Help Center

Answers to common questions about shopping, Buy for You, forwarding, our China warehouse, shipping, payments and after-sales support at Cncartbuy. If you can’t find what you need, send us a question through Get a Quote or visit our Contact page.

Placing an order

What can I buy in the Shop?

The Shop offers selected products held in stock at warehouses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. Each product is reviewed before it is published. Orders ship locally from the warehouse in the same country as the delivery address.

Which countries can Shop orders be delivered to?

Shop products can be delivered to addresses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, from stock held in that country. We don’t ship Shop products from one country’s warehouse to another country.

If you live somewhere else, products in the Shop show “Not available for your country”. You can still use Buy for You to buy products from China, use our Forwarding service, or send us a question through Get a Quote.

How do I choose my country and currency?

Use the country selector at the top of the page. It sets the default currency and the destination used for shipping estimates. You can change the currency separately: we support USD, GBP, EUR, JPY and CAD.

At checkout, the country of your delivery address is what counts. If it differs from the country you selected, we recalculate shipping and availability. Products that can’t be sold to that country can’t be checked out; you can remove them from your cart or convert them into an inquiry and keep going.

Do I need an account to place an order?

You can browse products and prices without signing in. To place an order, you need an account with a verified email address.

How do I place an order?

1. Find a product and choose its options.
2. Add it to your cart and go to checkout.
3. Enter or select your delivery address and check the shipping cost.
4. Accept the Terms of Service, Refund and Returns Policy and Shipping and Compensation Policy.
5. Choose a payment method and pay.

You’ll receive an email confirmation, and you can follow the order in your account.

Can I cancel an order or change the address?

You can cancel an order or change its delivery address from your order details until it has been shipped, at the stages where the option is shown. Unpaid orders are cancelled automatically after the payment time limit shown at checkout.

Buy for You

What is Buy for You?

Buy for You is our buying-agent service. You give us a product link from a Chinese shopping platform, we buy it for you and receive it at our warehouse in Guangzhou, and we ship it to you once you’ve checked it.

How does it work?

1. Paste a link. For Taobao, Tmall and 1688, you see the product details and price straight away, without signing in. For JD.com, Pinduoduo and other platforms, pasting a link creates an inquiry and our team sends you a quote.
2. Order and pay. Choose the options and quantity, add notes such as colour or size, and pay for the product, any domestic shipping within China and our service fee.
3. We buy it. Our team places the order with the seller, and the seller ships it to our Guangzhou warehouse.
4. Check it. We inspect and photograph your items. You decide whether to keep or reject each one.
5. Ship it. Combine the items you keep into one parcel and pay for international shipping when the parcel is packed.

How much is the service fee?

We add no mark-up to the product price. Our service fee depends on the order value: 15% for orders up to US$50, 10% above US$50 and below US$200, 6% from US$200.

Fees are calculated in US dollars, and you’ll see an approximate amount in your local display currency. The service fee covers purchasing, basic inspection, free storage, consolidation and customer service. The exact fee for your order is shown before you pay. These are our current rates and may be updated.

Will the price change after I order?

No. The price is taken from the platform when you order. If the seller changes the price before we buy, we contact you to confirm first.

What if I don’t want an item once I’ve seen the photos?

Choose “Reject” for that item. It won’t be shipped, and we refund the item price. The service fee is not refunded. If you reject only some items in an order, we refund the price of those items only. See our Refund and Returns Policy for details.

Can I return Buy for You items after they’ve been shipped?

No. Because you see the inspection photos and decide before anything leaves China, Buy for You items can’t be returned once shipped. If a parcel is lost or damaged in international transit, our Shipping and Compensation Policy applies.

Are the product photos and descriptions accurate?

Titles, photos and descriptions come from the third-party platform and seller, so the actual product may differ. That’s why we photograph your items when they arrive, so you can check them before they’re shipped.

Can I order many links at once?

Yes. Send them in one inquiry through Get a Quote. For longer lists, upload a CSV or XLSX product list of up to 200 rows, and our team will reply with a quote.

Forwarding

What is forwarding?

If you’ve bought from sellers in China yourself, send the goods to our Guangzhou warehouse. We receive them, combine them with your other items and ship them to you. Find out more on our Forwarding page.

How much does forwarding cost?

There’s no service fee: you only pay shipping. We add no mark-up to the shipping cost. Optional add-ons, such as extra photos and priority handling, are charged only if you choose them.

How do I send parcels to your warehouse?

1. Register and open My Warehouse Address in your account. You’ll see our Guangzhou warehouse address and your personal customer code.
2. Use that address, including your customer code, as the delivery address when you buy from sellers in China.
3. Forecast each parcel in your account with its domestic tracking number, item names, quantities, declared value and goods type, and confirm that it contains no prohibited items.
4. When the parcel arrives, we match it to your account and notify you.

What happens if a parcel arrives without a forecast?

We try to match it by your customer code. If we can’t match it, it is held as an unclaimed parcel. You can submit a claim in your account with proof of purchase, and our team will review it.

Can I return forwarded goods through you?

No. We don’t sell the goods we forward, so we can’t accept returns of them. Please arrange returns or refunds for the goods with the seller you bought from, preferably before they leave China. See our Refund and Returns Policy.

Do you handle shipments for businesses?

Yes. If you ship regularly, use the corporate forwarding inquiry on our Forwarding page and our team will prepare a quote. We don’t provide forwarding for hospitals or pharmaceutical manufacturers.

China warehouse services

What happens to my goods at the warehouse?

Our Guangzhou warehouse is run by experienced warehouse staff. We receive each item, record it and add it to My Warehouse in your account. See our China warehouse services page for an overview.

Do you inspect and photograph my items?

Buy for You items get a basic inspection, checking quantity, style, colour, size and visible damage, and photos you can view in your account. If we find a problem, we mark it and send you photos. You can order extra photos at US$0.75 (CNY 5) per request.

Can you combine several parcels into one?

Yes. You can combine items from different orders, Buy for You and forwarding, into one parcel. There’s no limit on the number or weight of items.

Is storage free?

Yes. Storage at our Guangzhou warehouse is free for both Buy for You items and forwarded parcels. We don’t charge overdue storage fees and we don’t dispose of goods because they’ve been stored for a long time.

Is reinforced packing free?

Yes, reinforced packing is free.

What optional add-ons are available?

Prices are set in Chinese yuan (CNY). On this page they are shown in US dollars at our current rate, with the CNY amount in brackets. These are our current rates and may be updated.

Shipping costs and delivery times

How much will shipping cost?

Use our Shipping Calculator to estimate the cost of shipping a parcel from China. Enter the destination country and weight, and optionally the dimensions, to see the available routes, prices and estimated delivery times. You don’t need an account.

For Shop products, an estimated shipping cost is shown on the product page and the final cost is confirmed at checkout.

Why is the estimate different from the final cost?

Estimates are based on the information available before packing. For parcels shipped from China, the final cost is based on the actual packed weight and dimensions of your parcel and the shipping method agreed with you.

What is chargeable weight?

Shipping is charged on the chargeable weight, which is the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight reflects the space a parcel takes up, so a large, light parcel may be charged on its size rather than its weight.

Air or sea: who decides?

When you submit a parcel, our customer service team discusses the options with you, such as air or sea shipping, and you confirm the method before the parcel is packed and charged.

How long will delivery take?

Delivery times depend on the route, the destination, customs clearance and local delivery conditions. The Shipping Calculator and product pages show estimated delivery times. These are estimates only, and delays can occur, for example at peak times or during customs inspections.

Which countries do you ship to from China?

We ship to a large number of countries and regions. The current list of destinations is in the Shipping Calculator and at checkout.

Will I have to pay import duties or taxes?

Import duties, taxes and customs fees may apply in the destination country. Unless they are collected at checkout, they are the recipient’s responsibility. See our Shipping and Compensation Policy for details.

Payment

How can I pay?

We accept credit and debit cards, a range of online payment and digital wallet options, and offline bank (wire) transfer. The options available for your order are shown at checkout.

Which currencies can I pay in?

USD, GBP, EUR, JPY and CAD.

How does bank transfer work?

At checkout you’ll see our bank details and a payment reference. Include the reference with your transfer and upload your transfer receipt in your order. We process the order once our team has confirmed that the funds have arrived. Unconfirmed transfers are cancelled after the payment time limit shown at checkout.

Why do Buy for You and forwarding orders involve two payments?

For Buy for You, you first pay for the product, any domestic shipping within China and the service fee. When your parcel is packed and weighed, you pay for international shipping and any add-ons or insurance. For forwarding, you pay once, when your parcel is packed.

What is the wallet?

Your Cncartbuy wallet holds a balance that you can top up and use to pay for orders. Refunds can also be paid to your wallet.

Returns and refunds

Can I return a Shop product?

Yes. Shop products from our overseas warehouses can be returned to a designated return warehouse:

• Quality problems: if an item is defective, damaged, incorrect or incomplete, the return is free of charge.
• Other reasons: if you return an item for a reason that isn’t a quality problem, you pay the return shipping.
• UK and EU consumers can withdraw from a purchase within 14 days of receiving the goods, without giving a reason. Return shipping is paid by the customer.

Once the returned item reaches the return warehouse, we process the return within 7 business days. Full details are in our Refund and Returns Policy.

Can I return Buy for You or forwarded items?

No. For Buy for You, you decide whether to keep or reject each item after seeing the inspection photos, before anything is shipped. Forwarded goods were bought by you from other sellers, so returns must be arranged with those sellers.

How do I start a return or refund request?

Open the order in your account, select Request after-sales, choose the reason, and upload photos or videos. Please wait for approval and the return address before sending anything back.

How will I get my refund?

Approved refunds are paid to your original payment method or to your Cncartbuy wallet. Every refund is confirmed by our Finance team. Your request shows “Refund in progress” while it’s being processed and “Refunded” once it’s complete. After that, the time the money takes to reach you depends on your bank or payment provider.

What if the supplier cancels my order?

If our overseas-warehouse supplier cancels all or part of a Shop order, we refund the price of the cancelled goods and the shipping charged for them after review.

Lost or damaged parcels

What if my parcel from China is lost or damaged?

If a parcel shipped from our Guangzhou warehouse is lost or damaged in international transit, we compensate you as follows:

• Uninsured parcels: a refund of the international shipping you paid, including any surcharges in that cost, plus US$5.98 (CNY 40) per kilogram based on the parcel’s actual weight. Fees for add-ons such as extra photos and priority handling aren’t refunded.
• Insured parcels: the insured amount plus a refund of the international shipping you paid.

Each claim is reviewed and confirmed by our Finance team. The US$5.98 (CNY 40) per kilogram rate is our current rate and may be updated. Full details are in our Shipping and Compensation Policy.

Should I buy shipping insurance?

Insurance is optional and is priced according to the value of the goods you insure; the premium is shown before you pay. Because uninsured compensation is based on weight, we recommend insurance for valuable goods.

How do I make a claim?

Open the order or parcel in your account and select Request after-sales. Choose lost or damaged parcel and describe what happened. For damage, upload photos or videos of the outer packaging, the shipping label and the damaged items, and keep them until your claim is resolved. Please submit your claim as soon as possible.

What about Shop orders that arrive damaged or don’t arrive?

Submit a request through Request after-sales on the order. These cases are handled under our Refund and Returns Policy.

Prohibited items

What items can’t you handle?

We don’t sell, buy, accept or ship items that contain batteries, liquids, aerosols and gases, weapons, medicines and drugs, counterfeit or replica branded goods, hazardous materials, food and several other categories. The full list is in our Prohibited Items Policy.

What happens if I send a prohibited item to the warehouse?

We won’t ship it. We mark the parcel as an exception and contact you about next steps. Compensation doesn’t apply to prohibited items.

Do my country’s rules matter too?

Yes. Your destination country may prohibit or restrict items that we can otherwise ship. Please check your country’s import rules before you order. Products that can’t be sold to the country of your delivery address are blocked at checkout.

Inquiries and quotes

How do I ask for a quote?

Use Get a Quote at the top of any page, or Ask about this item on a product page. You don’t need an account. Tell us your name, email address and destination country, plus product links or a description, the quantity and a target price if you have one. You can attach up to 5 images (JPG, PNG or WebP) or PDF files per message, each up to 10 MB. For longer lists, upload a CSV or XLSX product list of up to 200 rows.

What happens after I submit an inquiry?

You’ll see an inquiry number and receive a confirmation email. When we reply or send a quote, we email you. The inquiry shows one of these statuses: Submitted, Replied, Quoted, Quote declined, Ordered or Closed.

How long is a quote valid?

Quotes are usually valid for 7 days. The exact date is shown on each quote as “Valid until”. If you accept within that period, we create an order at the quoted price and take you to checkout. If a quote has expired, you can ask us for a new one.

Can I decline a quote?

Yes. Select “Decline” and, if you like, tell us why. You can still reply to ask for a revised quote until the inquiry is closed. An inquiry closes if there’s no reply from you for a set period after you decline, and we email you a reminder before that happens.

I submitted an inquiry as a guest. How do I find it again?

Every email we send includes a secure link to your inquiry, so you can view and reply without signing in. Links expire after 30 days, and each new email includes a fresh link. If you’ve lost the link, select Find my inquiry in the website footer and enter your email address. If there are inquiries for that email, we’ll send a new secure link to it. If you register later with the same email address, your inquiries appear in your account automatically.

Can I remove a file I uploaded?

Yes. Select Request removal next to the file. We process removal requests within 2 business days. See our Privacy Policy.

Your account and order tracking

What can I do in my account?

In My Account you can see your orders, inquiries, warehouse items and parcels, after-sales requests, saved addresses, wallet and notifications.

How do I track my order?

Open the order in your account. Once it ships, you’ll see the tracking number and tracking updates, and we’ll email you. We also send emails at key steps such as payment confirmation, warehouse arrival, shipping costs ready to pay, dispatch and delivery.

Can I export or delete my data?

Yes. You can export or delete your personal data from your account settings. Marketing emails are sent only if you opt in, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

I forgot my password.

Select “Forgot password” on the sign-in page and follow the instructions sent to your email.

Contact us

How do I contact you?

• Questions, sourcing and quotes: use Get a Quote.
• Problems with an order: open the order in your account and select Request after-sales.
• Anything else: visit our Contact page.

Who is Cncartbuy?

Cncartbuy helps online sellers, small businesses and individual buyers source products from China and get them delivered abroad. Read more about us.