Import from 1688 to Australia: Costs, GST & First Order

If you sell on Shopify, Amazon AU or eBay, or you are thinking about starting, you have probably noticed the same thing: the product you resell on a marketplace often costs a fraction of the retail price at its source. Most of that gap is markup added by resellers and middle layers.

1688.com, China's domestic wholesale marketplace, sits close to the factory end of that chain. It lists millions of products at prices aimed at Chinese trade buyers. It was also never built for you. This guide covers what makes it hard to import from 1688 to Australia, what you need to get right before your first order, and how a purpose-built platform changes the picture.

Why 1688 is cheaper, and why it is hard to use

Prices on 1688 are set for domestic buyers purchasing in volume. Compared with buying the same item through AliExpress, Alibaba or a reseller, you skip at least one layer of margin. But the site creates four practical problems for an Australian buyer:

Language. Listings, specifications, sizes, colours and seller policies are in Chinese. Misreading a variant is an easy and expensive mistake.
Payment. Paying usually means Alipay or a Chinese bank account, which most Australian small businesses do not have.
Shipping. Many sellers only deliver inside China. Getting goods to Australia means finding a separate freight forwarder or agent.
Unclear total cost. The listed price is only the start. Domestic delivery in China, international freight, agent fees and, on the Australian side, GST, duty or brokerage all add up. It is hard to know your margin before you order.

Many beginners end up sending screenshots to an agent over chat. That works for a one-off, but it is slow, error-prone, and leaves you with no clear view of where your order is.

What to sort out in Australia before you order

We build platforms rather than give tax or legal advice, so treat this as a checklist of things to confirm with the relevant authority, not a ruling on your situation. We checked the points below against official sources; where a rule is detailed or changes often, we say so.

Business setup (ABN and GST). You need an ABN before you can register for GST. According to the ATO, a business must register for GST once its GST turnover reaches $75,000 (the threshold for non-profits is higher). Below that, registering is optional, though if you register you generally stay registered for at least 12 months. Ask your accountant which structure suits you.
GST and duty on imports. The ATO says GST on a taxable importation is 10% of a value that includes the customs value, duty and transport costs to Australia. The Australian Border Force (ABF) says goods valued at A$1,000 or less are generally free of duty and GST at the border, with exceptions such as tobacco and alcohol. Be aware that the ATO notes a sale of low-value goods can still be a taxable supply in some situations, so “under $1,000” does not mean “no GST question”. The ATO page we reviewed was last updated in May 2024, so check its current guidance, and confirm how the rules apply to your sales model before you price products.
Customs declarations. Per the ABF, an import declaration is required when a consignment is worth more than A$1,000, and duties and taxes must be paid before release. Importers can lodge it themselves or use a licensed customs broker, and the ABF encourages first-time or infrequent importers to use a broker. Business.gov.au also lists import processing charges, brokerage and biosecurity fees as possible costs.
Prohibited and restricted goods. The ABF publishes categories of goods that cannot be imported or that need permission, including some consumer products, cosmetics, toys, medicines, weapons and tobacco. Check the ABF lists before you shortlist a product, not after.
Biosecurity. Wooden and bamboo items are a good example: the Department of Agriculture says imports must meet its BICON import conditions, the importer is responsible for compliance, and non-compliant goods can be delayed, re-exported or destroyed at your expense. Other product types have their own conditions.
Product safety and labelling. The product safety authorities say anyone supplying products, including importers, must comply with bans and mandatory standards, and the ACCC notes importers can share liability with manufacturers if a product is unsafe. Supply chain participants must also report serious injury or illness linked to a product within two days. The ACCC's page does not set out specific labelling rules, so confirm labelling requirements for your product category with the ACCC or a compliance adviser.

Test orders versus bulk orders

1688 sellers often set minimum order quantities (MOQs), and prices can change by variant. The sensible approach for a new business is to start small:

Approach	Good for	Watch out for
Single test order	Checking quality, packaging and real landed cost	Higher cost per unit
Small batch within the MOQ	Validating demand on your own store or marketplace	Cash tied up if the product does not sell
Larger MOQ order	Better unit economics on proven products	Customs, safety and biosecurity exposure grows with volume and value

Order a sample, check it against the safety, labelling and biosecurity points above, and only then scale.

Who we are and what we provide

We are a web and e-commerce team. We handle what a person needs to start and run a 1688 sourcing business, from the first idea to a live website and ongoing upkeep. The point is that you talk to one team instead of juggling a developer, an API provider, a designer and a marketer.

Here is what working with us looks like, in the order you experience it.

We plan the business website with you. Your market, language, currency, product categories and how orders should flow, agreed before anything is built.
We build the website. Usually a 1688 sourcing platform, or an online shop or custom web app if that fits you better. It includes keyword and image search, product pages with per-variant price and stock, MOQ, weight, specs and seller info, pricing in AUD, shipping and total-cost display, cart, wishlist and orders, an order tracking dashboard, a mobile-first installable app, reseller tools such as image download and copy link, and a banned-items list on product pages.
We connect the 1688 data. We set up the integration and connect the API keys, so live prices, stock, images and variants flow into your site and nobody adds products by hand.
We keep it healthy. After launch we maintain the site and the API connections and keys, so the data keeps flowing. We also design for cost: search caching reduces repeat calls to the external API.
We set up payments and costs. Payment integration around the methods that suit your business, plus a shipping and total-cost calculator so buyers see what an order costs before they place it.
We help you get customers. After launch we also do digital marketing, video and content, and can connect tracking such as the Facebook Pixel.

What you do not have to worry about once we are running it

Adding products by hand. The 1688 data comes in through the integration.
Keeping the API keys connected and working.
Keeping the site itself running and healthy after launch.
Repeat-search costs piling up, because caching is part of the design.
Building the cost display, cart, orders and tracking features yourself.
Finding a separate marketer, since digital marketing, video and content come from the same team.

What stays with you is the business itself: choosing products, working with your customs broker and accountant on duty, tax and compliance, and serving your customers.

A short proof point

We built TradeOn Global, a live 1688 sourcing platform for a different market. It shows the approach working end to end: search, per-variant product pages, local-currency pricing, cost visibility, order tracking and a banned-items list. TradeOn Global does not operate in Australia; we mention it as proof of the build, not as a service you can buy there.

A simple path to your first order

Whether you use a platform or not, this order of operations keeps you out of trouble:

Set up your business basics. Get an ABN and speak to an accountant about GST.
Shortlist products. Check each against the ABF prohibited and restricted lists, biosecurity conditions and product safety rules.
Work out the total landed cost. Include product price, China domestic delivery, international freight, GST, any duty and brokerage.
Place a sample or test order. Inspect quality, packaging and labelling.
Confirm customs handling. Decide whether you will lodge declarations yourself or use a licensed customs broker.
Scale what sells. Move to larger quantities only after the numbers and the compliance checks hold up.

Frequently asked questions

What is 1688 and how is it different from Alibaba?

1688.com is China's domestic wholesale marketplace, run by the Alibaba group for Chinese trade buyers ordering in volume, while Alibaba.com is the group's international site for overseas buyers. Prices on 1688 are aimed at the domestic market, so you often skip a layer of margin. The trade-off is that listings are in Chinese and many sellers only deliver inside China.

Do I pay GST and duty on goods imported from 1688 into Australia?

It depends on the value. The Australian Border Force says goods worth A$1,000 or less are generally free of duty and GST at the border, with exceptions such as tobacco and alcohol. Above that, GST is 10% of a value that includes the customs value, duty and transport. Low-value sales can still raise GST questions, so check with your accountant.

Do I need a customs broker to import from 1688 to Australia?

Not always, but it is worth considering. An import declaration is required when a consignment is worth more than A$1,000, and you can lodge it yourself or use a licensed customs broker. The Australian Border Force encourages first-time or infrequent importers to use a broker. Budget for brokerage, import processing charges and any biosecurity fees either way.

What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) on 1688?

There is no single MOQ. Each seller sets its own, and it can differ by product and variant, with prices often dropping as quantities rise. Check the MOQ on every listing before you plan an order, start with a sample or small batch, and move to larger quantities once a product has proven it sells.