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Buying guide

How to Use LitBuy, Step by Step

By LitBuyDeals editorial team Updated

LitBuy buys products from Chinese marketplaces on your behalf, checks them at its warehouse and ships them to you. This guide walks through a first order and flags which details come from LitBuy’s own statements rather than our own testing.

Disclosure: links marked as LitBuy sign-up links include our invite code. If you register through them, this site may receive a referral reward from LitBuy. It does not change what you pay. Learn more.

How LitBuy works

Many Chinese sellers don’t ship abroad or accept foreign payment. A shopping agent such as LitBuy sits in the middle: it places the order with the seller, receives the item at a warehouse in China, lets you inspect it, and then ships your items to you in one international parcel.

The two payments that surprise new users

You pay twice, and knowing this avoids the most common complaint about agents:

Payment one

The item

Item price plus the seller’s delivery to the warehouse in China.

Payment two

International shipping

Paid later, once your items are ready to leave the warehouse. Shipping coupons usually apply here.

Your first LitBuy order, step by step

  1. Create your account

    Register on litbuy.com. If you want to use an invite code, enter it at this stage; see where the invite code goes. Then check your account for any new-user coupons LitBuy has issued.

  2. Find the product you want

    Copy the product link from a supported Chinese marketplace. LitBuy describes itself as an agent for Taobao, 1688 and Weidian.

  3. Add it to LitBuy and choose options

    Paste the link into LitBuy, pick size, colour and quantity, and add any note for the seller. Double-check the options: mistakes here are the most common reason for returns.

  4. Pay for the item (payment one)

    This covers the item price and the seller’s delivery to LitBuy’s warehouse in China.

  5. Wait for warehouse arrival and inspect the photos

    When the item arrives, LitBuy says it checks it and provides inspection (QC) photos. Compare them with the listing before you ship: this is your chance to exchange or return while the item is still in China.

  6. Group items into a parcel

    Items can wait in the warehouse while you collect more. LitBuy’s site text states storage of up to 120 days with the first 90 free (not independently verified). Its site also warns that leaving items too long may affect shipping discounts, so don’t wait unnecessarily.

  7. Submit the parcel and choose a shipping line (payment two)

    Pick a shipping line based on price, speed and whether duties are included, then pay for international shipping. This is where shipping coupons are usually applied; confirm the discount in the total before paying. Our guide to LitBuy shipping costs explains what to compare.

  8. Track the parcel and handle customs

    Follow the tracking number until delivery. Depending on your country and the line you chose, you may be asked to pay import duties or taxes on arrival.

Common first-order mistakes

  • Judging the total by the item price alone. Shipping is a separate, often large, second cost.
  • Skipping the inspection photos. Once a parcel leaves China, returning an item is far harder.
  • Letting coupons expire. Note the expiry dates in your account when you register.
  • Assuming a figure from another website. Only the total at LitBuy’s checkout counts.
  • Ignoring import rules. Some goods, including counterfeit items, can be seized by customs. Buy only what is legal to import where you live.

Before you start

Check what LitBuy currently offers new accounts on our LitBuy coupons and new-user offers page, where we separate verified details from claims. If you decide to join, our link opens registration with invite code BLAZE attached.

See current LitBuy offers Get Started With LitBuy