Supplymo research edition
A public evidence library from Yiwu
What 1688 marketplace fields expose before payment
We sit on the supply side, in Yiwu. These studies measure fields returned by the marketplace's read-only API while a supplier is being evaluated. Each study states what those fields do—and do not—establish about rendered presentation or operating outcomes.
Journalists and researchers are welcome to use the figures. Every study publishes a sanitised row-level evidence file and states what its sample cannot support.
Liam Cai · Founder, Supplymo
Yiwu, China
Latest research
Concentration in API-returned 1688 monthSold values
In a Supplymo non-random sample of 120 first-page API result rows across 12 selected English searches on 1688, the 12 rows in the top monthSold decile accounted for 85.97% of the sample's platform-reported monthSold total; the first returned row was not the keyword's monthSold leader in 11 of 12 searches.
Published 8 September 2026 · 120 first-page keyword-search API result rows · 8 stated limits
The figure at right is generated from the same frozen study registry used by the page, sitemap and downloadable evidence routes.
Read the studyEvidence figure · Reported-sales concentration
12
of 120
monthSold top decile
- Remaining rows
- 108
n = 120 API result rows. Collected 2026-08-04. Non-random sample: 12 selected searches and 120 first-page API result rows. monthSold is platform-reported and unaudited.
Published studies
The research archive
Each one links to its own method, evidence file and limits.
8 September 2026
Concentration in API-returned 1688 monthSold values
In a Supplymo non-random sample of 120 first-page API result rows across 12 selected English searches on 1688, the 12 rows in the top monthSold decile accounted for 85.97% of the sample's platform-reported monthSold total; the first returned row was not the keyword's monthSold leader in 11 of 12 searches.
120 first-page keyword-search API result rows · 8 stated limits
12 of 120
monthSold top decile
2 September 2026
Supplymo 1688 Shelf Index — Issue 1
In a fixed, non-random Supplymo panel of 120 1688 product-detail records observed once daily from 2026-08-06 to 2026-08-31, the composite-service median across 3,119 returned score observations was 4.5/5; 1,291 of 3,119 logistics-score observations and 500 of 3,119 after-sales-score observations were below 3.5, while 0 of 3,120 daily observations were explicitly marked offer_not_returned by the collection contract.
26 daily aggregate rows from one fixed 120-item panel · 10 stated limits
1291 of 3119
Below 3.5
1 September 2026
Repeated tokens in API-returned 1688 subjectTrans title fields
In a Supplymo non-random sample of 120 first-page API result rows from 12 selected English searches on 1688, 72 subjectTrans title fields repeated the same English token at least three times; all 120 returned zero CJK characters, a character-residue check that does not assess translation accuracy or fluency.
120 first-page API result rows · 9 stated limits
72 of 120
Repeated one token at least three times
24 August 2026
shippingTimeGuarantee field returns in 1688 baby-product API responses
In a Supplymo sample of 118 successful product-detail API responses from 12 baby-product searches on 1688, 49 responses omitted productShippingInfo.shippingTimeGuarantee; 7 of 10 baby bottle responses omitted it, compared with 2 of 10 responses in each of the teether and baby car seat searches.
238 rows across two separate cohorts · 13 stated limits
49 of 118
shippingTimeGuarantee omitted
18 August 2026
shippingTimeGuarantee field return across 1688 toy API responses
In a Supplymo non-random sample of 120 first-page toy results from 1688's English cross-border keyword API, 61 product-detail API responses omitted productShippingInfo.shippingTimeGuarantee; the water gun and slime kit searches each had nine omissions among ten sampled responses.
120 product-detail API responses · 11 stated limits
61 of 120
shippingTimeGuarantee omitted
18 August 2026
Listed MOQ and displayed price tiers across 1688 result/detail rows
In a Supplymo snapshot of 120 non-deduplicated result/detail rows from 12 selected English searches on 1688, 102 returned a listed minimum order quantity of two units or fewer and 84 returned one displayed price tier; neither field confirms checkout acceptance, a negotiated production MOQ or a final supplier quote.
120 non-deduplicated result/detail rows · 10 stated limits
102 of 120
Listed MOQ of two or fewer
15 August 2026
Where the shipping weight on a 1688 listing comes from
117 of 120 top-ranked 1688 listings source their shipping weight from the merchant's own entry, and only 3 carry a weight measured by a fulfilment centre.
120 listings · 8 stated limits
117 of 120
Merchant typed it in
12 August 2026
shippingTimeGuarantee field returns in 1688 product-detail API responses
In a Supplymo sample of 120 first-page results from 1688's English cross-border keyword API, the detail response omitted the shippingTimeGuarantee field for 55 rows; of the 65 rows that returned it, 64 used shipIn48Hours.
120 product-detail API responses · 10 stated limits
55 of 120
shippingTimeGuarantee omitted
12 August 2026
Invoice types declared on 1688 listings
In a Supplymo sample of 120 top-ranked 1688 listings, 72 showed no invoice type in the platform's invoiceInfo field, while 29 showed both 普票 and 专票.
120 listings · 11 stated limits
72 of 120
Declared nothing
12 August 2026
Certificates displayed on 1688 listings
In a Supplymo sample of 160 top-ranked 1688 listings across 8 compliance-review categories, 156 displayed no certificate through the platform's own certificate field.
160 listings · 11 stated limits
156 of 160
Displayed no certificate
4 August 2026
Headline supplier scores versus their components
In a Supplymo sample of 120 top-ranked 1688 listings, 65 showed the maximum 5.0 supplier score and 21 of those carried a component score at or below 2.5.
120 listings · 11 stated limits
65 of 120
Maximum 5.0
4 August 2026
Listed-price spread among retained 1688 visual matches
In a Supplymo pilot of 48 top-ranked 1688 listings, 41 had a lower-priced retained visual match on the first image-search page.
48 seed listings · 9 stated limits
41 of 48
Had a cheaper visual match
How these are made
Three rules every study here follows
Read-only, and reproducible
Every sample is collected through the marketplace's own public API using search and detail endpoints only. No order, payment, enquiry or messaging endpoint is ever called. The sampling script is in the repository.
The evidence file is published
Each study ships a sanitised evidence file carrying every public row, the full method and the limits. Supplier identities are excluded from public evidence. Offer IDs used transiently for detail calls are not published; seller IDs, shop names, titles and prices are not retained in these evidence files.
The limits are stated up front
These are non-random samples taken from ranked search results on a single day. Each study says so in its own words, near the top, rather than in a footnote.
For journalists
Using these figures
The figures are free to quote with attribution to Supplymo and a link to the study. Each study page carries a downloadable evidence file if you want to check a number or run your own cut. If something is unclear, or you need a figure the study does not publish, write to us and we will say plainly whether the sample can answer it.
Contact us