Sellers, listings and the checks that land on you
Whoever pays the seller carries the first round of checks; in an agent order Hipobuy's buyer shares that job, and in a forwarding order it is yours alone.
Judging a seller before you pay
How do you choose a seller? Hipobuy gives its own answer in the disclaimer for purchasing agents: choose sellers whose reputation is good, rated three stars or higher, and who are paid through Taobao's escrow. With low-credit sellers it lists fake shipments, non-delivery and no after-sales as risks, and says the loss is yours.
In an agent order, the buyer agent sees the same seller page you do and can flag a problem, but the choice of listing is still yours. In a forwarding order the whole check is yours, and two questions join it: will the seller ship to a warehouse address rather than a home, and will they send you the tracking number the day they ship?
A reliable seller in both cases is one whose rating, sales history and buyer photos agree with each other, and who answers a question before you pay.
Choosing the listing itself
When deciding what to order, start from the listing's own words. Copy the option names for colour and size as they appear; the warehouse checks colour and size against your selection and any remark you leave, and a later size claim needs a photo of the size label.
Watch for three listing types that change the rules. Deposit and pre-sale orders cannot be cancelled once placed. Custom-made items need the details agreed with the seller first, and are outside the return guarantee. Items listed by sellers outside mainland China are outside it too.
Finally, note the seller's domestic freight. In an agent order it is part of the product cost you pay up front; in a forwarding order you pay it to the seller, unless the courier collects it at the warehouse and Hipobuy takes it from your balance.
Items that change the risk for both orders
Some goods carry the same risk whichever order brings them in. Hipobuy's pre-purchase notes refuse tobacco, alcohol and contraband, restrict knives, lighters, magnets and seeds, and limit medicine, liquids, creams, powders and cosmetics.
Hipobuy's own anti-counterfeiting policy, section 8 of its Service Terms, applies to everything bought through the site and its prohibited items list includes counterfeit and pirated products. The consequences it lists are loss of purchase privileges, funds withheld and disposal of the goods. Forwarded parcels are opened for exactly this prohibited items check.
Hipobuy is also plain, in its Search Terms, that it neither verifies whether products are genuine nor judges their quality. Neither order type adds an authenticity check; the responsibility to buy only genuine goods is written onto the buyer.
How to read the QC photos you receive
Hipobuy's standard inspection photos are usually three: front, back, and a side or logo view. The word is 'generally', so treat three as typical rather than promised.
Read them in a fixed order. Count the pieces against your order lines, or against your own receipt for a forwarded parcel. Match the colour and the size label. Look for holes, stains and crushed packaging, which the check covers; do not expect the photos to settle small colour differences, loose threads or how a gadget performs, which Hipobuy excludes.
If a photo leaves a doubt, buy extra photos at 1 CNY each for a measurement or a second angle before the deadline that applies: 120 hours for an agent return, and for forwarded goods, before you combine and ship, since there is no return through Hipobuy.
For forwarded goods, read the photos against your own receipt or the sender's list, not against a Hipobuy order line, because the forwarding order holds no item list unless you typed one. If something is missing, the forwarding terms send you to the sender, so ask them before you submit the parcel.
Before you pay: things to watch for each order
Agent order: pay within 72 hours or the order cancels itself; choose every option on the item page; leave a message if the seller needs to confirm anything; and keep a little room in your budget, because a higher real price stops the order at Clear Balance until you pay.
Forwarding order: type the tracking number exactly and check it on the order page; ask the sender to prepay the courier, or keep enough balance for a fee collected on delivery; make sure the outer box can survive the trip, since badly damaged parcels are refused at the warehouse; and keep the receipt and seller chat, because Hipobuy will not have them.
The most common mistake is the same in both: paying first and reading the terms afterwards.
If you are unsure which order to use, run the item through the two-lane comparison first; it lists the protections each order keeps next to the money each one moves.
