1688 Brief / Guides

1688 sourcing guides

Practical notes for buyers who source from 1688 and Alibaba directly: how to write a supplier inquiry in Chinese, how to read the reply, and how to verify a supplier before you pay.

• Why a 1688 supplier replies "可以" to everything, and how to get a real answer

  "可以" from a 1688 supplier usually means "I saw your message", not "I agree". How to write a 1688 supplier inquiry in Chinese that gets a point-by-point answer.

• How to verify a 1688 or Alibaba supplier before you pay: a 5-step checklist

  A sourcing from China checklist to run before wiring a deposit: business license lookup, bank account name match, proof of stock, carton specs and written payment terms.