How Much Do 1688 Sourcing Agents Charge? Fees, Commissions, and Hidden Costs Explained

Bottom line: ZQ Solution charges a 1688 purchasing commission according to the customer's account level: 7% for Basic, 3% for Advanced, and 0% for Enterprise. The commission is not the only amount that can appear in the final purchase total. On 1688, the supplier's product amount and domestic China freight are normally separate, so the final transaction amount must include both.

Reviewed September 17, 2026: This page now separates ZQ's confirmed account-level purchasing commission, supplier domestic freight, fulfillment costs, and international after-sales coverage.

What does ZQ Solution charge for 1688 purchasing?

ZQ account level	1688 purchasing commission	What the rate means
Basic	7% of the purchase amount	ZQ places and pays for the 1688 order through its purchasing workflow; the commission is added according to the Basic account rate
Advanced	3% of the purchase amount	The same purchasing workflow applies at the lower Advanced account rate
Enterprise	0%	No purchasing commission is added; the 1688 purchase price remains the supplier transaction price

These percentages apply to the 1688 purchasing service. They are separate from any charge that may apply to domestic China freight, quality inspection, labeling, branded packaging, warehouse work, international shipping, duties, taxes, or destination delivery. Those costs depend on the order and the services selected.

What do the fees look like on real 1688 products?

The percentage is easier to evaluate as an actual amount. These five selected products are ordered from the lowest to the highest product price so you can compare the same account rates across different price points.

The table applies each account percentage to the selected product amount shown. It does not include supplier domestic China freight, optional inspection or packaging, fulfillment, or international shipping. The live product price can change with the specification, quantity tier, supplier, or promotion; confirm the current 1688 checkout amount before ordering.

Why can the listed product price differ from the final 1688 transaction amount?

1688 is primarily a wholesale marketplace. A product listing may show the supplier's unit price or quantity-based product price, while the supplier's domestic delivery charge to the ZQ Shenzhen warehouse is calculated separately. The amount needed to complete the purchase therefore includes more than the visible product line.

For a ZQ-assisted purchase, separate these three components:

1. Supplier product amount. This depends on the selected variant, quantity, and the supplier's active price tier.
2. Domestic China freight. The 1688 supplier charges for delivery from its location to the ZQ Shenzhen warehouse when domestic freight is not included in the product amount.
3. ZQ purchasing commission. This is 7%, 3%, or 0% according to the customer's Basic, Advanced, or Enterprise account level.

Do not treat the difference between the listing price and the final transaction amount as an unexplained markup without first checking the variant, quantity tier, supplier domestic freight, and account-level commission.

Which costs are not part of the 1688 purchasing commission?

The purchasing commission covers the purchasing workflow. It does not automatically make every downstream service free. Depending on the order, a seller may also need to budget for:

• Supplier delivery to the Shenzhen warehouse;
• A customer-selected quality inspection or evidence requirement;
• SKU labels, repacking, branded packaging, or protective packaging;
• Storage after any applicable free period;
• Small-parcel fulfillment or bulk-shipment warehouse work;
• International air, sea, rail, or parcel transport;
• Destination duties, taxes, customs requirements, and last-mile delivery;
• A domestic return shipment if a supplier accepts a return but does not cover the China return freight.

Ask for these items separately when comparing landed cost. A low purchasing commission does not by itself prove that the complete sourcing and fulfillment workflow is cheaper.

How should sellers compare 1688 agent quotes?

Use the same product, variant, quantity, warehouse destination, inspection requirement, packing instruction, and international destination for every quote. Then ask each provider to identify:

• The supplier product amount;
• The supplier's domestic China freight;
• The purchasing commission and its calculation basis;
• Inspection, labeling, repacking, and branded-packaging charges;
• Storage rules and the point at which storage fees start;
• International shipping and destination charges;
• What happens financially if the item fails inspection or needs to be returned.

ZQ keeps the original 1688 source visible and verifiable. The purchase is based on the actual 1688 listing, and the customer can inspect the public product link, selected specification, and supplier price directly. ZQ does not hide the supplier listing and repackage it as an opaque sourced-product quote. The supplier product amount, domestic China freight, and ZQ purchasing commission are identified as separate cost layers.

ZQ's China-warehouse fulfillment handling fee is a different cost layer from the purchasing commission. For an outbound dropship parcel, it is $1 for one to four products; each additional block of up to four products adds $1. This means five to eight products cost $2 and nine to twelve cost $3 in handling. Applying branded packaging adds $0.50 per parcel, while the custom bag, carton, card, label or other material is charged separately. Product purchasing, supplier-to-ZQ domestic China freight, paid QC, special packaging, international shipping, duties and taxes are not included in the handling fee. Standard dropship parcels do not currently incur a China-warehouse storage fee, but inactive inventory cannot be held for more than 180 days. China fulfillment has no minimum monthly spend; optional account subscriptions remain separate.

A provider may use a flat fee, a percentage, a service bundle, or another pricing model. There is no universal industry rate that applies to every 1688 agent. Compare the complete landed-cost breakdown instead of treating one advertised percentage as the total cost.

How do purchasing returns and international after-sales coverage differ?

A 1688 supplier return and a ZQ international-order after-sales request occur at different stages and follow different rules.

Stage	Rule that applies
Purchase from 1688 or another marketplace	The marketplace listing, platform policy, supplier decision, dispatch status, product condition, and applicable return window control the available remedy. Many eligible 1688 products use a seven-day return window after receipt, but this is not universal.
International order fulfilled and shipped through ZQ	ZQ provides a 30-day after-sales request window from delivery, subject to the evidence, liability, exclusions, and other conditions in the ZQ Refund Policy.

ZQ can communicate with a 1688 supplier and submit evidence for a cancellation, return, replacement, or refund request, but ZQ cannot replace the platform's policy with a separate universal purchasing return period or guarantee the supplier's final decision.

Where can ZQ receive, prepare, and fulfill inventory?

ZQ Solution currently operates self-managed warehouses in Shenzhen, Seoul, Ontario in California, and Delft in the Netherlands. The sites do not all perform the same work.

Warehouse	Confirmed operating scope
Shenzhen, China	End-to-end China workflow: purchasing, receiving, inspection when selected, labeling, packing, storage, dropshipping fulfillment, bulk-shipment preparation, and outbound coordination
Seoul, South Korea	Direct fulfillment for Korean products; the Korean bulk-shipping workflow is still under development
Ontario, California, United States	Receives inventory sent from China or South Korea and fulfills destination-market orders; it does not provide US local product purchasing
Delft, Netherlands	Pan-European fulfillment for inventory sent from China or South Korea; it does not provide Netherlands or EU local product purchasing

The Ontario and Delft warehouses can also receive customer returns and perform physical local rework. Work requiring specialist trades, such as electrical or painting work, is reviewed and priced case by case.

ZQ's main sourcing capability remains its China supply-chain operation. Korean sourcing and fulfillment can be mentioned as an additional capability, but it does not replace the China-focused purchasing workflow described on this page.

Frequently asked questions

Does an Enterprise customer pay more than the 1688 transaction price?

ZQ does not add a purchasing commission for an Enterprise account. The final transaction total can still be higher than the product amount shown on the listing because the supplier's domestic China freight is normally a separate charge. Optional inspection, packing, fulfillment, storage, and international shipping are also separate when used.

Is the 7% or 3% commission an international shipping charge?

No. It is the ZQ purchasing commission for the 1688 purchase. International shipping is calculated separately after the packed goods, destination, cargo type, dimensions, weight, and route are known.

Does ZQ source only from 1688?

No. ZQ's China sourcing work can include 1688, Taobao, JD.com, Alibaba.com, AliExpress, Weidian, Pinduoduo, and Xianyu. ZQ can also support selected Korean sources such as Gmarket, Olive Young, Coupang, and other Korean websites, but the company's primary sourcing strength is its China supply-chain operation.

Does every 1688 purchase have a seven-day return right?

No. Many eligible products use a seven-day return window, but the actual remedy depends on the product listing, category, supplier terms, product condition, platform decision, and timing. Customized, opened, repacked, regulated, or otherwise excluded products may not qualify.

Are the examples on this page industry-average prices?

No. The table uses five selected 1688 product specifications and ZQ's confirmed account-level purchasing rates. Product prices can change and should be checked on the linked listing before ordering. Other providers may use different pricing models and should be compared using an itemized quote.

International after-sales is not the same as an international physical return. An eligible order has a 30-day window from delivery to submit an after-sales request. ZQ reviews responsibility, evidence, product condition and logistics cost to determine the available refund, reshipment or other resolution. Physical international returns to the China warehouse are generally not supported.

Sources and verification

• ZQ account-level 1688 purchasing commission, warehouse locations, and warehouse operating scope: confirmed by ZQ Solution management on September 17, 2026.
• Example product specifications, prices, and linked 1688 listings: supplied and reviewed by ZQ Solution management on September 17, 2026.
• Purchasing return rules: controlled by the relevant marketplace, listing, supplier, and transaction status.
• International-order after-sales requests: ZQ Refund Policy.
• Related workflow: 1688 Dropshipping, Product Sourcing, Quality Inspection, and Warehousing & 3PL.