How to dropship from 1688

Many AU/NZ sellers are now using 1688 as their go-to sourcing platform and then selling through global marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Shopify. The advantage is simple: you get factory-direct prices and can build your store around products that aren’t yet oversaturated on AliExpress or Amazon.

Here’s how the workflow usually looks:

• A customer places an order on your Amazon, eBay, or Shopify store.
• Instead of pre-purchasing stock, you forward that order to your 1688 dropshipping agent, who procures the product from a local supplier in China.
• The agent then ships the order directly to your customer (dropshipping) or to your chosen fulfillment warehouse (e.g., Amazon FBA if you want to hold inventory).

You can start lean with direct-to-customer dropshipping and, once demand stabilizes, move into bulk shipments to FBA or third-party logistics (3PL) providers for faster delivery.

Another advantage is that sourcing from 1688 instead of AliExpress often means better quality control and lower prices, since you’re dealing directly with manufacturers rather than intermediaries. Your agent can also help with small customizations (like branded packaging or inserts) to give you a stronger presence on global marketplaces.

In short, dropshipping from 1688 to Amazon, eBay, or Shopify lets you:

• Test products quickly and cheaply.
• Scale up to bulk inventory when a product proves successful.
• Build a brand around products that haven’t hit mainstream markets yet.

One of the biggest hurdles for overseas dropshippers is paying suppliers and agents. Since 1688 is designed for the domestic Chinese market, most suppliers expect payments in Chinese Yuan. This can be tricky for international sellers without a proper cross-border payment solution.

Here’s how to handle you can handle it.

Option 1: Paying 1688 agents

If you’re working with a dropshipping agent, you’ll usually pay them directly, and they’ll handle payments to suppliers on your behalf. But the challenge is currency mismatch and hidden costs: suppliers may want Yuan, USD, or EUR, while you may be paying in AUD or NZD.

To make fast transfers to 1688 dropshipping agents without losing your valuable margins, you can use a multi-currency account like the World Account to send, receive, and hold funds in CNH, USD, EUR, and other currencies. You can direct payments to suppliers in their preferred currency at competitive exchange rates and even make same-day USD payments to Chinese suppliers (cut off timings apply).

Same currency transfers do not attract any fee and you can also transfer money to other World Account holders instantly and at no cost.

Option 2: Paying suppliers directly on 1688

If you’d rather pay suppliers directly (without going through an agent), you can use World Pay, which is the only authorised way to pay 1688 suppliers if you’re based outside China. Here’s how it works

1. You connect your 1688 account to World Pay
2. When you checkout with a supplier on 1688, you choose World Pay as your payment option
3. Funds are deducted from your World Account and then settled directly with the supplier in CNY

Since it’s fully integrated with 1688, this method is secure, compliant, and gives you peace of mind that your supplier will receive payment quickly.

In addition, 1688 has recently started allowing credit card payments for overseas buyers. However, this option is still limited as only some suppliers accept credit cards because of high transaction fees. For most sellers, World Pay remains the most reliable and widely accepted payment channel.