For a first daigou order, use a written checklist from product selection to final delivery: define the exact item, confirm the purchasing scope, register domestic tracking, inspect warehouse arrivals, approve consolidation, compare eligible routes, prepare truthful customs data, and verify the shipment before dispatch. This process makes costs and responsibilities visible at every stage.
Step 1: Define the product precisely
Provide the original marketplace URL and list the quantity, colour, size, version, model, and specification. State which substitutions are acceptable and which are not. If the listing involves customisation, a preorder, seller coupons, domestic freight on delivery, or limited return rights, include that information before the order is placed.
Describe regulated or route-sensitive attributes openly. Batteries, liquids, powders, magnets, food, medicine, cosmetics, wood, branded items, fragile goods, and commercial quantities can affect warehouse acceptance and international options. A product title translated by a browser is not enough for a reliable route check.
Step 2: Confirm what the purchasing service includes
Ask whether the agent will communicate with the seller, place the order, handle domestic payment, follow shortages, request a refund, or arrange a domestic return. Confirm the service fee basis, currency handling, domestic delivery, and what happens if the seller changes the price or cannot supply the chosen variation.
Buyers who can place the domestic order themselves can start with the self-shopping page. Buyers who need purchase assistance should keep the agent's confirmation of item details and total domestic cost before payment.
Step 3: Track every parcel into the warehouse
Save the Chinese order number and domestic tracking number. Follow the platform's parcel-prealert or address-labelling rules so the warehouse can identify the owner. When a parcel arrives, check that the order association, quantity, and visible condition match the requested service.
Inspection has limits. A receiving photo may show the outer package but not prove authenticity or product function. If size, colour, serial number, packaging condition, or accessories matter, request a suitable inspection before the seller's return window closes.
Welisen currently provides 180 days of free storage, allowing parcels from several sellers to be gathered before an outbound shipment is planned. This verified policy does not replace order monitoring. Resolve incorrect or damaged goods before consolidation and keep track of any seller deadline.
Step 4: Approve consolidation and packing
Tell the warehouse which retail boxes must be kept and which duplicate outer packaging may be removed. Original packaging may protect an item or preserve its value; it may also increase parcel dimensions. Fragile, electronic, sharp, heavy, and easily compressed goods require different materials and placement.
Consolidation should be evaluated after the goods are known. Combining incompatible products can create handling or route problems. Ask for the packed carton count, actual weight, dimensions, photos, and any special-service charge before approving the international shipment.
Step 5: Compare eligible shipping channels
Start by removing routes that do not accept the product. Then compare the remaining commercial courier, air, postal, or sea options using the same carton data. Important questions include:
- Is chargeable weight based on actual or dimensional weight?
- Which product, size, remote-area, or handling surcharges can apply?
- How detailed is tracking and who performs final delivery?
- What customs process is used and what must the recipient provide?
- What is the current dispatch expectation?
- What evidence is needed for a loss or damage investigation?
- Which services and destination charges are outside the quote?
Route labels do not guarantee a fixed transit time. Origin handling, capacity, weather, customs review, holidays, and last-mile conditions can change the journey. Reconfirm the current plan when the parcel is ready, rather than relying on an estimate made before packing.
Use the services overview to understand the workflow and the pricing guide to identify cost components. The actual decision should use the current packed shipment.
Step 6: Calculate the realistic landed cost
Keep product and logistics costs separate. The landed-cost budget may include the item, Chinese domestic freight, purchasing service, payment or currency handling, inspection, packing, international transport, insurance, and destination duties, taxes, brokerage, or delivery charges.
A low freight figure can be incomplete if the chargeable weight, surcharge conditions, clearance arrangement, or destination component is not shown. Ask for an itemised quotation and record what can change after measurement or carrier review. If the shipment is for a business, include inventory, compliance, and delay risk in the purchasing decision.
Step 7: Prepare accurate customs information
Use truthful descriptions, quantities, intended use, and transaction values. Keep invoices, order pages, payment records, and product specifications. Do not undervalue goods, disguise a commercial order as a gift, omit controlled attributes, or split an order to reduce taxes.
Destination tax rules, import permissions, identity requirements, and product restrictions can change. Consult the destination customs or tax authority and confirm the selected carrier's current requirements. Food, medicine, cosmetics, electronics, branded goods, and commercial quantities may need additional checks before purchase.
Step 8: Verify the shipment before payment and dispatch
The final approval should show the recipient's legal name, complete address, telephone number, postal code, carton count, packed weight and dimensions, selected route, fee breakdown, customs description, declared value, insurance choice, and tracking process.
Check address details in a format the destination carrier can use. Include apartment, unit, building, state or province, and access information where relevant. A missing address element can cause a return even when the international leg operated normally.
Step 9: Follow delivery and retain evidence
Monitor tracking, but remember that different carriers publish events at different points. Respond promptly if customs or the last-mile carrier requests documents. On delivery, inspect the outer carton and labels before discarding them. Photograph visible damage and record the opening when the contents are valuable or fragile.
If something is missing or damaged, report it through the stated process with the order, tracking, packaging, and photo evidence. Carrier and insurance review windows can be limited, so do not postpone the first report.
Beginner questions
Can I buy first and check shipping eligibility later?
That creates avoidable risk. A restricted item may have no suitable route, and a domestic return may no longer be available. Check the exact product and destination first.
Should all parcels be sent together?
Not necessarily. Consolidation depends on product compatibility, condition, packaging needs, route rules, and urgency. Separate shipments may be appropriate for operational reasons, never as a way to misstate customs value or avoid duties.
How do I compare two quotes?
Give both providers the same item and destination details. Compare chargeable weight, included warehouse work, route, surcharge rules, customs responsibility, destination charges, tracking, and claims procedure, not only the displayed total.
Before placing the first order, match this checklist against the pricing page and service process. More product and destination preparation guides are available in the article library.