Yupoo vs Weidian vs Taobao vs 1688: what each one is and how to get from an album to a buy link

You find something on Yupoo, you look for a buy button, and there isn't one. That's expected: Yupoo isn't a shop. The actual purchase happens somewhere else, on Weidian, Taobao or 1688. Here's how these sites fit together, where to find the right link in an album, and what to do when the seller didn't add one.

Yupoo is a photo catalogue, not a store

Yupoo is a photo hosting service. Chinese sellers use it as a shop window: one album per item, dozens of photos, sometimes a price, sometimes a size chart. But there's no cart, no checkout and no shipping.

If you're new to all this, start with /blog/yupoo-cest-quoi, which covers the basics. This article is about the next step: getting from a photo you like to an actual order.

Weidian, Taobao, 1688: three places to actually buy

To sell, Yupoo stores rely on Chinese platforms where you can really pay. These are the three you'll run into most:

Weidian in one sentence: a Chinese online store, usually run by a small seller, where you pay for the item you spotted on Yupoo.

How it all fits together

The pattern is almost always the same. The seller shows items on Yupoo because it's an easy way to publish lots of photos. They sell on Weidian, Taobao or 1688 because those sites handle payment. And since those platforms don't ship easily to Europe, most European buyers go through a shopping agent.

A shopping agent is a middleman: you give them the link, they buy for you, receive the parcel at their warehouse in China, send you inspection photos, then ship everything to you. Every agent has its own fees and terms, so compare before you pick one.

• Yupoo: you browse and pick.
• Weidian, Taobao or 1688: where the item is actually for sale.
• The agent: buys, checks and ships the parcel.
• Customs: applies when the parcel lands in the EU (details in /guides/douane-colis-chine).

Where to find the Weidian or Taobao link in a Yupoo album

Open the item's album, not the store's home page. The link usually sits in the description, right under the album title. Depending on the seller, it shows up in different ways:

• A clickable link to weidian.com, taobao.com or 1688.com.
• A plain-text address you have to copy by hand (make sure you grab the whole line, down to the last digit).
• A QR code among the photos: scan it with your phone and it opens the item page.
• Just a reference code (something like A123) with no link: that's when you message the seller.
• Sometimes a link to the whole store instead of the item: you'll need to find the item inside it using the photo and reference.

No link? Message the seller

Plenty of albums have no link at all. The seller would rather you get in touch. On the Yupoo store's home page, or in the first photos of the albums, you'll usually find a WhatsApp number, a WeChat ID or a contact QR code.

Keep your message short and specific. Sellers get a lot of requests and often read them through a translator. Something like this works well:

'Hello, I'd like this item: [Yupoo album link], ref A123, size L, black. Could you send me the Weidian or Taobao link? Thanks.'

Attach a screenshot of the main photo. It avoids mix-ups when a store has several versions of the same model. For sizing, keep /guides/tailles-chinoises handy: Chinese sizes often run small.

Pasting the link into a shopping agent

Once you have the link, the rest happens on your agent's site. It works roughly the same everywhere:

• Copy the full item address (not just the store name).
• Paste it into your agent's search bar or 'add item' field.
• Check that the photo and price shown match what you saw on Yupoo.
• Pick size and colour from the options. If they're in Chinese, compare with the album's chart or ask the agent.
• Add a note for the agent if needed, for example 'ref A123, size L'.
• Place the order, then wait for the inspection photos once the item reaches the warehouse.

The usual traps

A few mistakes come up again and again. The most common one: pasting a store link instead of an item link. The agent doesn't know what to buy and you lose a round trip.

Second trap: the price. On Weidian or Taobao, the price at the top of the page is often the price of the first option. It can change depending on the size or colour you pick. And on 1688, check whether there's a minimum order quantity.

Third trap: a dead link. Sellers sometimes switch stores or delete a listing. If the link goes nowhere, message the seller again with the reference and they'll send the new one.

Last thing, timing. Between ordering, inspection and shipping, count several weeks, and Chinese holidays slow everything down. The /quand-commander page helps you pick a good moment.

Saving time on all of this

If you want the full walkthrough from start to finish, it's in /guides/commander-sur-yupoo. And if you're tired of opening albums one by one to dig out a link, Yupa does part of the work: it searches the public catalogues of more than 200 Yupoo stores, with the seller's price converted to euros. When the seller provided one, members get the Weidian, Taobao or 1688 link ready to paste into their agent, and otherwise a ready-made WhatsApp message to send the seller.

What is Weidian?

Weidian is a Chinese platform for mobile-first online stores. Many sellers on Yupoo take payment there. Since Weidian rarely ships to Europe, buyers usually go through a shopping agent.

Where is the Weidian link on Yupoo?

In the album description, under the title, as a link, as text to copy, or as a QR code. If there's only a reference code, ask the seller for the link on WhatsApp or WeChat.

What's the difference between Taobao and 1688?

Both belong to the Alibaba group. Taobao sells single items to consumers, 1688 is geared to wholesale, with prices that drop with quantity and sometimes a minimum order.

Can you buy directly on Yupoo?

No. Yupoo only hosts photos. Payment happens on Weidian, Taobao, 1688 or directly with the seller, and shipping to Europe usually goes through an agent.

The seller sent me a store link, not an item link. What now?

Find the item inside the store using the photo and reference, or ask the seller for the exact item link. An item link stops the agent from buying the wrong version.