Here's the first thing every new dropshipper discovers about 1688.com: it doesn't ship internationally by default. Most suppliers on the platform are domestic Chinese wholesalers who only interact with local buyers and local logistics networks. That reality changes everything about how you plan your fulfillment flow.
The good news? There are multiple, well-tested routes to get products from a 1688 supplier to a customer in the US, UK, Australia, or anywhere else. The key is knowing which method fits your situation — and not defaulting to the most expensive option out of confusion.
1688 is a domestic Chinese wholesale marketplace, designed for Chinese businesses buying from Chinese factories. The platform was never built for cross-border e-commerce. Most suppliers focus exclusively on serving local clients and use domestic shipping networks only — they don't hold export licenses, don't speak English, and don't accept PayPal or credit cards.
This sounds like a dealbreaker. It isn't. It simply means that your supply chain has one extra node: a China-side intermediary (a sourcing agent, a freight forwarder, or a fulfillment hub) that receives the goods domestically, consolidates them if needed, and then dispatches them internationally via the method that fits your business model.
Think of 1688 as a factory gate, not a shipping dock. Your job is to pick the right vehicle to drive goods from that gate to your customer's front door.
Once you accept this two-leg model — domestic China delivery + international dispatch — the shipping options become much clearer.
Here is a breakdown of the four international shipping paths that small dropshippers typically use after a sourcing agent or freight forwarder receives goods from a 1688 supplier.
Express couriers are the go-to option for test orders, samples, and small batches. Once your sourcing agent receives and quality-checks the product at their China warehouse, they ship direct to your customer (or to you) via major carriers. Door-to-door delivery typically takes 3–7 business days to most major markets.
The tradeoff is cost. Express courier rates from China run roughly $7–$10 per kg, which can quickly erode margins on low-ticket items. Use this method when speed is the competitive edge you're selling, or when you're validating a new product with a small batch before committing to volume.
Between express couriers and full air freight sits a category of budget air shipping services — sometimes called line haul, postal air, or economy express. These routes use chartered cargo flights or postal partnerships and offer a middle ground: slower than DHL (typically 10–20 business days to the US or Europe), but significantly cheaper per kilogram.
ePacket is one well-known variant: average delivery times range from 7 to 30 working days depending on the destination country. This tier is ideal for dropshippers selling low-to-mid value products where customers expect reasonable but not lightning-fast delivery.
For shipments between 150 kg and 500 kg, standard air freight often hits the sweet spot. Transit times are typically 5–10 days from China to major airports in the US (LAX, JFK, ORD) or Europe, and rates are more predictable than express couriers at this weight range.
If you've confirmed a winning product and are ready to scale with a small batch inventory push — say, pre-stocking a 3PL in your target market — air freight at this tier makes sense. You're no longer truly dropshipping unit-by-unit, but the model hybrid (stock a small buffer, ship domestically to end customers) is how many successful Shopify sellers bridge the gap between pure dropshipping and private label.
Sea freight is the slowest but cheapest option for high-volume cargo. China to US West Coast currently runs 20–35 days port-to-port, with full container loads (FCL) averaging $1,800–$4,200 for a 40-foot container, and LCL (Less than Container Load) options available for smaller volumes.
For small dropshippers, sea freight is rarely the right first move. It makes sense once you've validated your product, know your velocity, and want to pre-position inventory in a domestic 3PL to serve customers with fast local shipping. At that stage, you've graduated beyond classic dropshipping — but the sourcing still starts on 1688.
| Method | Typical Transit Time | Approx. Cost (per kg) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Courier (DHL/FedEx/UPS) | 3–7 business days | $7–$10 | Samples, test orders, premium products |
| Economy Air (ePacket / Line Haul) | 10–30 business days | $2–$5 | Low-to-mid value goods, early scaling |
| Standard Air Freight | 5–10 business days | $4–$8 | Batches 150–500 kg, validated products |
| Sea Freight (LCL/FCL) | 20–40 days | $0.30–$1.50 | High-volume, pre-positioned inventory |
Note: costs and transit times are indicative ranges and vary by carrier, route, and market conditions. Always get a live quote.
No international shipping method works without solving the domestic leg first. Because most 1688 suppliers only deliver within China, you need someone on the ground to receive goods, inspect them, consolidate orders from multiple suppliers if needed, and then dispatch internationally.
This is where a sourcing agent or fulfillment partner comes in. They handle communication in Chinese, place orders using local payment methods, inspect product quality, and then repackage and ship directly to your customer. Some also offer extra services like custom branding or blind shipping — where no Chinese labels, invoices, or supplier details appear inside the parcel.
For Shopify store owners who want to source from 1688 without managing this complexity manually, Piratify integrates the sourcing and fulfillment workflow end-to-end — from finding products on 1688 (as well as Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Goofish, and Weidian) to dispatching orders internationally, all from a single dashboard connected to your Shopify store.
For more detail on how to navigate 1688 as a sourcing platform, see our guide: How to Source Products on 1688 for Your Shopify Store.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) deserves a special mention because it's the option most beginners should seriously consider. Under a DDP arrangement, your agent or forwarder handles everything — domestic pickup from the 1688 supplier, export clearance, international transit, customs import duties, and final mile delivery to your customer or warehouse.
You pay one all-inclusive price. No surprise customs bills. No dealing with import brokers in your destination country. This is especially valuable for sellers in the US right now: as of May 2025, the de minimis exemption for Chinese-origin goods was eliminated, meaning every parcel — regardless of value — requires formal or informal customs entry and full duty payment. DDP absorbs that operational headache.
The cost per shipment is higher than raw air freight, but the predictability is worth it when you're still learning the logistics landscape.
One practical concern for dropshippers: your customers shouldn't know you're sourcing from China. Blind shipping means the parcel arrives with no indication of the original supplier — no Chinese characters, no 1688 packing slips, no invoice showing your cost price.
Always confirm blind shipping capability with your sourcing partner before your first order. Most professional agents offer it as standard. It protects your brand, prevents customers from going directly to your supplier, and keeps your perceived value intact. For tips on building a coherent brand identity around products sourced in China, check out our article: Private Label from China: How to Brand 1688 Products for Your Shopify Store.
Carriers don't just charge by actual weight — they charge by whichever is higher: actual weight or volumetric (dimensional) weight. Volumetric weight is calculated as (Length × Width × Height in cm) ÷ 5000 for most express carriers. A large, lightweight product like a cushion or a hat box can cost far more to ship than its physical weight suggests.
Always check volumetric weight before selecting a product to dropship. Products with a poor weight-to-volume ratio — oversized items like furniture, large electronics, or bulky activewear — can have shipping costs that obliterate your margin entirely. Stick to compact, lightweight products when you're starting out and testing shipping methods for the first time.
No. The vast majority of 1688 suppliers only ship within China and serve domestic buyers. International dropshippers need to work with a sourcing agent or freight forwarder who receives goods domestically and dispatches them internationally. A small number of 1688 sellers do accommodate international orders for an extra fee, but this is the exception — and they may not hold export licenses.
It depends on the method. Express couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) deliver in 3–7 business days door-to-door. Economy air services take 10–30 business days. Standard air freight runs 5–10 days. Sea freight takes 20–40 days depending on port of departure and destination. Factor in 1–3 days for the domestic China leg (supplier to agent warehouse) on top of these figures.
For most beginners, economy air shipping (line haul or ePacket-style services) via a reliable sourcing agent offers the best balance of cost and speed. Use express courier only for samples or high-value test orders. Consider DDP as your default incoterm until you're comfortable managing customs independently in your target market.
