Most sellers glance at the lowest-tier price on a 1688 listing and build their math from there. The problem is that tiered pricing is not just a row of falling numbers: some breakpoints are genuinely worth jumping to, some are capital traps, and understanding which is which changes what you should actually order.
How tiered pricing works on 1688
Most 1688 suppliers display price tiers in a table: buy 1 to 9 units at price X, 10 to 49 units at price Y, 50 or more at price Z. Each tier has a lower unit price than the one above it. That part is straightforward.
A few things tend to get missed:
- The table shows the product price, not the total landed cost. Domestic China shipping is usually charged separately, based on weight or volume of the shipment. An attractive tier at higher quantities can look less attractive once domestic freight, which often scales with the shipment size, is added back.
- Prices on the table are list prices. With a supplier you have ordered from several times, you can often negotiate further. For a first order, the number on the table is a starting point, not a final price.
- Each tier has its own MOQ. If you want the 50-unit price, you need to order at least 50 units. You cannot usually combine colors or sizes to reach a tier unless the supplier agrees to count them together.
How to calculate which breakpoints are worth jumping
Not every tier is worth it. The practical question is: for this particular order, how many extra units do I need to buy, and how much do I save on the total bill. If the savings do not clearly justify the extra capital tied up in inventory, jumping the tier gains nothing real.
The simplest calculation: compare total cost at two tiers, not unit prices.
A worked example, in yuan, excluding domestic shipping:
- 1 to 9 units: 20 yuan each
- 10 to 49 units: 16 yuan each
- 50 units and up: 13 yuan each
Comparing 9 units versus 10 units: 9 units cost 180 yuan, 10 units cost 160 yuan. Ordering one extra unit saves 20 yuan because all ten units drop to the lower tier price. In most cases this is an obvious jump worth taking.
Comparing 49 units versus 50 units: 49 units at the middle tier cost 784 yuan. 50 units at the bottom tier cost 650 yuan. Adding one more unit saves 134 yuan on the total. But you are also tying up capital in 50 units instead of 49, and if this SKU is untested, that extra inventory is additional risk.
A breakpoint is worth jumping when two conditions hold: the per-unit savings at the new tier are clearly meaningful, and the extra units you must buy can realistically be sold within one import cycle (typically four to six weeks for fast-moving goods).
The MOQ trap: jumping tiers and burying capital
This is the most common mistake. A supplier lists a very attractive price at a high tier, but the MOQ for that tier is far beyond what the shop actually needs.
A few signs you are walking into the MOQ trap:
- You are jumping tiers because the price looks good, not because demand is proven. If the SKU has never been tested, buying a large batch to get a good unit price is a way to save a few yuan per unit while leaving a pile of unsold goods in your warehouse for an unknown period.
- You are mixing colors or sizes to reach the MOQ. Some suppliers allow combining variants to hit a tier. This sounds flexible, but it means you are importing multiple variants without knowing which ones actually sell. Stock spread across many sizes or colors where only one or two move is a classic recipe for a messy, slow-moving warehouse.
- You are calculating savings but forgetting the cost of extra capital tied up. Saving 5 yuan per unit across 100 units is 500 yuan, roughly VND 1.8 million at around VND 3,600 per yuan (check the actual rate when you calculate). But if those 100 units sit in your warehouse for two extra months, the opportunity cost and storage expense will easily erase that saving.
Reading the price table without knowing Chinese
The layout is standardized enough to read without Chinese. The left column shows quantity ranges ("1-9", "10-49", "50+"), the right column shows the unit price (a number next to ¥ or 元). A number next to a truck icon or the label "运费" is domestic China shipping. If the table is dense, a Google Translate camera scan is enough to get the numbers right.
Always confirm the price directly with the supplier before ordering more than a small test batch. The table may not be current, and suppliers often give a better price when asked.
How tier selection affects real landed cost
Saving on unit price does not automatically produce the same savings in your real landed cost, because landed cost has several other layers.
Real landed cost per unit includes:
- Product price at the tier you order (this is the part tiered pricing directly changes).
- Domestic China shipping from the factory to the consolidation warehouse, divided across all units in the shipment. A larger order can spread this fixed-ish cost thinner, but for heavier goods the total domestic freight still scales.
- International freight to Vietnam, charged by actual weight or volumetric weight, whichever is higher. For bulky goods, jumping a tier for a lower unit price but increasing total volume pushes the freight bill up in the other direction.
- Order-service fee if you use an agent, usually a few percent of the order value.
- Customs duty and handling fees, depending on HS code and import method.
Only when all of these are added together do you know which tier is genuinely cheaper. The unit price on 1688 is one input out of six or seven.
When to negotiate and when to hold back
The price table is a starting point. Negotiating is worth trying when: you are placing a first order and make clear you plan to reorder, your intended quantity sits just below a breakpoint (ask whether they will apply the higher-tier price to a slightly smaller quantity, some will), or you are ordering several SKUs from the same factory. A direct message works: "I want X units, what is your best price?"
Hold back on jumping tiers when: the SKU is untested (a first run needs to be small enough to read real market response), the product is seasonal or trend-driven (bulk stock when the season ends is dead capital), or cash is tight and other SKUs already need restocking. Cash flow takes priority over the lowest possible unit price on any single product.
Bottom line
Tiered pricing on 1688 is a real lever, but only when you read it correctly. A breakpoint is worth jumping when the savings on the total order are clear and the extra units you must carry fit inside one sell-through cycle. The most common trap is jumping to a cheaper tier for a price that looks good but chaining capital to a quantity the shop cannot move. Before deciding, calculate the full landed cost including freight and fees, not just the unit price from the table.