Buying guides
1688 agent fees
Last updated
Published by 1688 Sourcing Agent · Review method
Key takeaways
- Give each bidder the same specification, quantities, packed shipment, inspection scope and destination.
- Compare all payable lines, not just the service percentage; missing charges remain unknown rather than zero.
- The worked comparison is invented arithmetic, not a fee schedule or customer case; replace its inputs with valid written quotes.
Compare the amount you will pay for the same usable order, not an advertised service percentage. An agent can charge a fixed fee, a percentage or margin within other line items. Ask what work and costs the quote includes.
This guide provides a comparison checklist and explicitly illustrative arithmetic. It is not a fee schedule, market-average claim or account of a customer shipment. A local or direct purchase may cost less when the agent’s work is unnecessary.
Turn this guide into a buying request
Keep this page as context. Add what you know; review everything before sending. No purchase is made at this step.
Continue to request →Fees and what happens next · 10% · USD 10 min.
Purchasing service fee: 10% of product value, minimum USD 10 per order. There is no minimum product value. Freight, duties, packing and extra handling are quoted separately.
We aim to email your quote or clarification questions within 24 hours. Supplier checks and complex requests can take longer. Nothing is purchased before you approve the quote.
Our purchasing and warehouse support follows JTLGO’s service terms. For product value above USD 10,000, ask about a volume discount before approval. View JTLGO’s current fees and warehouse charges →
-
Exact product links or specification, variant quantities, sample requirement and acceptance criteria.
-
Same receiving location, packed carton dimensions and gross weights, destination and required arrival date.
-
Same inspection scope
photographs, opened cartons, counted units, measurements or tests. Name the sample size and reporting format.
-
Same packing, storage period, insurance request and delivery/clearance scope.
In this guide
Give every bidder the same brief
- Exact product links or specification, variant quantities, sample requirement and acceptance criteria.
- Same receiving location, packed carton dimensions and gross weights, destination and required arrival date.
- Same inspection scope: photographs, opened cartons, counted units, measurements or tests. Name the sample size and reporting format.
- Same packing, storage period, insurance request and delivery/clearance scope.
- One currency and valuation date, quote validity, payment schedule and the named delivery term/place.
The lines an itemised quote should contain
- Goods: quantity × unit price for each variant, including custom setup and sample charges where applicable.
- China freight: each seller’s delivery to the receiving warehouse and any pickup charge.
- Buying/service fee: rate or fixed amount, minimum and calculation base. Clarify whether freight or taxes are included in that base.
- Payment and FX: transfer/card costs, exchange rate and any conversion margin; do not count the same conversion cost twice.
- Receiving and inspection: included work, added measurements/tests and charge for resolving a discrepancy.
- Packing and storage: consolidation, materials, repacking, storage start date, free period if any, and later rate.
- International freight: service, chargeable basis, rounding/minimums, fuel, oversize and other applicable surcharges.
- Destination: duty/tax estimate, entry/brokerage, final delivery, appointment, liftgate or remote-area charges, each marked included, excluded or unknown.
Illustration: zero fee versus a visible fee
Invented comparison prepared 2 October 2026 in USD: 100 identical unbranded stock units, sent as two 50 × 40 × 40 cm cartons of 12 kg gross each to the same commercial US address. Both hypothetical services use a 5,000 dimensional divisor, giving 16 kg per carton and 32 kg total before any route-specific adjustments. These are assumed inputs, not packed measurements or live rates.
Quote A: goods $1,000 + China freight $40 + service $50 + inspection $20 + packing $15 + payment/FX $20 + international freight $240 + entry/final delivery $60 + illustrative import-charge allowance $100 = $1,545, or $15.45 per ordered unit.
Quote B: goods $1,000 + China freight $40 + service $0 + inspection $20 + packing $15 + payment/FX $45 + international freight $300 + entry/final delivery $75 + the same illustrative import-charge allowance $100 = $1,595, or $15.95 per ordered unit.
In these assumptions A is $50 lower despite its $50 service fee. Change the quoted lines and the answer can reverse. The $100 allowance is invented, not a duty rate; no rejected units, refunds, storage delay, examination or unknown damage cost is assumed. Those must be resolved before calling either figure a final payable total.
Ask what happens when the order changes
- If packed measurements exceed the estimate, who must approve the revised freight before dispatch?
- If one seller is late, what does storage cost, and can ready goods ship separately?
- If the item fails inspection, which fees are refundable and who pays return freight?
- If repacking removes retail boxes, will that affect protection, labels, resale or a later claim?
- If the quote says DDP, who is responsible for import clearance and which destination costs can still arise?
DDP is a defined responsibility, not a magic fee label
ICC’s DDP rule assigns import clearance and duties to the seller for the named destination, with delivery ready for unloading. Verify that the actual contract and service can meet that scope. A quote saying “tax included” should still identify responsibility, documentation and exclusions.
Turn the estimate into a decision
Use the landed-cost calculator to list assumptions, then request a written quote through the sourcing form. Mark missing charges visibly. Compare local stock if your order is small or urgent, and consider split freight if products have different deadlines or handling needs.
Do not treat an advertised zero inspection charge as detailed quality control. Request the actual checks, evidence, limitations and fee before ordering.
Questions and answers
Common questions
- What is a normal service percentage?
- No universal percentage is established here. Compare the full written cost and agreed work for your order.
- Are arrival photos free?
- Only if the quote says so. Photo count, opening, measuring, counting and functional testing should be separately described.
- Is a landed-cost calculator a firm quote?
- No. It organises inputs. Packed measurements, route acceptance, the applicable import treatment and a valid service quote must confirm the final cost.
Your next step
Have a link you want checked?
Send a 1688 or Taobao product link and you get back the specification in English, the supplier check, and the landed cost to your country before you commit to anything.
Get a quote