How do you pay a 1688 supplier from abroad?

A 1688 seller expects to be paid in China, like any buyer there pays. 1688’s own cross-border payment service needs a company registered in Hong Kong or abroad and an Alipay business account. With Rabbit, you don’t pay the seller: you pay Rabbit by card in the app, in dollars with a US account, and Rabbit buys and pays on 1688 for you.

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

How does a 1688 seller expect to be paid?

1688 is a marketplace for buyers in China (what 1688 is). Its sellers expect to be paid in China, through the payment methods buyers there use, in China’s own currency. A foreign card or a bank transfer in dollars is not what the checkout of a 1688 order is built for.

Is there an official way to pay 1688 from abroad?

Yes, for companies. 1688 publishes a cross-border payment service for overseas merchants. What its sign-up page said when we read it on November 9, 2026:

• You open an Alipay international business account in the name of a company registered in Hong Kong or abroad.
• You link it to your 1688 buying account. The review takes up to 3 working days.
• 1688 orders are paid in China’s currency only. You can top up in that currency, or in US dollars that you convert inside the account.

The page doesn’t show its fees, and it is written in Chinese. Check it yourself before you apply: these conditions are 1688’s and can change. Paying is only one step: someone still has to receive your goods in China, check them and ship them to you (I don’t have an address in China).

How do you pay with Rabbit?

1. You get a quote. It gives the total you pay before you pay it. It is valid for 15 minutes.
2. You pay Rabbit by card, on a Stripe payment page, in the app.
3. Rabbit buys from the seller on 1688 and pays them in China. You never deal with the seller’s payment.

Up to 3 pieces, the quote includes delivery and is a ceiling: if the real shipping cost is lower when your parcel is weighed, the difference is refunded. Above 3 pieces, you pay the goods when you order, and the delivery once your batch is weighed at the warehouse, never more than the maximum shown in your quote. 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. Your first order doesn’t need a subscription.

Do you pay in dollars?

Yes, with an account in English. Your account’s currency is set at your first payment, from the language of your app: English means dollars. After that it never changes, so your payments, credits and refunds stay in one currency.

Rabbit’s prices are computed in euros, then converted at the day’s rate. That rate includes the cost of converting your dollars, and it is frozen in your quote: the card is charged the amount you saw. Without a fresh rate, Rabbit gives no quote in dollars rather than a guessed one.

When does Rabbit pay the seller?

After your payment has been collected in full. No order is passed on to the seller before that. Then Rabbit buys the product, has it inspected at its warehouse in China, and you see the photos of your pieces before they ship.

What if I paid and a piece doesn’t match?

A piece that doesn’t match, found at the warehouse inspection, doesn’t ship. Rabbit offers a replacement, a credit on a future order or a refund, and you agree on one. What the inspection covers, and what it doesn’t: is 1688 safe to buy from?.

Is Rabbit cheaper than paying the seller yourself?

Not on the product alone: Rabbit’s order fees are inside the price per piece it shows you. What you get for them is the purchase, the payment in China, the inspection and the shipping, without a company account in Hong Kong or an Alipay account. How agents are paid, and what to ask: how to choose a China sourcing agent.

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