Three-seat fabric sofa
1688 listing
- Product price
- ¥800
- Packed weight
- ?
- Package dimensions
- ?
- Number of cartons
- ?
Supplier communication from China
Find products. Ask suppliers. Get real answers.
Need information or products from China? Send us a product link or tell us what you are looking for. Our China-based team can find suppliers, ask the right questions and return structured, usable answers.
For sourcing teams, e-commerce platforms, agents and developers working with China.
Supplier inquiry
Answered
Portable Mini Thermal Printer
1688 · Supplier confirmed
- Supplier contacted
- Seller replied
- Verified
Questions & answers
- Packed weight
- 420 g
- Package dimensions
- 28 × 20 × 6 cm
- Neutral packaging
- Supported
Verified by HioAsk · China-based operator
Measurements confirmed with the seller, not copied from the listing.
A real example
The product price is clear.
The shipping cost isn't.
A sofa on 1688 might cost ¥800. But how much will it actually cost to ship to the United States?
For bulky products, international shipping depends on packed weight, package dimensions and how many cartons the order ships in. That information is often missing or unreliable on the listing. HioAsk asks the supplier for it before you buy.
Ask HioSupplier contacted
Supplier confirmed
2 cartons- Carton 132 kg110 × 75 × 55 cm
- Carton 218 kg90 × 60 × 40 cm
Use supplier-confirmed packaging data to estimate international shipping before you purchase.
Some answers aren't on the product page. They're with the supplier.
Supplier-confirmed packaging data is intended for pre-purchase estimation. Final billable shipping weight and dimensions may differ after warehouse packing and measurement.
What HioAsk can do
Find it. Ask about it. Verify it.
Shipping details are only one example. HioAsk helps with any information that needs real supplier communication in China — whether you already have a product link or only know what you want.
01 · Ask
Ask a Chinese supplier
Already found a Taobao or 1688 product? We contact the seller and confirm the details marketplaces often cannot tell you reliably.
Packed weightPackage dimensionsCarton infoMOQStockLead timePackaging
02 · Find
Find products in China
Tell us what you need, your target price, quantity and requirements. Our China-based team searches local marketplaces and comes back with candidates.
Product sourcingSupplier sourcingImage referenceTarget priceCustomization
03 · Verify
Verify before you buy
Have a shortlist? We confirm the commercial and operational details directly with suppliers before you commit to anything.
Price checkMOQ checkAvailabilityLead timeNeutral packaging
For sourcing teams
Turn a brief into supplier options
“Find a portable thermal printer under ¥50, MOQ below 100, with neutral packaging.” HioAsk turns requirements like these into supplier results you can act on.
ResearchCompareConfirmFollow up
How it works
From product link to supplier answer.
HioAsk turns manual supplier communication into a simple, repeatable workflow.
- 01
Send what you need
A Taobao or 1688 product URL, a written requirement, or a reference image. Then choose what you need to know.
- 02
We work with suppliers in China
A China-based operator searches, contacts the seller, follows up when the first reply is vague, and confirms the details.
- 03
Get usable answers
Clear, structured results you can quote from, store or pass into your own systems through the HIOBuy API.
A simple boundary
We handle the information work in China.
HioAsk focuses on supplier research, communication and verification. Purchasing, warehousing and shipping stay a separate workflow.
Find
Source candidates
Search Chinese marketplaces and suppliers based on your product brief and operating requirements.
Ask
Talk to suppliers
Ask the questions that need local communication, context and follow-up to get a straight answer.
Verify
Return usable facts
Turn supplier conversations into structured answers your team or your software can actually use.
API-first
Built for workflows, not just inboxes.
Submit supplier questions through the HIOBuy Supplier Inquiry API and receive structured answers by webhook. HioAsk handles the human supplier communication behind it.
A real person contacts a real supplier, so treat it as an asynchronous task: create the inquiry, return immediately, and show the answers when the webhook arrives.
supplier-inquiry
POST /v1/supplier-inquiries
{
"product_url": "https://detail.1688.com/...",
"questions": [
{ "type": "packed_weight" },
{ "type": "package_dimensions" },
{ "type": "carton_info" }
]
}
WEBHOOK supplier_inquiry.message_answered
{
"packed_weight": "32 kg",
"package_dimensions": "110 × 75 × 55 cm",
"carton_info": "2 cartons"
}Why HioAsk
Your human layer for China commerce.
Instead of building your own China-based research and supplier communication team, use HioAsk for the local information work your business needs.
China-based
Operators talk to marketplace sellers in their own language, on the platforms those sellers actually answer on.
Structured
Standard answer types instead of pasted chat logs, so replies are easy to store, compare and automate.
Human + software
A workflow tool with real people behind it. The judgement calls stay with operators who know the market.
API-ready
Use HioAsk directly, or connect through the HIOBuy Supplier Inquiry API and receive answers by webhook.
Questions
What people ask before they start.
If your question is not here, email us and a China-based operator will answer it directly.
What does HioAsk do?
HioAsk is a China-based product research and supplier communication service. You send a product link or a description of what you need, and our team in China contacts suppliers, asks your questions and returns the answers in a structured form.
Can you get the packed weight and box dimensions of a 1688 product?
Yes. Packed weight, package dimensions, MOQ, stock, lead time, packaging and customization are the questions we ask most often. Send the 1688 or Taobao product URL and pick the fields you need. The answers come back confirmed with the seller, not copied from the listing.
How do I estimate international shipping for a bulky product like a sofa?
Shipping cost for bulky goods depends on packed weight, package dimensions and how many cartons the order ships in, and marketplace listings often leave that out. HioAsk asks the supplier and returns the confirmed carton breakdown so you can estimate shipping before you buy. Treat it as a pre-purchase estimate: final billable weight and dimensions may differ after warehouse packing and measurement.
What if I do not have a product link yet?
Describe what you are looking for and include a target price, quantity, any packaging or customization requirements and a reference image if you have one. Our team searches Chinese marketplaces and comes back with candidate products and suppliers.
Which marketplaces and suppliers do you work with?
Mainly 1688 and Taobao, plus the suppliers we reach through them. Our operators are based in China and message sellers on the platforms those sellers actually reply on.
Does HioAsk buy, warehouse or ship the goods?
No. HioAsk handles the information work: finding products, asking suppliers and verifying the answers. Purchasing, warehousing and shipping stay a separate workflow, so you keep control of the commercial decisions.
Can I use HioAsk from my own software?
Yes. Supplier inquiries can be submitted through the HIOBuy Supplier Inquiry API, and answers are returned as structured fields plus webhook events, so results can flow straight into your own system instead of an inbox.
Is HioAsk an AI tool?
No. HioAsk is software and a workflow with China-based people doing the supplier communication. A person reads the seller's reply, follows up when it is vague, and confirms the detail before it reaches you.
Need something from China? Ask Hio.
Start with a product inquiry or tell us what you need to find in China.