Sources, and what they mean for a comparison
On a board built for comparing, the source field is one of the few things you can compare before spending anything. Four marketplaces feed it, and each sits at a different point on the price-to-certainty curve: 1688 cheapest but quantity-bound, Taobao broadest, Weidian most interesting, JD most certain. Knowing that shape lets you read a price gap properly.
← Back to overviewFour sources, price-to-certainty
1688 cheapest but quantity-bound, Taobao broadest, Weidian most interesting, JD most certain. That curve is what makes price gaps readable.
- 1688cheapest, quantity-bound
- Taobaobroadest, most variable
- Weidianmost interesting, thinnest stock
- JDmost certain, usually dearest
Marketplace rules and coverage move. The platforms and Orientdig govern.
Each source, on the price-to-certainty curve
Arranged so a price gap between two rows is readable rather than just visible.
TaobaoReference marketThe largest source and the baseline most figures are judged against. Because the same article appears at many prices, the row shows where this one sits relative to the rest.
WeidianBoutique sellersSmall shops where pieces appear before they are widely listed. Stock is uncertain until somebody buys, so the comparison only uses what can be verified.
1688Supplier tierWholesale listings with minimums stated, which changes what the headline figure is genuinely worth to one buyer.
JDOfficial channelsLicensed shops with quicker inland delivery and proper invoices — the pricier row, and the one carrying the fewest unknowns.
Reading a source before comparing
Comparison is only fair between like and like, and the source is the fastest way to establish that: the domain tells you whether you are looking at a factory, a boutique or a licensed shop.
Set at the marketplace
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Public material laid out so two agents can be weighed up. Prices and minimums remain on the marketplaces.