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What we buy
Gift categories and the checks each order needs
We buy gifts and promotional products from 1688, Taobao and the Yiwu market. This page is about scope: what each category actually demands of a buyer, and the orders we decline.
The categories
These are not shelves in a shop. They are grouped by what goes wrong, because that is what decides how an order has to be run.
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1688 tote bags wholesale
Bags fail in three places — the zip, the strap anchor and the seam under the base — and none of them show in a listing photograph.
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1688 water bottles wholesale
Drinkware can contact food, so confirm which material reports and tests apply to the actual product and destination market before placing an order.
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1688 stationery wholesale
Stationery quality depends on specifications that a photograph may not show, including paper weight, binding and ink flow.
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1688 candles wholesale
Candles and reed diffusers look like one category and fail in completely different ways: the wax one is a goods-quality problem, the liquid one is a transport problem.
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1688 custom t-shirts wholesale
Two things go wrong with apparel bought from China: the fabric is not what was described, and the sizing is not what your customers expect.
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1688 promotional products wholesale
A promotional order is a manufacturing job, not a purchase, and the difference shows up in the sample stage. Everything expensive that goes wrong here goes wrong because someone skipped it.
What each one really demands
| Category | The thing that fails | Checks and evidence to agree before production |
|---|---|---|
| Tote bags and backpacks | The zip, the strap anchor and the seam under the base — none of which appear in a listing photograph | Fabric weight in gsm rather than a denier number, named zip brand and gauge, bar-tacked stress points, and a branding sample on the actual coated fabric |
| Water bottles and drinkware | Food contact paperwork, and a cheaper steel grade on the inner wall than the outer | A test report that names your market and this product, the inner-wall grade specifically, and a leak and heat-hold test on sampled units |
| Stationery | Binding method, page attachment and paper specification need confirmation | Paper weight in gsm, stated binding method, refill specification rather than a pen model name, and a printed colour proof |
| Candles and diffusers | Wax blend substitution, and a fragrance flash point that changes which carriers will take the shipment | Blend percentage and melt point, wick type sized to the vessel, the safety data sheet read before quoting, and a burn to a full melt pool |
| Custom t-shirts and caps | Chinese sizing, and fabric that is "cotton feel" rather than cotton | Fibre composition and gsm, your own measurement chart in centimetres with tolerances, a lab dip, and a washed pre-production sample |
| Promotional products | Tooling cost and a minimum that is per variant, not per order | Vector artwork with outlined fonts, the branding method matched to the material, tooling priced as its own line, and the real minimum across your full breakdown |
Outside the categories
The six categories above are starting points for a brief, rather than a complete catalogue. If your item is a gift or a promotional product and it is sold on 1688, send it. Small electricals, ceramics, lanyards, packaging, event and party goods all run through the same process. Confirm item-specific documentation, carrier acceptance and the scope of any extra checks before approving the order.
What we turn down
Saying this plainly is cheaper for both of us than finding out at the border.
- Someone else's brand. Putting a third-party logo or a licensed character on a product requires permission from the rights holder. Do not assume a gift or promotional purpose removes intellectual-property restrictions; confirm the necessary authorization before sourcing.
- Recognisable designer silhouettes. A product design can involve protected rights even without a copied logo. Resolve authorization questions before asking for a purchase.
- Goods no route will carry. Batteries, liquids, fragrance concentrates and aerosols can have route-specific restrictions. Carrier acceptance must be confirmed for the exact contents and packing before committing.
- Orders where the paperwork cannot exist. If required product evidence or market documentation is missing, do not treat the order as approved. Clarify what can be supplied or tested, by whom and at what cost; otherwise pause the purchase.
Quantities
Ask for minimums by colour, size, design, printing method and pack format, plus any service-order constraints. Stock and custom production can have different minimums. Compare the full variant breakdown and delivered unit cost; a lower goods price at a larger quantity is not automatically a better order.
Archived listings by product group
Each group shows what sellers on Taobao list today, with observed prices, what we check before ordering and how small wholesale lots work.
Not sure if yours fits?
Send the link, quantity by variant, branding request and destination. Ask for scope, fees, required evidence and expected next steps for the actual order.
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