Welcome to the Loongbuy Beginner Guide — your first and last stop before placing your first order. If you have never bought replicas before, this guide covers every concept, term, and step you need to shop confidently.
Essential Terminology Every Beginner Must Know
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Agent | Middleman who buys from Chinese sellers and ships internationally to you |
| QC | Quality Control — warehouse photos of your item before shipping |
| Batch | A factory production run — different batches have different accuracy levels |
| Haul | A collection of items shipped together in one package |
| W2C / Link | \"Where to Cop\" — the seller product URL from the spreadsheet |
| 1:1 | Industry slang for \"exactly like retail\" (rarely truly achieved) |
| GL / RL | \"Green Light\" (approve) or \"Red Light\" (reject) a QC photo |
Setting Up Your First Agent Account
Choose an Agent
WeGoBuy, Sugargoo, and Pandabuy are beginner-friendly. Create an account with your email.
Top Up Balance
Add funds via PayPal, credit card, or Wise transfer. Start with $100-200 for your first haul.
Get Your Warehouse Address
Your agent gives you a Chinese warehouse address. Use this when ordering from spreadsheet links.
Submit Your First Order
Paste the W2C link, select size/color, and write "Request QC photos" in notes.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying from unverified sellers: Stick to sellers on our Loongbuy Spreadsheet with community ratings.
- Oversizing on first haul: Start with 2-3 items. Large hauls increase customs risk and shipping cost per kg.
- Ignoring size charts: Chinese sizing is not the same as Western sizing. Measure a similar item you own and compare.
- Choosing the wrong shipping line: See our shipping guides for country-specific recommendations.
- Forgetting to remove packaging: Shoe boxes add weight. Unless you need them, discard them to save on shipping.
Your First Haul Budget
A realistic first haul budget is $150-250 total. This covers two items ($50-80), domestic shipping to warehouse ($5-10), QC photos ($1-2), and international shipping ($40-80). Do not try to squeeze everything into a $50 budget — you will end up with low-quality items and no room for QC.
Ready to dive deeper? Read our How to Use Loongbuy step-by-step tutorial.
Start Your First Haul