🇨🇳 1688 Image Search Scraper: Find Suppliers & Factories by Photo (Reverse Image Search / 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.

⚡ UnitBytes · Chinese E-Commerce, B2B Sourcing & Social Commerce Ecosystem
📸 1688 Reverse Image Search 📍 You are here Upload any product photo or URL to find the exact 1688 factory	🇨🇳 1688 Factory Direct Keyword Search & Price Monitor Direct factory prices, SKU matrices & Amazon FBA specs	🌐 Alibaba Wholesale Global B2B & MOQ Verified suppliers, inspection audits & tiered pricing
🛍️ Taobao & Tmall Products Retail, Reviews & 3-Axis DSR Consumer trends, buyer sentiment tags & flagship stores	🏪 Taobao & Tmall Seller Shops Storefront Catalogs (淘宝店铺) Full shop inventories, new arrivals & seller DSR audits	🐟 Goofish Search & Deals C2C Resale & Arbitrage Zero-login 闲鱼 search, price drops & liquidation
⭐ Goofish Sellers & Reviews Zhima Credit & Store Audits Active/sold seller catalogs & buyer unboxing photos	📕 RedNote All-in-One Trends, Live, KOLs & Notes 13 category feeds, KOL leads & watermark-free HD media	🔴 RedNote Live & Commerce 1080p Live Streams & Chat Active shopping rooms, FLV/HLS streams & buyer prompts

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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 ($0.0025 Free tier)	$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 Badges	❌ 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 Free / $0.0015 Gold+)	detail-item ($0.0035 Free / $0.0020 Gold+)
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 — Lowest Free & Paid Rates on Apify

Event Name	Event ID	FREE	BRONZE	SILVER	GOLD / PLATINUM / DIAMOND
Visual Match Listing (Summary Mode)	search-item	$0.0025 ($2.50 / 1K)	$0.0022 ($2.20 / 1K)	$0.0019 ($1.90 / 1K)	$0.0015 ($1.50 / 1K)
Full B2B Product Detail & SKU Matrix (Default)	detail-item	$0.0035 ($3.50 / 1K)	$0.0030 ($3.00 / 1K)	$0.0025 ($2.50 / 1K)	$0.0020 ($2.00 / 1K)
Actor Start (One-time per run)	apify-actor-start	$0.0001	$0.0001	$0.0001	$0.0001

💡 Affordable Free-Tier Testing + Volume Discounts: Even on the Apify Free tier, scraping 20 visual matches costs just $0.05 (Summary Mode) or $0.07 (Full B2B Detail Mode), and paid Apify plans unlock rates as low as $1.50 per 1,000 visual matches.

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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 / $0.0025 Free) or detail-item (from $0.0020 / $0.0035 Free 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 $0.0020 / $0.0035 Free)
/v1/offers/batch	GET, POST	Parallel lookup for up to 10 numeric offer_ids in a single call	detail-item (from $0.0020 / $0.0035 Free per 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",
    "province": "广东",
    "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://cbu01.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01example_product_01.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://cbu01.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01example_product_01.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://cbu01.alicdn.com/img/ibank/O1CN01example_product_01.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": "深圳市示例声学科技有限公司",
    "name": "深圳市示例声学科技有限公司",
    "loginId": "示例声学科技",
    "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-220000000000000002"
  },
  "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 factory sales volume), "priceAsc", or "priceDesc".
superFactory	boolean	false	Filter visual matches to verified 1688 Super Factories (超级工厂).
factoryInspection	boolean	false	Filter visual matches to third-party inspected manufacturers (深度验厂).
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).
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). Check "bizType": "生产加工", "factoryInspection": true, or "superFactory": true 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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💬 Support & Issue Reporting

• 💬 Bug Reports & Feature Requests: Open an issue on the Apify Actor Issues Tab
• 🚀 Apify Actor Store: 1688 Reverse Image Search Scraper

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🌐 Related Chinese E-Commerce, Wholesale Sourcing & Social Commerce Actors

Combine our specialized Chinese e-commerce and B2B procurement scrapers for end-to-end supplier discovery, retail benchmarking, and social trend validation:

Actor	Purpose & Superpowers	Pricing
1688 Reverse Image Search (Photo-to-Factory) (📍 You are here)	Photo-to-Factory visual search by image URL, file upload, or Base64 with full SKU & FBA enrichment	From $0.0015 / item
1688 Factory Direct Scraper & 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, FBA carton specs & Verified Supplier audits	From $0.0015 / item
Taobao & Tmall Product Scraper	China's premier retail marketplace: customer reviews, 3-axis DSR scores, buyer sentiment tags & multi-currency prices	From $0.0015 / item
Taobao & Tmall Seller Catalog & Shop Scraper	Extract full Taobao & Tmall seller storefront catalogs (淘宝店铺), shop item counts, new arrivals & 3-axis DSR ratings	From $0.0015 / item
Goofish / Xianyu Fast Search & Deals Scraper	Alibaba's C2C resale market (闲鱼): liquidation deals, seller price-drop sniping & secondhand arbitrage	From $0.0015 / item
Goofish / Xianyu Sellers, Inventory & Reviews Scraper	Merchant due diligence, Zhima Credit (芝麻信用) ratings, active/sold store catalogs & buyer unboxing photos	From $0.001 / item
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) All-in-One Scraper	Unified scraping across 13 category feeds, active live streams, KOL leads, creator portfolios & comments	From $0.001 / item
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) Trending, Live & Note Scraper	Viral lifestyle trends, consumer search intent & watermark-free HD photos and videos	$0.0022 / item
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) Creator & KOL Leads Scraper	Automated KOL lead discovery, follower analytics, verification badges & recent creator portfolios	$0.005 / profile
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) Comments & Live Chat Scraper	Authentic buyer feedback, nested reply threads (楼中楼), live chat & purchase intent signals	$0.001 / comment
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) Live Stream & Commerce Scraper	Real-time live broadcasts, e-commerce shopping rooms (hasGoods), 1080p FLV/HLS stream URLs & live chat	Pay-Per-Event

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📦 Other Published UnitBytes Actors (Global Marketplaces, Maps, Trends & Communities)

Explore the rest of the UnitBytes data extraction fleet on the Apify Store:

📈 Search Trends, E-Commerce Demand & Community Intelligence

Actor	Purpose & Superpowers	Pricing
Google Trends Scraper & Data API (All-in-One)	All 5 endpoints (interest_over_time, trending_now, interest_by_region, related_queries, related_topics) across 5 Google properties	From $0.30 / 1K
Google Trends Fast API	Low-latency programmatic search curves, real-time interest spikes & multi-year historical trend data	From $0.30 / 1K
Google Trending Now & Realtime Trends Scraper	Real-time 4h/24h/48h/7d viral search breakouts, search volumes, growth % & context news articles	From $0.30 / 1K
Google Shopping Trends Scraper	Breakout physical merchandise demand (froogle), seasonal buying curves & top shopper regions	From $0.30 / 1K
YouTube Trends Scraper	Breakout YouTube video search queries, creator SEO topics & regional viewer demand	From $0.30 / 1K
Reddit Scraper & Media API (All-in-One)	Subreddit feeds, 5-tab search, user profiles, deep nested comment trees & permanent HD media links	From $0.50 / 1K
Reddit Search Scraper: Brand Monitoring & B2B Leads	5-surface keyword discovery across posts, communities, users, media & comments	From $0.50 / 1K
Reddit Subreddit Scraper: Hot Posts & Subreddits	Community feed monitoring (hot, new, top, rising) & subreddit metadata	From $0.50 / 1K
Reddit Comments Scraper: Comment Trees & Sentiment	Deep recursive comment reply trees (depth, parentId) for LLM/RAG & sentiment analysis	From $0.50 / 1K

📍 Google Maps, Naver Place & Local Business Intelligence

Actor	Purpose & Superpowers	Pricing
Google Maps Email & Leads Scraper (B2B Contacts)	Extract B2B business leads with verified website emails, phone numbers, social links, tech stack & ad pixels	From $0.50 / 1K
Google Maps Reviews Scraper (All 10K Reviews)	Extract up to 10,000 reviews per place sorted by newest/lowest rating, server-side keyword filter & policy report links	From $0.25 / 1K
Google Maps Review Monitor & Change Tracker (Alerts & ORM)	Stateful cross-run monitoring for NEW, REMOVED, and EDITED customer reviews plus owner reply SLA tracking	$1.50 / 1K
Google Maps Contributor & Local Guide Reviews Scraper	Reviewer profile audits, Local Guide levels (1–10), badges & lifetime review histories	Pay-Per-Event
Google Maps Photos Scraper (Places, Menus & Local Guides)	Original =s0 full-resolution place & menu photos, playable MP4 videos, 360° & Local Guide photo feeds	Pay-Per-Event
Naver Place & Map Scraper (네이버 플레이스·지도)	South Korean local business leads, KRW menus, 7-day hours, 0507 SmartCall phones, GPS & visitor/blog reviews	From $1.00 / 1K
Naver Place Reviews Scraper (네이버 플레이스 리뷰)	Receipt-verified Korean visitor reviews, server-side photo review filter, sentiment keywords & linked Naver Blog reviews	From $0.50 / 1K
Naver Map Scraper: Korean Leads & Menus (네이버 지도)	Korean B2B business discovery, road addresses, subway directions, amenities & full menu pricing	From $1.00 / 1K

🏷️ Global Classifieds, Automotive & Real Estate Marketplaces

Actor	Purpose & Superpowers	Pricing
Facebook Marketplace Scraper (All-in-One)	Deep city pagination with 40+ structured fields: cars, rentals, local deals, seller profiles & HD galleries	From $0.60 / 1K
Facebook Marketplace Vehicle & Car Scraper	Used cars, trucks & motorcycles by city/ZIP with 17-digit VIN, odometer mileage & transmission	From $0.60 / 1K
Facebook Marketplace Property & Rentals Scraper	Apartments & homes for rent or sale with bedrooms, bathrooms, sqft, pet policies & walk scores	From $0.60 / 1K
Facebook Marketplace Details & Status Checker	Bulk check listing URLs or IDs for live ACTIVE, SOLD, or PENDING status, price drops & seller catalogs	From $0.60 / 1K
OfferUp Scraper: Marketplace Listings, Cars & Deals	Local pickup & nationwide shipping listings, 19 vehicle specs, seller storefronts & price drops	From $0.60 / 1K
OfferUp Used Cars, Vehicles & VIN Scraper	17-digit VIN, clean/salvage title, city/hwy MPG, drivetrain & Carfax/AutoCheck history issue counts	From $0.60 / 1K
OfferUp Seller Inventory & Auto Dealer Leads Scraper	Full /p/<userId> storefront inventory plus verified dealer phone numbers, physical addresses & reviews	From $0.60 / 1K
OfferUp Deal Monitor, Price Drop & Status Tracker	Real-time bargain hunting, exact $ and % price drop calculations & batch LISTED/SOLD status checks	From $0.60 / 1K
Craigslist Search Scraper (All-in-One)	700+ cities worldwide across all categories: cars, housing, jobs, for sale, services & direct contact leads	From $0.50 / 1K
Craigslist Cars & Vehicles Scraper (By Owner & VIN)	Filter by owner (cto) vs. dealer (ctd), 17-digit VIN, odometer mileage, title status & powersports	From $0.50 / 1K
Craigslist Real Estate, Property & Housing Scraper (FSBO)	Apartments, FSBO homes, rentals & sublets with bedrooms, bathrooms, sqft, pet policies & parking	From $0.50 / 1K
Craigslist Jobs, Gigs & Services Scraper	35+ job sectors, paid gigs & local services with compensation extraction and remote/telecommute filters	From $0.50 / 1K

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⚖️ Compliance & Privacy

This Actor extracts strictly publicly available B2B product and supplier catalog data from 1688.com. It does not log into private user accounts, bypass authentication walls, or collect private buyer messages. Personal data is protected by regulations such as GDPR and CCPA—see Apify's guide on the legality of web scraping and ensure your usage complies with applicable laws.

Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Alibaba Group, 1688.com, or any of their subsidiaries.