Module seven of the guide
Nine ways a Basetao order goes wrong
Almost none of these are quality problems. They are rules, deadlines and defaults that are published clearly and read by nobody until the day they apply.
One and two
Reading only one of the two banned lists
There are two, they are on different pages, and they do not match. The purchasing list refuses knives, pure batteries, imitation brands, food, liquid, powder, chemical substances, flammable and explosive materials, and animal and plant specimens.
The forwarding list, on the make a parcel page, refuses gun shaped products, liquid, lighters, powder, computers, laptops, cellphones, pure batteries, and anything over 1.5 metres.
Computers, laptops and phones appear only on the second list. If you buy a laptop yourself and send it in, you have hit a rule you never saw at purchase time. The second mistake is the mirror image: assuming a purchase is fine because forwarding allows it.
Three to nine, in the order they bite
Each one names the official page it comes from, so you can check us.
Sending a parcel from outside China to the warehouse
Basetao states it does not have import qualifications and asks you not to send packages from abroad, warning they would probably be returned or seized. This is a straightforward way to lose an item.
Expecting the inspection to catch fit or shade
Colour difference and actual size are named as outside the inspection. A garment that matches its own label passes even if the label is wrong for you. The 1.5 CNY measurement service exists precisely because of this gap.
Assuming electronics were tested
For electronic and digital products the check is external only, accessories are not counted and nothing is switched on. The same page states functional issues are therefore not covered under the insurance policy. A dead device is a matter between you and the seller.
Ticking remove packaging and then wanting a return
The return page states that if you selected remove packaging at order time the item is no longer in original condition, and it cannot guarantee the seller will accept a return. Removing packaging saves volume, and it costs you the return option.
Missing the seven day return window
Most sellers accept a return or exchange within seven days of the parcel reaching the warehouse. Return shipping is yours. If you are away for a fortnight, your order is not.
Missing the reporting windows after delivery
Two different windows apply. The insurance page gives you seven days from receiving the parcel to raise an issue. The after sale page asks for missing or damaged items to be reported within 24 hours. Use the shorter one.
Letting the storage clock run out
Storage is free for 120 days. After that, with no shipping request and no reply from you, Basetao states it will assume you have given up on the order and reserves the right to dispose of the parcel without further notice. It says it will make an effort to contact you first, and cannot guarantee it.
The one about buying from a stranger
Items from WeChat and Yupoo have to go through the self help order form, and Basetao asks you to include the sellers contact details in a note. The same page says plainly that when dealing with sellers on WeChat or Yupoo you should be sure you can trust them, and that Basetao will not be held responsible for fraudulent activity on the sellers part.
That is not unreasonable. It is also a materially different risk from buying on Taobao, where the marketplace holds the money until delivery. If a Yupoo seller takes your payment and vanishes, the agent is not the party that lost it.
Two habits that prevent most of the list
Do this every time
- Film the parcel being opened before you cut anything
- Run the freight calculator before you buy, with an estimated weight
- Put the agreed measurements in the order note
- Diary the storage deadline the day your first item arrives
Stop doing this
- Ticking remove packaging by default
- Waiting for a fourth seller before shipping the first three
- Treating arrival photos as a quality guarantee
- Buying liquids or batteries and asking afterwards
If something has already gone wrong
Find the right channel
Item questions, parcel questions and delivery damage each go to a different place, with different response expectations.
Go to helpCheck what is reimbursable
The payout table, the conditions attached to it, and the calculator.
Check coverCheck the category first
Six of the twenty five categories touch one of these rules before you have even chosen an item.
Category briefsSee what we last verified
Every rule on this page carries the date we read it. The log records what changed and when.
The change log