01The route in one picture
Every agent order is the same five legs. Knowing which leg you are on answers most beginner questions.
| Leg | Who does it | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. You find items | You | As long as you like |
| 2. Agent buys from the seller | Kakobuy | Community trackers report placement in about 2 hours |
| 3. Seller ships to the warehouse | Seller (domestic China) | 1–4 days, varies by seller |
| 4. Warehouse receives & photographs | Kakobuy | Same day to a couple of days; QC photos in about 2 hours |
| 5. You consolidate & ship | You decide, Kakobuy packs | 7–20 days air, 5–10 weeks sea |
02Step by step: your first order
Step 1 — Create an account
Register with an email. New accounts receive a welcome bundle of shipping and fee coupons issued at sign-up — they are granted on account creation, so sign up before you order. See our Kakobuy coupon guide for what the codes are worth and the rules attached to them.
Step 2 — Find items
Three ways: paste a product link you already have from Taobao, Weidian or 1688 (community spreadsheets and Discord servers are where most buyers get links); search Kakobuy's built-in marketplace; or use reverse image search — upload a photo and Kakobuy finds similar listings.
Step 3 — Submit the order
On the product page, pick the size, colour and variation, and add notes if the listing needs them. If versions or batches exist, compare the listing images carefully — this is where quality differences live. Then pay: cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, crypto or balance top-up. The item price is passed through at the seller's own price.
Step 4 — Wait for warehouse arrival
Order status moves through process pending → purchased → seller sent → warehouse received. Nothing is actionable for you during this stretch except patience.
Step 5 — Review QC photos
When the warehouse receives the item, 3–5 free photos appear on it — unusually, viewable without logging in via Kakobuy's open QC feed. Check colour against the listing, logo and label placement, stitching and shape. Approve if it is right; if not, request a return before approving. Once approved, the item is locked for shipping.
Step 6 — Consolidate into one parcel
Open your warehouse, select every item you want in the box, and submit consolidation. Optionally request rehearsal packaging first — the warehouse packs and returns the true weight and dimensions, so you compare lines on real numbers. Remove shoe boxes and vacuum-pack bulky clothes before this step; both cut the billable size for free (the maths is in our Kakobuy shipping cost guide).
Step 7 — Choose a shipping line and pay
Compare every available line on final price, delivery estimate and restrictions — small parcels and big hauls favour different lines. Enter your coupon at the shipping payment step, confirm the discount shows on the freight line, and pay. A tracking number follows once the parcel is handed over.
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03What your money actually pays for
Four lines, and only one of them is international shipping: the item price (seller's price, in full), domestic China shipping (seller → warehouse, per seller), agent fees (0% headline; a ~1.5–2% FX spread and about ¥8 per-parcel declaration sit here), and international freight — the biggest line, and the only one coupons touch.
| You can control | You cannot |
|---|---|
| How many sellers you order from (fewer = less domestic leg) | The seller's item price |
| Parcel size (boxes out, vacuum-pack, consolidate) | Fuel, routes and peak-season congestion |
| Which line ships your box, and when | The FX spread on top-up |
04Beginner mistakes, ranked by cost
- Shipping each item as it arrives. The most expensive habit — per-parcel minimums and handling stack up fast.
- Ignoring volumetric weight. A bulky light box can bill like a heavy one. Cut the volume before you cut anything else.
- Approving QC photos too quickly. The approval is your last cheap exit — after it, fixing a wrong item costs a return shipping leg.
- Paying freight without comparing lines. The first listed line is rarely the cheapest on the actual packed weight.
- Parking a big balance. The platform is young (2023). Top up per order, keep balances modest, and pay by methods with buyer protection.
Before you commit your first real haul, read the full Kakobuy review — including the caveats a three-year-old platform carries — and cross-check the field in the 15-agent comparison.
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05Questions people actually ask
How does Kakobuy work?
Kakobuy buys items from Chinese marketplaces (Taobao, Weidian, 1688) on your behalf, receives them at its warehouse, photographs each item for quality check, then repacks everything into one international parcel that it ships to you. You pay the seller's price, a domestic leg, agent fees and international freight.
How do I find items to buy on Kakobuy?
Three ways: paste a product link you already have (from Taobao, Weidian or a community spreadsheet), search Kakobuy's own marketplace, or use its reverse image search by uploading a photo of the item you want.
What are QC photos and what should I check?
QC (quality control) photos are taken by the warehouse when your item arrives — usually 3 to 5 shots per item on Kakobuy, viewable without logging in. Check colour against the listing, logo and label placement, stitching, and overall shape. If something looks wrong, request a return before approving the item.
How long does a Kakobuy order take?
Two stages: purchase-to-warehouse (a few days, depending on the seller) and warehouse-to-door (route-specific, commonly 7–20 days on popular air lines, 5–10 weeks on sea freight). Community trackers report Kakobuy's internal handling — order placement and QC turnaround — among the fastest in the category.
What should beginners avoid on Kakobuy?
Shipping each item as it arrives instead of consolidating, ignoring volumetric weight (bulky parcels bill by size), skipping the QC review, keeping large balances on the account, and paying before comparing every available shipping line on the actual packed weight.
Walkthrough read? The catalogue is organised by category — curated finds with QC photos, one click from guide to checkout.
Browse the catalogue →