Why is the same product photo on 1688, AliExpress, Amazon and TikTok Shop?

Because the factory makes the photos, and the sellers who resell its product, on 1688 and far beyond, reuse them as they are. So a product photo is a trail that can lead back to the 1688 listing it came from. Rabbit follows that trail: give it a photo or a link, and it searches 1688 by image.

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

Why does every seller use the same product photo?

The factory makes the photos, and resellers in China, and even around the world, all use the same images. They don’t care about marketing at all.

— Hussayn Delli, founder of Rabbit

A reseller who lists a product without holding it has no other photo to show. So the factory’s pictures travel: from its 1688 listing to AliExpress, then to Amazon, TikTok Shop and independent stores.

1688 itself works this way. Its ranking of products that sell in the US pairs each product sold there with a 1688 listing, by image. When we read that ranking for the US on October 31, 2026, we checked every pairing by eye, because the image match is often wrong.

What does a shared photo tell you about a product?

Where to look. If the same picture sits on an Amazon listing and on 1688, a search by image on 1688 can find the listing it came from. That is how Rabbit reads a link: it opens the product page, takes its title and its main photo, and searches 1688 with that photo. If nothing looks alike, it searches by the product’s name. The steps, and what happens when nothing is found: how to find the factory source of a product you saw online.

Why can the right photo have Chinese text on it?

Because it was made for buyers in China. A 1688 listing photo can carry Chinese text, and the same photo, with the text removed, is sold in Europe. So Rabbit doesn’t drop a match because its photo has Chinese on it. What Rabbit writes to you, though, is never in Chinese: titles, specs, reviews.

Does the same photo mean the same product?

No, and this is where the trail stops telling the truth. A photo can be reused by a listing that sells something else. On November 9, 2026, we removed a product from our US catalog: its 1688 photo showed a security camera, but the listing sold the empty camera housing, at the price of a housing. 1688’s ranking had paired it with the US price of a real camera. On paper, it looked like a big profit. It wasn’t one.

Before a batch, check what the listing actually sells: its variants, its weight, its seller video, then a sample in your hands. How to order a sample from 1688.

What does a shared photo mean for your own store?

• Your buyers can find the same photo elsewhere, sometimes at a lower price. A shared photo doesn’t set you apart: your offer, your page and later your logo do.
• A photo can also give away your supplier: a factory name or a QR code printed on the image. When Rabbit puts a product in a connected store, it sends only clean photos: no text, logo, QR code or shop name added on the picture, and never a photo of a factory. Putting products in a US store isn’t open yet.

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