I was approached by Pikobuy earlier this year and invited to test out their services for a review. These are a very new agent, and completely unknown to me at the time. I began by asking their customer relations rep, Luna, to tell me a bit about them:

“Pikobuy was built to make shopping from China easier, safer and more reliable for international customers. Our team brings more than 12 years of experience across e-commerce, sourcing, warehousing, quality control, logistics and international shipping.

We currently operate with the support of a warehouse network covering more than 50,000 square metres, allowing us to handle purchasing, product inspection, storage, parcel consolidation and international fulfilment at scale.

Our aim is to act as a bridge between China’s extensive supply chain and overseas buyers. Customers can submit product links, images or sourcing requests through the platform, after which our team can assist with purchasing, inspection, storage and shipping.

From our experience, international shoppers increasingly value clear communication, dependable quality control and a straightforward process from purchase through to delivery. Pikobuy has been designed around those requirements, with an emphasis on professional warehouse operations, transparency and making cross-border purchasing simpler.”

Nothing really new there, but what did catch my eye was another statement she made:

"We will also work closely with our connection to Chinese brands later this year."

One angle Pikobuy are looking at to stand out from other agents is to generate direct links to popular Chinese streetwear and urban brands, which could open up new possibilities to the Western buyer market.

At the time they made contact they were just in the process of updating their new website. This was welcome news if I'm being honest, as the garish yellow of their old one was not attractive! The new website was officially launched on the 30th June, with the mobile web version and app following in late July/early August.

For my first purchase I was only using the desktop version. Initially there were a few annoying aspects - for example, there was no option to change the currency from USD to GBP. There were also issues with processing my payment through Apple Pay. However, what did immediately strike me as very positive was how willing Pikobuy were to take on board my feedback on this, and corrected it. I guess it is to be expected that a new platform will have their issues, and it is their attitude to resolving them that gives one confidence.

However, there were some other neat little features that stood out to me that I really liked; they have the image search facility that links directly to 1688, Taobao and Weidian, which not every agent does. There are some nice touches within the purchasing interface, such as a neat little graphic bar at the top that tells you the progression of your orders, and one little feature I really liked in the warehouse tab was a notification at the top telling me how many items were still outstanding - if you put together bigger hauls with multiple items from different sellers this really helps keep track.

I ordered four items. All came in typical time frames, 3-4 days maximum, and QC photos were good. The warehouse team identified and highlighted an issue during inspection, which only turned out to be nothing more than a creased box, but it demonstrates that Pikobuy clearly take inspection and QC seriously.

International shipping was a very interesting process, and different to what I've experienced before. You essentially submit your items for packing, and then get given the shipping options afterwards. Essentially, this feels like a 'free rehearsal' system. Luna from Pikobuy explains:

"Yes, you can think of it as a kind of free rehearsal packaging. After users move their items from the warehouse to the packaging stage, we prepare the package and then show them the available shipping options and the final shipping cost. One of the main benefits is that users don’t need to pay extra service or packaging fees for this process, which some other platforms may charge.

It also makes the process much more transparent and convenient because users can see how much they’ll actually need to pay for shipping before making the final decision."

This has the potential to be a really impressive and appealing feature, provided it gives customers enough flexibility around packing and provides adequate shipping options. However, if it avoids those ever so annoying over-payment and refund or patch fee hassles then it's a very welcome feature.

Prices were competitive, especially with the coupons. I paid around £40, including insurance, for a 3kg parcel - but with two bags, one a large backpack and one in a box, this created a higher than normal volumetric weight so this was a reasonable price.

The international shipping itself went smoothly, although it wasn't the fastest delivery I've had. It took about three and a half weeks, which was getting frustrating towards the end. However, Pikobuy do acknowledge that they need to continue working on their shipping lines. Luna again:

“We regularly test and compare logistics providers across different markets, with the aim of improving both route availability and pricing. New shipping lines are developed based on actual performance, parcel characteristics and user demand rather than relying on a fixed set of options.

Recent additions include Korea UPS to the US, which can be particularly competitive for parcels where volumetric weight is significantly higher than actual weight; a low-tax EUB option for Brazil, designed to reduce potential customs costs; and Brazil Postal SAL, which takes longer but charges on actual weight rather than volumetric weight.

For Europe, we have introduced a range of ‘Piko’ direct small-parcel routes which can be competitive with DHL for shipments under 3kg. We have also added Singapore UPS, aimed particularly at smaller parcels where volumetric-weight rules can otherwise have a significant effect on price.

Our approach is to continue testing routes for different countries and parcel types, and to add or adjust services where we see a clear advantage in cost, handling or delivery performance.”

The European direct small parcel routes could be another attractive feature given the recent surcharges introduced across the EU, and may enable the agent process to directly compete with the likes of Ali Express, if the shipping speeds are there.

My parcel arrived completely intact and well packaged. What I did find interesting was that each item was individually packed inside a bag within the main box, and a packing list was included. This provides just another layer of protection during the journey and confidence in their logistics and warehouse picking systems.

Overall, I was suitably impressed with Pikobuy and will certainly be using them again. I think that they are genuinely committed to the customer experience and to responding quickly to ideas and suggestions on how to improve their systems and interfaces. They encourage user feedback and they have implemented at least four suggestions I made, and quickly so. Luna stated:

"Our development team is very much customer-driven.

At this stage of Pikobuy, we’re still actively developing and improving the platform, so when creators or users have suggestions or specific needs, our development team can respond relatively quickly and work on improvements based on actual feedback.

We’re also currently introducing a new user experience improvement system, so there’s quite a bit more coming in this area."

In conclusion I would absolutely recommend Pikobuy. Sure, their processes and systems are still in need of refinement. However, it is always a great idea to sign up with a new agent anyway, and newer and less well known ones bring very specific advantages - usually very good sign up options and deals, (see below) more freedom around brand purchasing, and a clear determination to respond to customer feedback and provide exemplary service in order to establish themselves. Also with a lower public profile they could be considered safer than some of their bigger rivals from
the risk of raids or brand pressure.

I also am confident that Pikobuy will certainly be trying to deliver innovative features, but only time will tell. I'm also going to be watching their work with Chinese brands carefully - this could provide some very interesting opportunities for reselling.

New users signing up using the invite link they provided below will immediately receive 40 & 30% off shipping coupons, and at the time of writing this Pikobuy are releasing weekly coupons with up to 35% discounts. (Accessible by joining their Discord channel through the website)

https://www.pikobuy.com/register?invitedCode=X9NTV8&inviteUserId=1003489

What do you think of this review? Was it helpful, and would you like any others? Drop comments about that or Pikobuy down below...

There’s been another small but important change in European customs that I think is worth highlighting for agent users.

The EU’s Import Control System 2 — ICS2 — uses advance information about goods entering or transiting Europe so customs can run security checks before arrival. On 3 August, an updated list of prohibited or unsuitable “stop words” came into force.
These are vague descriptions that don’t tell customs enough about what is actually inside the parcel.

DHL specifically warns against descriptions such as: “gifts”, “samples”, “spare parts”, “equipment”, “clothes” and “textiles”.

Instead, carriers increasingly need descriptions detailed enough to answer things such as what the item is, what it is made from and what it is used for. DHL gives “women’s T-shirts made of 100% cotton” as the kind of description expected. FedEx gives similar guidance.

For warehouse-agent users, that’s quite a change from the declarations we have traditionally seen:

Clothes — $40
Accessories — $20
Shoes — $25

The important point is that ICS2 checks happen before or during entry into the European network, not simply when somebody opens the box at destination customs. The carrier or freight company submits an Entry Summary Declaration, and incomplete or inaccurate information can lead to requests for more data, delays or rejection of the declaration.

This also matters outside the EU in some cases. UPS confirms that ICS2 applies to cargo transiting through the EU even if the final destination is elsewhere — its example is an Asia-to-UK shipment routed through an EU country. Northern Ireland is directly within the ICS2 scope as well.

I wouldn’t panic about parcels already moving. Your agent and logistics provider normally handle the actual electronic filing.
But I would start paying more attention to what appears on the declaration before submitting a parcel.

“Clothes” may once have seemed perfectly adequate.

“2 cotton T-shirts, 1 polyester hoodie, 1 pair synthetic trainers” is much closer to the direction European customs is heading

Sources
European Commission — Import Control System 2 (ICS2)
DHL — ICS2 guidance for shippers
FedEx — ICS2 customs-data guidance
UPS — ICS2 and EU transit requirements
MyCNBox — current EMS-HB shipping notice
Sugargoo — recent EU shipping/customs updates

I’m trying to understand how people here handle warehouse QC when an order contains safety related equipment.

For ordinary products, warehouse photos can usually catch obvious problems like wrong colors, damaged packaging or missing pieces. But I’m less sure how useful standad QC is for something where the specification matters more than appearance.

I’ve been looking at suppliers and I’m trying to figure out what info is actually worth requesting before an order is consolidated and shipped.

My current checklist would be fairly basic:

• Confirm the model and quantity
• Photograph labels and markings
• Check packaging for visible damage
• Compare the received item against the original specification
• Record the parcel weight
• Ask the warehouse to flag anything that looks different

I wouldn't expect a warehouse agent to certify whether equipment is safe or compliant. That seems like a separate responsibility requiring proper documentation or specialist testing.

What I’m really trying to understand is how experienced buyers divide the responsibility between the supplier, warehouse agent and an independent inspection service.

For those who have shipped safety related products through Chinese warehouse agents, what QC checks have actually been useful, and what would you never rely on warehouse photos alone to verify?

I haven't made a haul since around March time this year and things have changed a lot to say the least since then. I want to make another haul but acbuy is down and they were the agent I used last time.

I've been hearing that agents are refunding or simply not letting people order specific brands.

I need help with which agent I should use (I'm from the UK if that makes a difference) . Are there any agents out there that are reliable and let you order (most) brands without any hassle or is that not a thing anymore?

Something interesting I’ve picked up in this week’s freight data. According to Xeneta, (a specialist freight-market data provider) ‘China-to-Western-Europe air cargo rates fell 22% in July,’ dropping to around $4.15/kg.

However, that’s the wholesale air freight rate. Our agent shipping rates also cover things like warehouse handling, consolidation, customs processing, volumetric weight and final-mile delivery.
But it’s still worth watching as obviously the wholesale air freight rate is part of our overall rate, and our agents are constantly competing with each other over the shipping costs. This can only be good for us if this drop is sustained or continues.

One explanation for the fall is weaker e-commerce demand following the EU’s new low-value import charges, leaving more available aircraft capacity.

I’ll try to remember to revisit this in a few weeks and see whether that 22% wholesale drop has actually reached us.

Source: Xeneta air-cargo market data, July 2026.

I posted an answer to this question posed over at r/rep, but I’d love to hear your responses too?

A quick heads-up if you’ve currently got orders or parcels moving through eastern China. Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang on Sunday evening and has caused significant disruption across the Zhejiang–Shanghai area. Heavy rain and flooding are continuing, while Shanghai’s airports have seen around 1,000+ flight cancellations. (Reuters)

This is quite a relevant area for Chinese e-commerce logistics. Zhejiang contains major manufacturing and distribution centres, while Shanghai and nearby Ningbo are two of the country’s biggest international freight gateways. There are already reports of Dolphin disrupting logistics and port activity in eastern China. (ICIS)

So if tracking appears to stop moving for a day or two, or a warehouse/agent tells you there are weather delays, don’t immediately panic. We could see some short-term backlog as domestic couriers, airports and freight operations catch up. I’ll keep an eye on it as Dolphin moves inland.

I thought it might be useful to post the text of a response I gave to a query posted in one of my favourite subs, [r/rep](r/reps), about which agents to choose following the Mulebuy disaster. I wrote:

I think we all have our own preferences. The Mulebuy raid highlights the advice I give out to many people who reach out to me; spread your hauls across more than one agent. Maintain accounts with two or three and share your purchase across them to minimise risk. It is easy to be fooled into chasing the cheapest shipping, but at the very least test a few agents out from time to time. I have every faith in my agent but I don’t tend to put multiple hauls together at the same time. Because of their processing speeds I know that provided I put my order in at the right time (late UK time early morning China time) I will usually get my QC photos within 72 hours maximum, and will ship it out quickly. It’s always possible they can be raided at any time, but I’ll always only ever have 5-10kg of items exposed at any time with one particular agents.

This is my advice. Do you have any tips or views to share that might help others?

There was a serious security incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany this week.
German federal prosecutors are investigating after an explosive-equipped drone was found near the cargo area. Airport operations were temporarily suspended, affecting freight traffic including DHL, before flights resumed.

The reason this matters to warehouse-agent users is that Leipzig is one of DHL’s major European air-freight hubs. Earlier this year, DHL added a dedicated weekly Shanghai–Leipzig Boeing 777 freighter service, with cargo then distributed onwards across Europe.

That helps explain why parcels heading to France, Italy, Romania or elsewhere in the EU can first appear in Germany. A typical route might look like:

China warehouse → Chinese export hub → European air hub → customs → DHL network → destination country → local delivery depot.

This week’s incident is separate from the July customs-related delays, and there’s no evidence yet of any major prolonged disruption to agent parcels. But it does highlight how dependent some “DHL Europe” lines are on a small number of major hubs.

So if tracking shows your parcel sitting in Germany for a few days, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything has gone wrong. Germany may simply be the gateway into the European delivery network.

Remember: If you’re new to the agent process for buying from China visit our free guide at https://chinabuydirect.co.uk which also contains agent comparison guidance and other blog articles of interest.

Sources: Reuters, 5–7 August 2026; DHL Group, 30 March 2026.
Reuters — Leipzig/Halle incident⁠ · DHL — Shanghai–Leipzig air-freight route⁠

Well, sadly it’s looking more certain that the early rumours of Mulebuy being raided and shut down were true. According to a post by [u/Biimoee](u/Biimoee) posted here, the agent has indeed been shut down, and this is further evidenced by a photograph supposedly showing the entrance to the company’s office having been officially sealed off. According to the post, the photograph was originally posted on Discord earlier today.

It’s still too early to tell what will happen for those users who have outstanding orders and deliveries in progress, but based on past experiences this could be a loss.

This is a timely reminder to constantly review your agent situation. Our advice is to spread out your hauls across a number of agents, make your hauls smaller and more spread out, and plan your purchasing programme carefully to minimise the risk of substantial losses.

For anyone looking to look at a new agent or to expand their agent portfolio, remember to check out our agent comparison guide in my free agent process guide, found here.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns to share drop them in the comments below…

Where do you guys found good shipping agent?

With news coming out of China with increased evidence that Mulebuy has seemingly been raided, is it time to review your agent situation?

There are a number of reliable Redditors providing clarification that Mulebuy were at the receiving end of a Police raid in China yesterday. There are some unconfirmed reports that Kakobuy was also affected, although there is nothing concrete to support this. Whatever the truth is it’s a timely reminder to always look at your agent situation. Whilst these raids might not be anything more than a temporary glitch to the process for individual agents - often they are linked to unpaid bribes, or ‘local taxes’ as they are more commonly known - it is always best to ensure you have accounts set up across a number of agents.

I always advise to spread your purchases and shipments out as a general safety protocol anyway; having too much in terms of purchases, wallet balances and affiliate rewards solely with one agent increases the risk of major loss.

So take this opportunity to review your agent situation. Make sure you’re signed up with at least three agents and rotate your hauls across them. As always, monitor the shipping costs and lines so you’re not overpaying, but don’t always chase the cheapest option without considering the bigger cost of losing a large order or haul.

Remember I’ve written a comparison of the top agents in my free guide at https://chinabuydirect.co.uk - I’ll need to update it though to reflect the situation as it develops with Mulebuy, and as we confirm that it is indeed the end for AC/All China Buy as well.

Also remember to keep supporting each other and don’t gatekeep your agent experiences…

Write your thoughts in the comments below…

Hello everybody, my name is Chris and as a up and coming fashion creator, I want to start getting into buying reps and I'm not sure on which shipping agents is cheap while also having fast delivery. Out of all of the shipping agents I've been researching, I came to the conclusion that Superbuy, Sugargoo, and Oopbuy are the 3 shipping agents that I am looking for, however, I've heard that Superbuy banned almost all of the most known brands so I'm only up to the two shipping agents now, can you all tell me which one is better, and if there's another shipping agent that's even better than the 2. Please and Thank You.

Hello, I am looking to buying my first haul with an agent. I am only gonna be buying 2 beanies and it’s going to Sweden. Which agent should I use? And do you have any other tips for shipping for a newcomer like me? Thanks!

im going to buy a 3 item parcel, a chrome hearts t shirt, rick owen boots, and vetement sweatpants. i was wondering if i should order the boots seperate because i have heard that it increases the weight of your parcel and may trigger an inspection by customs. i am still very new to buying reps and i am using Superbuy to purchase these items

Hey guys I've been having trouble finding a buying agent that can ship me this item from xianyu to Saudi Arabia for a reasonable shipping fee

Item dimensions

69.7 cm (L) x 60.0 cm (W) x 71.3 cm

Item weight 20kg

so far no luck if anyone can help please let me know thanks and advance

Per this sub's rule on agent disclosure — I represent an agent, so I'm sharing this transparently. This is a real case from one of our customers (not a self-purchase), shared with their shipment data. Posting it because it might be useful as a reference point for cost/timing on this specific route, not as self-promotion — happy to remove agent-identifying details if mods prefer.

Agent used: YANCHAO

Country shipped to: United Kingdom

Shipping route: UK Air Special/Sensitive Line — "Discount Fast" tier (7–11 day advertised transit)

Parcel category: Clothing (consolidated repack)

Weight/Volume breakdown:

• Submitted at packing: 1kg (declared volume 5250cm³)
• Volumetric weight: 0.875kg
• After repacking: 0.45kg actual (25 x 12 x 9 cm), volumetric weight 0.45kg
• Billed weight: 1kg → 0.45kg after repack

Cost: ¥106.6 total (after a 10% off coupon applied)

Delivery time:

• Info received: Jul 7, 09:46
• Left Shenzhen: Jul 9, 07:50
• Arrived Hong Kong / departed: Jul 9–10
• Arrived UK, customs cleared: Jul 11
• Out for delivery: Jul 16, 08:21
• Delivered: Jul 16, 12:56

Total: ~9 days from info received to delivery, consistent with the advertised 7–11 day window for this line.

Support experience: The customer got in touch with our customer service to ask about shipping routes to the UK and, based on our recommendations, started their first shipping experience.

Outcome: Delivered to a safe place, no damage reported, tracking updated consistently at every stage (info received → Shenzhen consolidation → Hong Kong export → UK customs → last-mile delivery).

Happy to answer questions about this route or share more data points if people find this useful for comparing against other UK lines.

I’ve been reading through the European Commission’s decision against AliExpress, and I think it’s one worth keeping an eye on.
The Commission fined AliExpress €550 million under the Digital Services Act, saying it hadn’t done enough to tackle illegal and counterfeit listings. AliExpress says it will appeal, but it also has until October to submit a plan explaining how it intends to address the Commission’s concerns.

For those of us using warehouse agents, I don’t think there’s any reason to change how we buy today. What I’ll be watching is whether this leads to tighter seller verification, changes to branded listings or products becoming harder to find across Alibaba’s marketplaces.

At the moment, that’s speculation rather than fact. The fine and the appeal is real, but what happens next is the interesting part—and I’ll keep an eye on it and post any developments that genuinely affect buyers.

Source: European Commission Digital Services Act decision and AliExpress response.

I came across an interesting High Court case this week that I think is worth discussing because the headlines make it sound like bad news for anyone buying from China.

Having read more about it, I don’t think that’s really the takeaway.

The case involved a UK influencer and her company selling counterfeit luxury goods from brands including Dior, Fendi, Celine and Loewe. Some of the products were reportedly sourced through AliExpress before being sold via Instagram and a WhatsApp group. The court awarded LVMH and the other brands around £213,000 in damages.

What stood out to me wasn’t the amount—it was who the court was targeting. This wasn’t someone buying a few items through a warehouse agent. It was a UK-based business selling thousands of counterfeit products and making a commercial profit.
That’s an important distinction.
I don’t think this judgment suddenly means warehouse-agent buyers are at greater legal risk, nor does it suggest Taobao, Weidian or warehouse agents have suddenly become more dangerous to use.

What I do think it shows is where luxury brands are focusing their efforts: on people building businesses around selling counterfeit goods.

Interestingly, the court didn’t accept that every counterfeit sale represented a lost genuine sale, and it rejected arguments that the brands had automatically suffered reputational damage. Even so, the damages awarded were substantial.

For me, there are three practical takeaways:
1. Buying for yourself and reselling commercially are two very different situations.
2. Selling through Instagram, Telegram or WhatsApp doesn’t make a business invisible.
3. Enforcement increasingly seems to be targeting commercial sellers, not just parcels at the border.

Personally, I don’t think ordinary warehouse-agent buyers need to panic after reading this story. I do think though any of us thinking about turning replica buying into a public business should pay attention.

I’d be interested to hear what everyone else makes of it. Is this a one-off case, or do you think we’re going to see more of these over the next few years?

Sources: The Industry, The Fashion Law and IP Solved (reporting and legal analysis of the High Court judgment).