Dropshipping from 1688.com - Complete guide in progress

JB China

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Hi guys! I am JB. Come from Denmark, but have been living in China the past 5 years, working with products sourcing/supply chain management. I am new here, and has been filled with inspiration since the first visit! So thanks to all you for that!

I have written a bit more about myself in the introduction forum, and have made a thread in the dropshipping forum about an idea I have for improving the process of dropshipping. Few views and no replies. I was asking for input, help to develop it further. But then I remebered something I wrote in my introduction: That I hope to soon be able create value for the other members.

So.. Before I go ask for help and input, it seems fair that I first start sharing something which might be of value to you guys.

Most of the members in here doing dropshipping will be familiar with 1688.com. That 95% of the time, products found on Aliexpress, can also be found, and much cheaper, on 1688.com

I have looked through the forum and there is some good info out there. But it mostly ends up in someone recommending theirs or other services to act as agent, and help people with the buying process. These services, such as freeshoppingchina, can be very useful. And they might be the best option for some. But, of course, they take a cut. And more importantly in my opinion: You don't have direct communication with the actual seller!

After reading this guide it is my hope that all experienced dropshippers of Chinese products will be able to take advantage of the platform on their own.
The advantage is obvious: Price!. Many, if not most, sellers on Aliexpress are themselves dropshippers. Cutting out the middle man is desirable of course.
This guide is made on the assumption that you have already found, perhaps started to sell, the winning product from Aliexpress or similar, but looking to cut down on cost.

Chinese new year is here, and am spending it with the in-laws, so will have to split the guide up. Can only "sneak" away for so long each day doing what I'll tell them is "extremely important work" ;)
I will go through the following, with my post deadline on the right:
  • How to navigate the site. How to create user. 4/2/19
  • Ways to find your product on 1688. How to choose the right supplier. 5/2/19
  • How to estimate total unit cost, for accurate price comparison. 5/2/19
  • Ways to communicate efficiently with supplier, without knowing Chinese 6/2/19
  • How to place orders semi-automatically using csv sheets. 6/2/19
  • How to ensure a smooth fullfilment process. 6/2/19
  • Ways of minimizing the risk of quality issues. 7/2/19
  • Shipping and tracking 8/2/19
  • How to pay suppliers with and without Alipay 8/2/19
This should be enough for you to get going, but in the end I also will go through a few extra things you can do after, to take it to the next level:

  • How to find the actual source manufacturer of the product, for even further savings 12/2/19
  • How to negotiate dropshipping terms on bulk orders - getting the best from both worlds. 12/2/19
  • How to add value to your brand through private labeling, custom packaging etc. 12/2/19
Ok that was very long for what turned out only to be the outline;)..But bear with me, first time writing this kind of thing. The "posting deadlines" are mostly just there so that I have publicly committed to the task and sort of forced to follow through. I don't presume it interesting enough to come back for every day haha.. Think it will be done by the 13th. might adjust subjects or shedule based on feedback, so let me know if you have any.. Any questions, just shoot away!

Take care!
 

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You are welcome to BHW commuity!
Waiting for your valuable share!
Thank you! :)
 
First things first, welcome to the community. I'm currently trying to build a project that involves dropshipping, this guide would be really useful (expecially the part about custom packaging/branding).

I'll follow this thread ;)
 
\Part one:

1688.com. How to register.


Trying to register on 1688.com, it seems that verification codes don't go through. Luckily, taobao.com now share accounts with 1688. Go to Taobao.com
E41Dd_1.jpg

Install google translate extension, and click "translate this page"

E41Dd_2.jpg

Click on "free registration"

E41Dd_3.jpg

Click on "english" to change language

E41Dd_4.jpg


Enter your phone number for SMS verification

E41Dd_5.jpg E41Dd_6.jpg E41Dd_7.jpg

Your taobao account is activated! :)


Go to 1688.com. Verify that you have automatically been logged in. Your account is now ready for use.
E41Dd_8.jpg






 
Hi guys! I am JB. Come from Denmark, but have been living in China the past 5 years, working with products sourcing/supply chain management. I am new here, and has been filled with inspiration since the first visit! So thanks to all you for that!

I have written a bit more about myself in the introduction forum, and have made a thread in the dropshipping forum about an idea I have for improving the process of dropshipping. Few views and no replies. I was asking for input, help to develop it further. But then I remebered something I wrote in my introduction: That I hope to soon be able create value for the other members.

So.. Before I go ask for help and input, it seems fair that I first start sharing something which might be of value to you guys.

Most of the members in here doing dropshipping will be familiar with 1688.com. That 95% of the time, products found on Aliexpress, can also be found, and much cheaper, on 1688.com

I have looked through the forum and there is some good info out there. But it mostly ends up in someone recommending theirs or other services to act as agent, and help people with the buying process. These services, such as freeshoppingchina, can be very useful. And they might be the best option for some. But, of course, they take a cut. And more importantly in my opinion: You don't have direct communication with the actual seller!

After reading this guide it is my hope that all experienced dropshippers of Chinese products will be able to take advantage of the platform on their own.
The advantage is obvious: Price!. Many, if not most, sellers on Aliexpress are themselves dropshippers. Cutting out the middle man is desirable of course.
This guide is made on the assumption that you have already found, perhaps started to sell, the winning product from Aliexpress or similar, but looking to cut down on cost.

Chinese new year is here, and am spending it with the in-laws, so will have to split the guide up. Can only "sneak" away for so long each day doing what I'll tell them is "extremely important work" ;)
I will go through the following, with my post deadline on the right:
  • How to navigate the site. How to create user. 4/2/19
  • Ways to find your product on 1688. How to choose the right supplier. 5/2/19
  • How to estimate total unit cost, for accurate price comparison. 5/2/19
  • Ways to communicate efficiently with supplier, without knowing Chinese 6/2/19
  • How to place orders semi-automatically using csv sheets. 6/2/19
  • How to ensure a smooth fullfilment process. 6/2/19
  • Ways of minimizing the risk of quality issues. 7/2/19
  • Shipping and tracking 8/2/19
  • How to pay suppliers with and without Alipay 8/2/19
This should be enough for you to get going, but in the end I also will go through a few extra things you can do after, to take it to the next level:

  • How to find the actual source manufacturer of the product, for even further savings 12/2/19
  • How to negotiate dropshipping terms on bulk orders - getting the best from both worlds. 12/2/19
  • How to add value to your brand through private labeling, custom packaging etc. 12/2/19
Ok that was very long for what turned out only to be the outline;)..But bear with me, first time writing this kind of thing. The "posting deadlines" are mostly just there so that I have publicly committed to the task and sort of forced to follow through. I don't presume it interesting enough to come back for every day haha.. Think it will be done by the 13th. might adjust subjects or shedule based on feedback, so let me know if you have any.. Any questions, just shoot away!

Take care!

Hi! Thank you for taking time to share some valid information to the rest of the forum. I am willing to learn more about dropshipping and this thread seems like a good place to start from.
 
You are doing a big favor to the community, plus saturating the hell out of that thing. Thanks.
 
Only monkeys believe that things are , or will become saturated . Saturation is only in their heads :) ( or maybe their brains are saturated , which in fact it makes more sense )..


Anyway, thx OP for contribution.
 
You are doing a big favor to the community, plus saturating the hell out of that thing. Thanks.

Is that to be understood as a compliment or critisicm? ;) well.. I hope it will be. And I hope the plataeu will be heightened, and a foundation made for improvements on a broad scale.. in another post I will go much deeper into my thoughts on the subject. Have already done so a bit in my other threads. BTW, in this and next few posts, I won't be sharing any info that isn't available already, if you know where to look. Thanks :)
 
Do you think on 1688 is a better price than on Alibaba? I heard some "Manufactures" on Alibaba are also only dropshipping from 1688 with a higher price.

Prices on alibaba.com are based on their bulk production MOQ. If you find the same product, by same manufacturer on 1688, the price shown might be higher.. but if you gather quotes from both, on same qty, price will NOT be lower on the global site
 
Prices on alibaba.com are based on their bulk production MOQ. If you find the same product, by same manufacturer on 1688, the price shown might be higher.. but if you gather quotes from both, on same qty, price will NOT be lower on the global site
Okay, good to know. How important do you think it is to actually visit the factory to check the quality and build relationship to them?
 
Okay, good to know. How important do you think it is to actually visit the factory to check the quality and build relationship to them?
All I can say is that it's important. Exactly how important depends on many factors. It requires resources. Those resources could be spent on other things. So it's a standard trade-off scenario. I might go into the subject in the end of the posts, but for now I will stay focused on the posting schedule. :)
 
Okay, good to know. How important do you think it is to actually visit the factory to check the quality and build relationship to them?
.Think it depends on the amount your making/sell plus weather it's made just for you or mass made .for example if your drop shipping making $2000 a month then the cost of travel accommodation ect might make it not worth the cost. In which case a few small test buys is probably better. But if your having something made exclusively for you then you really do need to go out there see the factory meet the owners ect know a few people who get there brands mech mods (vape/ecig) made in china and the quality different between thoses who when China met a few different factory owners cheeked samples ect and those who didn't is massive
 
Part 2



    • Ways to find your product on 1688. How to choose the right supplier. 5/2/19

    • How to estimate total unit cost, for accurate price comparison. 5/2/19
    • Ways to communicate efficiently with supplier, without knowing Chinese 6/2/19


The following is a basic walkthrough of the 3 items mentioned in the outline.. Waiting to dive deeper into the subjects, until the end of the posting schedule.. By then, hopefully there will be enough feedback from members, so that I can make the final version as lean as possible, containing only info of value.

Go to Aliexpress page of your product of choice.

E41Dd-10.jpg


If possible, find image without watermark, and take a screenshot as close to original photo proportions as possible. It seems like it's not possible to "save image as", but you could probably use some kind of image grabbing tool. That would be preferable, but haven't done it myself, so up to you.

E41Dd-11.jpg


Check shipping terms. And make a note of package weight

E41Dd-12.jpg


Go to xe.com to find the price in CNY. Take note of it. I advise you make a spreadsheet with the info...

E41Dd-13.jpg


Come back to 1688, and click the “search by photo" button as shown

E41Dd-14.jpg


Choose the photo you just grabbed from Aliexpress

E41Dd-16.jpg


Hopefully the product shows up on the image search. (If it doesn't,I have ideas for how to find them regardless. I have not tested them yet however, so will have to wait...) You should do research on all items which seems to match, but for this guide, we will choose one in the middle of the price range

E41Dd-17.jpg


Check product specs, to see if they match the ones on Aliexpress

E41Dd-19.jpg


Total cost comparison

The published prices for EMS e-packet are:
(To USA. Based on info from Dec 2018)

Min-max Weight: 50-2000 gram
Fixed per item: CNY 15
Price per g (max 2kg): CNY 0.65


With info noted earlier we can then calculate and compare:
Aliexpress CNY: 102

1688 incl e-packet:

1--9 pcs CNY 61.59
10-49 CNY 55.89
0ver 50 CNY 53,04




There seems to be some potential here. So let's get in touch with the supplier!
To initiate contact with supplier we need to use the 1688's native messenger app. Google "Aliwangwang", and click on shown link.

E41Gn-1.jpg


Download for your OS


E41Gn-2.jpg


Install and open. Login with your 1688 account.


E41Gn-3.jpg


Go back to the product page, and click the button marked by the yellow circle..


E41Gn-4.jpg


This will open up the chat window. Office hours are mostly 9am-6pm China time. If you want fast answers you should ask your questions, within this time range.


E41Gn-5.jpg


For your first message, go to google translate and write the message/questions you have for the supplier. Use as short and simple sentences as possible, so Google can have the best chance of translating accurately. (I know I didn't exactly follow my advice in the example;))
Side note: For the first message, I would actually suggest that you write a template with a short introduction of yourself, and have it manually translated by a freelancer. Will cover that in more detail in a later post.

Screen-Shot-2019-02-05-at-00-18-38.png


Copy paste to the chat window

tmp-2309zr-Tgsl4-ZMo8d.jpg


When you have received enough info to confirm that product is identical, or almost, to Aliexpress reference, and you feel like it is worth taking further, then time has come to move to another platform. Wechat! Write something like this in google translate, and copy paste to chat window.

E41Dd-15.jpg


Install app on phone, create account and add the supplier.

That will be all for today.. Thanks for reading! Take care
 
tons of chinese stuff are good
but many are pure waste
 
i have not heard of 1688 dot com. thank you for sharing
 
Possible to do from Another country?
You mean from outside from China? Yes. Registered a new account for the purpose of this guide.. Using a Danish phone number, and on a US IP proxy
 
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