Stage 1 · Day 0
An agent sits between you and a Chinese marketplace. You give it a link; it buys the item, receives it at a warehouse, photographs it, and forwards it abroad. Everything after this stage is a consequence of which agent you picked, because the warehouse rules that decide the rest of the order belong to the agent, not to the marketplace.
This stage costs nothing and commits you to nothing. That is exactly why it is worth an hour: the two decisions that are hard to reverse later — where your parcel can be sent and what happens when something is wrong — are both fixed here.
The list is where the items themselves live. This page is about the stage you are in.
Every action below is judged at stage 1, which is highlighted.
Read down a column to see every action available at that stage. Read across a row to see when one action closes.
| Action | PickDay 0 | LinkDay 0 | Pay itemDay 0–1 | ArriveDay 3–7 | QCDay 4–8 | MergeYour call | FreightDay 8–12 | CustomsDay 12–25 | ReceiveDay 15–40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel the orderStop the order before the item leaves the seller | Still openNothing has been ordered yet, so there is nothing to cancel. | Still openThe link is only staged. Deleting it ends the matter at no cost. | Last chanceSplit by order state: at [paid] you ask support to cancel; at [Processing] the agent cancels on your behalf and returns the money to your agent balance. | ClosedAt [Warehouse] cancellation is no longer the instrument — the item is physically held, and the route becomes a return or exchange. | ClosedThe no-reason window runs from the moment the status reaches "Stocked in", so on most orders it is already counting by this stage. | ClosedOnce items are merged into a shipping request the order is closed to changes of any kind. | ClosedFreight is settled and the parcel has left the agent. | ClosedThe parcel is outside the agent’s control entirely. | ClosedThe order is complete. |
| Change the delivery addressChange where the international parcel is finally sent | Still openNo parcel exists yet; the address on file can be edited without consequence. | Still openThe address is only read when a parcel is created, so it stays freely editable. | Still openStill editable — the address matters at shipping, not at the moment of payment. | Still openEditable, but read it back before you submit anything. | Still openEditable. Correcting it now is what avoids a redirect later. | Last chanceLast chance: a shipping request issues a label against whatever address is on file when you submit it. | ClosedA label has been issued; a different destination now means a second shipment at your cost. | ClosedThe parcel is moving under the issued label. | ClosedDelivered or in final delivery; address changes are refused. |
| Ask for a refundGet the item price back for something that never matched | Still openNothing has been paid, so there is nothing to refund. | Still openNothing has been paid yet. | Last chanceBefore dispatch a cancellation returns the money to your balance. After dispatch the route is a return agreed with the seller, and the money returns to the balance once it completes. | Still openAt [Warehouse] a refund is decided through the 5-day return or exchange window rather than as a cancellation. | Still openThis is the stage the window runs in: 5 days, counted as 120 hours from the status change to "Stocked in". | Last chanceLast chance before the parcel is sealed. After that the instrument is a damage claim, not a refund. | ClosedThe item sits inside a sealed parcel; refunds now run through a claim. | ClosedIn transit — a refund is no longer the right instrument. | ClosedClosed: after delivery the route is a claim, reported to support within 72 hours of signing. |
| Return it to the sellerSend the item back for a replacement or a credit | ClosedNothing to return. | ClosedNothing to return. | ClosedThe seller has not shipped, so there is nothing to send back. | Still openOpen: the 5-day no-reason window applies here. The first return in each calendar month carries no service fee; later ones are charged on a rising scale. | Still openThe window is counted in this stage. Excluded from no-reason returns: customised items, underwear, food, second-hand goods, and anything whose tags or packaging were removed as requested. | Last chanceLast chance: after merging, return freight is yours and rarely worth it for low-value items. | ClosedSealed and shipped; a return now costs more than most items are worth. | ClosedIn transit — returns are not possible from here. | Last chanceOnly if the item is materially different, and you accept paying the return freight. |
| Claim for damage or lossClaim against the carrier or the agent for damage, loss or a wrong item | ClosedNo international shipment exists. | ClosedNo international shipment exists. | ClosedNo international shipment exists. | ClosedNothing has been shipped internationally. | ClosedNothing has been shipped internationally. | ClosedNothing has been shipped internationally. | ClosedNot yet — but if the box arrives crushed, photograph the outer packaging before opening and keep the box and its tape. | Last chanceLast chance to raise a seizure or a return-to-sender case while the parcel is still moving. | Still openOpen, and time-boxed: report a damaged or missing parcel to support within 72 hours of signing, and to the local post office within 2 days where delivery was not inspected in front of the courier. |
Where the state boundaries come from. Two layers, kept separate on purpose:
These are the wording and boundaries recorded on those dates. They are re-read every month and any change is diffed on the term snapshot pages. Other agents write their own rules; each one is described on its own page rather than assumed here.
| What is charged | When | Whether it is avoidable |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing | At sign-up | Not applicable — sign-up itself is free |
| A service fee percentage | On each item you order | Comparable across agents, but read what it applies to |
| A payment processing fee | On each top-up | Varies by payment channel, not by agent |
Signal. The destination list stops before your country, or your country appears only for one line type.
What to do. Check the destination list before you look at fees. An agent that cannot reach you is not a candidate, whatever its rates.
Signal. The same service fee percentage, the same three source marketplaces, the same four bullets.
What to do. Compare what the comparison pages leave out: storage terms, what a QC photo set contains by default, and whether repacking is offered. Those three decide most disputes.
Signal. The headline figure is larger than the service fee you would pay on a first small order.
What to do. Read the conditions before you count on it. A coupon that only applies above a threshold is not a discount on a first order; it is a reason to order more.
These lines are also available as a list you can paste into a message to your agent: open the checklist export, pick stage 1, and copy.