Skip to content
PandaBuyAlternatives 💬 WhatsApp

Not PandaBuy, and not connected to it: PandaBuy closed in 2024. This is an independent guide to the agents and shops people moved to, and none of them runs or pays for it.

1688 spreadsheet

1688 Spreadsheet: Wholesale Prices for Former PandaBuy Buyers, Worked Out Per Piece

Checked · the PandaBuy Alternatives desk

Short answer

1688.com is Alibaba Group's domestic wholesale marketplace, where factories and wholesalers sell to Chinese shops. WorldFirst's July 2026 guide gives the typical gap: an item at $8 on AliExpress and $3–4 on 1688. Like Taobao it doesn't ship abroad, so an agent buys it and you pay freight by weight; WorldFirst puts air freight at $4–8 per kilo. For 20 plain tees at $3.50 and about 200 g each, that works out to roughly $4.30–5.10 per tee landed before duty. PandaBuy sheets had a few 1688 rows; they make sense only when you want several of the same thing.

$3–4vs $8 retail (WorldFirst)
$4–8/kgair freight (WorldFirst)
$4.30–5.10per tee, 20 tees
0%1688 fee at Superbuy
The 20-tee exampleMinimum orders💬 Ask about a 1688 order

16 finds to compare with 1688 prices

Retail Weidian listings; compare their prices with wholesale equivalents before buying in bulk. Each tile opens repbuysheet.com. 16 finds here, and 10,000+ products in the catalog the tiles open, filterable by brand and size.

Sponsored links. Photo, name and button all open one listing on repbuysheet.com, where the seller's full photo set, the size options and the source shop link live. Dollar and yuan prices are copied from that catalog on the check date and move with the exchange rate.

When does a 1688 price beat retail?

The wholesale saving only appears when you buy in quantity, because freight is paid per kilo. Here's WorldFirst's range applied to 20 tees:

20 plain tees from 1688, landed before duty
Low freightHigh freight
Goods$70.00$70.00
Freight (4.0 kg)$16.00$32.00
Per tee$4.30$5.10
Retail equivalent (WorldFirst)$8.00$8.00

Unit price and freight range from WorldFirst (Jul 2026); computed on this page. Agent fees, domestic shipping and duty are extra.

For a single tee the freight would swamp the saving; for twenty it works. That's why 1688 suits small sellers and group orders more than the one-of-each hauls typical of PandaBuy sheets.

Verdict: 1688 pays off from about a dozen identical items. Below that, Taobao or Weidian is simpler.

Minimum orders and price tiers

1688 listings often have a minimum order quantity (MOQ) and price tiers by quantity. Read three things on every listing before you paste it into an agent:

  • MOQ: the fewest pieces the seller will sell. Agents can't break it.
  • Price tiers: the headline price may apply only above a certain quantity.
  • Variant mixing: some sellers let you mix colours and sizes to reach the MOQ; others don't.

Agents vary on 1688 too. Superbuy charges no service fee on 1688 items, per its fee page; EastMallBuy lists 1688 among its few platforms. If you're reselling, the eBay page covers the fee maths, and our homepage banner describes the dropshipping help we offer.

Verdict: Check MOQ and the tier price before you count on a 1688 saving.

1688, Taobao or Weidian: which route?

For a former PandaBuy user the comparison is between three Chinese routes to the same kind of product:

Three routes to a plain tee
PandaBuy (until 2024)1688 via an agent
Typical unit priceTaobao / Weidian retail$3–4 (WorldFirst)
Minimum orderUsually 1Often several
Best forOne-of-each haulsMany of the same item
QC photosYes, via agentYes, via agent

Left column = Taobao or Weidian through an agent, as PandaBuy used to do it.

Verdict: Use Taobao or Weidian for variety, 1688 for volume.

Samples, customisation and talking to 1688 sellers

1688's buyers are businesses, and its listings show it. Expect to see factory certifications, sample prices, customisation options and shipping terms aimed at bulk buyers. For a former PandaBuy user, two of those are useful:

  • Sample orders. Some sellers sell one 'sample' at a higher price before you commit to a bulk quantity. That's the cheapest way to check quality before buying twenty.
  • Customisation. Logo printing or private labels are often available at volume. If you're building your own label for resale, this is where it starts; the eBay page covers what you can legally resell.

Communication is the main hurdle: 1688 sellers work in Chinese and expect business-style negotiation. Agents can message sellers for you, sometimes for a fee, and will confirm the MOQ, sample price and delivery time before buying.

Freight is the other. Twenty identical items in one box are compact and heavy, which is the cheapest shape to ship per kilo; a mixed box of bulky items is the most expensive. The shipping calculator shows the difference, and the duty calculator covers what customs will add to a larger parcel.

Verdict: Order a sample first, let the agent confirm the MOQ, and ship bulk in compact boxes.

Ordering a 1688 sample before the bulk tier

Anyone moving from PandaBuy to 1688 for small-business buying meets a new step: the sample. A sensible sequence:

  1. Ask for one piece first. Many 1688 suppliers will sell a single sample even when the bulk tier starts higher, usually at more than the tier price.
  2. Check it at the agent's warehouse. Ask for measurements and close-ups of seams and labels, as you would for a PandaBuy QC.
  3. Ship the sample home if fabric or fit matters. Photos can't show handle or drape; one sample costs less than a hundred wrong pieces.
  4. Compare the bulk run with the sample. When the order reaches the warehouse, check it against the sample photos before paying freight.

The difference from a PandaBuy order is scale: a mistake on one item costs a few pounds, a mistake on a minimum order of fifty costs the whole order. Agents that charge no fee on 1688 make the sample step cheap.

Verdict: Buy one, inspect it, then order the tier. It's QC at wholesale scale.

1688 questions

What is 1688?

It's Alibaba Group's wholesale platform for the Chinese market, where factories and trading firms sell in bulk to local retailers. Prices run well below retail: WorldFirst's July 2026 guide compares an $8 AliExpress item with $3–4 on 1688. Listings are in Chinese, often carry minimum orders and price tiers, and don't ship abroad. Treat it as a source for buying many of the same item.

Is 1688 cheaper than AliExpress?

Per piece, usually by a lot: WorldFirst's example is $3–4 on 1688 against $8 on AliExpress. Freight narrows the gap, since WorldFirst puts air freight at $4–8 per kilo. In our 20-tee example the landed price comes to about $4.30–5.10 each before duty. For one item the freight swamps the saving; from about a dozen identical pieces, 1688 comes out ahead.

Can a PandaBuy user abroad still order from 1688?

Yes, through a shopping agent. 1688 sells only within China and doesn't ship abroad, so an agent buys the goods, receives them at its warehouse and sends them on, charging freight by weight. WorldFirst's range for air freight is $4–8 per kilo. Some sellers write only in Chinese and expect negotiation, so let the agent message them and confirm the MOQ before buying.

Did PandaBuy buy from 1688?

Yes. PandaBuy accepted 1688 links alongside Weidian and Taobao, and a few spreadsheet rows pointed to 1688 listings. Those rows only made sense for several of the same item, because freight is paid per kilo and minimum orders apply. Open agents still buy from 1688, and Superbuy charges no service fee on it. Convert any old 1688 row and place it with a current agent.

Which agents charge no fee on 1688?

Superbuy charges a 0% service fee on 1688 items, according to its fee composition page, and EastMallBuy lists 1688 among its few supported platforms. Agents can still charge for extras such as messaging a seller, and international freight is always separate. If you plan a 1688 order, confirm the agent's current fee page before paying, since a zero fee makes ordering a sample first cheap.

What is MOQ on 1688?

MOQ means minimum order quantity: the smallest number of pieces a seller will sell, and an agent can't go below it. Listings also show price tiers, so the headline price may apply only above a set quantity, and some sellers let you mix colours and sizes to reach the minimum. Check MOQ, tier price and mixing rules on every listing before counting on the $3–4 range.

Can I order a single sample on 1688?

Often you can. Many suppliers sell one sample piece at more than the bulk tier price, even when the listed minimum is higher; your agent can ask if the listing doesn't say. Have the sample measured and photographed at the warehouse, and ship it home if fabric or fit matters. Buying one sample costs less than fifty wrong pieces, so do it before ordering the tier.

Linked to 1688

1688: where each number comes from

Put together by the PandaBuy Alternatives desk; every claim was checked against the list below on . The PandaBuy history leans on court records, police-side reporting and Wikipedia; agent fees, storage and review counts come from each agent's own pages or the named trackers. Where sources disagree we print both. A finds tile was only published if its main photo and its link showed the same item.