What "with QC" means on a sheet
When a spreadsheet advertises "with QC", it usually means one of three things, and only the first is worth much. The row may link warehouse photos of that exact item from a previous order. It may carry a "QC available" tick that no one verified. Or it may link a third-party finder page that searches photos by item.
The useful version is a photo set taken by KakoBuy's warehouse staff when a buyer's item arrived, shown with the item ID. It tells you what one batch looked like on one date. It cannot tell you what yours will look like, because the seller can change materials, stitching or sizing between orders.
So a QC link raises confidence without proving anything. If you need a more careful read of the photos, our KakoBuy QC photos page goes through the inspection scope in more depth, and the 9-point score counts linked photos as one of its checks.
A QC link is evidence from someone else's batch; use it to decide, not to relax.
What KakoBuy's inspection covers, and what it doesn't
According to KakoBuy's help centre, every purchased item is inspected on reaching the warehouse. The scope is narrower than many buyers assume, and the boundaries decide how much a photo can tell you.
| Item type | Checked | Not checked or not covered |
|---|---|---|
| Garments, bags, suitcases, shoes | Appearance, model, style, colour, size, large-area damage | Colour difference, loose threads, "tiny issues" |
| Electronics | Accessories present, physical damage | Function; KakoBuy says it is not responsible for quality problems |
| Sealed items and other products | Appearance only | Not opened |
| Seller giveaways | Only if noted on the order | Quality of giveaways is outside after-sales service |
Read that as "obvious wrong item, wrong size, big damage". It is a filter for gross errors, not a quality grade. The inspection also happens after you have paid for the item, so a bad result means a return or exchange, not a refund before purchase.
A return or exchange request has to be made within 5 days (120 hours) of stock-in, and only if the seller takes returns and the item can be resold. For non-Prime users the first return and the first exchange of each calendar month cost nothing; further ones run from ¥5 to ¥40, by tier. Seller errors and quality problems are not charged to you. That 5-day clock makes it important to open your QC photos the day they arrive.
Inspection catches wrong items and major damage; subtle quality is on you, within 5 days.
Photo counts and prices: what is official and what isn't
How many free QC photos each item receives is not published by KakoBuy. Third-party writers fill the gap with estimates: rep.tools, which discloses that it earns a KakoBuy affiliate commission, reports community consensus of roughly 3 to 5 per item. We treat that as a rough guide only.
What KakoBuy does publish is the price list for additional photos and related services.
| Service | Price | What you get | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse QC photos | Included | Count not published | After the item is stocked in |
| Personalised photos | ¥2 per photo | Specific shots such as a logo area or a measured length | Within 24 hours |
| Parcel photos | Free | Three: before sealing, after sealing, on the scale | Within 24 hours; tick the option when you submit the parcel |
| Pre-packing | ¥18 per time | Parcel weight before you pay shipping | Within 24 hours |
| Fragile reinforcement | ¥10 per item | Air-column bags and a photo of the packed item | Within 24 hours |
To order personalised photos, buy the service from the "Discount Information" area of the homepage and write the order's OG number and what you want in the remarks box, for example a measured sleeve length. The parcel photos are separate: they prove how the parcel was sealed and what it weighed, not what the product looks like.
Free photos are of unknown number; extra photos are ¥2 each and parcel photos are free.
The May 2026 image incident and old photos
KakoBuy's 11 May 2026 notice covered a narrow window: QC images created or updated from 2 to 8 May 2026 that showed wrongly or would not load. The cause it gave was misuse of warehouse upload permissions by outsiders. Account, order, payment and address data, it says, were untouched; it reset the permissions and began monitoring uploads.
For a sheet reader, the practical rule is about dates. KakoBuy also announced an image server upgrade on 18 October 2025, warning that images might not load for a few hours. If a photo is dated 2 to 8 May 2026, or will not load, treat it as missing, not as "bad". The outage and incident log keeps the full timeline.
A photo from 2 to 8 May 2026 is unverified until you see a newer one.
Third-party QC finders and how far to trust them
A QC finder is a website that lets you paste an item link and see photos from other buyers' orders, so you can judge a batch before buying. Several exist, and some sheets embed one next to every row.
How finders get their photos is not something KakoBuy documents. We found no mention of a public photo feed or API in anything we read on 12 October 2026, so we cannot say how a finder matches a photo set to an item. Matching by listing ID is plausible, but that is our assumption, and finders are not run by KakoBuy.
What this means for you in practice:
- A finder result is only as good as its match on the item ID. Compare the number on the finder with the marketplace link in the sheet row.
- No result does not mean the item is bad. It can mean nobody has ordered it through KakoBuy yet.
- Do not log in to a finder with your KakoBuy password. A finder has no reason to ask for it.
The Reddit page covers QC threads, which are the human version of a finder.
Use finders to preview a batch, match the item ID yourself, and never give them your password.
What to check in QC photos, by category
Whatever photos you have, check the same few things first: the item number or label matches your order, the colour looks right under the warehouse light, and the photo is recent. Then use the table for the category.
| Category | Check in the photos | Ask for extra photos if |
|---|---|---|
| Hoodies, jackets, tops | Seams, zipper, printed areas, tag and label, flat shot against your size chart | The sleeve or body length is critical; request a tape-measure photo |
| Trousers and jeans | Waist label, stitching along the inseam, hem length | Waist size is unclear |
| Shoes | Sole symmetry, glue marks, insole text, box condition | Fit depends on length; ask for an insole-length shot |
| Bags | Zipper, handles, corners, hardware, interior lining | Dimensions matter; ask for a ruler shot |
| Electronics | Accessories in the photo, no visible damage | Always; KakoBuy does not check function |
| Jewellery and watches | Clasp, stamping, scratches, band links | Close-ups of the clasp and any markings |
| Perfume and liquids | Seal and cap intact, bottle size | Cap seal is not visible |
For clothing, hold the photo against measurements from a garment you already own; our size sheet CSV lists the nine measurements to take. The guides on shoes and electronics go deeper on those two categories.
Check the label, the colour and the date first, then the category-specific details.
A worked example: what extra photos and pre-packing cost
Suppose a hypothetical ¥300 jacket (about $42, an example price) ships alone to Spain at 2,000 g. You decide to buy four personalised photos at ¥2 each and pre-packing at ¥18 so you know the weight before paying shipping. KakoBuy's estimator quoted $42.76 on "Europe Tariffless Line -K" for 2,000 g to Spain on 12 October 2026, no dimensions. Add the typical ¥8 declaration fee. Sums were run in Python, at ¥1 ≈ $0.14.
Extras: 4 × ¥2 + ¥18 = ¥26 = $3.64, which is 8.7% of the ¥300 item price
Landed total: $42.00 item + $42.76 shipping + $1.12 declaration + $3.64 extras = $89.52
Extras as a share of the landed total: $3.64 ÷ $89.52 = 4.1%
EU buyers should also expect KakoBuy's €3 per-parcel charge, added to shipping at checkout, and import VAT. The extras cost 4.1% of the total, a small price for knowing the weight and the sleeve length before the money for international shipping leaves your hands. Pay per order here too, and treat KakoBuy's account-balance wording as optional. The Spain page lists every line.
¥26 of extras was 4.1% of a $89.52 total; spend it when size or finish decides the purchase.
Using QC links in your own list
When you copy a row into your own tracker, keep the QC link in the same row as the marketplace link, and note the photo date. The haul tracker CSV has a column to record whether you checked the QC photos, one for extra photos bought, and the return-by date, which is the arrival date plus 5 days. If you want a hand with the order itself, scan the WhatsApp code shown on the contact page.
- kakobuy-haul-tracker.csv — QC checked, extra photos and return-by columns
- kakobuy-size-sheet.csv — nine measurements to compare against a photo
Store the QC link, the photo date and the return-by date next to each row.
Questions buyers ask
How many QC photos does a KakoBuy sheet row usually link?
There is no fixed number, because KakoBuy does not publish how many free warehouse photos an item gets. Community consensus, reported by rep.tools, which earns a KakoBuy affiliate commission, is about 3 to 5 per item. A row that links one blurry photo is thin evidence; look for a front, a back, a label and a size or detail shot before you rely on it.
Can KakoBuy's QC catch a weaker batch than the sheet promised?
Only partly. KakoBuy says inspectors check colour, size, model, style, appearance and large-area damage, but it is not responsible for colour difference, loose threads or other tiny issues. A subtle fabric or finish problem can pass. If it matters, buy personalised photos at ¥2 each; KakoBuy says they arrive within 24 hours.
What does a ¥2 personalised photo cost in practice?
Four extra photos cost ¥8, about $1.12 at ¥1 ≈ $0.14. Added to ¥18 for pre-packing, which gives you the parcel weight before you pay shipping, a ¥300 jacket carries ¥26 of extras: 8.7% of the item price, about $3.64. That is cheap compared with paying return shipping on an item that turns out wrong.
Were KakoBuy QC photos affected by the May 2026 incident?
Some were. KakoBuy announced on 11 May 2026 that certain QC images created or updated between 2 and 8 May 2026 displayed wrongly or were unavailable, after warehouse upload permissions were improperly accessed by external parties. It says accounts, orders, payments and addresses were unaffected. Treat any QC photo dated in that window as unverified and look for a newer one.
Do third-party QC finders work for KakoBuy items?
Finders exist, but we have not verified how they work, and KakoBuy's help pages describe no public photo feed or API. A finder may match photos to an item by its listing ID, but that is our assumption, not a published fact. If you use one, match the item ID yourself and treat a missing result as no information, not as a warning.
Are the free parcel photos the same as QC photos?
No. Parcel photos are a separate free service: three pictures taken before sealing, after sealing and of the parcel on the scale, KakoBuy states, and you must tick the option when you submit the parcel. They prove packing and weight. QC photos are taken earlier, when the item arrives, and show the product. You want both before paying for international shipping.