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Thirty categories, ranked by what a mistake costs
Browsing beats searching when you do not yet know what a fair price looks like. Twenty listings in a category will teach you the band in a couple of minutes, and everything after that is judgement rather than guesswork.
Every category below links to the matching finds page. The three bars under each icon are our own read on how much a wrong guess costs there: one bar means a mistake is annoying, three means it is expensive. No agent publishes anything like this, and it is not a quality rating.
Risk by category tells you where to start. Whether one specific listing is worth buying is a separate question, and the four checks are how we answer it.
Shoes and everything you wear on your feet
The category most people start with and the one that goes wrong most often, for the same reason: sizing runs short and shoes are heavy.
Sneakers
The busiest category by a distance. Sizing runs short against European and US charts more often than not, and shoes are heavy, so a wrong size is the most expensive common mistake.
Browse this categoryCategoryCasual shoes
Same sizing problem as sneakers with less community documentation, so the buyer photos matter more.
Browse this categoryCategoryLeather shoes
Finish quality varies most in this category. Ask for close QC photos of the stitching and the sole edge.
Browse this categoryCategoryHeels
Fit is unforgiving and the heel is the part that arrives damaged. Worth paying attention to packaging.
Browse this categoryCategorySandals
Light and cheap to move, and sizing is forgiving. A reasonable first order.
Browse this categoryCategorySlippers
Bulky for the price. Sensible to add to a box you are already sending rather than to order alone.
Browse this categoryRead the size chart, not the size
Chinese size charts are written in centimetres and measured differently from European and US charts. The reliable method is boring: measure something you already own, in centimetres, and compare it with the numbers in the listing. Converting from your usual size label is where people go wrong.
For shoes, measure the insole of a pair that fits. For jeans, measure the waist flat and double it. Neither takes two minutes, and both are cheaper than return freight from China.
Tops, outerwear and everything else you wear
Clothing splits neatly: light knitwear is forgiving and cheap to move, outerwear is bulky enough that freight becomes the bigger number.
Hoodies
Forgiving fit, cheap to replace, and the single most sensible thing to test an agent with.
Browse this categoryCategoryT-shirts
The lowest risk item in the catalogue. Light, cheap and hard to get wrong.
Browse this categoryCategorySweaters
Check the material line rather than the picture. Weight and drape are what people are disappointed by.
Browse this categoryCategoryJackets
Bulky, so freight moves before the item does. Measure a jacket you own and compare with the listed chart.
Browse this categoryCategoryDown jackets
The bulkiest common category. Consolidate it with nothing else if you want a predictable freight number.
Browse this categoryCategoryWindbreakers
Light for their size, which makes them one of the better value outerwear buys to ship.
Browse this categoryCategoryJeans
Two measurements to get right instead of one. Waist and inseam both vary between size charts.
Browse this categoryCategoryTrousers
Same as jeans, with more variation in how the size chart is written. Read it, do not assume.
Browse this categoryCategoryShorts
Light, forgiving and cheap. Good filler for a box you are already sending.
Browse this categoryWhich category to start with
If this is your first order, the category matters more than the item. Start somewhere a mistake is survivable and learn the process on that.
Hoodies, tees, wallets, watches
Light, cheap to move and forgiving about fit. If something is wrong you have lost a small amount of money and learned how the process works.
Bags, jeans, jackets
Either the fit gets stricter or the bulk gets real. Both are manageable once you have seen a set of QC photos and one freight bill.
Shoes, travel bags, sports equipment
Heavy, sized tightly, or both. These are the orders where a wrong guess costs the item and the freight, and returning them from China is rarely worth it.
Bags, accessories and small things
The low risk end of the catalogue. Nothing here has to fit, most of it is light, and judgement comes down to what the QC photos show. If you are picking a first order, this is the group to pick from, and the mistakes page explains why.
Bags
No fit risk at all, so the whole judgement is about hardware, lining and stitching. QC photos earn their keep here.
Browse this categoryCategoryBackpacks
Bulky but light. Check zips and strap anchor points in the QC photos.
Browse this categoryCategoryShoulder bags
Small, light and low risk. Chain and clasp quality is the thing to look at.
Browse this categoryCategoryWallets
Tiny, cheap to ship and easy to judge. Another sensible first order.
Browse this categoryCategoryTravel bags
Large and heavy. The freight can exceed the item, so run the official estimator before you commit.
Browse this categoryCategoryWatches
Light, so freight barely registers. The movement description is the part worth reading twice.
Browse this categoryCategoryJewellery
Almost weightless. Plating quality is what varies, and photos rarely show it.
Browse this categoryCategoryEyewear
Light and low risk, but the case is what usually arrives crushed. Ask about packing.
Browse this categoryCategoryBelts
Sized by length, which is easy to get wrong. Measure a belt you already wear.
Browse this categoryCategoryHats
Light and forgiving. Little to go wrong.
Browse this categoryBatteries, bulk and the mail restriction field
The official shipping estimator has a field called Mail Restriction, and it is there because not every line will carry every item. Anything with a battery is the usual case, and bulky items are the other: a plush toy weighs nothing and still costs a lot to move, because lines charge on volume when volume is the bigger number.
Run the estimate before you buy rather than after. It is free, it does not need an order, and it is the only way to find out what a category costs to move to your country.
Electronics, home and bulky goods
The categories where freight, restrictions and volume decide more than the item price does.
Electronics
Check the mail restriction field on the official estimator before ordering anything with a battery.
Browse this categoryCategoryHeadphones
Batteries again, so restrictions apply on some lines. Otherwise light and easy.
Browse this categoryHome and lifestyle
Enormous range, and the only category where volume rather than weight usually decides the freight.
No category page of its ownPlush toys
Very light, very bulky. The classic case where volumetric weight surprises people.
Browse this categorySports equipment
Heavy and awkward. Worth an estimate before you order rather than after.
No category page of its own