How to Buy from 1688 with Superbuy: MOQ, Fees & QC Checks

Superbuy offers a purchasing service for 1688, but you need to confirm the seller’s minimum order quantity, the exact variant and the service conditions before paying. Start with the original offer, check what the price buys, and build a budget that includes domestic delivery and the later international parcel.

The important difference is inspection: do not assume a 1688 order receives the same checks or photos as an ordinary retail order. Superbuy publishes separate 1688 conditions with different service levels. This guide turns those distinctions into a practical ordering checklist without promising that a wholesale listing is suitable for every buyer.

Confirm what the offer is selling

Open the individual offer and identify the seller, product specification, quantity unit and available variants. A displayed price might refer to a piece, a set, a component or a particular quantity tier. A photograph showing several objects does not prove that every object is included in the quoted unit.

Write a short specification in your own notes: material if stated, dimensions, colour, size, included parts and the unit being sold. Mark any unanswered question rather than filling it in from a similar listing. This gives the purchasing agent a clear description to confirm and makes later inspection requests more precise.

If you arrived through a spreadsheet, follow the original product link and compare it with the recommendation. A catalogue entry is a discovery aid, not a separate seller contract. For import errors or missing options, use the broken-link checklist before attempting another order.

Check the minimum quantity and price tier

Minimum order quantity, often called MOQ, is the seller’s minimum permitted purchase. Confirm whether it applies across the offer or to each variant. Also check whether mixing sizes or colours is allowed. Do not infer that permission simply because several variations appear on the same product page.

Superbuy’s 1688 guidance says orders below the seller’s minimum can be treated as invalid and need to be placed again. If you only want a sample, ask whether the seller accepts it and at what price before paying. Changing a quantity field does not itself establish a negotiated exception.

Use a simple comparison of total commitment. In an illustrative example, buying 10 pieces at 12 currency units each commits 120 units to merchandise, before delivery and other charges. A lower per-piece price is not a saving if you have no useful purpose for the extra pieces. These numbers are fictional and are not a seller quotation.

Build an order specification the agent can confirm

Field	What to record	Question to resolve
Original offer	Product URL and seller	Is this the current item?
Variant	Colour, size, material or model	Which exact option will be purchased?
Quantity	Pieces or sets, with allocation by variant	Does this meet the seller’s minimum?
Price	Currency and applicable tier	Is the price for the intended unit and quantity?
Domestic delivery	Seller delivery charge or pending quote	What will delivery to the warehouse cost?
Inspection	The specific evidence you need	Is that service available for this order?
International delivery	Destination and item category	Is a suitable route available?

Keep the specification with the order reference once purchased. If a seller changes an option or requests a different quantity, compare the change with that original record before accepting it. A short, explicit specification is easier to review than a long conversation containing several possible versions of the order.

Separate purchasing fees from the landed budget

The official fee page lists 1688 among the mainstream platforms with no standard purchasing service fee. That does not make the merchandise, Chinese domestic delivery, optional work or international shipping free. Check the charges attached to your actual order, especially if it requires a service beyond standard purchasing.

Use the fee breakdown to keep those components separate. Record whether each figure is confirmed or estimated. If the seller has not yet confirmed domestic delivery or packed measurements are unavailable, leave those amounts marked as uncertain instead of putting zero in the budget.

For a larger quantity, calculate the total cost of receiving the complete order before focusing on the cost per piece. Your allocation of shared shipping among pieces is a budgeting choice; it is not a separate invoice from Superbuy. State the allocation method if you use it to compare two offers.

Read the separate inspection and photo conditions

Superbuy’s 1688 page distinguishes seller categories and describes limited sampling for some orders, with no sampling or standard photo service for others. It also limits quantity checking of packaged goods. Do not interpret a warehouse arrival status as proof that every unit was counted, tested or photographed.

Ask which service category applies to the chosen offer and what evidence will actually be provided. If you need a particular count, measurement or detailed photograph, ask whether the task is available and what it costs before relying on it. A request in an order note is not proof that the task has been accepted.

Keep appearance checks separate from functional testing and product authenticity. A photograph can show a visible feature but cannot establish every technical property of the goods. For the questions that photographs can answer, our QC photo guide provides a way to specify useful views.

Clarify returns before buying a batch

Read the seller’s return conditions and the service limitations for the offer. Establish what happens if the specification is wrong, a defect is noticed or the seller ships an incomplete order. Do not assume that assistance with a seller automatically guarantees a refund or covers every return delivery cost.

Timing matters because an issue may be easier to address while the goods remain in the warehouse. Review the available evidence promptly and keep the order details together. Ask how a concern should be reported before authorising international shipment, especially if the purchase contains many similar units.

If a term is important to the purchase, get it clarified before committing to the quantity. A trial order can provide useful experience when the seller permits it, but it is not a guarantee that a later batch will be identical. Compare each delivered order with its own specification.

Estimate the international parcel separately

Multiple inexpensive pieces can create a heavy or bulky parcel. Use the destination, item category and realistic packed dimensions in the shipping calculator workflow. Ask for carton dimensions where available, and mark seller-provided measurements as estimates until the actual parcel is measured.

Do not assume every item accepted for purchase is eligible for every shipping route. Batteries, liquids and fragile goods can need different treatment. Describe the contents accurately and check eligibility before buying quantities that would be difficult to return. A low unit price is not useful if there is no suitable delivery plan.

Compare a combined shipment with any practical alternative using the same assumptions. Include the protection needed for the contents, the route limits and any optional warehouse work. Our shipping-cost troubleshooting guide explains why parcel volume can matter as much as physical weight.

Use a final check before payment and dispatch

Before purchasing, confirm the offer, variant, unit, minimum quantity, price tier and domestic delivery. Before dispatch, review the warehouse evidence, any unresolved seller issue, the packing instructions and the available route. These are separate decisions; completing the purchase does not automatically complete the shipping plan.

Keep a record of actual costs and limitations after delivery. That record is more useful for a future order than assuming a single successful transaction proves every seller or item will behave the same way. If you are still exploring suitable products, return to the catalogue and compare options before committing to a larger quantity.

Official references

• Superbuy 1688 service information — seller minimums, inspection, photos and service limitations.
• Superbuy shopping-agent guidance — marketplace purchasing considerations.
• Superbuy fee composition — standard purchasing and other cost categories.
• Superbuy shipping calculator — destination, parcel measurements and item categories.

Official information checked on 28 October 2026. Seller terms and services can change; confirm the conditions for the particular offer and order in your account.