Inspection, photographs, and what each one can prove
The free check has a written scope, written thresholds and a written list of things it will never look at. Everything below is that scope, in order, with the price of closing each gap.
What happens by default
The free scope, in the order an inspector works
First the item is screened for prohibited goods, because a parcel that cannot be exported is everyone's problem. Then it is verified against your order: style, quantity, colour, size and model. Then it is examined for damage and obvious defects, to a threshold the policy states in millimetres rather than adjectives. Then three photographs are taken, and the item is repacked, with the policy warning in advance that original packaging may not be fully restored.
Answering no to standard inspection at order time changes all of that. The warehouse then verifies and photographs the outer packaging only, and the policy states you carry the resulting risk. There is no third option at the free tier.
Three cases sit outside the normal flow. Sealed goods, and non-clothing items carrying a sealed label or tag, are never opened. Appliances, digital products and electronic accessories are checked for appearance only and are not switched on. Goods bought on 1688 follow their own split, sampled or not inspected at all depending on class.
The thresholds, quoted rather than summarised
We will also inspect for damage or noticeable defects (e.g. stains, discoloration, scratches, snags, or folds with a diameter of over 0.5cm for circular defects or over 1cm for other shapes). Three standard photos will be provided.
Superbuy help centre, helpId=1172, read 10 October 2026
Half a centimetre is roughly the width of a pencil. Plenty of real flaws live under that line: a loose thread, a short run in a knit, a scuff on a heel. None of them is a failure of the service, because the service published its threshold.
That is the useful way to read every line below. The question is never whether Superbuy inspects well. It is whether the published scope overlaps the thing you personally would send an item back for.
The exclusions, which are the most useful paragraph in the policy
Marketing pages list what a service does. The exclusions list is where you learn what it is. Superbuy names six groups, and they explain almost every dispute that goes nowhere.
- Defects the seller already declared on the listing.
- Subjective differences in quality.
- Actual usage effects: the policy names colour difference, size discrepancy, phone case and screen film models, eyeglass prescriptions, garment linings, the appearance of the product box, and minor logo printing quality.
- Authenticity, function and quality of appliances, digital products and electronic accessories: appearance only, and the device is not switched on.
- Anything inside sealed packaging, and anything inside a non-apparel item that carries a sealed label or tag.
- Style, quantity, colour, size and model on RMB-1 deals, mystery bags, invalid links, auction lots and listings whose images are mosaic-covered: only severe damage is checked.
Read the third one twice. Colour difference, size discrepancy, phone case model, eyeglass prescription, garment lining, box appearance and minor logo print quality are all named. Those are not edge cases, they are the seven complaints people actually have, and the policy puts them outside the scope in advance.
This is not an argument against using the service. It is an argument for buying the specific evidence you need rather than assuming the free pass is a guarantee.
Prices
The ladder of paid evidence, and what each rung opens
Every price below was read from the help centre on 10 October 2026. They are the published amounts, not a quote: the order screen is the only place your own total is binding.
| Service | Published price | What it adds | Opens the packaging | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard inspection | free | Prohibited-goods screen, then style, quantity, colour, size and model, plus damage and obvious defects. Three photos. | no, sealed items stay sealed | helpId=1172 |
| Standard photos | free | Three angles: front, back, and the side or logo. Completed within 24 hours of arrival. | no | helpId=1406 |
| Detailed inspection | CN¥5.50 per item | Linings, pockets and seams; the zip is tried by hand; sleeve and leg lengths compared; accessories counted; a shelf life under one month is flagged. | yes, by default | helpId=1390 |
| Detailed photo | CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third | One chosen angle or detail per photo. Measurements are taken with a wooden rule, a soft tape or a steel tape, and you can say which. | yes, by default | helpId=1112 |
| Re-inspection | CN¥6.00 per item | The standard checks again after the item is already in storage, with three fresh photos. | yes | helpId=1447 |
| Power-on test for 3C and appliances | CN¥12.00 per item | The device is switched on, indicator lights and the on/off cycle are checked, and one photo is sent by message and email. No functional testing beyond that. | yes | helpId=1392 |
| Model try-on photos | CN¥30.00 per item | A live model matched as closely as possible to the height, weight and shoe size you give, photographed front, back, left and right. Not offered for swimwear, intimates or very revealing clothing. | yes | helpId=1393 |
| Product video | CN¥20.00 per item | A 360-degree video of the item. | yes | helpId=1446 |
Every add-on above carries the same promise: if Superbuy misses its own window it credits ten times what you paid to your account balance, non-withdrawable, issued the following Tuesday. Delays caused by something waiting on your confirmation, by risk-control review, by force majeure, by public holidays or by a site-wide promotion are excluded.
One oddity worth naming: the help centre prices a detail photo at two yuan, while the pricing page's worked example bills detailed photos at three. Both are official and both were read the same day, so this site shows the pair rather than quietly picking the friendlier number.
Where evidence costs more than its price
The packaging standards table decides whether a no-reason return is available at all. It is written as a returns rule, but in practice it is an inspection rule, because the paid services say in their own terms that sealed packaging is opened by default and cannot be restored.
| Category | What must still be true |
|---|---|
| New sneakers | Anti-theft clasp, if there is one, and the anti-damage sticker must be uncut, unremoved and still working. |
| Perfume, cosmetics, skin and body care, hair care and wigs | One-time sealing packaging must still be sealed. |
| Detergent, tampons, paper goods, fragrance | One-time sealing packaging must still be sealed. |
| Digital products and home appliances | The internet-access permit must be undamaged and there must be no water damage. |
| Digital and SLR cameras | The shutter must not have been pressed more than twenty times. |
| Large appliances | Televisions and air conditioners must not have been wall-mounted (simple debugging is allowed), and a washing machine must not have run water. |
| Models, figures, anime goods, cosplay items and board games | Tapes and plastic seals must not be removed. |
| Electronic components | No soldering, no integrated circuit ever seated in a base, and consumable glues and thermal pastes still sealed. |
| Books and magazines | Sealing intact, and no folds, water stains, ink or reading marks. |
| Game software, pet food and health products, veterinary medicines | One-time sealing packaging must still be sealed. |
So the decision has three outcomes rather than two. Buy the evidence and accept that this category's return is gone. Skip the evidence and accept the risk you were trying to price. Or change what you order, which is the option people forget: a different shop, an unsealed variant, or a category where proof is free.
The check
Unseal cost check
Two choices, four answers, all of them traceable to a published article. Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is stored; the rules travel with the page.
The last row is the one worth reading twice. It is the part that does not improve however much you spend.
Rules read from the Superbuy help centre on 10 October 2026.
| Policy group | Question | Free check | What closes it | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| clothing | Will it measure the size I ordered? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| clothing | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| clothing | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| clothing | Does it switch on? | not covered | Nothing to switch on in this category. | nothing opened |
| clothing | Is the colour the one in the listing? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| clothing | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Model try-on photos (CN¥30.00 per item) | packaging opened |
| clothing | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | settled | Already covered by the free check; paying adds nothing here. | nothing opened |
| sneakers and shoes | Will it measure the size I ordered? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| sneakers and shoes | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| sneakers and shoes | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| sneakers and shoes | Does it switch on? | not covered | Nothing to switch on in this category. | nothing opened |
| sneakers and shoes | Is the colour the one in the listing? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| sneakers and shoes | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Model try-on photos (CN¥30.00 per item) | return right at risk |
| sneakers and shoes | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | settled | Already covered by the free check; paying adds nothing here. | nothing opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Will it measure the size I ordered? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Does it switch on? | not covered | Nothing to switch on in this category. | nothing opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Is the colour the one in the listing? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Model try-on photos (CN¥30.00 per item) | packaging opened |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | settled | Already covered by the free check; paying adds nothing here. | nothing opened |
| eyewear | Will it measure the size I ordered? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| eyewear | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| eyewear | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| eyewear | Does it switch on? | not covered | Nothing to switch on in this category. | nothing opened |
| eyewear | Is the colour the one in the listing? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | packaging opened |
| eyewear | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Model try-on photos (CN¥30.00 per item) | packaging opened |
| eyewear | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | packaging opened |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Will it measure the size I ordered? | not covered | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Does it switch on? | not covered | Nothing to switch on in this category. | nothing opened |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Is the colour the one in the listing? | not covered | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Not a fitting category. | nothing opened |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | Will it measure the size I ordered? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | What do the lining, pockets and seams look like? | not covered | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | Does the zip, clasp or buckle actually work? | partly | Detailed inspection (CN¥5.50 per item) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | Does it switch on? | not covered | Power-on test for 3C and appliances (CN¥12.00 per item) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | Is the colour the one in the listing? | partly | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| watches and electronics | How does it look on a person? | not covered | Not a fitting category. | nothing opened |
| watches and electronics | Is it the exact model or variant I picked? | settled | Detailed photo (CN¥2.00 per photo, half price from the third) | return right at risk |
| Policy group | Categories it covers |
|---|---|
| clothing | Jackets & coats, Hoodies, T-shirts, Jeans, Sweatpants, Womenswear, Jerseys |
| sneakers and shoes | Sneakers |
| bags, hats, belts and jewellery | Bags, Hats & caps, Belts, Jewellery |
| eyewear | Eyewear |
| sealed beauty and fragrance | Perfume |
| watches and electronics | Watches, Electronics |
Reading the QC photographs you do get, and what each frame can carry
Front, back, and one side or logo angle. That framing answers identity questions well and condition questions badly, so use it for identity first: is this the colourway you chose, is the print placed where the listing showed it, is the hardware the right finish, does the logo sit at the right height.
Then look at what the frame accidentally contains. Creasing tells you how it was folded, not how it was made. A shadow along a seam can be a shadow. Fabric weight never survives a photograph, and neither does smell, which is the complaint nobody plans for.
If a photo is unusable, say so. Detail photos carry a free retake when the image is out of focus, too dark or bright, too far away or incomplete. That guarantee is attached to the paid service, so it is also an argument for buying one photo rather than squinting at three.
What to settle before you pay, not after
Decide the inspection answer at order time. Changing your mind later is possible but it is a re-inspection, which is a separate charge for work that would have been free an hour earlier.
Write the photo request in plain, specific terms. One angle per photo is the rule, so ask for the thing rather than the impression: the inside of the left pocket, the stitching where the strap meets the body, a tape across the chest at the armpit. If you care which measuring tool is used, say so, because the warehouse works with a wooden rule, a soft tape or a steel tape depending on the item.
Check the category against the packaging standards before you add anything that opens a seal. And if the answer you need is authenticity, no inspection tier provides it; the exclusions say so, and the paid add-ons are about condition rather than provenance. The help centre does introduce a third-party identification centre, accredited and specialised in watches, which is a different kind of service entirely and carries no published price or ordering route in the English help centre. Treat it as a thing that exists, not as a step you can add to an order.