How do you resell products from China in the US?
Buy a sample, then a batch, from a Chinese supplier: on 1688 to buy in bulk, on AliExpress one piece at a time. Then count US import duties before you set your price: since the de minimis exemption was suspended, every shipment from China pays them, whatever its value. Rabbit buys on 1688 for you and shows your estimated profit with those duties counted.
By Hussayn Delli, founder of Rabbit · Updated November 8, 2026.
What do you pay at US customs on goods from China?
- The base duty of the product’s heading in the US tariff schedule.
- The Section 301 duties that apply to many products from China, maintained in October 2026.
- An additional Section 301 duty on all products from China since July 24, 2026, on top of the base duty.
- No exemption for small parcels: the de minimis exemption is suspended indefinitely, so a sample pays duties too.
These rates changed several times in 2026: check the date of any figure you read, including this page’s.
Which products need paperwork in the US?
A children’s product needs a Children’s Product Certificate, issued by its importer and based on tests by a third-party laboratory accepted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ask for the test report before you order the batch, not after.
What are the steps to resell a product from China in the US?
- Pick a product, and check that it sells.
- Order a sample and check it yourself.
- Count the cost delivered to your door, US duties included, and the fees of the store where you sell, before you set your price.
- Order the batch: on 1688 the price per piece goes down with the quantity.
- Have it received and checked in China, then shipped to you: what a 1688 agent does.
Should you buy on 1688 or AliExpress to resell in the US?
AliExpress sells one piece at a time and delivers to the US: good for testing. 1688 sells in bulk and delivers in China: good once the product sells. How to buy from 1688.
How does Rabbit buy from 1688 for you?
- Search. Send me a 1688 link, a photo or a few words: I search 1688 and AliExpress and show you what I find. You never read Chinese or talk to the supplier, and nothing I write to you is in Chinese. When my search finds nothing, a person in China searches for you.
- Price it. Before you order, I estimate the cost delivered to your door and your estimated profit on each sale. In the US, the import duties on goods from China are counted.
- Order. You order and pay in Rabbit, in dollars with a US account. Your first order doesn’t need a subscription.
- Receive in China. Your goods arrive at my warehouse in China. Every parcel is opened, checked and photographed, and you see the photos before it ships. If a piece doesn’t match, I offer a replacement, a credit or a refund.
- Ship. I ship to you, in the US or in any of the 23 countries I deliver to. A shipping quote is a ceiling: it can go down when the parcel is weighed, never up.
Sources
- Federal Register — indefinite suspension of the de minimis exemption for mail shipments (June 24, 2026), read on October 31, 2026
- Federal Register — Section 301 actions, the additional duty on products of China (July 28, 2026), read on October 31, 2026
- Federal Register — continuation of the Section 301 actions on China (October 7, 2026), read on October 31, 2026
- US International Trade Commission — Harmonized Tariff Schedule, chapter 99, read on October 31, 2026
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission — the Children’s Product Certificate, read on November 8, 2026
- Alibaba Group — annual report 2025 (Form 20-F), describing 1688, AliExpress and Taobao, read on October 31, 2026
For your exact situation: your accountant or a customs broker.