How It Works: From a Spreadsheet Link to a Parcel at Your Door

Stages one to four happen once per item; stages five and six once per parcel. That's why patient buyers collect several items in the agent's warehouse before shipping — free storage ranges from 60 days at LoveGoBuy to 100 at KakoBuy and up to 180 advertised by Basetao — and pay international postage once.

Verdict: Treat each item separately until QC, then think in parcels. Most savings come from shipping fewer, better-packed parcels.

What does an agent order cost? A worked example

Every agent order has the same cost lines; only the numbers change. Here is an illustrative three-item haul to show where the money goes:

Illustrative only. The ~$10/kg rate is one LoveGoBuy reviewer's figure; WorldFirst gives $4–8/kg for air freight from China. Agent fees are from each agent's page on this site.

Two things stand out. International shipping is often a quarter or more of the total, and it's the only large number you don't see until the parcel is weighed. And duty now applies almost everywhere: the US ended its $800 allowance in 2025, and the EU charges €3 per item category on small parcels since July 2026. The UK is the exception for small hauls, with no customs duty up to £135.

Verdict: Budget shipping at the start, not the end. Estimate weight when you pick items, and ask for boxes to be removed.

How long does each stage take?

A dash means no reliable published figure. Customs holds cause most extreme delays.

The part you control most is the gap between items arriving and you requesting shipping. Leave it a week and your whole order takes a week longer; use it to gather more items and you save on postage. Neither is wrong — just choose deliberately.

Words you'll meet in spreadsheets and agent apps

• W2C — "where to cop": asking where to buy something. A W2C link is the direct link to the listing.
• QC — quality-control photos the agent takes of your item at its warehouse.
• GL / RL — green light / red light: approving or rejecting an item after QC.
• Haul — a batch of items shipped together in one parcel.
• Item ID — the number in a marketplace link (after itemID= on Weidian, id= on Taobao) that identifies the listing.
• Volumetric weight — box size converted to weight (length × width × height ÷ a divisor, often 5,000–8,000). You pay for the larger of actual and volumetric weight.
• Tax-included / DDP line — a shipping line that collects duty or VAT up front, so nothing is due at the door.
• IOSS — the EU scheme for collecting VAT at the point of sale on low-value imports.
• De minimis — a value below which no duty is charged. The US removed its $800 threshold for all countries on August 29, 2025.

For a closer look at each piece, see the size decoder for Chinese labels, the link converter for item IDs, and the spreadsheet index for which agents are working.

Five first-order mistakes, and how to avoid them

1. Using a closed agent's link. Check the agent's status first; convert CNFans, AllChinaBuy or WeGoBuy links to the original listing.
2. Picking the default variant. One link can hide dozens of prints; choose the exact one and note it in the order remarks.
3. Sizing by letter. Chinese sizes usually run smaller; compare centimetres with a garment you own.
4. Approving QC without looking. Zoom in on the details you care about and ask for extra photos if something isn't shown.
5. Shipping the first quote. Compare at least two lines and ask for boxes to be removed before you pay.

Would rather not do all six stages yourself?

Send us a link or photo on WhatsApp. We quote the item and delivery to your country, send QC photos before dispatch, and share tracking once it leaves China.

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