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

---

📖 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.

---

🌟 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

---

✨ 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.

---

💰 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).

---

⚡ 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"
  }'

---

🐍 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")

---

📤 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"
}

---

⚙️ 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.

---

❓ 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.

---

🌐 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

---

💬 Support & Custom Sourcing Pipelines

• 💬 Apify Issues: Open a ticket in the Apify Issues Tab
• 🚀 Apify Actor Store: 1688 Reverse Image Search Scraper

---

⚖️ 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.