Before you order
The five mistakes that show up on the invoice
Almost every expensive first order comes from one of five things, and none of them is exotic. They are listed here roughly in order of how much they cost when they happen.
Read this page before your first order rather than after it. That is the entire point of it. Two of the five are decided before you buy, on the judging page, and one of them is decided by which category you start in.
The five expensive ones
Each one has a fix that takes less time than the mistake costs.
Converting your size instead of measuring
Chinese charts are in centimetres and measured differently. Converting from your usual label is guesswork. Measure something you own that fits and compare the actual numbers. For shoes, measure the insole.
Buying the cheapest copy you can find
A listing far below the price band is usually a different item using the same photographs. Sitting in the middle of the band with a seller who has history is the cheaper decision.
Shipping parcels one at a time
Three shipments means paying to open three international shipments. Consolidating is the one lever that reliably changes the freight, and it costs nothing to use.
Treating QC photos as a formality
It is the only look at the real object before the box is sealed. Zoom in. Check the things the listing made claims about.
Ignoring the mail restriction field
Batteries and some liquids are not carried on every line. Finding out at the dispatch stage means your item is already bought and sitting in a warehouse.
Start with a cheap, light, forgiving item
A hoodie or a wallet costs little, ships cheaply and does not have to fit precisely. Learn the process on something where a mistake is an annoyance.
The measuring habit, in detail
This deserves its own paragraph because it prevents more expensive mistakes than everything else on this page combined.
- Shoes. Take a pair that fits, pull the insole out and measure it end to end in centimetres. That number is what the listing chart is talking about.
- Tops. Lay a shirt flat and measure armpit to armpit, then shoulder to hem. Listings give both.
- Jeans. Waist measured flat and doubled, plus inseam. Two numbers, both of which vary independently.
- Belts. Measure a belt you wear from the buckle to the hole you use, not the label size.
If the listing does not publish a chart at all, that is itself a finding. It usually means the shop is reselling rather than making, and there is probably a better listing for the same item.
Expectations
What this kind of shopping is and is not good at
Half the disappointment in this hobby is a mismatch of expectations rather than a bad order.
It is good at
- Items that only sell inside China
- Buying from several small sellers in one go
- Categories where fit does not matter much
- Things you are willing to wait several weeks for
- Learning what a fair price for something actually is
It is bad at
- Anything you need by a specific date
- Items you would need to return if they were wrong
- Very heavy or very bulky single items
- Anything where you cannot check the size properly
- Replacing a shop that already delivers to you locally
What to do when it has already gone wrong
Timing decides your options. The official Q and A states that after you place an order, and before the item leaves the warehouse for international shipment, you can contact your order agent who will assist with returns and refunds. That means the warehouse stage is when a problem is cheapest to fix.
Once the parcel is flying, you are into after sales rather than returns. The help centre has an After-sales Service section and an Insurance and Compensation entry for exactly this. We cannot act on any of it for you.
Four habits that prevent most of this
None of them takes more than a couple of minutes.
Estimate before you buy
The official estimator is free and needs no order. Run it for the category you are considering so freight is not a surprise later.
Look for buyer photos first
Reviews with photos are the cheapest evidence available. If there are none, plan on leaning on the QC stage instead.
Batch your orders
Decide what you want over a week, order it all, and let the warehouse hold the items until they can travel together.
Ask before you pay, not after
Questions cost nothing at the order stage. At the dispatch stage they cost a parcel sitting still.