55 of 120 1688 API detail responses omitted the dispatch-guarantee field
We sampled 120 first-page results through 1688’s English cross-border API. The detail response omitted shippingTimeGuarantee on 55; of the 65 that returned it, 64 used shipIn48Hours and 1 used shipIn24Hours.
This measures API-field visibility—not rendered website content, seller performance, delivery time or an after-sales outcome.
Liam Cai · Founder, Supplymo
Published 12 August 2026 · Collected 2026-08-11 · Yiwu, China
What the API response returned
120 API result rows, 10 per keyword
The key was absent from these product-detail API responses. This does not establish what the website, app or supplier conversation showed.
Only two enum values appeared among responses that returned this key. That is a description of the sampled payloads, not evidence that every order had the same eligibility or terms.
What this says
- The product-detail API response omitted shippingTimeGuarantee on 55 of 120 sampled rows and returned it on 65.
- Among the 65 responses that returned it, 64 used shipIn48Hours and 1 used shipIn24Hours.
- qualityRefundWithin30Day was present on 119 rows; 39 contained a numeric zero. We report presence and raw value without interpreting what zero means.
What this does not say
- It does not say what the rendered 1688 website displayed, because this study inspected API responses rather than website presentation.
- It does not say a seller would refuse or honour a return, repair or refund, and it says nothing about international delivery.
- It does not establish whether fields under sellerDataInfo are merchant-level or listing-level. The public sample omits seller identity, so that scope remains unverified.
The numbers
Dispatch field omitted
55 / 120
API key absent from the detail response
Dispatch field returned
65 / 120
API key present, before interpreting its value
48-hour enum value
64 / 65
Raw value: shipIn48Hours
24-hour enum value
1 / 65
Raw value: shipIn24Hours
What to ask at the quote stage
The sampled API fields cannot answer these order-specific questions. They are easiest to settle in writing before supplier payment, when specifications, evidence rules and remedies can still be agreed.
Ask what happens to a defective unit
A dispatch field says when the seller is expected to ship. It says nothing about what happens when units arrive wrong. Before supplier payment, ask who decides whether a unit is defective, what evidence is required and who pays a return leg.
Ask for the standard, not the score
The API returns an after-sales score but this study did not audit its formula or merchant-versus-listing scope. Ask instead what tolerance the supplier accepts for the specific defect that matters to your product.
Treat an omitted field as a question
An API response that omits this field does not prove the website showed no terms. It does mean this data source cannot answer the question, so obtain a current written supplier confirmation instead of assuming.
Platform API references
What the official field documentation does—and does not—define
References checked 12 August 2026
1688 multilingual product-detail API
Defines productShippingInfo.shippingTimeGuarantee and places the refund-rate and after-sales-score fields under sellerDataInfo. It does not define a real-world refund outcome.
View official 1688 API reference1688 create-refund API
Shows that an actual refund is an order-specific workflow involving order status, reason, amount and evidence. A listing field is not a refund decision.
View official 1688 API referenceMethod
How the sample was drawn
12 English keyword searches on the cross-border distribution channel, first results page only, 10 platform-ranked rows per keyword. Other Supplymo studies use the same keyword frame, but were collected separately on different dates and are not matched offers.
None. No order, payment, enquiry, messaging or logistics endpoint was called.
Ambiguities we did not over-resolve
- What does sellerDataInfo describe?
The official schema places qualityRefundWithin30Day and afterSalesExperienceScore under sellerDataInfo, but the sampled public evidence omits seller identity. We therefore cannot verify whether either value is merchant-level, listing-level or repeated across offers. - What does a numeric zero mean?
The API returned a numeric zero on 39 rows. We distinguish that value from a missing key, but do not interpret its unit, denominator, missing-data convention or real-world refund outcome. - What does an omitted shippingTimeGuarantee key mean?
Only that this product-detail API response omitted the key. It does not establish what a rendered 1688 page, another API surface or a supplier conversation showed.
The ten limits
Read these before quoting any figure above. The first two decide what the numbers can and cannot be used for.
- 1.This is a non-random sample: the first 10 API results for each of 12 English keywords, not a probability sample of 1688.
- 2.The study measures whether named fields were present in one product-detail API response. It does not measure the presentation on a rendered website, app, description or other API surface.
- 3.The public sample contains no seller identity, so 120 rows are not 120 distinct suppliers. Although the refund-rate and after-sales-score fields sit under sellerDataInfo, we cannot verify their merchant-versus-listing scope or de-duplicate suppliers.
- 4.A numeric zero is reported only as an API-returned value. We did not verify its unit, denominator, missing-data convention or whether it represents any real refund outcome.
- 5.The study did not test whether a seller would accept a return, repair an item, issue a refund or pay a return leg for any actual order.
- 6.shippingTimeGuarantee is documented as a dispatch field. It does not establish international transit, customs, destination delivery or eligibility for a specific order.
- 7.The 12 English keywords cover ordinary consumer goods. Heavy, regulated, customized and other categories may return different fields or values.
- 8.Collection occurred on one day, 11 August 2026. Platform responses and field definitions can change; this is not a trend study.
- 9.The calls used the English cross-border distribution APIs. Buyers on a domestic 1688 surface may receive a different response or presentation.
- 10.Nothing in this study shows wrongdoing by 1688 or any supplier. It identifies questions a buyer should verify before payment.
Questions we get asked
What is the one-line version of this finding?
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. This measures API-field visibility on 11 August 2026, not website presentation, seller performance, delivery time or an after-sales outcome.
Does this mean these sellers refuse returns?
No. A field omitted from an API response says nothing about whether a seller would accept a return, repair an item or refund an order. Actual outcomes depend on the order, issue, evidence, timing and platform process.
What does an omitted dispatch-guarantee field prove?
Only that the product-detail API response did not contain shippingTimeGuarantee for 55 of 120 sampled rows. We did not inspect every rendered 1688 surface, description or supplier conversation, so we do not call it proof that no dispatch terms were shown anywhere.
Does a numeric zero mean the seller had no refunds?
We do not know. The API returned a numeric zero on 39 of the 119 rows where qualityRefundWithin30Day was present. We did not verify its unit, denominator, missing-data convention, merchant-versus-listing scope or any real refund outcome.
Is this a random sample of 1688?
No. It contains the first 10 API results for each of 12 English consumer-goods keywords on one day. It cannot estimate the prevalence of these fields across all 1688 listings, categories, dates or buyer interfaces.
Is a dispatch guarantee the same as delivery time?
No. The official field definition describes 24-hour or 48-hour dispatch. It does not state international transit time, customs timing, destination delivery or whether a specific order will qualify without current confirmation.
How should a buyer use this?
Do not treat these API fields as a service agreement. Move the after-sales questions to the quote stage: ask who pays for a return leg, who decides what counts as defective, and what tolerance applies to your specific product.
Related research from the same keyword framework
This study uses the same 12-keyword frame as our supplier-score study, but the two samples were collected separately on different dates and are not matched offers. That study examines which component fields accompanied the headline score in its own API sample.
Read the supplier-score study