Today I want to talk about LitBuy, a shopping platform that’s been all the rage these past few months. I started with Wegobuy, then moved on to Pandabuy and Cnfans, and now I’m trying out LitBuy.

Let’s start by talking about the Litbuy platform. It’s essentially a reseller platform for Chinese replica goods that helps you buy items from China.

First, let’s discuss the Chinese platforms it supports: Taobao, Weidian, and 1688. The main reason I left CNFans is that it no longer supports purchases from Weidian, yet most of the luxury replica items I need to buy are on Weidian—they’re almost impossible to find on Taobao.

Compared to other platforms, Litbuy’s exchange rate is on the higher side. However, the platform adjusts its rates periodically. Yesterday, I saw Litbuy’s rate was around 6.2, while Kakobuy’s was actually only 6.5. In my opinion, Kakobuy is a bit more reasonable in this regard. The final transaction price depends not only on the exchange rate but also on other fees, such as service charges. I haven’t researched this thoroughly, so I don’t feel qualified to comment further—I’ll hold my tongue for now.

There are a lot of nuances to shipping routes. If you’re buying brand-name products, I recommend using the postal small package service. Although it’s slower, it has a high delivery success rate. Don’t fall for any “tax-free” claims, because those prices usually include hidden fees—the cost is ultimately passed on to you, and the platform isn’t going to lose money on it. For items like perfume and electronics, there are specific shipping routes you must use; standard routes won’t work. Keep this in mind. For many perfume shipping routes, each package is limited to one bottle of no more than 100 ml or 150 ml. So, fellow perfume enthusiasts, please take note. After all, if the package fails to arrive, you’ll be the one left holding the bag.

There are also some value-added services, such as additional QC photos, packaging fees when picking up your order, insurance, wooden crating, and adding extra bubble wrap to your items—all of which incur extra charges. This really depends on your specific needs. For clothing items, I don’t think there’s any need to purchase these additional services unless you’re shipping valuable goods.

Litbuy discord runs promotions on its platform, including various coupons and prize draws; you can check your winning status in the Litbuy website’s backend. If you participate regularly, you’ll always have coupons on hand when you need them.

The most important thing is that beginners almost never choose a spreadsheet based on their own judgment; they simply assume whoever is being promoted by an influencer or shouting the loudest on Discord is the best. But that’s not actually the case. So before you buy, you must select a truly excellent LitBuy spreadsheet. The key criteria are: whether the merchants listed are well-known Chinese merchants (their reputation within China determines product quality and price), the variety of products, which depends on the creator’s ability to curate the spreadsheet and their understanding of the Chinese market—after all, you don’t want to have to browse through multiple spreadsheets just to buy three or five items; and the product descriptions—if the creator doesn’t even recognize these brands, you can bet with your eyes closed that something’s fishy.

In addition to the above suggestions, I recommend not buying too much on your first try, especially if you’re a beginner. Start with just one or two items to test the waters—check the shipping speed, packaging, and quality. If you’re satisfied, then continue shopping. Regarding customs duties, each country has different standards, so be sure to research them thoroughly beforehand. When it comes to declaring customs duties, I usually enter $10 or $20 instead of the actual amount. Since there’s really no way to verify the actual price, it’s enough to just go through the motions symbolically.

Speaking of third-party platforms, I’d like to add a few more points. This industry is booming—with Pandabuy leading the way and CNFans’ sudden changes following close behind. Therefore, never keep too much balance in your platform account; try to pay for each purchase immediately after making it. If the platform suddenly shuts down, you’ll definitely lose your money.

Overall, LitBuy is still trustworthy for now. Although it may still have many imperfections, I believe that given time, it will improve.