LitBuy QC: How Quality Control Protects You
By the LitBuy Spreadsheet team · Last updated: June 2026 ·
QC (quality control) is the photo-and-video check of your actual item before it ships. LitBuy sends a 360° QC video plus photos to your WhatsApp within ~48 hours of your item reaching the warehouse. You inspect it against a retail reference, then approve or reject — nothing ships without your go-ahead. If there's a flaw, wrong colorway or sizing issue, we re-make, swap or refund. QC is the single biggest reason buying through an agent beats gambling on a raw link.
What QC actually is
QC — quality control — is the step that separates accountable buying from a gamble. After your item is purchased and arrives at our warehouse, we photograph it and film a 360° video of the exact unit you're getting, then send it to your WhatsApp. You look it over and decide: approve and we ship, or reject and we fix it. Because international returns from China are slow and costly, this front-loaded check is far more valuable than any return policy — it catches problems while they're still cheap and easy to solve, before your parcel ever crosses a border.
Crucially, QC is of your item, not a stock photo or a different colorway. That distinction matters: a seller's polished album photo tells you nothing about the specific pair in the box. A real QC video, shot under plain warehouse light from multiple angles, reveals what marketing images hide. This is why experienced buyers treat the QC stage as non-negotiable and why we make it standard on every order.
What to check, by category
Knowing what to look at turns QC from a rubber-stamp into a real inspection. We send a retail reference image alongside your QC so you can compare directly. Here's what matters most per category.
| Category | Check these first | Common tells |
|---|---|---|
| Sneakers | Swoosh shape, toe-box, midsole paint, tag font | Wrong shape, sloppy paint, off font |
| Bags | Leather grain, hardware weight, stitching, date code | Plasticky leather, hollow hardware |
| Watches | Dial printing, bezel action, movement running, weight | Misaligned text, wrong movement |
| Jerseys | Badge colour, sponsor print, fabric, name/number font | Wrong crest shade, cheap print |
| Jewelry | Engraving crispness, plating evenness, weight | Shallow engraving, thin plating |
What happens if QC fails
This is where QC proves its worth. If the video shows a flaw — uneven stitching, a wrong shade, a sizing mismark, a scratch — you tell us and the order pauses. Depending on the issue we re-make it, source the same model from a different factory, or refund you. Nothing ships until you're satisfied. Because this all happens while the item is still in China, fixing it costs you nothing and adds only a short delay, versus the nightmare of returning a finished international parcel. The power to say "no, redo this" before dispatch is the core protection an agent gives you that a direct marketplace purchase never can.
QC and payment timing
QC sits deliberately between your money and dispatch. You pay for the product up front so we can buy it; the QC video then gives you a checkpoint before the larger commitment of international shipping (which you settle afterward, on real weighed cost). So your product payment is always backed by either an item you've approved on video or, on a first order, PayPal's buyer protection. The two safeguards stack: protected payment plus a visual veto. See the full sequence in how to use LitBuy.
Why QC makes reps lower-risk than people assume
The popular image of buying reps is a blind gamble, but a proper QC process inverts that. When you can see your exact item from every angle, compare it to retail, and reject it for free before it ships, the uncertainty that makes reps feel risky largely evaporates. The remaining variables — shipping cost, customs timing — are about logistics, not whether you'll get a decent product. That's a very different risk profile from "send money and hope." It's also why we built this whole resource around QC video on every order: it's the feature that turns a sketchy-feeling purchase into a routine one, and the thing a raw spreadsheet of links can never offer on its own.
Reading a QC video like a pro
A QC video rewards knowing how to watch it. Play it twice: once at normal speed for an overall impression of proportions and finish, then frame by frame on the detail shots. Pause on the logo, the stitching runs, and any text — these are where factories cut corners and where a frozen frame reveals what motion blurs past. Compare side by side with the retail reference we send: open both on your screen and check the same areas on each. Look specifically for symmetry (do left and right shoe match?), colour accuracy under the warehouse's neutral light, and clean edges on logos and prints. If the video doesn't clearly show an area you care about, ask for another angle — that's a normal, free request, and a willing agent will reshoot it. The few minutes this takes is the cheapest insurance in the entire process.
QC across different product types
The QC stage adapts to what you bought, and knowing the emphasis helps. For sneakers, the video should show both shoes from all sides plus the soles and inside the box for tags. For watches, insist on seeing the watch actually running and the date function working, not just static shots — a watch that looks perfect but keeps poor time is a different problem photos won't catch. For bags, the video should show the leather flexing and every zip and clasp opening and closing, because hardware feel can't be judged from a still. For jewelry, ask for close engraving shots. Matching your QC attention to the product's failure modes is how you get the most from the step.
FAQ
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Background: Quality control.