Figuring out how much capital you need before your first 1688 order is one of the most common questions from new Shopee sellers. The short answer: more than the factory price. But not dramatically more, if you budget for the right line items.
Most guides on this topic split things by seller scale: "small seller needs X, mid-size needs Y." That framing is not particularly useful. What actually drives your capital requirement is your product category and whether you've accounted for all four costs between the Chinese warehouse and your Shopee listing.
The Four Cost Buckets That Make Up Your Actual 1688 Import Capital
Factory price (goods cost) typically represents 60-70% of your total capital outlay. MOQ and category both shift this number, but it is your baseline.
Domestic freight within China covers moving goods from the factory to a consolidation warehouse. Many factories include this once you hit their MOQ, but smaller orders often run 10-30 CNY per shipment.
International freight from China to Vietnam is where the variability bites hardest. Road freight via the Nanning or Lao Cai corridors runs roughly 30,000-50,000 VND per kg. Sea freight drops to around 20,000-35,000 VND per kg but adds 7-14 days. Check current per-kg rates by route and carrier before you finalize any capital estimate.
Buying agent or service fees sit at 1-5% of order value. If you don't have a 1688 account with a Chinese payment method, this is not optional. Build it into your cost of goods from the start, not after you've already calculated margin.
The most common reason shop owners run short mid-shipment is not the factory price. It's forgetting to budget all four buckets together.
Minimum Capital by Category: Fashion, Phone Accessories, Small Home Goods
Category shapes your capital floor because MOQ, unit price, and weight-to-value ratio all interact differently.
Fashion (tops, bottoms, dresses): MOQ is typically 3-10 units per style. Goods cost for one SKU starts around 2-4 million VND. Add 15% for freight and service fees: your floor to test one style is 2.5-5 million VND. One caveat: some factories require 50 units minimum per colorway. Verify this before you calculate.
Phone accessories (cases, cables, earbuds): Unit prices are low, often 3,000-50,000 VND at source. You need enough volume to justify the per-kg freight cost. Practical minimum to test 3-5 SKUs: 1.5-3 million VND.
Small home goods (kitchen tools, organizers, small decor): Heavier per item, so freight takes a larger share of landed cost. Plan 3-6 million VND to test 2-3 SKUs.
Category | Goods cost | Estimated freight | Recommended total |
|---|---|---|---|
Fashion | 2-4M VND | 500-800K | 2.5-5M VND |
Phone accessories | 800K-2M | 400-600K | 1.5-3M VND |
Small home goods | 2-4M | 800K-1.5M | 3-6M VND |
These are entry-level figures for 1-3 SKUs only. Not guarantees, starting points.
How Much Buffer Should You Set Aside for Freight and Service Fees?
The working rule: add 20-25% on top of goods cost before you commit to an order.
A few specifics worth locking in early. Fashion items often ship at volumetric weight, not actual weight. Lightweight clothing packed in bulky polybags can cost more to ship than the kilogram count suggests. Confirm the dimensional weight calculation with your forwarder first.
Service fee percentages vary: 1% is possible for high-volume orders through established agents, 5% is common for smaller first-time purchases. Get the exact percentage confirmed before you model margin.
Common incidentals that show up unexpectedly: inspection fees at the Chinese consolidation warehouse, reinforced packaging for fragile home goods, storage fees if your shipment waits more than a few days before consolidation. The detailed fee breakdown by shipping method covers each of these line by line.
First Order Quantity: How Much Should You Actually Buy?
The goal of a first order is to test demand, not build inventory. Aim to sell through in 30-45 days. Sell out faster, reorder. Stall out, investigate the product or price before touching the reorder button.
Fashion: 5-15 units per style. Moves in two weeks, scale it. Still sitting at week three, reassess the style or the price.
Phone accessories: 20-50 units per SKU. Thin unit margins mean you need enough volume to cover freight and still profit, but not so much that you're managing dead stock for two months.
Small home goods: 5-10 units per SKU. Harder to liquidate on Shopee if the product doesn't connect with your specific buyer. Keep first orders conservative.
If something hasn't sold in 60 days, run a clearance price before placing any follow-on order. Don't compound a bad product pick with more capital.
Concrete Capital Plans: What 5 Million and 10 Million VND Can Do
5M VND, phone accessories: Goods: 2M (5 SKUs, ~30 units each). Freight: 700K. Service fee: 300K. Buffer held back: 2M.
This gives you a real test across five SKUs. You're measuring demand, not guessing at it.
10M VND, fashion: Goods: 6M (3 styles, ~10 units each). Freight: 1.5M. Service fee: 500K. Buffer held back: 2M.
Three styles tested in one shipment. If one breaks out, you have capital to reorder quickly. Use the per-unit landed cost guide to verify whether your retail price actually works before you commit to the order.
10M VND, small home goods: Goods: 5M (2 SKUs). Freight: 2M (weight adds up). Service fee: 1M. Buffer held back: 2M.
Freight takes a bigger share here because of product weight. Make sure your retail price absorbs it before you place the order.
The pattern across all three scenarios: hold 15-20% of capital in reserve. Do not deploy 100% into the first order.
FAQ: Common Questions About Capital for Sourcing 1688 to Sell on Shopee
What is the minimum capital needed to start importing from 1688?
For phone accessories, the practical floor is around 1.5-2 million VND. For fashion or home goods, plan for at least 3 million VND to cover goods, freight, and fees on a real test order.
Can you start with 3 million VND? Which category makes sense?
Yes. Phone accessories are the most practical choice at this budget: low unit cost, manageable MOQ, lighter freight per item. Keep the SKU count to 2-3 so you can track what's actually moving.
Does 1688 freight to Vietnam charge by weight or by volume?
It depends on the category and forwarder. Fashion often triggers volumetric weight calculations. Electronics and accessories usually ship closer to actual weight. Ask your forwarder which method applies to your specific goods before you estimate cost.
Should you import multiple SKUs at once when starting out?
For phone accessories: yes, 3-5 SKUs is reasonable given the low unit cost. For fashion or home goods: limit to 1-3 SKUs. Easier to double down on a winner than to manage slow-moving inventory across too many product lines at once.
How much more does a buying agent cost compared to ordering directly?
Buying agent fees run 1-5% of order value on top of goods cost. Direct ordering requires a Chinese payment method and enough Mandarin to navigate disputes. For most operators starting out, the agent fee is worth the friction saved. At 2M VND goods cost, the difference is 20,000-100,000 VND. Run the full numbers through the landed cost breakdown to see how it compounds across SKUs.
If you're building out your 1688 sourcing workflow, Ordinex is developing tools to track supplier prices, estimate landed cost, and manage purchase orders in one place. Scout (product search and supplier tracking) and Orders (PO and shipment management) are both in private beta. Join the waitlist at ordinex.cc.