Purchasing agent 1688

As a purchasing agent in China, we offer comprehensive assistance in ordering goods from 1688, other similar platforms and trade markets. We provide efficient communication with the seller, secure money transfer and temporary storage and quality control of goods in China. After obtaining a positive result during a quality check, we consolidate the parcel and prepare the documents needed for customs clearance. Next, we will arrange export from China to the indicated port, customs clearance and shipment to your warehouse.

Why do I need professional help from a purchasing agent when ordering from 1688?

Primarily, the 1688 platform is focused on the local market, so its interface is in Chinese. However, creating and verifying an account or searching for products is not a big deal.The easiest way to translate a page into any language is to open your preferred browser and install the google translate plugin. So that you can create and verify your account, as well as search for products. Easy, right? However, the real issue in doing business in China comes to light during communication with Chinese vendors. Vendors and their employees use only Chinese, and computer translations might not be enough to guarantee efficient communication about details.

Another difficulty is payment for goods. Sellers at 1688 only accept payments using Alipay (支付 宝) and only in local currency – CNY. This is because standard corporate accounts in China only allow domestic transactions.

It is also important to note the geographical location of China, especially its time difference. Oftentimes, clients want to verify their orders and agree upon a few more details with the seller in their respective mornings. Unfortunately, for the Chinese, it is probably already the end of their working day.

Another difficult issue includes shipping and clearance documents. Despite their great business deals in China, sellers often do not know how to organize and execute international shipments. The situation becomes even more difficult in a case of shipment consolidation with different vendors. Exports of goods outside of China require special knowledge of international trade and its methods. Understanding terms of transport and customs procedures is also necessary. In addition, local sellers don’t have a license needed to export goods outside of China.

And what about quality control? For wholesale orders, it is worth it to carry out independent quality control on-site, in China. You have to be sure that both the quantity and the quality of the ordered goods correspond to the previous arrangements and expectations.