I don’t have an address in China: how do I receive goods there?

You use someone else’s: a warehouse in China, run by a buying agent or a freight forwarder. 1688 sellers deliver there like to any Chinese address, and the warehouse receives, checks and ships your goods to you. When you buy through Rabbit, your goods go to Rabbit’s warehouse in China: you never handle an address.

By Hussayn Delli, founder of Rabbit · Updated November 9, 2026.

Why do you need an address in China to buy on 1688?

1688 is a marketplace for buyers in China. Its sellers ship inside China, to a Chinese address, with Chinese carriers. So between the seller and you, someone in China has to receive the parcel.

Who can receive your goods in China?

• A buying agent. They order and pay the seller for you, and the goods arrive at their warehouse. You don’t need to give the seller any address.
• A freight forwarder. You buy yourself, give the seller the forwarder’s warehouse address, and the forwarder ships to you. You deal with the seller, in Chinese.
• A friend or a supplier in China. It works once. But nobody checks your goods, and nobody is paid to repack and ship them.

Comparing them: how to choose a China sourcing agent.

What does a warehouse in China do with your goods?

1. It receives the seller’s parcel and matches it to your order.
2. It counts, weighs and measures it. The weight and size set the price of international shipping.
3. It checks and photographs the goods, if that service is part of the deal.
4. It stores them until they ship.
5. It packs them and hands them to the carrier, with the documents customs needs.

Many forwarders can also group parcels from several sellers into one shipment. Ask how it works and what it costs before you count on it.

What does Rabbit’s warehouse do when your goods arrive?

• Your parcel is signed for, counted, weighed and measured, and you are told it has arrived.
• Each variant is photographed, on every order. The photos are part of the order’s fixed fees, shown before you pay.
• You see the photos before anything ships: in the app, or in ChatGPT and Claude with the warehouse_photos tool, which works without a subscription.
• The check is visual: right product, right quantity, right variant, visible condition. It is not a lab test or a certification.
• If a piece doesn’t match, Rabbit offers a replacement, a credit or a refund.
• Up to 3 pieces, the shipping you paid with your quote is a ceiling: it can go down when the parcel is weighed, never up. Above 3 pieces, the delivery is priced on your real parcel and you pay it then, never above the maximum your quote showed. For a US account today, an order of more than 3 pieces can’t be paid in dollars yet: its delivery is paid at the weighing, and that payment isn’t open in dollars. You can order up to 3 pieces, delivery included. Then your goods ship to you, in the US or in any of the 23 countries Rabbit delivers to.

How long can your goods stay in the warehouse?

Storage is free for 30 calendar days, the day of arrival included. From the 31st day it is charged, and it must be extended before the deadline. Without an extension paid in time, the goods are destroyed and can’t be recovered. The rate after 30 days is given on request: Rabbit doesn’t publish one yet. For a batch of more than 3 pieces waiting for you to pay its delivery, Rabbit extends storage at its own expense for 21 more days.

What if you already bought from a seller yourself?

Rabbit can receive goods you bought elsewhere, check them and ship them on. With a subscription, you create a receiving slip and get the warehouse address, in Chinese, to give to your seller exactly as it is written. Without one, the simplest way is to order through Rabbit: the goods come to the warehouse without you giving any address.

Why doesn’t this page give the warehouse address?

Because the address is only useful to a seller who ships to it, and it is tied to your account so the warehouse knows the parcel is yours. Get the address from your agent or forwarder, never from a web page.

For your exact situation: your accountant or a customs broker.