1688 Price Converter

1688 listings quote in RMB, in Chinese units, often per double or per dozen — with ladder prices that change at quantities you didn’t notice. This tool converts a listed ladder price into your real USD cost per piece, through your agent, and compares it to the Alibaba price you already have.

A — THE 1688 LISTING

Listed pricethe ladder tier you’ll actually buy at, ¥

Listed unitwhat the price is per

Pieces per listed unitoverride the preset if the listing says otherwise

Order quantitypieces you want

LADDER CHECK: 1688 TIERS CHANGE AT QUANTITIES LIKE 2-10 / 10-50 / 100+. THE TIER YOU BUY AT IS THE PRICE YOU ENTER — CHECK YOU QUALIFY.

B — RATES (ALL EDITABLE)

USD/CNY rateexample 7.12 — verify today’s rate

Agent commission% of goods value — typical 5%

Domestic shipping + handling¥ to agent warehouse, whole order

Payment transfer fee% your Wise/Payoneer/bank charges

C — COMPARISON (OPTIONAL)

Alibaba price$ per piece, same product, for the gap

TRUE COST PER PIECE, USD

$0.62

500 PCS → $308 TOTAL EX-AGENT

35% CHEAPER THAN ALIBABA

Goods (¥3.50/piece × 500)$246

Agent commission (5%)$12

Domestic shipping$4

Transfer fee (1%)$3

EX-AGENT TOTAL$308

Alibaba equivalent$475

YOU SAVE$167

EX-AGENT = GOODS AT YOUR AGENT’S WAREHOUSE. INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT, DUTY AND FEES ARE THE LANDED COST CALCULATOR’S JOB.

→ ADD FREIGHT + DUTY IN THE LANDED COST CALCULATOR

UNIT REFERENCE — WHAT THOSE CHARACTERS MEAN

CHARACTER	MEANS	PIECES PER UNIT	WHERE YOU’LL SEE IT
件 jiàn	piece / unit	1	Most listings — the default
双 shuāng	pair	2	Socks, gloves, shoes, chopsticks
打 dá	dozen	12	Screws, pens, small hardware
套 tào	set	varies — count the parts	Bedding, tool sets, tableware
卷 juǎn	roll	1 (length matters)	Fabric, tape, ribbon
包 bāo	pack / bag	read the listing	Accessories, small parts
箱 xiāng	carton	read the listing	Bulk goods, bottled items

HOW THIS TOOL THINKS

¥ per piece = listed price ÷ pieces per listed unit · $ ex-agent = (¥ goods × qty + ¥ domestic) ÷ FX × (1 + commission + transfer fee). The exchange rate, commission, and fee fields are yours — defaults are marked examples, not quotes. Many “1688 is 30% cheaper” claims die at this step: convert first, celebrate after.

Full walkthrough of the platform — accounts, ladder prices, agents, shipping — is in G-02: How to Buy from 1688 (Without Chinese).