Where QC fits in an agent order
When you order through a shopping agent, the transaction has two halves. The first half happens inside China: you pay, the agent buys from the seller, the seller ships domestically to the agent's warehouse, and warehouse staff photograph what arrived. The second half starts only after you approve those photos, when your items are consolidated into one parcel and shipped internationally.
QC is the checkpoint between the two halves, and it is the only moment when a problem is still cheap to fix. A flaw caught at the warehouse costs domestic return postage; the same flaw found after international shipping costs the item, the freight and the import duty. That asymmetry is the entire reason this step exists.
The photos are taken by warehouse employees with a phone, in a fixed bay, with the item laid on a plain surface. They are documentary rather than promotional, which is exactly what makes them useful — and also why they look flatter than the listing images you bought from. For the terms each agent actually offers, see the agent directory.
The shot list: what a complete QC set contains
Photo counts vary, but a usable set covers six things. If any of them is missing, request it before you approve — additional angles are normally free, and asking costs you a day rather than a parcel.
Front and back, laid flat
The silhouette, proportions and print placement. Ask for a plain background shot rather than a hanger shot if you care about the shape of the shoulders.
Outsole and tread
Sole pattern, wear marks and the colour of the midsole. This is where a used or B-grade pair shows up first.
Size label and insole measurement
The printed tag plus a tape measure across the insole or the flat chest width. This is the single most useful photo for a sizing dispute.
Stitching and glue line close-ups
Toe box stitching, heel counter, collar, and any visible adhesive around the sole edge or zips.
Tags, box and accessories
Hang tags, dust bags, spare laces, the shoebox itself. Missing accessories are usually cheaper to fix before shipping than after.
Weight on the scale
A photo of the parcel or item on a scale. Useful when shipping is billed on weight and the figure looks wrong.
Ask for measurement photos whenever sizing is borderline. A tape measure across the insole or the flat chest answers a sizing question definitively, while a photo of the printed label only proves which label was sewn in.
What is normal, and what is worth rejecting
Almost every mass-produced item has small imperfections, and a rejection rate near zero is not a sign of quality — it is a sign that nobody looked. Use the table below as a triage guide: the middle column is what to tolerate, the right column is what to send back.
| What to check | Usually acceptable | Worth rejecting |
|---|---|---|
| Stitching | Slightly uneven spacing on a hidden seam. | Broken thread, skipped stitches on a visible seam, a pulled or loose panel. |
| Glue and adhesive | A thin residue line along the sole edge. | Thick glue overflow, glue on the upper, a sole visibly lifting at the toe. |
| Symmetry | A couple of millimetres of difference between the left and right shoe. | Different heights, a crooked tongue, one panel clearly larger than the other. |
| Colour and material | Slight shade shift caused by warehouse lighting. | A panel in the wrong colour, a visibly different material than the listing photos. |
| Damage | A soft crease from being folded in transit. | Torn lining, cracked midsole, dents, stains, a crushed or wrong box. |
| Smell | A factory or dye smell that fades after airing. | A strong chemical or mould smell that does not fade within a day. |
| Size and label | A label printed slightly off-centre. | A label that disagrees with the ordered size, or an insole measurably shorter than the chart. |
| Completeness | — | Missing laces, missing second item of a set, missing the accessory shown in the listing. |
A 60-second review routine
- Open the listing you paid for in a second tab. You are checking a match, not judging the item in isolation.
- Confirm the size label and the measurement photo first. If sizing is wrong, nothing else matters and the item goes back.
- Scan the silhouette, then the seams. Look at the shape before the details; a collapsed heel or a crooked collar is visible at a glance.
- Zoom into the highest-risk area for that category. Soles for shoes, zips and linings for outerwear, prints for tees, clasps for bags.
- Check completeness against the listing. Laces, dust bag, spare buttons, the second item of a set.
- Decide, then record. Approve or request a return the same day, and keep the photo set with your order note so a later dispute has evidence.
If you want the same steps in a form you can keep open in a side window, use the printable QC checklist.
Rejecting, exchanging and the clock
Once you flag a flaw, your agent contacts the seller and arranges a domestic return or exchange. Sellers usually cover return postage when the defect is genuine, but each round trip costs days and some agents charge a handling fee. Batch your requests: asking for three items at once is faster than three separate conversations.
Storage time is the other clock. Free storage is counted from arrival, and the return window is shorter than the storage window at most agents, so review each item as it lands instead of reviewing the whole haul at the end. If you are still choosing an agent, compare current storage and inspection terms on the comparison tool.
What QC cannot tell you
A photograph proves appearance, nothing more. It cannot confirm materials, waterproofing, durability after a month of wear, or the origin of the item — and no photo set can tell you whether a garment will still fit after washing. Treat QC as a match check against the listing, and treat any site claiming photographic proof of authenticity with suspicion.
Colour is the other known weakness: cool overhead lighting and phone sensors shift hues, so a slightly different shade in a QC photo is weak evidence. Judge shape, structure and construction, and ask for a daylight photo if the colour itself is the reason you bought the item.
QC questions, answered
Six questions that decide whether a haul moves or stops at the warehouse.