Rate limits & quotas
API usage is limited by per-minute rate limits and one shared daily plan quota (billable units) across 1688, Taobao, and Weidian. Limits are set during app onboarding based on expected transaction volume — see Acceptable use.
Structured limits and headers: data/rate-limits.json.
Per-minute rate limit {#rate-limits}
Default: 60 requests/minute per API key (subject to plan). Exceeded → HTTP 429 with RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED.
Shared daily plan quota (billable units) {#daily-quota}
1688, Taobao, and Weidian share one daily plan allowance per app, not separate allowances per channel.
| Plan | Shared units per day |
|---|---|
| Trial | 100 |
| Starter | 1,000 |
| Growth | 8,000 |
| Enterprise | 50,000 |
Product search, product detail, and image search consume billable units even if you never place an order. Typical units per successful billable request:
| Route | Typical units |
|---|---|
POST /v1/products/detail | 1 |
POST /v1/products/search | 2 |
POST /v1/products/upload-image | 2 |
POST /v1/products/search-by-image | 2 |
POST /v1/orders/preview, create | 2 |
When no billable units remain, the API returns HTTP 429 with QUOTA_EXCEEDED. Contact HioBuy for a higher limit. Your app may have a custom quota; check the developer portal for its current allowance.
Response headers {#response-headers}
Successful billable calls may include:
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
X-Quota-Billable-Units | Units consumed by this request |
X-Quota-Channel | Channel used by this request (e.g. 1688); it does not identify a separate daily plan quota |
x-request-id | Request correlation id (all routes) |
Platform capacity {#platform-quota}
Rarely, shared upstream capacity may be temporarily unavailable → PLATFORM_QUOTA_EXCEEDED (429). Retry later or contact support.
Client recommendations {#handling}
- Cache product detail responses where business rules allow.
- Prefer
image_idreuse afterupload-imageinstead of re-uploading. - Back off on
429; readerror.request_id— see Errors. - Monitor usage in the developer portal usage dashboard .
Get Support
Need integration help? Contact Developer Support at support@hiobuy.com · Response within 1–2 business days