What 1688 is, and what it is not
1688 is a Chinese wholesale marketplace aimed at buyers inside China. Prices are in RMB, and sellers are geared up to receive RMB rather than foreign card payments. It is run by the same group as Alibaba.com, but the two are not the same site: 1688 serves the domestic Chinese market, while Alibaba.com is the international marketplace usually priced in US dollars.
That difference is exactly why a 1688 order needs an RMB payment route. The listing price is in RMB, and the seller expects RMB. There is no Cedis checkout and no dollar checkout to fall back on.
Working directly, or through an agent
Many Ghanaian importers buy through an agent who operates inside China, consolidating purchases from several 1688 sellers into one order and handling domestic logistics. If you use an agent, you fund the agent, and the agent pays the sellers.
Both routes work. The difference is who receives your RMB, so the recipient details you collect are the determining factor, not the marketplace itself.
What to collect from your 1688 supplier or agent
The exact RMB amount due — confirmed in writing, not inferred from a listing price. The recipient name exactly as it appears on the receiving account. The account type: a Chinese bank account, Alipay or WeChat Pay. The account details or wallet identifier. Their QR code, where the account type uses one. And the order number, so the payment can be matched to what it covers.
For wholesale orders, the total rarely equals the listing price. Freight, packing and agent fees usually appear somewhere, so confirm the final figure rather than paying a subtotal by mistake.
Structuring the payment
Wholesale orders commonly begin with a deposit and finish with a balance before shipping. Treat each as its own transaction, referencing the order number in both. If you are topping up an agent's balance to cover several orders, say so in the transaction, because a payment covering several orders needs to be identifiable as such.
Once submitted, pay your Ghana Cedis side using your transaction reference, and follow the status through to delivery in your dashboard.