1688 vs Alibaba - the TRUTH about 1688.com
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Kian Golzari, an experienced China-based sourcing expert, compares 1688 and Alibaba for product purchasing. He highlights the language barrier, differing quality standards, the need for an export license, lack of payment protection, and the challenges of building relationships with suppliers on 1688. Kian offers seven key tips for buyers and a live demo, emphasizing the complexities of sourcing from China and suggesting that Alibaba might often be a better choice despite the perceived lower prices on 1688.
Takeaways
- 😀 Kian Golzari, the host, has extensive experience in China, manufacturing, and sourcing, having worked with major brands and attended numerous Canton Fairs.
- 🛍️ The purpose of the channel is to educate viewers on how to effectively source products from China, emphasizing the importance of understanding the sourcing process.
- 🍀 '1688' is the Chinese pronunciation and is considered lucky in China because the numbers six and eight are associated with happiness, good fortune, and wealth.
- 🏢 1688 is the domestic Chinese version of Alibaba, focusing on the Chinese market, whereas Alibaba is for exporting goods worldwide.
- 📈 Kian addresses common misconceptions about 1688 offering cheaper prices and better direct manufacturer access, urging viewers to consider the full picture.
- 🗣️ A significant barrier when using 1688 is the language issue, as the platform is in Chinese, which can complicate communication and understanding of product specifications.
- 🔍 Quality standards on 1688 may not meet international standards, especially for the US and EU markets, which could lead to issues with compliance and customer satisfaction.
- 📄 Many suppliers on 1688 do not have an export license, which is required for shipping products outside of China, necessitating the use of sourcing agents or trading companies.
- 💸 There is no payment protection on 1688, unlike Alibaba's Trade Assurance feature, and payments often have to go through intermediaries, adding risk and cost.
- 🤝 Building a relationship with manufacturers on 1688 is challenging due to language barriers and the platform's domestic focus, which is crucial for negotiation and problem-solving.
- 💰 While 1688 is perceived as offering lower prices, the actual savings may not be significant when considering the additional challenges and potential quality compromises.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the 'Sourcing with Kian' YouTube channel?
-The main purpose of the 'Sourcing with Kian' YouTube channel is to teach viewers how to master the art of sourcing products from China.
Who is Kian Golzari and what is his experience in China?
-Kian Golzari is the host of the channel who has been living and working in China for over 10 years. He has manufactured over two and a half thousand products, visited more than 500 factories, and attended over 20 Canton Fairs, working with brands such as the MBA and the Olympics.
What are the implications of the name '1688' in Chinese culture?
-In Chinese culture, the number 6 is associated with happiness and good for business, while the number 8 is associated with good fortune and wealth. Therefore, '1688' is considered to have a lucky connotation.
Why is the number 4 considered unlucky in China?
-The number 4 is considered unlucky in China because its pronunciation is similar to the word for 'death'.
What is the primary difference between Alibaba and 1688?
-Alibaba is for exporting Chinese goods to the rest of the world, while 1688 is for domestic retailers and wholesalers in China who want to buy from Chinese factories.
What are the language challenges one might face when using 1688.com?
-The language challenges include the fact that 1688.com is a Chinese domestic website, and everything is in Chinese. Users may need to rely on Google Translate, which might not be easily accessible in China, and not all information is easily translatable from Chinese into English.
Why might the quality standards of products on 1688 be lower than those required in the US or EU?
-Products on 1688 are focused on the Chinese domestic market, which does not have the same quality standards as the US or EU. Cheaper products on 1688 might use inferior materials and not comply with the standards required for import into the US or EU.
What is the issue with purchasing from 1688 suppliers who do not have an export license?
-Suppliers on 1688 do not have an export license, which is legally required to export products out of China. This means buyers have to purchase through a sourcing agent or a trading company, which adds a middleman cost and potential complications.
Why is payment protection important when sourcing products from China?
-Payment protection, such as Alibaba's Trade Assurance feature, ensures that buyers are refunded if they receive incorrect or unsatisfactory products. 1688 does not offer such protection, which can lead to financial risks for buyers.
What are the potential drawbacks of trying to get the cheapest price from 1688 without considering other factors?
-The potential drawbacks include not necessarily getting the best price, lack of payment protection, having to deal with middlemen, and not being able to communicate effectively with manufacturers who do not speak English.
How does Kian suggest building a strong relationship with manufacturers?
-Kian suggests that building a strong relationship with manufacturers can lead to better prices, credit terms, and faster lead times. However, this can be challenging on 1688 due to language barriers and the focus on the domestic market.
What is the main takeaway from the video regarding sourcing from 1688 compared to Alibaba?
-The main takeaway is that while 1688 might seem like an attractive option for cheaper prices, it comes with several challenges and potential drawbacks, such as language barriers, lower quality standards, lack of payment protection, and the need to deal with middlemen.
Outlines
😀 Introduction to Sourcing with Kian
Kian Golzari introduces his YouTube channel, Sourcing with Kian, focusing on teaching viewers how to source products from China. With a decade of experience in China, Kian has manufactured thousands of products and worked with major brands. He discusses the purpose of his channel and encourages viewers to subscribe and like for good luck. He explains the significance of the numbers in '1688' and contrasts it with Alibaba, highlighting that 1688 is for domestic Chinese retailers while Alibaba is for international export. Kian shares his research on 1688 and sets the stage for his top seven tips on sourcing from the platform.
📚 Understanding the Challenges of Sourcing from 1688
Kian outlines the challenges of sourcing from 1688, starting with the language barrier and the lack of English proficiency among suppliers. He emphasizes the difference in quality standards between the US, EU, and China, noting that products on 1688 may not meet the same requirements. Kian also discusses the necessity of an export license for international sales, which 1688 suppliers typically lack, forcing buyers to use sourcing agents or trading companies at an additional cost. He warns about the lack of payment protection and the potential risks associated with using middlemen for transactions.
🤝 The Importance of Building Relationships with Manufacturers
Kian stresses the importance of building relationships with manufacturers for better pricing, credit terms, and introductions to new products. He questions how one can build such relationships on 1688, where suppliers focus on the domestic market and may not speak English. Kian points out the difficulties in communication and resolving issues with goods when there's a language barrier and no direct contact with the factory. He also addresses the myth of always getting better prices on 1688 and the potential headaches it may bring, suggesting that negotiation skills are key to getting good prices on Alibaba.
💬 Live Demo and Final Thoughts on 1688
Kian provides a live demonstration of using 1688, highlighting the language and navigation challenges due to the site being in Chinese. He shows the disparity in search results when using English versus Chinese terms and the difficulty in understanding product specifications due to translation issues. Kian reiterates his top seven points about sourcing from 1688, emphasizing the language barrier, lower quality standards, need for an export license, lack of payment protection, challenges in building relationships, and the potential for not getting the best prices. He invites viewers to share their experiences with 1688 and offers coaching sessions for those interested in one-on-one assistance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡1688.com
💡Alibaba
💡Sourcing
💡Quality Standards
💡Export License
💡Payment Protection
💡Language Barrier
💡Canton Fair
💡Negotiation Skills
💡Middleman
💡Relationship Building
Highlights
Kian Golzari, with 10 years of experience in China, shares insights on sourcing products.
1688.com is a domestic Chinese platform, unlike Alibaba which is for international trade.
The name '1688' is associated with luck in Chinese culture, similar to how '8' is considered auspicious.
Language barrier is a significant issue when using 1688 as it's primarily in Chinese.
Quality standards on 1688 may not meet international standards required by the US and EU.
1688 suppliers typically lack export licenses, necessitating the use of sourcing agents or trading companies.
Payment protection is not available on 1688, unlike Alibaba's Trade Assurance feature.
Building relationships with manufacturers on 1688 is challenging due to language and cultural barriers.
The perceived lower prices on 1688 may come with additional complications and costs.
1688 and Alibaba are owned by the same company, but they serve different markets and have different features.
Kian offers a live demo of using 1688, illustrating the challenges of navigating the platform.
The importance of negotiation skills when sourcing from Alibaba to avoid overpaying.
Middlemen on Alibaba may source from 1688, adding a markup to the final price.
Kian's video on sourcing hacks can help viewers find and work with the best direct suppliers.
Invitation for viewers to share their experiences with 1688 in the comments for community discussion.
Kian offers one-on-one coaching sessions for those interested in personalized sourcing advice.
A call to action for viewers to join Kian's sourcing community on Facebook for further networking and support.
Transcripts
hey guys and welcome back to the
official sourcing with kian
youtube channel so you've heard about
purchasing cheaper products on 1688.com
and now you're wondering should i be
buying from 1688 rather than alibaba
well this is the video for you
[Music]
for those of you who don't know me my
name is kian golzari and i've been
living and working in china for the past
10 years
in that time i've manufactured over two
and a half thousand products
visited more than 500 factories and
attended more than 20 canton fairs that
has led me to working with brands
such as the mba and the olympics as well
as helping
amazon private label sellers as well now
the purpose of this channel is to teach
you how to master the art of sourcing
products from china so if you want to
see more videos like this
make sure you hit that subscribe button
down below and if you're feeling extra
generous hit the like button for me real
quick and if you do hit the like button
that will bring you extra special good
luck for the next five years
guaranteed so 1688 in chinese is
literally pronounced
and number six is associated with
happiness and good for business
and number eight is associated with uh
good fortune
and wealth and so number six and number
eight probably the luckiest numbers in
china and if you've ever been china
before
you'll see a lot of the car license
plates have the number six and eight
on the back quite a lot now on the flip
side number four is actually the
unluckiest number in china
because the word four actually sounds
like the word death and
as it happens when i lived in shanghai
my apartment was on the fourth floor
because the rent was a lot cheaper as no
one wanted to live on the fourth floor
true story anyway i digress
so 1688 is essentially the domestic
version the chinese version
of alibaba now consider alibaba is for
exporting chinese goods to the rest of
the world
and 1688 is just for the domestic
retailers and wholesalers
in china who want to buy from chinese
factories now
china has over a billion people in their
country so of course they also need
their own platform
and as it happens 1688 is also owned by
the alibaba group
which was founded by jack ma so i wanted
to make this video for you guys today
because i've seen a lot of
people talking about 1688 and go in
1688.com to get cheaper prices
or you should be buying from 1688 to
find the best direct manufacturers
and i had to do my own research and i
wanted to check it out for myself
so i went and did that and you know
looking on youtube there are a lot of
people talking about how to buy from
1688
but not many of them actually go into
the flaws and why you shouldn't buy from
1688 so once i did my own research i
actually noticed there was quite a lot
of things that we need to be aware of
before making purchases
because the cheapest price isn't always
the best thing when purchasing products
from china a lot of problems can
occur as a result of that so i want to
make this video for you guys to give you
my top seven tips on how to purchase
in the best way possible and the things
to avoid if you want to use
1688. now please watch all the way to
the end because at the end of this video
i am going to give you a live demo
on how to use the platform what to look
out for and if you have u1688 before and
you have had a positive or a negative
experience
please let me know in the comments below
i would love to hear about your
experience
whether it's been a good or a bad one
because i've heard very very mixed
things
so let's get into it here are the top
seven things
you need to be aware of before using
1688
okay so number one thing to be aware of
is the language barrier
now this is a domestic website for
chinese users so everything is in
chinese
and to understand what's on the website
you have to use google translate
now there is actually a google ban in
china so for google chrome users
you may face some issues and the other
thing to be mindful of
is it's hard enough to you know deal
with alibaba suppliers who are supposed
to know english
and now you're dealing with suppliers
who don't even speak english then the
final thing is that not all
information is easily translatable from
chinese into english
let's say you're purchasing an outdoor
camping chair and you want to know about
the thickness of the steel on the
camping chair
that is not easily transferable if you
just translate it from chinese into
english to understand fully
the specs of what you're purchasing now
the number two thing to be mindful of
is the quality standards now we have
high quality standards in the us
and the eu if you're importing products
into this market however
on on 1688 they're only focused on the
chinese domestic market
and in china they don't have the same
standards that we have in the us
and europe so yes you might see a
product which is cheaper on 1688
but it will not comply to the same
standards that we need in our market
and when you browse the 1688 website you
won't see any of the certificates that
you require
for importing these products into the eu
or the us
and all that's going to happen is that
yes it might be a cheaper product but
it's cheaper because it's
using inferior materials and then hence
you're going to get
negative reviews you're going to get
returns so you have to deal with and
then you're going to actually have to
find a new supplier and go through this
whole process
again now think of an example like
an iphone cable if you are in the us and
you buy an iphone cable from
let's say best buy it's going to feel
nice it's going to
have like good packaging it's going to
feel like firm in your hand the cable is
going to be smooth
you're going to plug it in it's going to
be rigid it works now
if you've ever been to china before you
can buy iphone cables just basically on
the street in these little stalls
or even from a store as well but it
feels flimsy it feels cheap
the coating around the wiring is quite
loose it will come off quite easily and
reveal all the sort of wire cables
underneath
and the sort of metal that you plug in
is quite flimsy it just doesn't feel
right
now on an image on a 1688 listing it'll
be absolutely fine
but you can't tell by the image the
actual quality when you feel the product
in your hand so the quality standards is
something very very important that you
need to be mindful of before purchasing
from 1688
and point number three is the export
license
now legally to export products out of
china to another part of the world
you have to have an export license which
1688 suppliers don't have
because they've never needed it now in
order for you to purchase products from
a company which does have an export
license you have to
pay for your products either through a
sourcing agent or from a trading company
now you're actually paying a margin to a
middleman which has not got any
involvement in this process
but just to export your goods so now
you're actually increasing your price
as a result of it you're also now paying
a company that you don't know
in order to buy from a factory that
doesn't speak english now this is just a
disaster waiting to happen
and you know do you even have a sourcing
agent that you trust who can do
something like this for you or do you
have to go out and find that person
now if you want to know more about
sourcing agents i have made a couple of
videos
one on the pros and cons of using
sourcing agents and the other one about
the top questions you need to be asking
your sourcing agent
so i will link that playlist up above
here and definitely check that out
before making the decision
to pay through a sourcing agent now
point number four to be mindful of
are the payments now if you're ever
buying a product through alibaba.com
well you can get payment protection
using the trade assurance feature
now on and that will protect you against
your order so if anything goes wrong
if you receive anything that you weren't
supposed to alibaba will refund you
that money now if you purchase through
1688 there is no payment protection
and also you have to pay through a
sourcing agent or a trading company
in order to even get your order because
of the export license now what's to say
that sourcing agent doesn't just take
the money from your order
and run away so the other alternative is
to pay using a chinese bank account
now to open a chinese bank account you
have to be physically present in china
and if you're in china then you might as
well just visit the factory directly
anyway and once you're in the factory
you can negotiate the best price you can
learn how your products are made
and you can build that relationship with
the manufacturer all things you can't
really be doing on 1688.
guys please do me a big favor and if you
are getting value from this video please
smash that like button for me
down below and if you are on social
media please connect with me on these
channels
below you can just read them here and
type them in or
all the links will be down in the
description below and plus some other
goodies for you
some discounts on some stuff in the
description so definitely check that out
now let's get on to point number five
now point number five is all about the
relationship now if you've ever heard
any of my content before
you know how much i preach the
importance of the relationship that you
have
with your manufacturer and with the
factory boss or with the decision maker
in the factory
because a good relationship leads to
better prices better credit terms
faster lead times introduction to new
products all that sort of cool stuff
now how can you build a relationship
with a manufacturer on 1688
which is only focused on their domestic
market and doesn't even speak english
now what if you have a problem with your
goods what if your goods are delayed or
there's an error in your stock
can you pick up the phone and speak to a
1688 supplier and someone who doesn't
necessarily speak
english i don't think so do you have to
rely on google translate and you really
want to
be you know typing out your feelings and
translating it with google translate and
then sending it to rectify your 50
000 order not a good situation
okay so point number six is the price
now if you're on 1688.com it's probably
because you've been told to go there and
get a better price
but that better price first of all might
not even happen and second of all if it
does it doesn't come without a headache
now you have to purchase a product which
doesn't comply with your standards the
factory boss doesn't speak english
you have to buy it through a middleman
and you don't even get payment
protection on your order
now you're perfectly capable of buying
from a good price on alibaba but if
you're not
it means you have to level up your
negotiation skills so if you like i'll
make a video
all about how to get the best price on
alibaba all the tactics you need to
apply
in order to get the best price on that
platform so if you want to see that
video when it becomes available make
sure you hit the subscribe button down
below
and tap the bell ding ding to turn on
post notifications so you can be made
aware when that video becomes
available so point number seven
what is it that 1688 gives you that
alibaba doesn't
it's the same company so as i said like
sometimes you get attracted to
1688 because you think there's a better
price but as we know that's not always
the case you might not get a better
price
and also you don't get payment
protection you can't pay the factory
directly
uh they don't even speak english there's
all sorts of all sorts of problems
now buying from china can be complicated
enough whether you're
going to china directly going to the
canton fair going to the factories or
even buying through alibaba they all
have their own challenges and
limitations
now for me i'm like why do you want to
add all of these additional headaches
on top of that you know to me it just
doesn't make any sense
and if you're skilled in negotiation and
you have experience buying from china
well you can still get very very good
prices and you can still get the best
prices
from alibaba suppliers but the problem
is
there are middlemen that exist on
alibaba platform and those middlemen are
not factories they just want to get your
order and add a margin
and what they do is they get your order
on alibaba then they go and find a
factory on 1688
in china to get them to manufacture your
goods and then they just sell that to
you
and that's why people get attracted to
1688 because they want to avoid that
middleman
however if you just order from alibaba
correctly
you never have to go through that
process and
for those of you who don't know i've
made a video all about the top seven
top seven sourcing hacks in order for
you to bypass these terrible
suppliers and work with the best direct
supplier for your business
in that video i'd highly recommend
watching if you haven't seen that
already because that will link you with
the best manufacturers for your business
i'm going to link that video up above
here and that video is also going to
play
at the end of this one too so guys
that's it that's the top seven points
and what i wanted to know from you guys
now is in the comments below if you
could just tell me what has been your
experience on 1688
if you has if you have used it has been
a positive experience has been a
negative experience
after watching this do you still want to
use it we're just going to be a lot more
careful
and just to demonstrate some of the
points i just mentioned
above i'm going to jump into the screen
share the live demo let's grab the
laptops let's jump into 1688
and let's see what it has to offer
right guys here we go quick little demo
let's check out 1688.com and see what
comes up
so as i said the website is in chinese
it's a chinese
site for chinese people so everything is
in chinese and the local currency is r b
so very very hard to read
now google automatically offers us to
translate into english this is great
but the problem is that now this middle
bit is going to be
been completely blocked off so what do
we do here we can't get access to that
we can only go down the site
one thing i did notice is that we want
to use the search bar which has been
lost but if you scroll down
then the search bar appears now you can
use safari
which is here go to 1688.com on safari
and it works fine however i didn't see
the translate option into english
so if anyone knows how to translate a
safari page then great use that
if not just go to google chrome and
so let's say we are looking for
a sport water bottle right you can type
it in in english but look at your
results
when we type that in when it loads
again uh we have to translate this page
translate to english yes okay we've got
98 related products which is hardly any
but that's because we typed it in
english so if you go to
let's say english to chinese
translation let's type in here
sport water bottle here we have it in
chinese we just copy and paste that
and we had 98 results
now let's check it out when we do it
in chinese we have
12 000 oh 126 thousand results
so again a a lot to navigate through
now just you can click through here you
see a wide variety of different water
bottles wide variety of different prices
a lot to navigate over 100 thousand
results so let's say for example you see
something you like you click on that
you now have the price
and well there's a price range uh price
breakdown precise again you have to
translate the page and kind of like as i
mentioned before the specifications
don't necessarily easily translate
from chinese into english and here we
don't have an option to see
any testing certificates anything like
that again
regarding the price let's
we've got some lifestyle images
which is great um again these are the
specs and the features but they're on
the image so you can't select it and
copy and paste it and translate it
and then if you go down here let's look
at the price it says
in general underlined price the
underlying price may be the sales guide
price of the product
or previously displayed sales price of
the product it is not the original price
and it's for reference only
so we're getting prices but they aren't
even actually the actual price now we
have to open up communication with a
company that doesn't really speak any
english
um so this this is the this is a major
challenge here why not just go and type
this into alibaba
and watch my previous alibaba video how
to find the direct manufacturers why are
we making it so difficult for ourselves
so using this website is extremely
frustrating
i don't even want to try and go through
it in any more detail
because it's just me personally i don't
like it is i just want to give you guys
a quick visual
of what it looks like and if you have
had a good experience of this website
please let me know in the comments below
and tell me that i'm wrong that
i would love to hear that if you guys
know a better way to use this website
all right
take care thanks very much and i'll chat
to you soon
so guys i hope you enjoyed that very
very quick screen share and just to
reiterate those top seven points just to
refresh and remind ourselves what they
were
and point number one was all about the
language barrier and not being able to
speak
proper english to the manufacturers on
1688 point number two was all about the
quality standards being less than what
we require
uh in the uk europe and the us point
number three was all about the export
license as
these manufacturers not having an export
license so we have to purchase through a
middleman a sourcing agent or a trading
company
and point number four was all about the
payments um now having to pay
a middleman not getting payment
protection all that sort of stuff
point number five was all about the
relationships um that we don't get to
build those relationships with the
manufacturers
point number six was not necessarily
actually getting the cheapest price
and point number seven point number
seven
was all about what is it that 1688
actually gives you
that alibaba doesn't and guys i just
wanted to add if you would like to work
with me on a one-to-one basis
you can book a coaching session at the
below link and which is calendly.com
forward slash sourcing with kian and
that link will be in the description
below
as well uh as well as a bunch of other
goodies for you guys so if you want to
work with me
you'll be more than happy to do so it'd
be a lot of fun uh to hang out with you
guys and then also on social media
if you're on facebook please make sure
you join our sourcing community which is
i've got a group called sourcing with
kian
and they're just the community helps
each other out we post our questions we
all help each other it's really fun
lively community to be a part of so
definitely join us on facebook
and if you're feeling a little bit more
social please connect with me personally
on instagram where i
am kian underscore jg and send me a dm
should be a message
take a photo this post it to your story
i'll repost you and we'll just connect
each other that way
and it will be a lot of fun so as i
mentioned if you are not familiar with
alibaba and want to best use that
platform please definitely check the
next video which is going to pop up
right here in five four three
two one and i will see you there all the
best and take care
[Music]
you
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