Taobao & 1688 Scraper: Prices, Sellers & Images, No Login

Search 1688.com (Alibaba China) factory offers or Taobao and Tmall products by keyword, or look up Taobao item links. You get one row per product with the price in CNY, the seller, images and a link, with no login and no cookies.

It is for sourcing teams, resellers and price researchers. The smallest run is one keyword: phone case on 1688 gives 10 offers in about 5 seconds and costs about $0.023.

Table of contents

• What it does
• How it works
• Quick start
• Use cases
• Input
• Output
• Pricing
• Limits
• API, export and integrations
• Troubleshooting
• FAQ
• Related Actors
• Support

What it does

The Actor reads public product listings from two Chinese marketplaces:

• 1688.com — the wholesale site of Alibaba for factories and trading companies. You search by keyword.
• Taobao and Tmall — the biggest retail sites in China. You search by keyword or give item links or item IDs.

For each product you get the item ID, title, price in CNY, seller name, image links and the product link. On Taobao you can also open each product page to add the seller location and the shop link.

It does not log in, does not read reviews and does not collect any personal contact data.

Good fit

• Find factory prices on 1688 for a product idea before you order samples.
• Compare Taobao and Tmall retail prices for the same product type.
• Check the current price, shop and location of a list of Taobao items.

How it works

1. You choose the site (1688 or taobao) and add keywords or Taobao item links.
2. The Actor opens the public search or product pages of that site and reads the product cards.
3. It saves one Dataset row per product and a short RUN_SUMMARY record with counts and the reason if the run stopped early.

Keywords with no results and items that do not exist get their own row with status not_found, so you can see what was missing.

Quick start

1. Open the Input tab.
2. Keep Platform as 1688 and Keywords as phone case (this is the prefill).
3. Keep Max products per keyword at 10.
4. Click Start.
5. Open the Output tab. Check title, price and seller in the first rows.

Expected result: 10 rows with status complete, each with a price in CNY, a 1688 seller and a link to the offer.

Use cases

Buyer job	Input path	Output entity	Key fields	Next integration
Factory price research	platform: 1688, keywords	1688 offer	price, seller, url, images	Export to Google Sheets or CSV
Retail price check	platform: taobao, keywords	Taobao/Tmall product	price, seller, sellerId, categoryId	Schedule a daily run, compare prices
Item list lookup	platform: taobao, productUrls	Taobao/Tmall product with page details	price, seller, location, sellerUrl	API or webhook to your own system

Input

Input fields

Field	Plain name	Type	Required	Default / prefill	Allowed values	Effect	Example	Recommendation
platform	Site	text	no	default 1688, prefill 1688	1688, taobao	Which site to search	taobao	Use 1688 for wholesale, taobao for retail and item links
keywords	Search words	list of text	one of keywords / productUrls	prefill ["phone case"]	up to 20, each up to 100 characters	One search per keyword	["手机壳", "保温杯"]	On Taobao use popular or Chinese words (see Limits)
productUrls	Taobao item links or IDs	list of text	one of keywords / productUrls	empty	up to 200; Taobao or Tmall links, or bare item IDs	Reads each product page	["https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=732435348817"]	Works only with platform: taobao
maxItems	Max products per keyword	whole number	no	default 20, prefill 10	1–2000	Stops each keyword at this many rows	100	Taobao gives about 100 per keyword at most
includeDetails	Open each product page (Taobao)	true/false	no	false	true, false	Adds location and sellerUrl to keyword results; billed as a detailed product	true	Turn on only when you need location or the shop link

Empty input: the run stops with a clear message: add at least one keyword or one product link. The same keyword written twice, or the same item given as a link and as an ID, is read only once.

Interacting settings

When	Input A	Input B	Effective behavior	Example	Cost/result effect
Product links on 1688	platform: 1688	productUrls	Links are not read; each gets an error row UNSUPPORTED_URL	1688 offer link	Free
Details on 1688	platform: 1688	includeDetails: true	Ignored; 1688 rows come from search only	—	No extra cost
Product links on Taobao	platform: taobao	productUrls	Always read with page details	5 item IDs	Each found item is a detailed product
Keywords and links together	keywords	productUrls	Both run; maxItems applies only to keywords	1 keyword + 3 links	Rows add up

Input examples

Factory offers on 1688

{
  "platform": "1688",
  "keywords": ["phone case"],
  "maxItems": 10
}

Expected behavior: one 1688 search, first 10 offers. Expected output: 10 rows with itemId, title, price, seller, url. Limit or cost note: about $0.023 on the Free plan.

Taobao items by link

{
  "platform": "taobao",
  "productUrls": ["https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=732435348817"]
}

Expected behavior: reads the product page. Expected output: 1 row with price, seller, location, sellerUrl. Limit or cost note: about $0.007 on the Free plan ($0.004 per item plus the $0.003 start).

Output

Output fields

Field	Meaning	Type	Can be empty?	Example / enum	Source / notes
platform	Site	text	no	1688, taobao	From input
status	Row result	text	no	complete, partial, not_found, error	See the table below
itemId	Item or offer ID	text	on error rows	889868234534	Tmall items use the same ID
title	Product title	text	on not_found/error rows	iPhone 18磁吸手机壳…	In Chinese as on the site; many Taobao titles are in traditional characters
titleTruncated	Title was cut by the source	true/false	no	false
price	Price	number	yes	3.5	CNY, as shown on the card; on 1688 the card price, not every wholesale tier
currency	Currency	text	no	CNY	Always CNY
seller	Shop or company name	text	yes	广州富琳商贸商行
sellerId	Seller ID	text	yes	110699403	Taobao only
sellerUrl	Shop link	link	yes	https://shop.m.taobao.com/…	Taobao with page details only
location	Seller city or province	text	yes	广东佛山	Taobao with page details only
freeShipping	Free shipping flag	true/false	yes	false	Taobao only, as the site marks it
categoryId	Taobao category ID	text	yes	350507	Taobao only
url	Product link	link	on error rows	https://detail.1688.com/offer/889868234534.html	Tmall links are given as item.taobao.com links
images	Image links	list	can be []	["https://cbu01.alicdn.com/…jpg"]
keyword	Keyword that found the row	text	for item links	phone case
position	Place in the search results	number	for item links	1
sourceUrl	Page or input the row came from	text	no		For error rows, your input
errorCode	Why a row is not complete	text	yes	NO_RESULTS, ITEM_NOT_FOUND, NO_PRICE, DETAIL_FAILED, INVALID_URL, UNSUPPORTED_URL, SOURCE_BLOCKED, SOURCE_ERROR
errorMessage	Plain note	text	yes		What to change
fetchedAt	Time read	date	no	2026-10-22T16:15:21.020Z	UTC
minOrder, sales, originalPrice	Minimum order, sales count, old price	—	always empty now	null	The public pages this Actor reads do not show them

Output entities and surfaces

Situation	Dataset/API/KVS/live view	Result shape	User action
Normal item	Dataset, view Overview	status: complete row	Export or use price, seller, url
No results or missing item	Dataset	status: not_found, NO_RESULTS or ITEM_NOT_FOUND	Check the keyword or item ID
Partial result	Dataset	status: partial, NO_PRICE or DETAIL_FAILED; search fields are kept	Use the row; run the link again for details
Wrong link or source failure	Dataset + RUN_SUMMARY in the Key-value store	status: error row; run status message says what failed	Fix the link, or run again later

Output example

{
  "platform": "taobao",
  "status": "complete",
  "itemId": "732435348817",
  "title": "【礼物】格米莱3006A猫头鹰冷热双萃意式家用小型半自动咖啡机",
  "titleTruncated": false,
  "price": 5798,
  "currency": "CNY",
  "originalPrice": null,
  "minOrder": null,
  "seller": "Gemilai格米莱官方旗舰店",
  "sellerId": "110699403",
  "sellerUrl": "https://shop.m.taobao.com/shop/shop_index.htm?user_id=1919506031",
  "sales": null,
  "location": "广东佛山",
  "freeShipping": false,
  "categoryId": "350507",
  "url": "https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=732435348817",
  "images": ["https://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i1/1919506031/O1CN01mmR7h91uQFlTXHMmy_!!4611686018427385455-2-item_pic.png"],
  "keyword": "咖啡机",
  "position": 1,
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.taobao.com/list/product/%E5%92%96%E5%95%A1%E6%9C%BA.htm",
  "errorCode": null,
  "errorMessage": null,
  "fetchedAt": "2026-10-22T16:15:21.020Z"
}

This is one full row from a Taobao keyword run with page details on. null means the site did not show that value for this product. A 1688 row has the same fields; sellerId, location, freeShipping and categoryId are empty there.

Pricing

Pricing unit

You pay per row saved, plus a small start fee. Platform usage is included: you do not pay for compute or proxy.

Event	Free plan	Bronze	Silver	Gold and higher
Product row (search result)	$0.002	$0.0018	$0.0016	$0.0014
Detailed product (Taobao page read)	$0.004	$0.004	$0.004	$0.004
Not found (keyword without results or missing item)	$0.0002	$0.0002	$0.0002	$0.0002
Actor start	$0.003	$0.003	$0.003	$0.003

• A row is charged once: a detailed product is not charged again as a product row.
• Wrong links, unsupported links and rows the site failed to give after retries (status: error) are free.
• The start fee is charged once per run for each 1 GB of run memory (minimum one). The default 256 MB is one start fee.
• A run with no results still pays the start fee and $0.0002 for each keyword or item not found.
• You can set Maximum cost per run in the run options. The Actor stops when it is reached and keeps the rows saved so far (stopReason: CHARGE_LIMIT).

Cost examples

Measured on real runs, Free plan prices.

Scenario	Input scope	Rows	Base charge	Optional charge	Stop/cap behavior
Prefill	1688, phone case, 10	10	$0.023	—	Stops at maxItems
Small Taobao search	保温杯, 20	20	$0.043	—	Stops at maxItems
Taobao with page details	1 keyword, 20, includeDetails	20	$0.083	details included	Stops at maxItems
Bigger 1688 search	5 keywords × 200	972	$1.947	—	Stops at maxItems or at the cost limit
No results	1 keyword without results	0 (+1 not found)	$0.0032	—	Ends not_found

Limits

• Taobao keywords: Taobao keeps public search pages only for popular search words, mostly Chinese ones. phone case and drone work; laptop bag does not, but 笔记本电脑包 does. A word without a page gives a not_found row with this hint.
• Taobao depth: about 100 products per keyword at most. Use more specific keywords for more products.
• 1688 depth: deep; about 3,500 offers in one run with the default 300-second timeout. Raise the timeout for more.
• Page details: about 1 product per second, so about 200 detailed products in one default run.
• No minimum order, sales count or old price: these fields are always empty. Use the product link to see them on the site.
• 1688 offer links are not supported (1688 product pages need a CAPTCHA). Use keywords for 1688.
• Prices as on the site: a few Taobao listings show a placeholder price of 10,000 CNY or more; the Actor keeps it as shown. On 1688 the price is the card price, not each wholesale tier.
• Titles in Chinese: many Taobao titles come in traditional characters.
• Not a drop-in replacement for other Taobao or 1688 scrapers: field names are different.
• No login, no cookies, no reviews, no personal contact data.

API, export and integrations

• API: start a run with POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cliqtomedia~taobao-1688-scraper/runs and the input JSON; read rows from the run's default Dataset.
• Export: download the Dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel or XML from the Output tab or the API.
• Scheduling: create a Task with your keywords and add a schedule in Apify to track prices daily.
• Webhooks / no-code: use an Apify webhook on run success, or the Apify apps for Make, Zapier or n8n, to send rows to Google Sheets or your database.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

• MCP server URL with only this Actor: https://mcp.apify.com?tools=cliqtomedia/taobao-1688-scraper.
• Smallest useful input: {"platform": "1688", "keywords": ["phone case"], "maxItems": 10}.
• Key output fields: price (number, CNY), seller (shop or company), url (product link), status (complete, partial, not_found, error), errorMessage (what to change).
• A 10-row run takes about 5 seconds and costs about $0.023. Keep maxItems small for quick answers; Taobao keywords work best in Chinese.

Troubleshooting

Taobao keyword gives not_found

Symptom: one row with status: not_found and NO_RESULTS. Likely reason: Taobao has no public search page for this word. Check: try the same word in Chinese. Action: use a popular Chinese keyword, for example 笔记本电脑包 instead of laptop bag.

Fewer Taobao rows than maxItems

Symptom: a keyword stops at about 20–100 rows. Likely reason: Taobao public pages show a limited number of products per keyword. Check: the run status message says which keywords ran out. Action: add more specific keywords.

Run ends with TIME_LIMIT

Symptom: status partial, message about the time limit. Likely reason: too many keywords, a high maxItems or many product links for one run. Check: RUN_SUMMARY counts. Action: raise the run timeout, or split the input into smaller runs. Saved rows are kept.

Rows with SOURCE_BLOCKED or SOURCE_ERROR

Symptom: status: error rows and a failed run message. Likely reason: the site did not answer after several retries. Check: the errorMessage of the row. Action: run again later. These rows are free. If the site fails 8 times in a row, the run stops early with the message "is not answering right now", so a site outage costs you only the start fee.

FAQ

Do I need a Taobao or 1688 account?

No. The Actor reads public pages only. It does not log in and does not use cookies.

Can I get the minimum order quantity or sales count?

Not now. The public pages this Actor reads do not show them, so minOrder and sales are always empty.

Why is a price very high?

Some Taobao sellers put a placeholder price (10,000 CNY or more) on a listing. The Actor shows the price as the site does. Filter these rows out if you need real prices.

Is the data live?

Yes. Each run reads the sites at run time. fetchedAt shows when each row was read.

Related Actors

• Google Autocomplete Scraper — find the search words people use for a product before you search 1688 or Taobao.
• Historical FX Rates Converter — convert CNY prices to your currency for a given date.

Support

For a bug, question or feature request, open the Actor's Issues tab on Apify. Include the run ID, the platform and the keyword or link, and the errorMessage text. Never send tokens, cookies or other private data.