Editorial policy and source standards
A sourcing guide should help you identify what you can prepare now and what still needs confirmation from a platform, supplier or service provider. This page explains how to read our content and report a problem.
Policy updated:
Responsibility and independent status
1688 Overseas Guide is operated by JETON EXPRESS SERVICE (HONGKONG) LTD., Kowloon, Hong Kong, as an independent sourcing information website. The editorial-team byline identifies the site publisher; it does not establish review by a named sourcing expert, platform representative or regulator. The site is not affiliated with or endorsed by 1688 or Alibaba.
Separate methods from specific rules
Briefs, quotation questions, cost categories and inspection records are purchasing preparation methods. Payment eligibility, platform features, duties, transport restrictions and service times require separate verification. Check these conditions for the actual product, account, date and destination. Examples, assumptions and unknowns should be identified; they are not actual quotations or evidence of completed orders.
Check whether a source applies
For platform procedures, prefer official help or announcements. For quoted prices and service scope, check the provider's written terms. For import requirements, check the relevant destination authority and appropriate professional advice. Time-sensitive claims should identify an accessible original source, verification date and scope. Where a source does not cover your product or region, leave the issue unconfirmed. Supplier documents alone are not independent certification.
AI assistance and six languages
AI assistance has been used in site development, some drafting and multilingual conversion. AI output is not a factual source, professional review or firsthand experience. Our six languages serve different readers; language does not determine destination country. Verify amounts, specifications, responsibilities and service conditions against original sources and the text agreed by the parties. Report translation discrepancies using the contact below.
What update dates and tools mean
An article's updated date is its recorded modification date, not evidence that every external rule was checked again that day. Rule-verification dates should be stated separately. The enquiry, comparison, cost and inspection tools organise the information you enter. They do not verify supplier identity, retrieve live quotes or treat unchecked items as passed. Review inputs, missing costs and unresolved conditions before using a result.
Commercial interests and independent judgement
The website may receive requests for services; editorial information and actual service agreements should be identified separately. A sponsored recommendation, paid collaboration or commission link should carry a disclosure near the relevant content. Mentioning a brand does not certify or endorse it. Customer cases, personal experience, reviews and savings claims require verifiable support; illustrative examples must not be presented as real records.
Report a correction or translation issue
Email [email protected] with the page URL, language, relevant passage, explanation and an accessible original source. These details let us locate and assess the issue and, where appropriate, clarify scope, correct wording or withdraw outdated material. Include only what is needed to assess the issue; do not send account passwords or payment records. Use the consultation page for sourcing requests; the email also accepts editorial corrections.
A practical reading check
“List goods, transport and destination charges when planning cost” is a preparation method. “A product has a fixed duty rate in a country” needs a specific source, date and applicable conditions. The first statement does not substantiate the second.