Costing an order properly
The single most common mistake importers make with 1688 is costing the order from the listing price. A real order total includes unit price multiplied by quantity, domestic shipping to your agent or consolidation point, the agent fee if you use one, and often packing or handling charges.
Then comes the currency step. Convert the final RMB total into Cedis at the rate you can actually transact at, not at a mid-market reference figure. The RMB to Cedis converter on this site gives you that at the current ELITE RMB rate, and it tells you which tier applies so you can see how the figure was produced.
The reconciliation problem to avoid
Importers who pay several orders in one transfer create a problem for themselves. When a shipment is short, or a seller disputes a balance, there is no way to attribute part of a single payment to a single order.
The alternative costs you nothing: one payment, one reference, one order number. If you are deliberately funding an agent's balance to cover multiple orders, that is a different thing and should be described as such in the transaction.
Building a repeatable process
Repeat importers settle into a rhythm: confirm the order and total, collect the recipient details, start the transaction, pay the Cedis with the reference, keep the reference with the order number, then follow through to delivery.
Once that sequence is habit, each order takes minutes rather than an afternoon, and questions that used to need a search through old messages become answerable immediately.
Where 1688 orders differ from consumer purchases
Consumer marketplaces such as Taobao or Pinduoduo involve smaller, often one-off purchases. 1688 orders are usually bulk, frequently involve a production lead time, and often need a deposit before anything is manufactured. Plan the payment schedule around the production timeline, not around when you happen to have funds available.