How do you read a 1688 listing in English?

A 1688 listing gives a price per piece that drops in steps with the quantity, a minimum order, a unit of sale, variants with their own prices, a weight the seller declares, and sometimes the seller’s video, all in Chinese. Rabbit reads it for you and shows it in English: the price you pay at the step your quantity reaches, the minimum, the variants in stock, the weight with where it comes from, and the video.

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

What is on a 1688 listing?

• Price tiers: a price per piece for each quantity step.
• A minimum order, set by the seller.
• A unit of sale: the piece, the pair, the box, or a carton or a pack of several pieces.
• Variants: colors, sizes, models, each with its own price and stock.
• Specs, a weight and sometimes dimensions, written by the seller.
• Photos, and sometimes a video made by the seller.

Why prices are set this way on 1688: what 1688 is, and why resellers buy there.

How do price tiers work on 1688?

The seller sets a price per piece for each quantity step. You pay the price of the step your quantity reaches, not a price in between. If the steps start at 20 and 500 pieces, 300 pieces are charged at the 20-piece price.

Three traps, and what Rabbit does about each:

• The headline price can be the cheapest step. The price a listing shows first is often the one for its biggest quantity. Rabbit opens the product page at the price of the step reached at the seller’s minimum.
• Two prices for the same quantity are not tiers. They are a range, a low price and a high price. Rabbit doesn’t show them as tiers.
• Below the lowest step, you pay at least the price of the lowest step. Rabbit never shows you a lower one.

On a Rabbit product page, under the quantity you pick, Rabbit shows the price of the next step, its fees included, “From 100 pieces: …”, only when it really is lower. For a single piece, it compares with 50 pieces, or the seller’s minimum if that is higher.

What does the minimum order mean?

The minimum is the smallest quantity the seller accepts on that listing. Rabbit shows it on the product page and starts the quantity there: “Order the minimum first”. Many listings sell from one piece; many don’t.

Read the unit of sale with it. When a listing sells by the carton, the set, the dozen, the pack or the bag, its price is for that unit, not for one piece. Rabbit doesn’t guess how many pieces are inside: it shows “Sold by the batch only”, and doesn’t compute a delivered price per piece on it.

How do variants work on a 1688 listing?

Each variant has its own price and its own stock. Rabbit shows every variant that is in stock, with no cap, and drops those with none. The variant you pick is the one bought for you: Rabbit keeps the seller’s own reference for it, so nobody picks a color by guesswork.

Is the weight on a 1688 listing real?

It is declared by the seller. Nobody has weighed it for you. Many listings don’t give it at all: on August 8, 2026, 10 of the 25 listings we checked had a usable weight.

• When the seller gives one, Rabbit checks the unit (grams or kilograms), that it is a plain number and not a description like “1 carton”, and that it is plausible. If any check fails, Rabbit doesn’t use it.
• Without one, Rabbit estimates the weight from the photo and the title.
• Rabbit says where the weight comes from: given by the seller, or estimated. It never calls it measured.

The weight decides the shipping cost, so it gets measured for real at Rabbit’s warehouse, on the scale. Up to 3 pieces, a lower weight there means part of your shipping is refunded, never a higher bill. Above 3 pieces, you pay the delivery after that weighing, never above the maximum 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. Dimensions follow the same rule: only those the seller writes describe the object itself.

What does the seller’s video show?

When a listing has a video made by the seller, Rabbit shows it on the product page in the app, and gives it to ChatGPT or Claude when they read the product for you. It is the seller’s video of the product, not a customer review, and it may carry Chinese text. It helps you see the real size, the material and how the product works.

What isn’t on the price you see?

On 1688, the seller’s shipping to a warehouse in China can be charged on top of the price. Rabbit reads it on the listing and puts it into its order fees, which are already inside the price per piece it shows. Shipping to you, and US import duties, are priced on the quote: how to calculate your profit on a product from China.

What doesn’t Rabbit show from a listing?

• The seller’s name, shop or contact, and specs that name the factory or where it ships from.
• 1688 buyer reviews: Rabbit stopped reading them on September 24, 2026, because they weren’t coming through reliably.
• The 1688 price itself: you see what a piece costs you with Rabbit.

To find a listing to read: how to search 1688 in English.

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