Most AliExpress and Alibaba sellers are already buying from 1688 behind the scenes — and reselling at a markup. When you go direct, you skip that intermediary layer and access true factory-floor pricing on candles, decorative vases, throw pillows, wall art, woven baskets, resin figurines, and more.
1688.com is owned by Alibaba Group and was built as a domestic B2B marketplace for Chinese businesses. Because it targets local buyers rather than international exporters, prices are consistently lower than on Alibaba.com for equivalent products. Home decor is one of the platform's strongest categories: suppliers range from Yiwu gift-and-decor wholesalers to Foshan ceramic factories and Guangdong textile mills.
Going direct on 1688 doesn't just cut costs — it opens up customisation options (private labelling, custom packaging, bespoke colourways) that most AliExpress listings will never offer you.
The trade-off is real: the platform is entirely in Chinese, most suppliers don't speak English, and international payment and shipping require extra steps. But with the right workflow — which this guide walks through — those barriers are manageable and the margin gain is worth it.
Searching 1688 in English returns almost nothing useful. The key is to translate your product keywords into Chinese before you paste them into the search bar. Below are the most relevant home decor subcategories with their Chinese equivalents — copy-paste these directly into 1688's search field.
You can also use 1688's built-in image search feature: upload a photo of a product you've spotted on Pinterest or a competitor's store, and the platform will surface visually similar listings from Chinese factories. This is one of the fastest product-discovery hacks available.
Looking for trending aesthetics to validate before sourcing? Check out our guide on trending home decor products to source from China for niche-level product research tips.
Before committing to the 1688 workflow, it helps to understand exactly where the advantages lie — and where the friction is.
| Factor | 1688.com | AliExpress |
|---|---|---|
| Unit pricing | Factory-direct domestic rates — typically the lowest available | Marked up for international resale |
| Language | Chinese only — requires translation tools or agent | Full English interface |
| MOQ | Flexible — can be as low as 1–2 units with some wholesalers; factories often 50–200+ | Usually 1 unit (retail-oriented) |
| Payment | Alipay / WeChat Pay / bank transfer (RMB only) | Credit card, PayPal, international methods |
| International shipping | Rare — most suppliers ship domestically only | Standard — most suppliers ship worldwide |
| Customisation / private label | Widely available, often at low MOQs | Limited unless negotiated directly |
| Supplier type | Wholesalers and factories — source-level | Mainly resellers and trading companies |
Visit 1688.com and register using your email address or phone number. For buyers outside China, you'll need to link a verified Alipay account to complete identity verification — this is required to access full messaging and purchasing features. Both 1688 and Taobao accounts share Alibaba Group credentials, so if you already have one, you can use it.
Enable Chrome's built-in page translation to get a working English interface — it won't be perfect, but it's enough to navigate categories, read supplier profiles, and understand pricing tiers. For search, always use the Chinese keywords listed above, not English approximations. The difference in result quality is significant.
Once you have search results, don't just click the cheapest listing. Use 1688's filter tools to surface quality signals:
For home decor specifically, sampling is non-negotiable. This category carries higher quality-inspection risk than, say, phone accessories: ceramic glaze can crack, paint finishes can fade, rattan can unravel, and resin moulds can have seam defects that only become visible in hand. Request a production sample — not a showroom sample — and review it against the photos before placing any volume order.
Pay close attention to: colour accuracy vs. product photos, finish quality on painted or lacquered surfaces, structural integrity on fragile items (vases, ceramic ornaments), and packaging robustness for items prone to breakage in transit.
Many suppliers on 1688 are open to price negotiation, especially if you signal repeat purchase intent or a growing order volume. Use simple, translated English — or work through a sourcing platform that negotiates on your behalf. Key points to confirm before placing an order:
Most 1688 suppliers only accept RMB via Alipay or WeChat Pay, and most only ship within China. As an international buyer, you have two main paths: use a sourcing and fulfillment platform that handles the China-side payment and domestic logistics on your behalf, or set up your own freight-forwarding arrangement with a China-based warehouse partner. The former is significantly faster to set up and reduces operational risk, especially for early-stage stores.
If you want a fully integrated solution that connects your Shopify store to 1688 sourcing and handles fulfillment end-to-end, Piratify was built exactly for this: it bridges the gap between 1688 product discovery and your Shopify order flow without relying on third-party resellers or trading company markups.
Home decor is one of the trickier categories to source sight-unseen, because so much of the perceived value is in tactile and visual quality. Here are the red flags to watch for when evaluating suppliers and samples:
Want a deeper breakdown of quality control workflows when sourcing from Chinese platforms? See our post on quality control for China sourcing on Shopify.
Home decor is one of the strongest categories for private labelling on 1688 — and this is where the real margin advantage over dropshipping-from-AliExpress becomes clear. Many ceramic, candle, and textile factories offer custom packaging, logo embossing, or colour customisation at MOQs that are genuinely accessible for small Shopify stores.
Low-MOQ private label options to explore:
When you search for custom or OEM options on 1688, add 定制 (dìngzhì — custom) or OEM to your Chinese search string to surface manufacturers offering personalisation services.
Most 1688 suppliers only ship within mainland China. For international delivery, you'll need to either work with a sourcing platform that consolidates and ships your orders globally, or set up your own freight-forwarding arrangement with a China-based warehouse. This is particularly important for home decor, where fragile items require careful consolidation and packing before international dispatch.
It varies widely by supplier type. Wholesalers on 1688 often accept orders from as few as 1–10 units, which is useful for sampling. Factories typically require higher MOQs — commonly 50 to 200+ units for standard products, and sometimes more for custom or OEM orders. Always confirm MOQ directly with the supplier before placing an order, as listed minimums are often negotiable with a relationship.
1688's payment system is built for domestic Chinese buyers and runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay in RMB. International credit cards and PayPal are not natively supported. The most practical solution for most Shopify sellers is to use a sourcing platform that pays suppliers in RMB on your behalf, while you pay the platform in USD, EUR, or another international currency using standard payment methods.
