Support channels, waybill words and recurring questions
Who to ask, what the words mean, what everyone asks
Policy and interface examples below come from official captures checked on 10 October 2026. Timings are published indications, not guaranteed delivery dates. Older UI amounts, offers and routes are illustrative; current order terms and checkout govern. Open an image for full size.
Three shorter resources share this page: the human channels and their hours, the vocabulary the interface and the community both lean on, and the questions that keep recurring with their checked answers.
Reaching a person, and when the clock says you can
The retained contact page labels live chat 09:00–18:30 Monday to Friday, BST; confirm the current hours and date-specific conversion. Buyer hours use 09:00–18:00 Beijing time: seven days for Taobao, Tmall, JD, Weidian, Yupoo and Xianyu, weekdays for other platforms. The relevant clock depends on whether you need account support, purchasing or carrier collection; an evening in Europe does not establish the next action without its date and Chinese local time.
Inside, the help centre sorts into six drawers under a Daily Questions menu: types of services, after-sale service, account assets, value-added service, distribution, and user notices. The journey pages of this site draw mostly on three of them, the service types drawer for fees and inspection rules, value-added for the bench services, and distribution for routes and customs.
The help centre itself hides behind a small More functions menu in the official header; the whole of it is searchable once open, and the journey pages of this site cite its articles by what they say rather than by their numbering, so you can find them by searching their phrases.
The words on the waybill, translated
- Spreadsheet
- a browsable product catalogue site: category pages of product cards that each link onward to a seller listing. The name stuck from community habit; it is not a document.
- OG number
- the per-item order id inside the account. Pre-packing requests quote it when no parcel exists yet.
- S number
- the parcel id created when a waybill is submitted; parcel photos and tracking hang off it.
- QC photos
- intake photos of the item itself, taken at the warehouse photography bench and shown under Warehouse in the user centre.
- Parcel photos
- the three free photos of the outgoing box, distinct from item QC photos.
- W2C
- short for where to cop, community shorthand for a link that leads to a buyable listing.
- Volumetric weight
- length times width times height in centimetres divided by 5000, 6000, 7000 or 8000 depending on the carrier; some routes compare volumetric and actual weight, while others use actual weight; minimums, rounding and the selected route’s current rule still apply.
- GL
- greenlight, community slang for a QC photo set judged good enough to ship.
- RL
- Redlight: community shorthand for finding a concern in QC photos. It is a judgement, not an automatic seller-return approval.
- Haul
- a batch of items consolidated into one international parcel.
- Freight shortfall
- the top-up charged when the sealed parcel weighs more than the estimate the quote was taken on.
- Fill and Buy
- the manual order form for links that cannot be imported; the form gives platform examples without establishing every current import result; paste the link, price and options yourself. No after-sales, no cancellation once paid.
- Buyer hours
- when human purchasing staff work: 9:00 to 18:00 Beijing time, seven days for Taobao, Tmall, JD, Weidian, Yupoo and Xianyu, weekdays for everything else.
- Rehearsal
- the interface's name for pre-packing: the sidebar menu item that buys the 18-yuan packed-weight preview.
- Mail restriction
- a column on the warehouse list flagging items whose category limits which routes can carry them, batteries and liquids most often.
- Stocked in
- check the order’s recorded timestamps: normal storage runs from In storage, eligible ordinary return requests have a separate 120-hour window from Stocked in, and abnormal storage runs from Signed for.
- Transit order
- the order type for goods you bought yourself and only forward through the warehouse; same scale, same shelf, different paperwork.
- Operating centre
- the carrier's sorting hub in China where a parcel is scanned into the logistics firm's own system and queued for aviation screening.
Recurring questions, with checked answers
How long does packing take after the waybill is submitted
The retained help gives 24-hour packing and dispatch indications and third-party collection within two working days, with weekends and Chinese holidays affecting collection. These are separate processing stages, not a guaranteed combined delivery time. Check the actual parcel status and carrier acceptance event.
Which photos exist of the sealed parcel
Three free parcel photos on actual-weight routes: items laid out before sealing, the sealed box, and the box on the scale. Volume-billed routes swap the scale shot for a second sealed-box shot. The service must be ticked when submitting the waybill; untick it and no photos are taken.
Why did the final freight differ from the quote
The initial parcel payment uses an estimate; final packed weight, dimensions, selected route, minimums, rounding and options can change the bill. Compare the parcel itemisation and packing instructions. The captured process describes collecting or refunding the difference through the account balance.
What makes customs pick a parcel
Inspection is random, but officers single out parcels that look bulky, heavy or sensitive. Over 10 kg a parcel is more likely to be read as commercial, and many identical items in one box have the same effect.
What happens when nobody answers the door
The courier logs an unsuccessful dispatch and holds the box at the local depot. Contact the local carrier for redelivery. On some routes a failed parcel can only travel back to an overseas warehouse for re-delivery and cannot be returned to China.
Why nothing moves at the weekend
Two different clocks pause. Buying staff for the big marketplaces work seven days, but other platforms run weekday hours, and the courier side collects within 2 working days with weekends and Chinese public holidays excluded. A quiet timeline can reflect working hours or a scan delay; it does not by itself establish loss or the parcel’s exact location.
What the optional insurance pays when a box stops moving
The retained insurance policy describes delay, loss/damage and customs-related benefits with route-specific criteria and exclusions. The stated delay benefit is 20% of freight after a 30- or 40-day threshold from shipment, depending on the route. Read the selected policy and claim evidence requirements; buying insurance does not cover every stalled parcel.
What a blurry item photo can be replaced with
The retained personalised-photo service lists CNY 2 per photo and a 24-hour service indication. Request the precise angle or measurement while the item is still available at the warehouse. A clearer image cannot test electronic function or extend a seller return window.
What should happen before signing
Check the outer casing, the sealing tape and the rough weight in front of the courier. If anything is off, write it on the receipt or refuse to sign. Report abnormal parcels to support within 72 hours of signing.
Anything not answered here probably lives on one of the journey pages: the packing floor for photos and weights, border and sky for screening and customs, the doorstep for delivery and signing.
