China Shopping Platforms Guide

Chinese Online Shopping Sites and Apps: What Each Platform Is Best For

Quick answer: For small-batch and niche retail, start with Taobao. For factory prices and bulk, use 1688. For genuine electronics, JD.com. For second-hand and discontinued items, Xianyu (Goofish) or Zhuanzhuan. For authenticated sneakers and streetwear, Dewu (Poizon). For cheap everyday goods, Pinduoduo. These apps are built for mainland users, so international buyers usually lack a mainland phone number and local payment and need a buying agent. JTLGO can search Taobao, 1688, JD.com and Xianyu directly; for Pinduoduo, Dewu, Vipshop, Zhuanzhuan, Weidian and Xiaohongshu you send a product link or description and our team quotes it by hand.

Search or send a product link See pricing

All 10 platforms in one table

First see what each platform is and who it suits, then pick the buying route. The JTLGO column says how it works on JTLGO: direct search, or send a link for a manual quote.

Platform	What it is	Best for	On JTLGO
Taobao / Tmall	Alibaba's largest retail marketplace; Taobao is millions of individual and small sellers, Tmall is brand flagship stores	Fashion, home, gadget accessories, anime and cosplay merchandise, handmade and niche items, small-batch retail	Direct search
1688	Alibaba's domestic wholesale platform where factories and wholesalers quote directly	Factory prices, bulk, private label and custom orders, with MOQs and quantity price tiers	Direct search
JD.com	A largely self-operated general retailer with its own logistics network	Electronics, appliances, books and health goods where authenticity matters	Direct search
Pinduoduo	A price-first platform built on low prices and group buying	Cheap everyday goods, small home items, produce, budget-first buying	Manual quote
Xianyu / Goofish	Alibaba's second-hand and idle-goods marketplace, person to person	Used phones and cameras, discontinued and collectible items, hobby gear	Direct search; pasted links are quoted by hand
Dewu / Poizon	A sneaker and streetwear platform where many items are authenticated before delivery	Sneakers, streetwear, limited drops, collectibles	Manual quote
Vipshop	A brand flash-sale retailer (time-limited discounts)	Discounted brand fashion, shoes, bags and beauty	Manual quote
Zhuanzhuan	A second-hand marketplace strongest in phones and electronics, with optional platform inspection	Used phones, laptops, cameras and other electronics	Manual quote
Weidian	A shop-building tool for individuals and small sellers, shop links are often shared on social apps	Independent small brands, creator merchandise, items sold through private shop links	Manual quote
Xiaohongshu / RedNote	A lifestyle content community with built-in shopping	Trend items in beauty, fashion, travel and home found through posts	Manual quote

Platform by platform: what to buy and what to watch

Every section follows the same order: what the platform is, what it is best for, what to watch out for, and how buying works on JTLGO.

Taobao and Tmall

Alibaba's largest retail marketplace. Taobao is millions of individual and small sellers; Tmall is the brand-flagship side, with higher prices and clearer authenticity.

Best for: The widest range: fashion, home, gadget accessories, anime and cosplay merchandise, handmade and niche products. Items sell from one piece, so it suits samples and small-batch retail.
Watch out for: Variants, size charts and review quality differ a lot between shops, and every shop charges its own China domestic freight. Check the SKU, size chart and recent reviews before ordering.
On JTLGO: Search by keyword or paste a Taobao link on JTLGO; the price is checked before you pay.

Taobao Agent →

1688

Alibaba's domestic wholesale platform (not Alibaba.com, the international site). Factories and wholesalers quote directly, with price tiers by quantity.

Best for: Factory-direct buying, bulk orders, private label and customization. Unit prices are usually the lowest of any platform, but watch the minimum order quantity (MOQ).
Watch out for: Tell factories from trading companies; order samples before bulk; domestic freight is charged per supplier; packaging and lead times vary by supplier.
On JTLGO: Search directly or paste a 1688 link; use the bulk cart for many links.

1688 Agent →

JD.com

A largely self-operated general retailer with its own logistics network, fast delivery and a focus on genuine goods.

Best for: Electronics, appliances, books, health and personal care; prices sit closer to fixed retail, so it suits goods where authenticity and warranty matter.
Watch out for: Fewer niche or non-standard items than Taobao. Goods with batteries or electronics have international shipping limits and need a manual route review.
On JTLGO: Search directly or paste a JD.com link.

Taobao / PDD / JD Shopping Hub →

Pinduoduo

A price-first platform built on low prices, group buying and subsidies.

Best for: Cheap everyday goods, small home items, produce and budget-first buying.
Watch out for: Quality varies widely within one product type. Be careful with cheap listings that use brand names: read reviews and real photos to avoid counterfeit risk.
On JTLGO: Pinduoduo has no direct search on JTLGO: send the product link or a description and our team quotes it by hand; you confirm the price before paying.

Pinduoduo Agent →

Xianyu (Goofish)

Alibaba's second-hand and idle-goods marketplace, mostly person to person. Goofish (goofish.com) is another name and web address for Xianyu; it is the same platform.

Best for: Used phones and cameras, collectibles, hobby gear (photography, models, instruments, outdoor) and discontinued items. Usually one piece per listing, gone once sold.
Watch out for: Condition depends on the seller and there is usually no standard return policy. Read the description, real photos and chat history; the item can be bought by someone else at any time.
On JTLGO: JTLGO can search Xianyu directly; if you already have a Xianyu link, send it and our team quotes it by hand.

Search Xianyu on JTLGO →

Dewu (Poizon)

A trend platform that started with sneakers and streetwear. Many items are authenticated by the platform before delivery. Internationally it is often called Poizon.

Best for: Sneakers, streetwear, limited drops, collectibles and authenticated second-hand trend items.
Watch out for: Prices move with the market; authentication is done by the platform, with fees and rules set by the platform; the same model can differ a lot in price by size.
On JTLGO: No direct search: send the link or a description and our team quotes it by hand.

Send a Dewu item →

Vipshop

A retailer built around brand flash sales, with items listed as time-limited discounts.

Best for: Discounted brand fashion, shoes, bags, beauty and home. Suits buyers who accept limited styles and sizes in exchange for brand discounts.
Watch out for: Sales have deadlines, and sizes and stock are limited; items disappear when a sale ends.
On JTLGO: No direct search: send the link or a description and our team quotes it by hand.

Send a Vipshop item →

Zhuanzhuan

A second-hand marketplace strongest in phones and electronics, with optional platform inspection and grading.

Best for: Used phones, laptops, cameras and other electronics.
Watch out for: Condition grades are as described by the platform. Phones and laptops contain lithium batteries, which limit international shipping and need a manual route review.
On JTLGO: No direct search: send the link or a description and our team quotes it by hand; goods with batteries get a route review first.

Restricted Goods Shipping Hub →

Weidian

A shop-building tool for individuals and small sellers; shop links often circulate in social circles and content apps.

Best for: Independent small brands, creator merchandise and items sold only through private shop links.
Watch out for: Each shop is small, so seller reliability is yours to judge; photos versus real goods and dispatch speed vary by shop.
On JTLGO: No direct search: send the shop or product link and our team quotes it by hand.

Send a Weidian item →

Xiaohongshu (RedNote)

A lifestyle content community where users recommend products in posts; it also has a built-in store.

Best for: Trend items in beauty, fashion, travel and home, discovered through posts.
Watch out for: Content is recommendation-led, prices and sellers vary by item, and some items actually link out to another platform to buy.
On JTLGO: No direct search: send the post or product link and our team confirms the source platform and quotes it by hand.

Send a Xiaohongshu item →

How to choose: match the platform to the need

Widest choice Most choice, one piece is fine

Taobao. Use Tmall when you want the brand's official store.

Lowest unit price Factory prices and bulk

1688, mind the MOQ and price tiers.

Genuine electronics Genuine electronics and appliances

JD.com, mind shipping limits on battery goods.

Cheap everyday goods Cheap everyday goods

Pinduoduo, rely on reviews and real photos.

Used and rare Second-hand, rare or discontinued

Xianyu (Goofish) or Zhuanzhuan; for electronics prefer Zhuanzhuan's inspection.

Authenticated trends Authenticated sneakers and streetwear

Dewu; for brand discounts use Vipshop; for trend items and creator shops use Xiaohongshu and Weidian.

Who this fits, and who it does not

Best for Best for

International buyers who want goods from Chinese platforms but have no mainland phone number, no local payment method, or cannot read the Chinese pages.

Not best for Not best for

Counterfeit, IP-infringing, prohibited or misdeclared goods, and final international freight quotes before carton weight and dimensions are confirmed.

What to prepare What to prepare

A product link or a clear description (model, color, size, quantity), screenshots, destination country and postal code.

What JTLGO checks What JTLGO checks

Link and variant, stock and China domestic freight, platform risk, warehouse intake, basic QC, restricted attributes such as batteries, and available shipping routes.

Proof examples Proof examples

Link lists, order records, warehouse QC photos, measured carton weight and dimensions, and tracking events.

How an international buyer buys from these platforms

Search on JTLGO (Taobao, 1688, JD.com, Xianyu) or send us the product link or description from any other platform
JTLGO confirms variant, quantity, stock and China domestic freight; for manual-quote platforms the team quotes it
You check the price before paying; after you confirm, JTLGO places the order
Goods arrive at the China warehouse, are received and get basic QC photos
Parcels from several platforms can be consolidated; after weighing and measuring, routes are screened and the goods ship

When manual review is needed

Manual review

Goods with batteries (used phones, laptops, cameras), liquids, powders, magnets or brand-sensitive items

Manual review

Second-hand items with unclear condition, dead links, wide price ranges or uncertain stock

Manual review

Unpacking and repacking, splitting, consolidating to a target size, or DDP and FBA routes

Manual review

Destinations with special customs rules, commercial addresses or remote delivery

Chinese online shopping platforms: common questions

Which Chinese online shopping sites suit international buyers?

The common ones are Taobao and Tmall (retail), 1688 (wholesale), JD.com (genuine electronics), Pinduoduo (low price), Xianyu and Zhuanzhuan (second-hand), Dewu (sneakers and streetwear), Vipshop (brand flash sales), and Weidian and Xiaohongshu (small brands and trend items). Most are built for mainland users, so international buyers usually need a buying agent.

Are Xianyu and Goofish the same platform?

Yes. Goofish (goofish.com) is another name and web address for Xianyu, Alibaba's second-hand and idle-goods marketplace.

Can international buyers order on these platforms directly?

Most are built for mainland users: registration usually needs a mainland phone number, payment uses local methods and the pages are in Chinese, so international buyers normally order through a buying agent. JTLGO places the order for you and you check the price before paying.

What is the difference between Taobao, Tmall and 1688?

Taobao is a retail marketplace with a huge number of sellers, and Tmall is its brand-flagship side. 1688 is a wholesale platform where factories and wholesalers quote price tiers by quantity and you must watch the MOQ. Use Taobao for samples and retail, 1688 for bulk and custom orders.

Which platforms can JTLGO search directly?

Taobao, 1688, JD.com and Xianyu can be searched directly. Pinduoduo, Dewu, Vipshop, Zhuanzhuan, Weidian and Xiaohongshu have no direct search yet: send a product link or description and our team quotes it by hand.

How is the price confirmed for Dewu or Pinduoduo items?

After you send the link or description, the team quotes it by hand and you confirm the price before paying. Goods with restricted attributes such as batteries get a shipping-route review first.

Are the goods on these platforms genuine?

Protection differs by platform: JD.com is known for self-operated goods, Dewu authenticates items, and Tmall is brand-official; on Pinduoduo and person-to-person platforms you judge by reviews and real photos. JTLGO does not buy counterfeit or IP-infringing goods, and takes basic QC photos when goods reach the warehouse.

Can used phones and laptops be shipped abroad?

Goods with lithium batteries have international shipping limits, so they get a manual route review first; whether they can ship depends on the destination and the routes available.