Topic · 7 entries
Warehouse QC
What a QC photo set can and cannot prove, and which defects it can never settle.
Every entry, answer first
Open an entry to see the basis it rests on, the moves it implies, and the way people usually misread it. Every entry names the stage it bites at.
What can a QC photo set actually prove about my item?The published scope is appearance, model, style and size; the set is a record of those four things and nothing more.
Public rule The published QC rules state that the check covers appearance, model, style and size (per Kakobuy help centre ?id=89, captured 2026-10), so a set can show a stain, a wrong colour against the label, a missing part, a crushed corner, a seam, or a measurement when something of known size is in frame. A widely repeated claim of three free QC photos does not appear on that page, so treat the number as community talk rather than a commitment. Check the current rule and ask the agent what the set for your item will contain, then keep the reply.
What to do
- Ask what the set will cover before the item is photographed, and keep the answer.
- Open the set on a large screen and check each shot against the listing, not against your memory of it.
- Ask for the specific shot that is missing rather than for better photos in general.
The misread is reading a thorough-looking set as a statement about the whole item, or assuming a promised number of photos.
Bites at: stage 5 — Read the QC photos
Which questions can no QC photo ever settle?Authenticity, function and internal quality on electronics, and anything sealed: the published rules exclude them from the check.
Public rule The published QC rules state that goods in sealed packaging or with a security seal are not opened and are checked for appearance only, and that electronics such as home appliances and digital products are not checked for authenticity, function or quality (per Kakobuy help centre ?id=89, captured 2026-10). A photo cannot encode fibre content or licensing either, because it is a flat projection of one surface. Work out which of your own questions falls in that list before you order, since no request to the warehouse is going to answer it; check the current rule if the scope matters to your decision.
What to do
- Split your questions into visible and non-visible before you order anything.
- Ask for the shot that measures a visible question, with a ruler in frame.
- Decide what you will do if a non-visible answer is no, since photos will not tell you.
The misread is believing a clear close-up settles questions of material, authenticity or function.
Bites at: stage 5 — Read the QC photos
Why do the QC photos look different from the seller’s listing photos?The listing shows a staged unit under studio light; the QC set shows your unit under warehouse light, and neither is faked.
Flow dependency The listing photos were taken before the order existed, often of a sample rather than your unit, and at stage 2 they are all you have to judge by. The QC set is written at stage 5 with the item in hand, under whatever lamps the room has and within the published scope of appearance, model, style and size. Colour and contrast shift between two light sources, which is why a colour disagreement needs a reference object in the frame: a sheet of A4 paper, 210 by 297 mm, beside the item makes the white point comparable.
What to do
- Put the listing photo and the QC photo of the same part side by side before you judge.
- Ask for a white reference object in the frame when colour is the question.
- Judge cut, stitching and hardware rather than the shade of the fabric.
The misread is reading a colour difference between the two sets as proof that a different item was sent.
Bites at: stage 5 — Read the QC photos
Can I see QC photos before the item reaches the warehouse?No: there is nothing to photograph until the item is physically checked in, and the set belongs to that moment.
Flow dependency The photograph can only exist after the seller parcel arrives and the order reaches the warehouse stage, because the warehouse is photographing an object it holds. Before that, at stages 1 to 3, there is no object in the building, so a request for photos has nothing to attach to. What you can do earlier is write the request: list the three shots you want, each with the measurement you need, and send it before check-in so it is waiting when the item lands.
What to do
- Write your photo request while the order is still with the seller.
- Send it before the item is booked in, so it is attached to the item record.
- Re-send it once the first photos arrive if a shot is still missing.
The misread is expecting the warehouse to photograph an item that has not arrived yet.
Bites at: stage 4 — Item reaches the warehouse
Will the QC photos still be useful if I have to report a problem later?They show the item before packing, which is one half of the comparison; the other half is the box as it arrived.
Flow dependency The two records are written at different stages and prove different things. The QC set shows the item before it was packed at stage 6; the arrival record shows what came out of the box at stage 9, and the published reporting windows are 2 days to the local post office and 72 hours to support, counted from signing (per Kakobuy help centre ?id=54, captured 2026-10). Keep both, with the date of each, because a report built only on the earlier record has a gap where the journey should be.
What to do
- Keep the QC set as a file, with the date it was sent to you.
- Film the outer box on all six faces before the first cut.
- Report within the published windows, and keep the reference you are given.
The misread is assuming the QC set will carry a report on its own because it is the tidier evidence.
Bites at: stage 9 — Receive and check
Does QC happen once, or can I ask for another look after that?Ask for the second look while the item is still in storage; once the box is sealed at stage 6 there is no view of it again.
Flow dependency The item is reachable from check-in until the parcel is closed at stage 6, and the return window published for warehouse-stage orders is five days, or 120 hours, from the moment the item is stocked in (per Kakobuy help centre ?id=51, captured 2026-10). Inside that window a request can be answered, because somebody can walk to the shelf. After the box is taped and weighed, the only way to see the item again is to open the parcel, which ends the shipment as planned.
What to do
- Send the follow-up request in the same window as the first one, before packing.
- Name the exact part and the exact measurement you still need.
- Say so in the first line of the message if packing day is close.
The misread is saving the follow-up question until the parcel is already sealed.
Bites at: stage 6 — Merge and pack
Does the QC pass open the packaging or test the item?No by default: the published rules say sealed or security-taped goods are not opened and only appearance is checked.
Public rule The published QC rules state that goods with sealed packaging or a security seal are not opened and are inspected for appearance only (per Kakobuy help centre ?id=89, captured 2026-10), and the published after-sales rules exclude items whose packaging, tags or accessories were removed at your request from return (per ?id=51, same capture). Both rules point the same way: the default pass leaves the packaging intact, and anything past that is a request that has to reach the warehouse while the item is still on the shelf at stage 5. Check the current rule before you assume a test is included.
What to do
- Write any test you want as one specific action, not as a general request to check it.
- Send it before packing and ask for the answer in writing.
- Accept that an untested item is a risk you are choosing to carry.
The misread is assuming a QC pass means somebody unsealed the box and tried the item out.
Bites at: stage 5 — Read the QC photos