Kakobuy Spreadsheet Seller CheckBefore the shops
Picking the product, the catalogue and the agent
The four rounds decide between shops. Three earlier choices decide whether the rounds are worth running at all: which product, which catalogue you found it in, and which agent will carry it. This page covers all three, plus the short list of things to watch before paying.
The order matters here too. A product that is wrong for you stays wrong in the best shop; a catalogue full of dead links wastes the time you meant to spend on vetting; and an agent whose terms you have not read turns every later problem into a surprise.
The product
How to choose a product before choosing a shop
Start from how you will use it, not from the photo. A product page answers questions about the product; the shop question comes later. Three checks narrow the field fast.
Size information you can measure. Listings that print garment measurements in centimetres are usable; listings that only say fits true to size are asking for trust. Measure a piece you own and compare.
Category risk. Sealed packs can leave contents unseen, electronics are not function-tested, and a photo cannot establish a fragrance’s scent, as round three explains. For those, the bar for buyer evidence rises.
Shipping weight. Heavy and bulky items change the freight math more than the item price does. A cheap boot can cost more to ship than to buy. Run the estimator before you fall in love.
The catalogue
How to choose a spreadsheet site
Finds catalogues are many, and most look alike. A few tests separate the maintained ones from the abandoned. Click five links at random: dead links mean nobody is minding the list. Look for dates on any number the site prints: a price or fee without a date is a guess you cannot check. Check whether the site sends you to real category pages and real listings, or to a homepage that makes you search again.
And check what the site claims not to know. A catalogue that says this is a dated example, re-run the tool is more trustworthy than one that quotes figures with confidence and no source. Hold this site to the same tests; that is why our figures carry capture dates and our links get re-tested.
A good catalogue also tells you what kind of link you are about to follow. Our category tiles carry a small badge: Category means a browsable list sorted by type, Search means a keyword result, as with womenswear, where the underlying catalogue sorts by garment type rather than by audience. Knowing which you are clicking saves a confused minute on the other side.
Finally, notice whether a catalogue teaches you anything. Lists of links are easy to make. A finds site worth returning to explains why a link is there and what to check before acting on it.
The agent
How to judge an agent before trusting it with a balance
A trustworthy agent publishes what it will not do. Kakobuy's purchase-service disclaimer is a good example of the genre: it lists the cases where it cannot be held responsible, from seller-side quality issues to items it cannot inspect. An agent that publishes nothing like this has not promised more; it has promised less, in a way you cannot read.
Comparing agents is mostly comparing published terms. Five questions cover most of it. Is the operating company named, with an address you can look up? Is the fee structure published, including the exchange-rate side? How long is free storage, and what happens after? What does the inspection cover, in writing? Who pays when a parcel is lost, and is insurance available per line?
Kakobuy's answers are on the Kakobuy page and the costs page, each with a capture date. Ask the same five questions of any other agent before trusting it with a balance. An agent that will not answer them in writing has answered them.
One more signal: how the agent handles counterfeit goods. Kakobuy publishes an explicit anti-counterfeiting policy with consequences. An agent with no policy at all is not more permissive in a way that helps you; it is less predictable.
Last checks
Things to watch before you order
- Quantity tiers. Confirm your unit price at your quantity before paying.
- Pre-sale and custom tags. They remove the item from dispatch timing promises and from return eligibility.
- The manual lane. Fill & Buy orders lose after-sales and cancellation after payment.
- The storage clock. A hundred days from stocked in, with a reminder at day ninety; after expiry, goods are treated as abandoned. Abnormal packages get sixty days.
- The return clock. The published five-day guarantee describes 120 hours from stocked in for eligible items and sellers. Review QC promptly and confirm which rule applies; the separate cancellation article gives different wording for exchanges.
- Line weight floors. Some cheap fast lines refuse parcels under two kilograms.
- Counterfeit risk. It is an account risk and a customs risk, not a bargain.
Each point links back to a round or a reference page; none of them is a reason to avoid ordering, only a reason to order deliberately.
Put it into practice
Use one checklist across catalogues
Verify that the product link opens the intended item, check measurements rather than only size letters, identify the seller and compare landed cost. A visually polished catalogue is useful for discovery but does not establish product quality or authenticity.
Eight-step ordering guide →