🇨🇳 1688 Reverse Image Search Scraper: Photo-to-Factory API & Wholesale Sourcing (1688以图搜图)

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📖 Why 1688 Reverse Image Search (Photo-to-Factory) Changes Everything

When sourcing products from China, keywords fail 80% of the time:

• A trending Amazon FBA or TikTok Shop product titled "Open-Ear Clip Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds" might be listed by Chinese factories on 1688.com under an industrial mold code or local term like "耳夹式骨传导无线蓝牙耳机OWS私模".
• Trading companies on Alibaba.com and AliExpress reuse the exact same factory studio photos while marking up unit prices by 40% to 300%.

1688 Reverse Image Search Scraper by UnitBytes bypasses the language barrier and middlemen completely. Pass any product image URL, upload a local photo, or send a Base64 image via API, and the actor queries 1688.com's visual search engine (以图搜图 / 拍立淘) to return the exact Chinese factories manufacturing that item — enriched with tiered volume pricing, MOQ, live SKU stock, and physical package weights in grams.

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🌟 Why Sourcing Teams & Dropshipping Platforms Choose UnitBytes

Visual Sourcing Capability	UnitBytes 1688 Image Search	Basic Image Search Scrapers	Manual Sourcing Agents
📷 Input Methods	Image URLs + Local File Upload + Base64 API	⚠️ Image URL only	Manual WeChat screenshots
📦 Data Depth	Full B2B Detail (Tiered Prices, SKU Matrix & FBA Weights)	❌ Shallow search cards only (No SKUs or weights)	Slow manual spreadsheets
⚡ Real-Time Standby API	Sub-2s /v1/image-search REST Endpoint	❌ 45s+ container cold-start per image	Hours or days
💰 Pricing	From $1.50 / 1,000 matches ($0.0015/item)	$3.00 – $10.00+ per 1K	5% – 10% commission markup
🖼️ Output Image Links	100% Working Public HD CDN Links	❌ Broken 403 Forbidden links	Manual downloads
🛡️ Factory Verification	Super Factory (超级工厂) & Verified Factory Filters	❌ Missing	Unverified
📱 1688 Account Required	None (Zero Login / Zero +86 Phone)	Often requires manual cookies	N/A

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✨ Three Effortless Ways to Search by Image

1. 🔗 Paste Product Image URLs (imageUrls) Paste one or more image links directly from Amazon (m.media-amazon.com), Shopify (cdn.shopify.com), AliExpress, TikTok Shop, eBay, or 1688. Batch-process dozens or hundreds of product photos in a single run, with results automatically grouped per image in rank order.
2. 📤 Upload a Photo from Your Computer (imageFile) Using the Apify Console UI? Drag and drop any .jpg, .png, or .webp product photo or screenshot directly into the Upload Product Photo field.
3. ⚡ Send Base64 Images (imagesBase64 / POST /v1/image-search) Building an automated ERP, Chrome extension, n8n workflow, or AI sourcing agent? Send raw Base64 image strings or data:image/jpeg;base64,... URIs directly without needing to host images on an external S3 bucket first.

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💰 Visual Match Listing vs. Full B2B Mode & Pricing

Choose the exact depth and speed your workflow requires via the detailLevel parameter:

Feature / Data Field	Visual Match Listing (detailLevel: "summary")	Full B2B Product Detail (detailLevel: "full" — Default)
PPE Event Charged	search-item ($0.0025 Bronze / $0.0015 Gold+ / $0.0050 Free)	detail-item ($0.0050 Bronze / $0.0030 Gold+ / $0.0100 Free)
How It Works	Extracts data directly from the 1688 visual search results page.	Runs visual search + enriches every matched factory offer with full product details.
Speed	~2–3 seconds per image	~6–10 seconds for 30 items
Core Offer Info (offerId, url, title, pictureUrl)	✅ Included	✅ Included
Wholesale Price & MOQ	✅ Starting price + base MOQ	✅ Full tiered volume price breaks (e.g., 1–99 pcs, 100–499 pcs, 500+ pcs)
Supplier Profile (name, shopUrl, province, city, repurchaseRate, salesVolume)	✅ Included	✅ Included + trustPass, powerfulMerchant, factoryDealer
SKU Matrix (skuMatrix)	❌ Empty []	✅ Every color/size/style variant, SKU price, exact stock (stock), and SKU image
Product Gallery Images & Video	⚠️ Thumbnail only (1 image)	✅ All 5–15 HD gallery images + factory product video URL (videoUrl)
Amazon FBA Packaging (packaging)	❌ Not available on search card	✅ Exact weight (grams), length/width/height (cm), and volume per SKU
Shipping & Dispatch SLA (shipping)	❌ Not available on search card	✅ Dispatch warehouse, 24h/48h delivery promise, shipping fee, buyer protections
Technical Specs (specs)	✅ Top 2–3 highlight attributes	✅ All 20–40 technical attributes (material, chip, OEM/ODM, certifications, etc.)

Transparent Pay-Per-Event (PPE) Pricing — Up to 70% OFF on Paid Apify Plans

Event Name	Event ID	FREE	BRONZE (50% OFF)	SILVER (60% OFF)	GOLD / PLATINUM / DIAMOND (70% OFF)
Visual Match Listing (Summary Mode)	search-item	$0.0050	$0.0025 ($2.50 / 1K)	$0.0020 ($2.00 / 1K)	$0.0015 ($1.50 / 1K)
Full B2B Product Detail & SKU Matrix (Default)	detail-item	$0.0100	$0.0050 ($5.00 / 1K)	$0.0040 ($4.00 / 1K)	$0.0030 ($3.00 / 1K)
Actor Start (One-time per run)	apify-actor-start	$0.0001	$0.0001	$0.0001	$0.0001

💡 Unlock Instant 50%–70% Discounts on Paid Apify Plans: Upgrading from the Apify Free tier to Starter (Bronze) immediately cuts your per-item and run-start cost by 50%–75% ($0.0025 per visual match or $0.0050 per full factory detail), and Gold+ cuts it by 70% ($0.0015 / $0.0030).

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⚡ Real-Time REST API (Server Interface)

Power live "Find Factory by Image" buttons in your SaaS app, Chrome extension, or AI procurement agent using Apify Standby Mode:

Base URL: https://unitbytes--1688-image-search-scraper.apify.actor Authentication: Pass Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN> header or ?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN> query parameter.

Endpoint	Method	Description	PPE Event Charged
/v1/image-search	GET, POST	Real-time 1688 reverse image search by image_url, image_base64 (POST JSON), or image_id	search-item (from $0.0015) or detail-item (from $0.0030 when detail_level=full)
/v1/offer	GET, POST	Real-time full B2B offer detail, tiered prices, SKU matrix & Amazon FBA packaging specs	detail-item (from $0.0030)
/v1/offers/batch	GET, POST	Parallel lookup for up to 20 numeric offer_ids in a single call	detail-item (from $0.0030 / found offer)
/health	GET	Service health & readiness check	Free ($0.00)

Quickstart API Examples (cURL)

# 1. Search 1688 Factories by Product Image URL (Fast Summary Mode)
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  "https://unitbytes--1688-image-search-scraper.apify.actor/v1/image-search?image_url=https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01gQo0hx2LY27U4AagC_!!3937219703-0-C2M.jpg&page_size=10"

# 2. Search 1688 Factories by Image with Full SKU Matrix, Tiered Prices & Amazon FBA Weights
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  "https://unitbytes--1688-image-search-scraper.apify.actor/v1/image-search?image_url=https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01gQo0hx2LY27U4AagC_!!3937219703-0-C2M.jpg&page_size=5&detail_level=full&sort_by=booked"

# 3. Search 1688 Factories via POST with Base64 Image
curl -X POST "https://unitbytes--1688-image-search-scraper.apify.actor/v1/image-search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "image_base64": "data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRg...",
    "page_size": 10,
    "detail_level": "summary"
  }'

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🐍 Python SDK Example (Batch Photo-to-Factory Pipeline)

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")

run_input = {
    "imageUrls": [
        "https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01gQo0hx2LY27U4AagC_!!3937219703-0-C2M.jpg"
    ],
    "detailLevel": "full",
    "maxItems": 20,
    "maxResultsPerImage": 20,
    "sortBy": "booked",
    "factoryInspectionOnly": True,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
    }
}

run = client.actor("unitbytes/1688-image-search-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items

for item in items[:3]:
    print(f"Matched Offer: {item.get('title')}")
    print(f"Factory Price: ¥{item.get('price')} CNY (MOQ: {item.get('minOrderQuantity')})")
    print(f"Manufacturer: {item.get('supplier', {}).get('name')} ({item.get('supplier', {}).get('city')})")
    print(f"1688 Link: {item.get('url')}\n")

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📤 Sample Output Record (detailLevel: "full")

{
  "id": "1032867853300",
  "offerId": "1032867853300",
  "searchType": "image",
  "searchImage": "https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01gQo0hx2LY27U4AagC_!!3937219703-0-C2M.jpg",
  "imageId": "1393708864958124211",
  "imageSearchUrl": "https://s.1688.com/youyuan/index.htm?tab=imageSearch&imageId=1393708864958124211",
  "url": "https://detail.1688.com/offer/1032867853300.html",
  "title": "GTS15无线蓝牙耳机运动挂耳夹耳式新款适用华为索尼高音质降噪",
  "price": 20.9,
  "currency": "CNY",
  "priceDisplay": "20.90",
  "minOrderQuantity": 1,
  "totalStock": 79855,
  "salesVolume": "5800+件",
  "bookedCount": 1998,
  "repurchaseRate": "57%",
  "repurchasePct": 57.0,
  "superFactory": false,
  "factoryInspection": true,
  "bizType": "生产加工",
  "tieredPrices": [
    { "minQuantity": 1, "maxQuantity": null, "price": 20.9, "unit": "件" }
  ],
  "pictureUrl": "https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01yQgnm028qjJjbUhrp_!!2212806287984-0-cib.jpg",
  "skuMatrix": [
    {
      "skuId": "6046270988275",
      "variant": "旗舰版【柏林音效+超长续航】肤色",
      "price": 20.9,
      "stock": 9998,
      "imageUrl": "https://img.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01yQgnm028qjJjbUhrp_!!2212806287984-0-cib.jpg"
    }
  ],
  "packaging": [
    {
      "skuId": "6046270988275",
      "variant": "旗舰版【柏林音效+超长续航】肤色",
      "weightGrams": 110.0,
      "lengthCm": 12.0,
      "widthCm": 9.0,
      "heightCm": 4.0,
      "volumeCm3": 432.0
    }
  ],
  "supplier": {
    "companyName": "深圳市蓝声迈电子科技有限公司",
    "name": "深圳市蓝声迈电子科技有限公司",
    "city": "深圳市",
    "province": "广东",
    "bizType": "生产加工",
    "trustPass": true,
    "shopUrl": "https://winport.m.1688.com/page/index.html?memberId=b2b-221280628798421355"
  },
  "detailLevel": "full"
}

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⚙️ Input Parameters Reference

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
imageUrls	array	[...]	List of public product image URLs (Amazon, Shopify, AliExpress, TikTok Shop, or 1688).
imageFile	string	—	Upload a local product photo (.jpg, .png, .webp) directly from your computer.
imagesBase64	array	[]	List of Base64-encoded image strings or data:image/... URIs.
maxItems	integer	30	Maximum total number of matching 1688 offers to collect across all images.
maxResultsPerImage	integer	—	Optional limit on how many matching offers to extract per individual image.
detailLevel	string	"full"	"full" (tiered pricing, MOQ, SKU matrix, packaging weights & factory badges) or "summary" (fast visual match cards).
sortBy	string	"normal"	"normal" (visual similarity relevance), "booked" (highest sales volume), "repurchase" (highest repeat buyer rate), "priceAsc", or "priceDesc".
priceMin	integer	—	Minimum wholesale price in Chinese Yuan (¥ CNY).
priceMax	integer	—	Maximum wholesale price in Chinese Yuan (¥ CNY).
province	string	""	Filter by Chinese manufacturing province (e.g. 广东, 浙江, 江苏).
factoryInspectionOnly	boolean	false	Filter exclusively for Verified Real Manufacturers (真实工厂认证).
superFactoryOnly	boolean	false	Filter exclusively for Power / Super Factories (实力认证 / 超级工厂).
startUrls	array	[]	Optional 1688 visual search URLs (s.1688.com/youyuan/...) or direct product offer URLs.
proxyConfiguration	object	Residential	Apify Proxy configuration.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I find a 1688 factory from an Amazon, Shopify, or AliExpress product image?

Copy the product image URL from Amazon (m.media-amazon.com), Shopify (cdn.shopify.com), or AliExpress and paste it into the imageUrls field (or upload a screenshot via imageFile). Set factoryInspectionOnly: true or check "bizType": "生产加工" in the output to filter out trading companies and deal directly with the manufacturer.

Do I need a 1688.com account or Chinese phone number?

No. The scraper handles all session establishment automatically. You never need to log in, solve sliders, or supply cookies.

Can I automate 1688 Reverse Image Search in n8n, Make, or a Chrome Extension?

Yes. You can either call the Actor via standard Apify runs (imageUrls / imagesBase64) or send real-time GET/POST requests to the Standby endpoint (https://unitbytes--1688-image-search-scraper.apify.actor/v1/image-search) for sub-second responses.

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🌐 The Complete UnitBytes Chinese Sourcing Ecosystem

Actor	Purpose & Superpowers	Pricing
1688 Reverse Image Search	Photo-to-Factory visual search by image URL, file upload, or Base64 with full SKU & FBA enrichment	From $0.0015 / item
1688 Factory Direct & Price Monitor	Keyword search, direct factory channels, batch offer monitoring & Amazon FBA packaging specs	From $0.0015 / item
Alibaba Wholesale Scraper	Global B2B product catalog, MOQ brackets, volume tiers & verified factory audit reports	From $0.0015 / item
Taobao & Tmall Scraper	China's premier consumer marketplace, retail trends, flagship brand stores & pricing	Pay-Per-Event
Goofish / Xianyu Products & Deals	Alibaba's C2C resale market: liquidation deals, secondhand arbitrage & price comparisons	Pay-Per-Event

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💬 Support & Custom Sourcing Pipelines

• 💬 Apify Issues: Open a ticket in the Apify Issues Tab
• 📧 Direct Email: contact@unitbytes.com
• 🌐 Publisher Homepage: https://unitbytes.com