to WorldFirst, which for the first time enables international buyers to pay 1688.com suppliers in a few clicks.
In this article we’ll dive into:
- Why 1688.com was difficult to access before
- Why source from 1688.com
- Why open a WorldFirst account
- How to source wholesale on 1688.com.com with WorldFirst
- How WorldFirst helps Party Bestbuy receive supplies faster
Note: looking to buy from 1688.com right away? Open a WorldFirst account to get started.
Why 1688.com was previously not easy to access to international buyers
You might have heard of Alibaba.com – the global marketplace for wholesale market buying and selling across the world. Less well known,1688.com is its domestic counterpart. Both are owned by the Alibaba Group but where Alibaba focuses on international trade, 1688 was originally created for the domestic market.
Launched in 1999, 1688.com is China’s leading B2B marketplace for wholesale purchases, sourcing and dropshipping. According to Analysys, it was China’s largest integrated domestic wholesale marketplace in 2021 by net revenue. It’s not as widely known outside of China because of its domestic target market, the language barrier and the difficulty in paying suppliers.
While 1688.com has long been the go-to platform for domestic businesses sourcing from Chinese suppliers, international buyers struggled to purchase from it because suppliers only accepted payments locally and weren’t set up to receive foreign currencies like USD.
Until now. WorldFirst provides a fully compliant solution that allows you to pay your 1688.com suppliers in RMB. This means that when you source goods on 1688.com, you can now pay suppliers faster and avoid the extra currency exchange fees of paying in USD. That’s good news for small and micro businesses wanting to access low minimum order quantities across a range of products, at highly competitive prices.
Why source from 1688.com
1688.com gives you access to a vast network of Chinese suppliers, backed by the credibility of a trusted Alibaba Group brand. As of early 2025, 1688.com has over 120 million registered users and over 31 million monthly visitors to their site. So, it’s far from a small player.
When comparing 1688.com to other marketplaces in China, products can be 4% to 15% lower and up to 40% in some cases. Many suppliers also have lower minimum order requirements, allowing buyers to purchase as few as two pieces in one order.
Save up to 40% when sourcing goods
Many suppliers listed on 1688.com are factory owners, distributors and wholesalers, providing factory direct prices. There’s also strong competition and tiered pricing, which means that the more you buy, the cheaper the per unit price becomes.
Source from 50+ industries, 1,700+ subcategories and 10+ million wholesale suppliers
1688.com has a much wider variety of products than other marketplaces. You can find anything from raw materials, apparel, household goods, electronics, food and more, all from licensed Chinese suppliers.
Suppliers on 1688.com are required to have a Chinese business certification, which includes the company’s date of incorporation, registered capital and company address, offering security that you’re buying from reliable suppliers.
Buy directly from manufacturers
Sourcing from 1688.com cuts out the intermediary so you’re dealing directly with the manufacturer or supplier. This gives you more control over your orders – you can communicate your exact requirements, negotiate pricing and discuss customisation and shipping options.
By cutting out the intermediary, you also typically get better prices.
Evaluate quality with a small order
Many sellers on 1688.com have low minimum order quantities (MOQ), some as little as one or two items at a time, which can help with cash flow and let you try before you commit to a larger amount.
This way, you can evaluate product quality before making a large order. If you operate a small business with low budgets, this will also allow you to purchase smaller quantities as you scale operations.
Why open a WorldFirst account
With WorldFirst’s exclusive partnership with 1688.com, you can now pay suppliers on the marketplace in seconds.
WorldFirst offers simplified and secure solutions for global payments.
Here are some of the benefits of setting up a WorldFirst account:
Easily pay 1688.com suppliers
With WorldFirst’s 1688 payment solution, you can make direct CNH payments to 1688.com. It is a compliant and efficient way to settle transactions in local currency, avoiding the hassle of third-party payment agents or workarounds.
Since WorldFirst is the official partner of 1688.com, you won’t have to worry about getting your Alipay account suspended for using an unapproved payment method.
Make international payments in 100+ currencies across 200+ destinations
WorldFirst isn’t just for payments to China. With a World Account, you can open 20+ local currency accounts to receive payments and pay in 100+ currencies, giving you the flexibility to settle transactions in your suppliers’ preferred currency, all while reducing fees. You can also lock in currency conversion rates for up to 24 months, helping protect your profit margins from currency movements.
There are no annual limits so you won’t have to worry about payment thresholds. Payments are processed quickly – often within the same day – to keep your supply chain moving.
Collect payments securely from 130+ marketplaces and payment gateways
WorldFirst integrates directly with leading marketplaces and your own web stores like Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Shopify, as well as payment gateways such as Paypal and Stripe. This allows you to seamlessly process revenue from your sales and manage funds in one place.
Easily manage your account online
WorldFirst was built for online businesses, so everything, from registration to managing your account, is done entirely online.
Once your account is set up, you can add unlimited team members to your account with customised access levels. Your World Account also integrates with Xero, Sage and NetSuite, making your company accounting and reporting more efficient.
- Open 20+ local currency accounts and get paid like a local
- Pay suppliers, partners and staff worldwide in 100+ currencies
- Collect payments for free from 130+ marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, Etsy, PayPal and Shopify
- Save with competitive exchange rates on currency conversions and transfers
- Lock in exchange rates for up to 24 months for cash flow certainty
How to source wholesale on 1688.com with WorldFirst
In order to start sourcing from 1688.com.com, you need to create an account with:
- WorldFirst
- Alipay
- 1688.com
We’ll break down step by step how to create an account with every platform.
WorldFirst
To create an account with WorldFirst, head here: Get started
Alipay
For Alipay, there are two ways to set up an account:
1. On your mobile phone:
- Open the Alipay mobile app (iOS and Android) and click ‘Register’
- Select your country code and enter your mobile number
- Enter the verification code sent to your mobile number
2. On your desktop
- Log in to www.alipay.com and select ‘Register’
- Next, click ‘Personal Account’ and select your nationality/region
- Fill in your mobile number and enter the verification code sent to your mobile number
1688.com
To open a 1688.com account, head to www.1688.com and click on the highlighted tab (shown in the diagram, below) which translates to ‘Sign up for free’.
Or, if you already have a Taobao account, you can use those details to log in to 1688.com.com. Both Taobao and 1688.com are subsidiaries of Alibaba Group, so they share the same account details.
Top tip: If you can’t read Mandarin, use Google Translate to convert the page into English. Make sure you’re using Chrome as your browser, right click and select ‘Translate into English’.
A pop-up will appear with a user agreement. Select to register as an individual. (Again, Google Translate or any translation tool is your friend here if you can’t read Mandarin.)
Important: Registering for a company account on 1688.com.com is for Chinese suppliers and sellers only. Foreign companies or non-local individuals need to register as an individual, even if doing so on behalf of a company.
Fill in your information on the registration page and click the highlighted button (shown in the diagram, below) which translates to ‘Agree and register’.
You’ll receive a one-time verification code on the mobile number you gave on the form. Enter the code and click the button to submit.
To activate your 1688.com account, tick the check box to accept the agreement and click ‘Confirm’.
On the following page, 1688.com.com will request that you complete your account profile, but this is optional.
How to verify your 1688.com account
World Pay is the official payment method provided by WorldFirst and 1688.com.com that lets foreign companies pay suppliers instantly and directly. In order to use it, you’ll need to verify your account.
For 1688.com accounts opened by individuals based outside of China, the verification process requires you to connect with a verified personal Alipay account.
On your 1688.com account, click on your account name and navigate to ‘account management’. Then, under ‘my verification’ go to ‘verify using personal details’.
You’ll be redirected to the quick verification page. Enter your Alipay login ID and password, then click the orange button ‘link to Alipay account’.
Once your status has been authenticated ‘已绑定已认证’, you can start to authorise your 1688.com account with WorldFirst to make 1688 payments.
In your World Account, after signing up head to your account dashboard > Payments > World Pay.
At the top of the World Pay (跨境宝) page, you’ll see the available CNH balance you have to make purchases at 1688.com. If you don’t have sufficient balance, you can top-up from an external bank account or convert your balances in other currencies into CNH.
You’ll first need to link your 1688.com account to WorldFirst. To do so, click on “Manage linked 1688.com accounts”.
Next, fill in the phone number you used to sign up for your 1688.com account and click on “Next”. By following the prompts, you’ll be able to authorise your 1688.com account
Now, you can start making orders on 1688.com.
On the 1688.com checkout page, select ‘担保交易’ (secured transactions), you will be taken to select from multiple payment methods.
Then select ‘跨境宝’(World Pay) from the list, you’ll then be redirected to a WorldFirst checkout page, where you can complete the payment with your WorldFirst balance.
You can start using 1688.com to find suppliers and then pay them directly with the World Pay solution.
To learn more about how to navigate 1688.com and select the best suppliers, read our guide: The Complete Guide to Buy from 1688 Outside China
How WorldFirst helps Party Bestbuy receive supplies faster
Party Bestbuy is a company specialising in party supplies, from wedding and birthday decorations to supplies for other events.
Rocky Yan, founder of Bestbuy, sources from 1688.com because it offers the highest number of sellers in China and the best prices for the products his business needs.
He uses WorldFirst to simplify supplier payments and manage funds securely when making international payments.
The biggest advantage is that instead of transferring money to China and waiting for funds to clear, he can pay suppliers instantly with WorldFirst. This speeds up procurement, reduces cash flow gaps and ensures faster delivery of goods.
View the full case study here:
Want to source wholesale from 1688.com? Use WorldFirst
With 10+ million suppliers and 1,700+ subcategories, 1688.com is one of the best marketplaces for international businesses to source their products.
With WorldFirst, it’s now easier than ever to use 1688.com. Create a World Account, add funds to your CNH currency account and pay suppliers directly.
This allows you to take advantage of more competitive prices, low order values and a wider range of suppliers, while keeping your money secure.
To get started with WorldFirst, head here: Open a WorldFirst account
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