Day 0: choosing an agent, then handing over a link
Two things happen on day zero and they are usually confused with each other. First you choose who will buy on your behalf, which is a decision about process rather than price. Then you hand over a product link from Taobao, Weidian or 1688, and the agent turns that link into an orderable item with a price in your currency.
Choosing the agent is the only stage where every action is still open. Every later limitation is created here, so the questions worth asking on day zero are about records rather than about speed: where does the item record live, what does an intake report contain, how are photographs delivered, and how are written requests answered.
- Does the item record show intake weight, dimensions and photographs?
- Can the warehouse split an item out of a merged parcel later?
- Is there a written channel for requests, with dates on the replies?
- What does the agent do when a seller ships the wrong variant?
The [agent selection stage](/steps/pick-agent/) is where those four answers get tested, and handing the link over is where the first version of the item record is created. Paste the link, then read the parsed listing on the agent side before paying anything: a wrong variant chosen on day zero is the cheapest mistake in the whole chain to fix.
Day 1: domestic payment, and the last easy exit
Paying for the item places a purchase on the source marketplace. From this point the seller has an order, and the agent cannot simply undo it. This is the last stage where cancelling is normally a matter of asking, so if the item price, the variant or the seller look wrong, day one is the day to say so.
Keep three figures from this stage: the item price paid, any domestic shipping charge to the warehouse, and the date the purchase was placed. Those three lines stay useful for the entire month, and they are the first things anyone will ask you for if something goes wrong later.
Paying for the item also sets the domestic tracking number, which is a store-to-warehouse reference rather than a parcel reference. It usually stops updating on the day the item is signed in, and that is normal rather than a sign of a problem. If the domestic line goes silent for several days before intake, the question belongs with the seller-side carrier rather than with the parcel route.
Day 3 to 7: the item reaches the warehouse
Intake is the moment the item stops being a purchase and becomes stock. The warehouse signs it in, records a measured weight and dimensions, and usually photographs it. From this point cancellations have closed and returns have opened, because the item physically exists under the agent control.
Read the intake record properly on the day it appears. Compare the measured weight with the listing, check the variant against what you chose on day zero, and look at the photographs with one question in mind: is anything visible in these frames that was not in the listing?
| Record field | What it tells you | When it matters most |
|---|---|---|
| Measured weight | Whether the item matches the listing claim | Before merging or paying freight |
| Dimensions | How much space the item takes in a parcel | When planning a merge |
| Photographs | What is visible without opening the packaging | Before a return window closes |
| Intake date | When the storage period started | Before the free period runs out |
The [warehouse intake stage](/steps/warehouse-in/) explains what happens if the weight or the variant disagrees with the listing, and why reporting it on intake day is cheaper than reporting it after packing. Most intake disagreements are resolved with a photograph and one message, which is why the day of arrival matters more than the day you noticed.
Four things are worth doing on this day, and all four take under five minutes. Check that the parsed title, the variant and the quantity match the page you pasted, because a misread option is the cheapest fault in the month to avoid. Record the item price in your own currency alongside the local price. Note the purchase date. Then leave the order alone until an intake scan appears, rather than messaging for progress on day two.
Day 4 to 8: reading the photographs while the window is open
Photographs arrive close to intake and they answer a narrow set of questions. They show what is visible in the frame: a stain, a tear, a wrong colour, a missing accessory lying next to the item. They do not show material thickness, true fit, or how a garment sits on a body.
So read them for coverage rather than for reassurance. Note which angles exist, which sides were never photographed, and which claim in the listing is simply not visible at all. If your concern is not visible in the set, the useful request is a new photograph with something in frame for scale.
Photographs cannot establish how a fabric feels, how a size fits, or whether a logo detail matches an original. Treat any dispute that depends on those three as a sizing question rather than a defect question.
| Angle | Proves | Cannot prove |
|---|---|---|
| Front and back laid flat | Colour, print placement, obvious damage | Fit, feel, or how it hangs |
| Label and tag close up | Stated size and material wording | That the measurement matches the label |
| Contents of the packaging | Which pieces arrived with the item | Whether a piece is missing from the set |
| Angles never photographed | Nothing at all | Anything you needed to see |
Day 8 to 12: merging, weighing, and paying the freight
Merging is where separate items become one shipment. Every item in a merged parcel shares a single label, a single destination and a single freight calculation, so a merge is irreversible in the practical sense: undoing it means unpacking, re-weighing and re-booking.
Two numbers decide the freight figure. The actual packed weight is the scale reading of the finished box. The volumetric weight is a calculated figure derived from the packed dimensions, and on light bulky items the volumetric figure can exceed the actual one and become the number you pay on. The formula and its arithmetic are set out in [the chargeable weight tool](/rig/chargeable-weight/).
After freight is paid, the destination is fixed, so if the address is wrong the moment to notice is before the payment rather than after it. Packing and freight are also the two stages where a question that is still open becomes expensive: once a label exists, answering that question means unpacking rather than editing.
Day 12 to 25: the border decides the pace
Once the parcel departs, the timeline stops being yours. The customs clearance stage can take a day or three weeks depending on the destination country, the declared contents and whether an assessment is opened. Nothing on your side speeds it up, and nothing on your side can be edited during it.
- Declared value and contents come from what was recorded at packing time.
- If an assessment asks for a document, the reply usually goes to the recipient or the booking party.
- Duty and tax, where they apply, are set by the destination country rather than by the agent.
Because the border is unpredictable, treat the tracking line as a source of questions rather than answers. When a silent stretch appears, ask which stretch it is: a linehaul gap is normal, while a destination-side silence is the one worth chasing.
Day 30: what to review once the parcel is open
The last stage is the one people skip, and it is the cheapest place to learn. Compare the item against the listing, check the packed weight against the intake weight, and keep the box photograph with its date. If everything matches, the file closes in ten minutes. If something does not, the evidence is still fresh rather than reconstructed from memory.
Worth reviewing as well is the fault that nearly happened. Each window in the month carries one characteristic failure: a wrong variant on day zero, a silent seller in the first week, a listing mismatch at intake, freight paid while a question was still open, a document request waiting at the border. Three of those five are detectable before they cost anything, and the day 8 to 12 one catches careful people, because it comes from answering one question and forgetting another.
- Photograph the box and the label before opening anything.
- Check each item against the packing list and the order.
- Report any damage or mismatch within the stated window, with pictures.
- Write down what surprised you: weight, packaging, timing, or a fee you did not expect.
A single reviewed order produces four usable numbers for the next one: item cost, domestic shipping, packed weight, and total freight. With those four in hand, the second order is a planning exercise rather than a guess, and the [receiving and checking stage](/steps/receive-check/) is where the numbers get confirmed rather than assumed.
Flow dependency: the nine stages form a strict order, so each stage can only be reopened by moving backwards through the previous one, which means a request made at stage seven restarts stages five and six rather than editing them in place. (stated basis: Flow dependency)
This note explains the mechanics; the list is where the items are.