Everything you need to know before buying from China
Topics
| No. | Topic | Guides |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Yiwu Market How the Yiwu International Trade City works: districts, product zones, prices, MOQs and visiting tips. | 3 |
| 02 | 1688, Alibaba & Taobao Buying from 1688, Alibaba.com and Taobao as a foreign buyer: accounts, payment, supplier checks and agents. | 4 |
| 03 | Finding Suppliers Where products are made in China, how to find factories, and how to tell a factory from a trading company. | 9 |
| 04 | OEM & Private Label Custom logos, OEM vs ODM, samples, MOQs and packaging for your own brand. | 4 |
| 05 | Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, factory audits and what to do when goods arrive defective. | 4 |
| 06 | Shipping & Logistics Sea, air, rail and express from China: costs, transit times, consolidation and FBA prep. | 4 |
| 07 | Incoterms & Payment EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP explained, plus deposits, T/T, and safe ways to pay Chinese suppliers. | 3 |
| 08 | Amazon FBA & Dropshipping Sourcing for Amazon FBA, Shopify and dropshipping stores: labelling, prep and fulfilment from China. | 1 |
| 09 | Trade Fairs & Trips Canton Fair, Yiwu Fair and planning a sourcing trip to China. | 2 |
| 10 | Tariffs & Compliance Import duties, HS codes, certifications (CE, FCC, CPC) and product safety rules by market. | 7 |
Upcoming trade shows
Full calendar →| Dates | Fair | City | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10 – 13, 2026 | Cosmoprof Asia & Cosmopack Asia 2026 | Hong Kong | Confirmed |
| Nov 13 – 15, 2026 | 13th China Yiwu Import Commodities Fair | Yiwu | Confirmed |
| Dec 2 – 5, 2026 | Automechanika Shanghai 2026 | Shanghai | Confirmed |
| Jan 11 – 14, 2027 | HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair 2027 | Hong Kong | Confirmed |
| Jan 11 – 14, 2027 | Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair 2027 | Hong Kong | Confirmed |
| Jan 11 – 14, 2027 | HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair 2027 | Hong Kong | Confirmed |
Start here
- 1.How to Buy from 1688.com Outside China: A Step-by-Step GuideTo buy from 1688.com outside China, you either open your own 1688 account (verified through Alipay) and pay with a cross-border option such as 1688's Alipay-based Cross-Border Pay, or you use a purchasing agent who pays in RMB for you. Most 1688 sellers only ship inside mainland China, so you send orders to a China warehouse or freight forwarder that inspects, consolidates and exports them to you.
- 2.EXW vs FOB vs DDP: Which Incoterm to Use When Buying from ChinaFor most buyers importing from China, FOB is the best default: the supplier delivers the goods onto the vessel at a Chinese port and pays export clearance, and you control the main freight and insurance. EXW looks cheapest but pushes Chinese export formalities onto you. DDP is the simplest for beginners because the seller delivers duty-paid to your door, but the freight and duty margin is hidden in the price.
- 3.How to Calculate Landed Cost When Importing from ChinaLanded cost is the total cost of getting a product to your warehouse, divided by the units received: product price, China-side charges not in the quote, international freight and insurance, import duty, customs fees, brokerage, destination port charges and final delivery, plus any import VAT or GST you cannot reclaim. Calculate duty on the right base: the US charges it on the price excluding international freight and insurance, while the EU and UK include freight and insurance to the border.
- 4.Factory vs Trading Company in China: How to Tell and Which to UseCheck the supplier's business license on China's official enterprise registry: a factory's business scope (经营范围) includes production verbs such as 生产 (produce), 制造 (manufacture) or 加工 (process) for your product, while a trading company's scope lists only sales, wholesale or trade. Then confirm with a live video walk-through or third-party audit. Factories usually win on price and technical control; trading companies win on low MOQs, mixed orders and English-speaking service.
Recently updated
Why this wiki reads differently
| No. | Point | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Written for buyers | Guides say what we would tell you on a call, including the parts that are inconvenient for sellers and agents. |
| 02 | Sourced and dated | Figures link to their source, and every page shows when it was last checked. |
| 03 | Nobody pays to be listed | Markets, fairs and clusters are chosen for usefulness. No listing or ranking is for sale. |
When you have found what you need, we can take it from there
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