QC photos: how to check your order before it leaves the warehouse

Your item has reached your agent's warehouse and you get a set of photos. This is the only moment you can still say no without paying for a return from Europe. Here's how to read those QC photos calmly, point by point, and what to do when something looks off.

What QC photos actually are

QC stands for quality check. When you order through a shopping agent, the item is first delivered to their warehouse in China. Someone takes it out of the bag, photographs it and posts the photos to your account.

How many photos you get and what they show depends on the agent. Usually it's the item laid flat, a few close-ups, the label, and sometimes a tape measure reading. Some agents offer extra photos or a video, sometimes as a paid option. Check your agent's terms.

These photos aren't for deciding whether the item looks nice. They're for checking it matches what you ordered and has no visible defects.

The checklist, point by point

Open the original Yupoo album in one tab and the QC photos in another. Then go through in order:

Size and measurements: where most problems show up

Always start with the label. Wrong sizes happen more often than you'd think, especially when a seller ships in a rush. If you ordered an L and the label says M, that's a straight refusal, no need to look further.

Then measurements. For a top, the one that matters most is chest width, armpit to armpit, laid flat. Double it to get the full chest. Compare with the album's chart, then with a piece of your own that fits you well, measured the same way.

A difference of a centimetre or two is common, flat measuring is never perfect. Beyond that, ask. If you're torn between two sizes, /guides/tailles-chinoises explains how to read Chinese size charts, which often run small.

Colour, stitching, logos: the details

Colour is the trickiest point. Warehouses use strip lighting and album photos are often edited. Grey can look blue, beige can look yellow. Don't refuse over a shade, but if the colour is clearly different, ask for a photo in daylight.

For stitching, zoom on the shoulders, collar, cuffs and bottom hem. That's where defects show most. A few loose threads take two seconds to snip at home. A seam running crooked for ten centimetres is a different story.

For logos and prints, look at alignment: is it centred, straight, at the same height as in the album? An off-centre print or a smudged embroidery won't fix itself in the wash.

What the photos can't show

A photo doesn't smell or feel anything. Some issues will always slip through:

• Smell: glue, plastic, musty storage. Common with shoes and bags, and it often fades after a few days of airing out.
• Material: thickness, feel, how the fabric holds. Only the album description and other buyers' feedback can help beforehand.
• Hidden defects: a stain inside a lining, a sticky zip, a sole coming loose somewhere that wasn't photographed.
• Function: buttons, zips, snaps. You can ask the agent to test a zip and note it, some will.

If something matters to you (the zip, the inside, the lining), ask for it explicitly. The agent can't guess what you care about.

Shoes: a few extra checks

For a pair, check that both shoes carry the same size on the label inside each tongue. Then look at glue marks along the sole edge, symmetry between left and right, and the state of the box.

The box matters if you want to keep it or it's a gift. It can also get crushed in international transit even if it's perfect at the warehouse. Some agents offer to ship without the box to save weight: your call.

GL or RL: approve or refuse

On forums you'll see 'GL' and 'RL' all the time. GL means green light: you approve the item and it can go into your parcel. RL means red light: you refuse it and ask the seller for an exchange or a return.

Before going red, ask for extra photos. A lot of doubts come from an angle or the lighting, and one more photo settles it. If the problem is confirmed, your agent contacts the seller for an exchange (another size, another unit) or a refund.

Terms vary: some sellers don't accept returns, or only within a short window, and domestic shipping in China may be charged. Your agent will tell you what's possible for your item.

Timing: it all happens before shipping

An exchange is easy while the item sits at the warehouse. Once the parcel has left, it's over: sending something back from Europe to China is expensive and takes weeks. So answer your QC photos quickly. Most agents have a limited free storage period, and sellers have their own return deadlines.

Think about customs before you bundle items too. For a parcel with a declared value under €150, the EU has charged a €3 duty per item category since 1 July 2026, plus a €2 handling fee since 1 November 2026, and destination VAT always applies (20% in France). Details are in /guides/douane-colis-chine, and /quand-commander helps you avoid the periods when everything slows down.

Before the QC even starts

The best QC is a well-prepared order: right size, right reference, a seller who answers. On Yupa, members get a size suggestion based on their measurements and a ready-to-send message for the seller with the reference and size. It doesn't replace checking at the warehouse, but it cuts down on bad surprises when you open the photos. The full process is in /guides/commander-sur-yupoo.

What are QC photos?

They're photos your shopping agent takes when the item reaches their warehouse in China. They let you check size, measurements, colour and visible defects before it ships to you.

What do GL and RL mean?

GL, green light: you approve the item and it can ship. RL, red light: you refuse it and ask the seller, through your agent, for an exchange or a return.

Can I ask for more QC photos?

Yes, most agents allow it, sometimes free, sometimes as a paid option. Say exactly what you want to see: label, measurement, a seam, the inside.

How long do I have to approve QC photos?

It depends on the agent and the seller. Free storage is limited and sellers have return deadlines, so it's best to answer within a few days.

Can I return an item after it has shipped?

In practice it's hard and expensive, since it would have to go back to China. That's why everything gets decided at the QC stage, before the parcel leaves.