Spreadsheet FindIndependent buying guide

Categories behave differently, and the difference costs money

Every guide tells you to check the size chart. That is true and it is not very useful, because the thing worth checking is different in every category, and in some of them the risk is not sizing at all. A wallet that arrives wrong costs you very little. A pair of boots that arrives wrong costs you a second parcel in each direction, which is usually more than the boots.

The list below is our own, built from what beginners write to us about. It is not a ranking of quality and it is not an official table, because no agent publishes one.

The right hand column of a HubbuyCN item page: an untranslated Chinese title, a product link, a price, a grid of colour swatches and a row of size buttons from XS to 2XL
Where a category mistake actually happens: a swatch grid and a size row, with the original title still in Chinese above them. How expensive the mistake is in each category is our own reading, not a rating of the goods.

Sixteen categories, and the number to read in each one

The notes are ours, written for a first order. Each one names the single measurement or label that decides whether the thing that arrives is the thing you thought you bought.

Browsing these categories does not require an account. Seller and agent actions may require one.

What to check, category by category

The middle column is the one thing worth asking about before you pay. On a narrow screen each line becomes its own card, so the third column is not hiding off to the right.

CategoryThe thing to check before you payIf you get it wrong
SneakersInsole length in centimetres, not the EU number on the boxCostly to get wrong
Casual shoesWhether the price is for a pair or a single shoe on wholesale listingsCostly to get wrong
HoodiesFabric weight in grams, which decides whether it is a winter pieceCheap to get wrong
T-shirtsSingle item or multipack, because the photo looks the same either wayCheap to get wrong
JacketsThe measurement table, since the photos are shared between sellersCostly to get wrong
Down jacketsFill weight, which decides warmth, and total weight, which decides freightCostly to get wrong
JeansFlat waist measurement in centimetres, doubledCostly to get wrong
SweatpantsInseam length, because Chinese cuts run shorterAnnoying to get wrong
ShirtsShoulder width, the measurement that decides fit on a shirtAnnoying to get wrong
SweatersComposition, since acrylic and wool photograph identicallyAnnoying to get wrong
BagsHardware material and lining, neither of which shows in a photoAnnoying to get wrong
BackpacksVolume in litres, and how much of the parcel it fillsAnnoying to get wrong
WalletsNothing much, which is why this is a good category to add to an existing parcelCheap to get wrong
WatchesThat the box will arrive sealed and unopened by the inspectionAnnoying to get wrong
EyewearLens category, which is almost never in the titleAnnoying to get wrong
JewelleryPlating thickness, which no listing statesCheap to get wrong
BeltsTotal length in centimetres, not a waist sizeAnnoying to get wrong
HatsWhether one size means measured or unmeasuredCheap to get wrong
PerfumeWhether liquids can travel on your route at allCostly to get wrong
HeadphonesThat nobody will test the sound before it shipsCostly to get wrong
ElectronicsBattery restrictions on the route you plan to useCostly to get wrong
PhonesBand compatibility in your country, which no seller checksCostly to get wrong
SocksPack count, because one pair and a five pack photograph the same wayCheap to get wrong
Plush toysVolume rather than weight, because these price by sizeAnnoying to get wrong
JerseysWhich season and which patch set, since sellers reuse last year photosAnnoying to get wrong
Travel bagsThe dimensions, since a large case can be a parcel by itselfCostly to get wrong
White and pale grey low-top sneaker on a white background
Footwear is the category where the middle column costs the most to skip: an insole length in centimetres settles it, and the number on the box does not.

Browse

The ten categories people open first

Each card opens that category in the catalogue. The notes are ours.

sneakers category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Sneakers

Insole length in centimetres, not the EU number on the box.

Browse this categorycasual shoes category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Casual shoes

Whether the price is for a pair or a single shoe on wholesale listings.

Browse this categoryhoodie category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Hoodies

Fabric weight in grams, which decides whether it is a winter piece.

Browse this categoryt shirt category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

T-shirts

Single item or multipack, because the photo looks the same either way.

Browse this categoryjacket category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Jackets

The measurement table, since the photos are shared between sellers.

Browse this categorydown jacket category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Down jackets

Fill weight, which decides warmth, and total weight, which decides freight.

Browse this categoryjeans category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Jeans

Flat waist measurement in centimetres, doubled.

Browse this categorysweatpants category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Sweatpants

Inseam length, because Chinese cuts run shorter.

Browse this categoryshirt category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Shirts

Shoulder width, the measurement that decides fit on a shirt.

Browse this categorysweater category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Sweaters

Composition, since acrylic and wool photograph identically.

Browse this category

Weight, volume and the categories that get refused

Two categories on that list are risky for a reason that has nothing to do with fit. Liquids and batteries are restricted on many international routes, and the listing will never mention it, because the seller is selling to somebody in Chengdu who is not putting it on a plane.

The customs page states that parcels over ten kilos are more likely to be treated as commercial, and that a single parcel tops out at thirty kilos. The same page says its figures are collected from the internet and are for reference only, which is an unusually honest sentence and worth taking at face value.

Bulky and light is its own trap. A plush toy weighs nothing and fills a box, and freight charges for the box.

Official diagram in four stages: combined packaging, reinforced package, weighed and shipped, international air transport
Weight is decided at the third stage of the operator own drawing, after the box is already packed. The weight figures and the disclaimer about them are quoted from the official customs and taxes page; the risk bands in the text are ours.

The rest of the list

Same treatment, less commonly opened. Once you have picked a category, the next question is what to type and which control to touch, which is the search page. If a category keeps returning nothing useful, the reason is usually one of the six on where a search quietly fails.

bags category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Bags

Hardware material and lining, neither of which shows in a photo.

Browse this categorybackpacks category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Backpacks

Volume in litres, and how much of the parcel it fills.

Browse this categorywallets category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Wallets

Nothing much, which is why this is a good category to add to an existing parcel.

Browse this categorywatches category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Watches

That the box will arrive sealed and unopened by the inspection.

Browse this categoryeyewear category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Eyewear

Lens category, which is almost never in the title.

Browse this categoryjewelry category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Jewellery

Plating thickness, which no listing states.

Browse this categorybelts category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Belts

Total length in centimetres, not a waist size.

Browse this categoryhats category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Hats

Whether one size means measured or unmeasured.

Browse this categoryperfume category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Perfume

Whether liquids can travel on your route at all.

Browse this categoryheadphones category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Headphones

That nobody will test the sound before it ships.

Browse this categoryelectronics category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Electronics

Battery restrictions on the route you plan to use.

Browse this categorymobile phone category icon with our own marker for how costly a mistake isCategory

Phones

Band compatibility in your country, which no seller checks.

Browse this category