Question 1

How do I start shopping?

Accepted Answer

You can submit a manual purchase request without an account. Paste a Taobao, Tmall, JD, Pinduoduo, 1688, Douyin or other product link on the Buy page, add the required options and contact details, and our team will confirm price, stock and payment within 24 hours.

Question 2

Which Chinese marketplaces are supported?

Accepted Answer

Taobao, Tmall, JD, 1688 and Douyin support automatic link parsing. Pinduoduo and other marketplaces can be submitted for manual confirmation. Prices and stock are always confirmed at purchase.

Question 3

Where can I find my warehouse address?

Accepted Answer

After registration, open Dashboard → Warehouse to find your dedicated China warehouse address and member code. Please fill it in completely when ordering.

Question 4

How long does the whole process take?

Accepted Answer

Domestic purchasing usually takes 1–5 days. After arrival and inspection, parcels can be consolidated. EMS/air shipping takes around 5–12 business days; sea freight around 20–45 days.

Question 5

What is the service fee?

Accepted Answer

The shopping agent fee is 8% of the item subtotal, with a minimum of CNY 2 per order. Item cost, domestic shipping and service fee are listed separately; standard handling is currently ¥0, and international shipping is charged by final chargeable weight at consolidation. See the Pricing & Fees page for the full breakdown.

Question 6

What if a product link cannot be parsed?

Accepted Answer

Submit a manual purchase request below the Buy page. Include the original product link and any color, size or quantity requirements. Our team will verify the item and price for you.

Question 7

Can I change color or size after ordering?

Accepted Answer

Free changes are possible while the order is Pending Payment or Pending Purchase. Once the seller ships, return or exchange follows the seller’s policy.

Question 8

What if the item is out of stock, repriced or removed?

Accepted Answer

Our purchaser will notify you by in-site message. You can choose another link, adjust the budget or cancel; eligible payments are returned through the original payment method.

Question 9

Can coupons or bargaining be used?

Accepted Answer

We use available public store coupons whenever possible. You may add negotiation requests in buyer notes; the actual paid order price prevails.

Question 10

How long is free storage?

Accepted Answer

Each parcel can be stored free for 180 days from check-in, giving you time to buy from multiple sellers and consolidate later.

Question 11

Is inspection and photography free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Basic arrival photos and routine checks for quantity, specifications and external condition are free. Detail photo requests are also available.

Question 12

What is consolidation and why use it?

Accepted Answer

Consolidation removes unnecessary packaging and combines multiple parcels into one international shipment, reducing duplicate and volumetric weight, often saving 10%–40%.

Question 13

Why does the warehouse weight differ from the seller’s?

Accepted Answer

The warehouse uses actual measured weight and dimensions. You can view them with photos in parcel details. Please raise a ticket before shipping if anything looks wrong.

Question 14

What happens after the storage period?

Accepted Answer

We remind you by message and email before expiry. Parcels unshipped after 180 days may incur extended storage fees; long-term abandoned parcels are handled per platform policy.

Question 15

How is shipping cost calculated?

Accepted Answer

Cost is based on chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight = L×W×H(cm) ÷ the channel divisor. Use our calculator for an estimate.

Question 16

Which channel should I choose?

Accepted Answer

DHL/EMS suits documents, small parcels and urgent items; air freight offers balanced value; sea freight is best for large, heavy, non-urgent shipments. ETA and restrictions are shown at checkout.

Question 17

Who pays customs duties?

Accepted Answer

The recipient is the importer of record and is responsible for duties, VAT or customs fees. Please declare item information truthfully.

Question 18

Which items cannot be shipped?

Accepted Answer

Flammables/explosives, restricted knives, weapons, drugs, counterfeit goods, live animals/plants, cash and securities are prohibited. Batteries, liquids, powders and food depend on channel rules.

Question 19

Why is tracking not updating?

Accepted Answer

Enter your waybill number on the Tracking page after dispatch. Tracking may pause briefly during flight allocation or customs processing.

Question 20

What if an item has quality issues?

Accepted Answer

Inspection photos serve as evidence. We can arrange domestic returns/exchanges. For international parcels, submit a ticket within 48 hours of receipt with outer packaging and item photos.

Question 21

How are lost or damaged parcels compensated?

Accepted Answer

Submit an after-sale ticket and we will open an investigation with the carrier. Insured parcels follow insurance terms; uninsured parcels follow the channel’s basic coverage.

Question 22

How do refunds work and how long do they take?

Accepted Answer

Submit a ticket from the order after-sales entry or Help Center with the order number, payment reference, reason and evidence. We normally review within 1–3 business days and submit an approved original-method refund within 1–3 business days. Typical arrival is 1–5 business days for PayPal, 1–7 business days for WeChat Pay/Alipay and 3–10 business days for cards or cross-border clearing, subject to the provider. See /refund-policy.

Question 23

Why is the refund marked successful but not yet in my account?

Accepted Answer

“Refunded” usually means the refund has been submitted or accepted by the provider; it does not always mean your card has posted the funds. If the typical time has passed, submit a ticket with the refund reference, provider transaction ID and debit screenshot so we can investigate.

Question 24

How quickly are tickets answered?

Accepted Answer

Usually within 24 hours. For urgent shipping issues, include the waybill number in the subject, or use the support widget at the bottom-right of the page.

Question 25

What payment methods are supported?

Accepted Answer

PayPal, WeChat Pay and Alipay. Orders, shipping fees and balance top-ups are completed through a secure checkout with encrypted payment data.

Question 26

How do I top up my balance?

Accepted Answer

Sign in, open Dashboard → Balance → Top Up, choose an amount and pay via PayPal, WeChat Pay or Alipay. The balance is available right after payment.

Question 27

How long does payment take to appear?

Accepted Answer

Online payments usually appear within minutes. Slower banks or providers may take up to one business day.

Question 28

What should I do if payment failed but my card was debited?

Accepted Answer

Do not pay again. Keep the provider transaction ID, amount, time and debit screenshot, then submit a ticket marked “Failed payment but debited”. We will reconcile the order and payment callback, normally starting within one business day. If the funds did not reach Gotopbuy, we will help return or release them; if they arrived, we will complete the order or create a refund.

Question 29

What if the same order was charged twice?

Accepted Answer

Do not make further payments. Submit a ticket marked “Duplicate charge” with each transaction ID, time and screenshot. Once finance confirms that only one payment was used for the order, the duplicate principal will be returned through the original payment method with no additional refund service fee. See /refund-policy.

Question 30

Can I withdraw my balance?

Accepted Answer

Eligible balance with no pending orders can be returned to the original payment method after review. Arrival time depends on the provider.

Question 31

How do I register or sign in?

Accepted Answer

Please use email to register and sign in for now. Add your delivery address during registration, then manage orders, parcels and addresses in the Dashboard.

Question 32

I forgot my password.

Accepted Answer

Click “Forgot password” on the sign-in page and follow the email instructions to reset it. Support can also help.

Question 33

How do I update my profile and delivery address?

Accepted Answer

Edit profile under Dashboard → Settings and manage overseas delivery addresses under Addresses, then select one at checkout.

Question 34

Is my account secure?

Accepted Answer

Passwords are hashed, sessions use JWT authentication and payment data is not stored in plaintext on our servers. Never share your verification codes or password.

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