tuan's Short Superbuy Agent Guide

   This is the short version of the in-depth China shopping agent guide, written based on my 6 years & 100+ packages experience. It is targeted for people that only want to buy and want to know how to, and do not care about anything else.

   This is what I wish someone would tell me when I first started.

   I wrote this guide solely without AI (except translations and grammar), so please bear that in mind! I didn't pay much attention during English class.

   For a complex in-depth guide, switch the version. This version is if you don't care about anything else than ordering.

What We Will Cover Today:

• I. Introduction

• II. Basic Terminology

• III. General Info About Shopping Agents

  • III.1 What Is A Shopping Agent
  • III.2 Why Should You Use Them

• IV. How to maximize the use of the spreadsheet

  • IV.1 Filters
  • IV.2 Size Charts & Measurements

• V. The Superbuy Guide

  • V.1 How & Where To Register
    
    • V.1.1 Superbuy Mobile App on App Store & Google Play
    • V.1.2 Changing Language & Currency
  • V.2 Setting Up Your International Delivery Address
  • V.3 How To Find & Order An Item
    • V.3.1 Find An Item Through tuanFinds.com
    • V.3.2 Superbuy Order
    • V.3.3 Order Confirmation Page
    • V.3.4 Order Payment
    • V.3.5 Order Status
  • V.4 Order Terminology
  • V.5 Warehouse
    • How To Return/Exchange An Item
  • V.6 Shipping The Parcel Out
    • V.6.1 Shipping Add-On Services Worth Mentioning
    • V.6.2 Shipping Expert
    • V.6.3 My Go To Shipping Remarks To Warehouse Workers
    • V.6.4 General Shipping Tips
    • V.6.5 Shipping Status

• VI. How To Deal With Customs

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I. Introduction

   Hey there, I am tuan, the guy behind tuanFinds. In this guide, with my 6 years & 100+ package experience, I want to share some of my knowledge to you.

II. Basic Terminology

   In the context of China agent shopping.

• retail = from a retail store, real item, legitimate
• 1:1 = something close to an retail item
  • 1:1 do not exist! there is no items such as 1:1, some items might be close, but if it is 1:1, then it is retail and not a replica
  • it is true that some retail contracted factories sell the formula and/or material info to replica manufacturers, but even after that the item is not 1:1, as they do not perfect the item. it can be 99%, but never 100%
  • if someone talks about something being 1:1, he either does not know what he is talking about, or he might know, but is rage baiting
• colorway (cw) = if the same item type has multiple colors, each of them is also called a colorway
• Cop = Get/Purchase
• W2C = Where To Cop
  • "w2c hoodie" = "where can I get this hoodie?"
• OOS = Out Of Stock
• dead Link = The link does not work, either there is a new purchase link or it is OOS
• freight = the shipping price
• domestic shipping/freight = shipping inside China, usually seller <-> agent
• international shipping/freight = international shipment, usually agent -> you
• warehouse = your agents warehouse/storage, where they will store your items
  • on Superbuy, the free storage is for up to 90 calendar days
• shipping coupon = a discount coupon, which can be redeemed as a discount on shipping
  • most shipping coupons are limited by minimum freight
• QC = Quality Check
  • a service where, once your agent receives the item at their warehouse, they will perform a visual inspection for stains, correct size, color, holes, etc., and take pictures, which you will be able to see
  • you can either GL or RL the item
• GL = Green Light
  • approve QC/item, accept it
  • when you GL your own stuff, you do not need to do anything extra
• RL = Red Light
  • reject QC/item, there is something faulty with the item
  • when you RL the stuff you purchased, you need to contact your agent and tell them to return/exchange the item
  • you have 72 hours starting after the item is stored in the warehouse to ask for an exchange/refund
  • some sellers do not accept returns/exchanges, but Superbuy notifies you before every purchase of this type of items
• haul/parcel = package of the items you buy
• shipping expert/rehearsal = a paid service, where the warehouse worker is going to pre pack your item and give you a recommended shipping line
  • also called rehearsal
• TikTok Agent = an agent, that rose to fame through TikTok, mostly meant for agents that were established after the fall of Pandabuy in 2024
  • they are popular, because their creators get paid a lot of money through their massive affiliate and marketing program
  • example of TikTok agents is Oopbuy, Kakobuy, Mulebuy, Litbuy, GTBuy, iTaoBuy,...
  • I personally would try to avoid them, as they charge a lot in my eyes, someone has to pay the creators and the marketing

III. General Info About Shopping Agents

• III.1 What Is A Shipping Agent

   In the China shopping context a shopping agent is a person and/or service, that buys stuff for you. They store the items for you, communicate with the sellers.

   A huge misconception is that the agent is the seller. No, the agent is not the seller, he is only a forwarder. 

• III.2 Why You Should Use Them

   Chinese marketplace systems are really internal and closed off. Most sellers don’t ship outside of Asia, or even outside China.

IV. How To Maximize The Use Of The Spreadsheet

   You can find the spreadsheet finds part on the top of the page. Simply click on the "Finds" button.

• IV.1 Filters

   The filters are on the right side of the search bar (top of page) on both desktop and mobile. Unlike 99% spreadsheets, our web filters are quite unique. You can filter by brand name, clothing/item category, colors, body types/sizes. Sorting options: newest-oldest items, price (low-high or min-max range). Priority toggle shows collaboration/handpicked items first.

   Once you select your clothing or item category, the "Fits / Cuts" section becomes available. It works as a subcategory where you can specify your first selection better. For example, after picking Clothing -> Tops -> Hoodies, you can choose to filter out by Zip Up, Graphic, Cropped and much more!

• IV.2 Size Charts & Measurements

   It’s always good to know your measurements and what different clothing types fit your style, since there’s no international standard for letter sizing (“S” doesn’t mean the same everywhere). Numbers do not lie.

   The size charts are always the last 2 photos of every item. 95% of clothing has them. I do not add items to the spreadsheet without size charts, unless it is something special or worth it in my eyes. Seller recommendations are included, but I ignore them personally, use them at your own risk.

   Chart 1: cm/kg; Chart 2: in/lbs

   Measurements are always taken with clothing laid flat on the ground and slightly stretched. Since it’s manual measurement, expect 1-3 cm due to human error and/or stretching of the fabric. Once you master reading size charts, it’ll change your online clothing shopping forever since you will have an image of how the clothing is going to fit you without trying it on.

Example: Supreme SS25 Leather Appliqué Zip Up Hoodie #1844

V. The Superbuy Guide

   You can either click on this link, go to Home on the top of the page and click on the "Register on Superbuy!" button below the video, or head to superbuy.com and register there. To get the ¥560 shipping coupons, make sure to add my invitation code "EUxSHC" and verify your email, which you should get within a few minutes after registering. Is this also an indirect way to support me, thank you!

   If you register with the code and join my Discord (only supporting CZ/SK/EN languages so far), You may be eligible for future item and/or shipping discount giveaways exclusive for the community. From the creator back to the community.

• V.1.1 Superbuy Mobile App on App Store & Google Play
  • • App Store App
    • Google Play App 

• V.1.2 Changing Language & Currency

• on desktop: find the top right bar -> hover/click on the first button -> change to your desired language & currency
  • read the light red disclaimer, I suggest anyone to use English

• mobile app: click on "Home" on the bottom left -> click on the top left icon -> choose the language & currency

• V.2 Setting Up Your International Delivery Address

   Before shipping out a parcel, the agent needs to know where to ship it to.

   Head over to Delivery Address, 

• on desktop: top right profile -> click on anything except Affiliate & Sign Out -> on the left panel under "Account" tab find the "Delivery Address" tab
• mobile app: click on "Me" bottom right -> "Address" on the bottom right side

once you are there, fill out the info.

• enter your city's name, can be in both in English if it is a big city or in your country's language — "Praha — Prague; Wein — Vienna", all versions are fine
• put the full phone number with prefix and any spacing that is in your official country's format, if you are not sure regarding the format, google it
• same for Post/ZIP Code
• try to avoid using any special characters — "Tomáš" -> "Tomas"
• under address label you can put anything you want, work address, home address,...

   If you do not fill your info right, it might happen that the shipment won't be shipped to the right address. From my experience the support customer service team reaches out to the user to correct the address in case it is wrog, but still, try to avoid this getting in unnecessary stressful situations.

Two examples for Czechia (both work):

• V.3 How To Find & Order An Ttem

   Now go back to Finds, go with anything you like. For the purpose of this part I'll go with the item YoungLA x Yu-Gi-Oh! Oversized Tee #1179. My specific filter setup was - Brand: YoungLA; Categories: Clothings -> Tops -> Tees; Fits / Cuts: Shortsleeve, Graphic; Color: Black"

   Once you find an item that catches your eye, go scroll through the photos and check the size chart. I am 175 cm / 75 kg (5’9” / 165.3 lbs). I am going with size L. I could also fit size S or M, but they would be too short. Simply click on the blue block saying "View on Superbuy", which will redirect you to Superbuy's item page.

• V.3.1 Find an item through tuanFinds.com

   The item shown in the picture: 

• YoungLA x Yu-Gi-Oh! Oversized Tee #1179

 

• V.3.2 Superbuy Order

   0) usually there is the cost of freight up there, but in some instances it does not show. You can notice the "Freight (Estimated)" is in the 5th step

   1) color (cw) section

   2) choose the colorway you want to go for

• some items may not display the exact product image on the item page because they may be replicas. Sellers often blur images as a safety measure to avoid having their listings removed

   3) size section

   4) choose the size you want

• this is a 1688 listing, you will know the difference by the way the items are listed for ordering
• since it is a 1688 listing, you need to select your colors and sizes first, then add it to cart/checkout, if it was any other platform you add to cart every single CW separately

   5) check the final selected variants/item, product cost and domestic freight

   6) "Buy Now" to buy item right away or "Add To Cart" to checkout later

• next to the buttons you can see a star sign, which you could press to add the item to your favourites, but I personally prefer to add the item to my cart, unless the item is sold out it stays in your cart with preselected cw/size

   If you scroll down the item page, you can notice multiple things. First of it is past sales info. Superbuy only shows non-branded items. If the item is branded and might be a replica, they do not show the item. You can check the QC pictures of different users before purchasing the item.

   I always suggest to add the item to your cart first, in case you change your mind in the future.

•    V.3.3 Order Confirmation Page

   Once checking out the cart, the page will redirect to Order Confirmation page. you can see info regarding the item, the cw and size, the product quantity, price and shipping fee, total price. After checking it, the info is alright, so I'm clicking on submit next to go to purchase.

   1) Put your destination country in (just for the system, it has no real use now)

   2) This means you accept the QC, I always keep this on "Yes"

• only in one instance did I not accept QC, that was when I wanted an item to be shipped internationally so bad, I beared the risk without QC, just to save hours and could get it sent out of the warehouse ASAP

   3) Inbound Method

• Remove the Express Box = the warehouse team removes the courier box/packaging that it came in and weight it without the "express box"
• Stock in Original Box = they keep the way it came it and weight it.

   I always remove the express box/packaging, unless it is something fragile, some cases I kept it for: porcelain, lamps, (prescription) glasses.

   4) Small Amount Advance payment Service

   if you tick this box, Superbuy's going to deduct any extra payments needed. The most common thing regarding this is unpaid additional domestic shipping. It is good if you do not care and want everything processed as fast as possible, since if the domestic shipping is not paid, the item's domestic shipment will be delayed. I personally keep this off, I like the feeling of control, which I do not have, since it is auto-deducting.

• example: you buy 1 pair of socks, the domestic is 5 CNY. if you buy 5 pairs of socks, the domestic shipping is still going to show as 5 CNY, but in reality the seller might want you to pay extra 20 CNY, 25 CNY in total (5x5), the amount is just an example, can be more, can be less

   5) Agree with the service disclaimer. Yap about fragile products, that it might be replica etc.

   6) Submit order

   Add-on services can be ordered here by ticking their box, but I do not use them honestly. When I was a beginner, I used to pay for detailed photos, because I was anxious about the quality, but now, I do not care anymore. They are pretty self explanatory.

• V.3.4 Order Payment

   Now choose your payment method. I always suggest to pay with Alipay, since you can notice that the transaction is completely feeless! It is feeless up to 200 CNY. After that, Alipay charges 3% fee, but you can avoid this by capping each top up at 200 CNY, so do multiple top ups.

   But if you do not want to hustle, go with any other payment method that suits you, but if you get Alipay, it will change your china-agent-spending life.

   It will redirect you to Alipay's website where you need to scan the QR code to pay. In mobile it is much and faster, since it is within the Alipay app and you do not need to scan anything.

   First of all, I need CNY, since I use Revolut and their exchange rate, not my agents, you can see I exchanged 65 cny for $9.53. If you look at the previous image, you can see Superbuy offered Apple pay for $10.91.

   If you plan to get Revolut, you can register here. Wise is also an option, but I find Revolut much more user friendly.

   Once the money is exchanged, scan the QR code from the previous step and simply pay!

• V.3.5 Order Status

   I censored the DO# and DI#. DO# is the whole order number, all items in 1 number, if you order multiple of the same item from the same link in one go. DI# is the specific item. If you need anything, contact your support, DO# and DI# are your best friends.

   If you change your mind last minute, press the "Cancelled Order Goods" and a window will pop up. Simply cancel it, if you od not want it, like I did, since this is just for a tutorial purpose only. This only works when the Order Status is at "Order Pending", since a live person, the agent worker has to buy it manually. When the order is pending, it means the person did not buy it yet, you only paid for it through the platform. 

   After this status, it will show you "Purchased", if you plan to keep the item.

Example:

   The item & text shown in the picture:

• Fear of God Essentials SS22 Velvet Print Tee #1342

• V.4 Order Terminology

you can check official Superbuy website for this

• Order Pending = item has not been directly bought from the seller yet
  • 1) agent is sleeping (off working hours)
  • 2) they need you to confirm some additional info
• Order Processing = agent woke up and is looking at the item
• Order withdrawn = when you cancel an order
• Refunding = agent initiated the refund process with the seller
• Purchased = tem has been purchased by the agent
  • if the item is purchased for longer than 5 working days without updated status, I always contact the support to ask them whatsup, since the item might be out of stock and seller being slow in communication
  • if you want to cancel/do anything with the order, either copy DI# and contact customer support, or simply click "Contact" on the top right
• Shipped (Local) = the item's shipping label has been created and/or shipped
  • once it is in this status, depending where the seller is located domestically within China, expect the item to arrive in the warehouse within 1-3 working days
• Delivered = the item has been signed at the warehouse
  • it takes around 4-6 hours for it to be stored in the warehouse, unless you paid for priority stock in
• Stock arrived = inspection and weighning process has been completed
  • you can check QC pictures in Orders tab
• Stored in Warehouse = item has been stored in the warehouse
  • you are able to ship your items internationally by now
• Clear balance = this is the thing mentioned in V.2.2 Superbuy Order, to pay the unsettled balance
  • mostly to pay the domestic shipping
• Separated to ship = multiple DI#s in the order, seller sent them separately 
• Confirmation pending = agent needs to get a confirmation
  • can be regarding that if you accept that the item can not be returned, exchanged
  • that the item is presale and the first payment is only a deposit and you might pay later

   In case you return stuff back:

• Returning = item is being sent to the seller for a refund
• Exchanging = item is being sent to the seller for a exchange
• Returned = item has been returned and accept by the seller, you are getting refunded

   Once you submit an international parcel

• Shipped (International) = the item is shipped internationally (to you)
• Completed = the item (haul) has been delivered to you

• V.5 Warehouse

   Warehouse is literally a warehouse. Your agent's place, where they store all your items. They match your ordered item with the physical item stored by matching the courier's label (=waybill number). Once the item is stored, you can ship the item out internationally.

   The items shown in the picture:

• Nike x Nocta x Chrome Hearts [Max Batch] Air Force 1 Low "Chrome Hearts" CZ8065-100 #3636
• not added to the spreadsheet (yet)
• Balenciaga Graffiti Baggy Jeans #3826

 

• 1) order (DO#) & item (DI#) number
• 2) QC photos
  
  • the first item has detailed photos attached to it for more details check V.2.3 Order Confirmation Page
• 3) item weight & dimensions
  • it’s not always precise, but it gives you a sense of an idea of the item
• 4) shipping expert (rehearsal)
• 5) ignore this button

• How to return/exchange an item

   It might happen that an item you get is not what you expected, if the seller accepts returns/exchanges, which Superbuy notifies you if they don't before the purchase, click on the DO# in the Warehouse, or go back to Orders page and find the specific product. Click on the After Sales button and follow the window's instructions. Then just wait! Read the return text in the image.

   It takes a week for the agent to process/ship the item to the seller, then another week for your money to arrive. Be patience. If it is an exchange, take into account another week for the seller to ship a replenishment.

• V.6 Shipping The Parcel Out

   Just note, it is not always the final price, the final price is listed by the freight company, so it might happen that you get a refund, or they want you to pay a little more. The final price is presented to you within 5 working days after the parcel is shipped out of the agent's hands and is in the freight company's handling system.

Shipping Expert (also called rehearsal):

• you get a shipping plan, the cost of it is usually spot on, the range of refund/back payment is 5%
• paid service
• extremely easy to use
• I recommend using this if you don't know what you are doing
• on Superbuy it's 20 CNY for 10 items, then 1 CNY for each additional DI#

 

• V.6.1 Shipping Add-on services worth mentioning
  • Priority Stock-out (10 CNY) = the parcel will be packed and shipped out within 3 hours of approval
  • Folding Shoe Box (5 CNY) = folds all shoe boxes in the specific parcel to save volume (space)
  • Vacuum Packaging  (17 CNY) = compressing with vacuum, saving volume. a must have for puffy jackets
  • EPE Loose filling (3 CNY/kg, max 15 CNY) = fills the inside with EPE plastic plates
    • useful only if you ship something fragile, if you ship out clothes, skip this
    • I used this when I shipped out a pair of prescription glasses alone
  • Corner protection (5 CNY/kg, max 25 CNY)
    • useful only if you ship something fragile, if you ship out clothes, skip this
    • I used this when I shipped out a pair of prescription glasses alone

   There are more add-on services, but I find them not useful enough to be worth mentioning. And I don't want you to pay for something that is pointless.

• V.6.2 Shipping Expert

   I usually use this service, it costs minimum for me and saves me a lot of time. Select the items you want to ship out, in my case I'm selecting whole warehouse, which is 18 DI#s (items).

   Estimate is 10,2kg, but that is just a system estimate, in reality it is usually less. The service usually takes 1-3 working days, but from my experience if you submit it in the morning (Beijing time), it is usually done by the end of their shift, unless it is holidays and shipping promotions, in which case a lot of people submit the service.

   You can also notice that Superbuy compensates for the value of items that are damaged during transport.

   1) Select more items to be added to the shipping expert or cancel any excess items.

   2) Check or add a new delivery address

   3) Accept Shipping in Separate Parcels?

• good if you want to split parcels to multiple addresses
• good if you want to split 30kg from your warehouse to multiple smaller packages
• you can specify your wish in the remark part 

   4) Expected Timeliness Plan

• if you don't need express or ocean shipping line (to save the most, but alsi 1-2 month wait time), keep it "Best Overall: 14-30 Days"
• only "Best Overall: 14-30 Days" shipping lines offer duty-free/tax-prepaid line

   5) Desired Packaging Plan

• you can keep packaging, which I don't recommend, since it makes your parcel bulkier and heavier, increasing the shipping cost
• remove packaging by the warehouse team - "Packaging Removal SOP" read the previous image to get a sense of idea what that means
• or do custom selection:
  • Remove the shipping box only = courier box that was used in domestic shipping
  • Remove shipping box and product box = courier box and the product's box
  • Remove the shipping box, product box and product bag = courier box, product's box and any dust bags included

   I always use "Packaging Removal SOP" and specify in the next remark section about my intended plans.

6) Declaration Information

• declare the amount value of your parcel's items, that is for customs & VAT purposes
• no advice on this, but I've heard people declare $10 per kg
  • if the parcel is declared as $3 for a 30kg parcel, that could be a little weird

7) Sending plan description

• any shipping plans, preferred shipping line, item packaging, item adding/removing can be specified here
• while talking about an item, always include it's DO# or DI#
• usage of specific shipping coupons, credits, shipping promo codes can be mentioned here
• put your add-on services from V.6.1 Shipping Add-on services worth mentioning here
  • a big con I find here is that you have to type each add-on service manually
• if you want to check my go-to remarks, please check V.6.3 My go to shipping remarks to warehouse workers
• BE POLITE!

8) Deduction method (payment)

   First you pay for the service, then you pay for the parcel. Don't get this mixed up.

• auto-deduction for the parcel can be set once the service is done, it is faster, as it does not need you to confirm anything, but I do not use it, because I always top-up for everything I need, I feel like I have more system/control over it
• confirmation first - this is what I use, I pay for the service, once it is done, the agent sends out a notification about the plan of the parcel shipment being ready
  • with the shipping line suggested, approximate price is around +-5% of the real cost

This is how a message from shipping expert team looks like:

   All there is left to do is pay for the shipping based on shipping expert's suggestion and wait.

• V.6.3 My Go To Shipping Remarks To Warehouse Workers

Some examples of my remarks (you can use any combination of those):

• 1) "Hello, please add item DI26711436752 to the order, customer service told me its ok to add items additionally. Please remove all boxes, especially DI26711436750, DI26711436751, DI26711436752, thank you."
  • this was because an item was delivered to the warehouse, but was still not available to ship out in the warehouse menu, so I told them to add the item to the parcel once it is ready
  • since the service takes 1-3 working days and the item is stocked within a few hours, it is just as fine to do it this way, but don't do that with too many items at once
• 2) "Hello, please try to put item DI26711277239 into the box DI26711277240 and other smaller items into item DI26711225277, thank you."
  • I had a few small keychains and other accessories, requested for the workers to stuff smaller items into the bigger ones to save space and potentially some money too
• 3) "Hello, please fold the shoe boxes, do vacuum, thank you"
  • folding shoe boxes to save space, I usually throw them away, but some shoe boxes have a cool design, so I ship them out from time to time
  • requested for the workers to do vacuum packaging, which saves volume (space) of puffier items, like down jackets,...
• 4) "Hello, please use the cheapest DHL duty prepaid line."
  • requiring a specific shipping line
• 5) "Hello, please remove DI#'s box. Please remove as much excess plastic as possible and make the parcel as small as possible and as light as possible, thank you"
  • telling them to remove any excess plastic, plastic dust bags and so on

 

• V.6.4 General Shipping Tips
  • since you pay fix fees every time you ship a parcel out, it is advised to ship out at least 3 kg to make it really worth it
  • if you want a few items only, try to build a haul with your friends and family 
  • I've shipped out 20 kg+ packages, but it is generally advised to stay at 10 kg to minimize the risk of custom inspection and delays by it
  • PATIENCE! the package flies around the whole globe, it can not and will not arrive within a day, generally to Europe it is around 10 working weeks

• V.6.5 Shipping Status

   This is an example for DHL Europe line. Since this shipping line is a triangular line, it's updates will show up once it is scanned in Europe. Please, save your and anyone's time, stop asking "when am I going to receive this" after shipping the parcel out 3 days ago. It flies around the whole globe.

   If you have any questions, ask the customer support, they are smarter and have more tools to check than us randoms.

   You can check your parcel's status on the parcel page.

VI. How To Deal With Customs

   Just because a package is going through inspection does not always mean it is or will be seized. So do not panic, unless it is a longer time without any information and movement. Contact Superbuy's customer service and go from there.

   The customs workers might burn the reps, but sometimes, if something catches their eye, they will take it home.

   If your package gets seized, then you are doomed. Again, contact the customer service if you can get any more info.

 

TL;DR USE SUPERBUY