A supplier has confirmed the product and quantity, but the payment screen shows a method you cannot use. Before asking someone else to pay, establish whose account will place the order, who receives the money and how the purchase will be recorded.
Check the payment option available for your registration region and account. Another buyer may be using a different product, currency or verification process.
Identify the payment product
WorldFirst's Africa-region guide to 1688 payments distinguishes WorldFirst Payments using USD from World Pay using CNH and requiring Alipay verification and account binding. Ask which product the instructions refer to before following them.
Write down the exact option shown at checkout. If it differs from a guide, ask the provider to confirm the steps for your account and order. Avoid combining instructions from separate payment products.
Check the account before funding it
WorldFirst's World Pay guide describes linking a 1688 account to a World Account and selecting World Pay at checkout. Treat that as a published workflow to check against your own account.
Confirm these points with the provider:
- Your registration region and business type are eligible for the intended payment product.
- The required identity checks are complete.
- The correct 1688 user ID is being used.
- The payment option is available for the order.
- You understand the funding currency, conversion costs and payment charges shown to you.
The provider's sign-up and verification page identifies verification and account-linking issues as possible causes of binding problems. Capture the exact error message and include a screenshot when contacting provider support.
Share account or identity documents only through the provider's confirmed process. A sourcing enquiry can begin with product information.
Agree who is buying and who is paying
If another business will purchase on your behalf, ask for a written explanation of the arrangement before transferring funds. Record the supplier, the purchasing account holder, the intended payee and the person authorised to approve changes.
The arrangement should also explain how you receive purchase records and who handles a cancellation, a price change or a refund request. A payment confirmation alone leaves these questions unanswered.
Consider this fictional example. A shop wants to buy printed boxes from a supplier on 1688.
| Point to confirm | What the buyer asks |
|---|---|
| Order holder | Which business and account will place this order? |
| Payee | How does the recipient relate to the purchase arrangement? |
| Scope | Does the requested amount cover goods, domestic delivery and any agreed buying work? |
| Records | Which order and payment references will I receive? |
| Change approval | Who contacts me if the supplier changes the price or specification? |
| Refund contact | Who requests and follows up a refund if the purchase is cancelled? |
Use the answers to review the proposed purchase. An unresolved payee or order-holder question needs an answer before payment.
Connect payment to the shipment plan
Keep the approved product version, quantity and supplier reference with the payment record. If the goods will go to a consolidation warehouse, confirm its receiving reference and address through the agreed contact.
Then ask what happens after arrival. A purchase payment, warehouse receipt and international freight booking each need their own scope and records. Plan the handovers while the supplier can still clarify the order.
You can read about buying assistance and China consolidation before discussing the arrangement. Prepare a buying enquiry with the product details, quantity and South African destination. Identify any payment arrangement that still needs confirmation.