How Do Shopee Dropshippers or Agents Buy on 1688.com?

Shopee sellers who source products directly from 1688.com generally follow the same five-step process, whether they're buying themselves or working through a dropshipping agent.

The 5-Step Process

1. Find your products and suppliers — identify what you want to sell and the 1688 suppliers offering it.
2. Connect with suppliers and negotiate — discuss product and order details directly, including price, shipping method, and shipping cost.
3. Place and protect your order — confirm the order terms before payment to protect yourself if something goes wrong.
4. Pay — settle payment either directly on 1688 or through a dropshipping agent like ZQ Dropshipping.
5. Ship and receive — have the goods shipped to yourself for further handling, or directly to your customer.

Why Shopee Sellers Often Use an Agent for This

Navigating 1688 directly involves a language barrier (the platform runs in Chinese) and cross-border payment and logistics that most Shopee sellers outside China aren't set up to handle on their own. A dropshipping agent bridges that gap — handling supplier communication, payment, quality inspection, and international shipping — so Shopee sellers can source competitively priced products from 1688 without navigating the platform themselves.