25 categories, three marks
Basetao finds by category, and what each one hides
The same question applied 25 times: in this category, what do people get wrong, and which step can still settle it. No scores, no rankings, and no prices, because prices on these platforms change weekly.
Grouped by the step that answers them
Four groups, sorted by where the usual doubt in that group gets resolved. Every name is a live category link.
One and a half yuan buys the answer
Everything here comes down to centimetres, and centimetres are measurable on request once the item reaches the warehouse. A wrong size is never treated as a failed inspection, so asking is the whole strategy.
The free photographs are enough
Construction, hardware and finish all survive a photograph, and extra pictures cost nothing. Name the detail you care about in the order note and it will be in the set.
Settle it before you pay, or not at all
These run into the two published lists, into the size limit, or into the wording of the listing itself. Nothing in the process is checked against any of those at the moment you order, so this is the reading you do first.
No step in the process answers this
Metal, movements and electricity are all outside the inspection scope. The decision is yours, made on the listing and the seller, before any money moves.
One brief per category
Open a category for the mistake people actually make there and the thing that settles it. The mark on the right is where that answer comes from.
Sneakers and trainersAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the marked size is your size.
What settles it. Ask for the inside length of the sole in centimetres and compare it with a pair you already own, measured the same way. Size charts convert badly; centimetres do not. The measurement service exists for exactly this.
Canvas and casual shoesAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Width, which no size number describes.
What settles it. Canvas and knit uppers give less than leather at the same length, so ask for the widest point across the sole as well as the length. Neither number is checked unless you request it.
Leather shoes and bootsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the leather looks like the photograph.
What settles it. Two separate problems live here. Length is measurable at the warehouse for the handling fee. Shade is not: colour difference is named as outside the inspection, and dye moves between production runs.
Sandals and slidesAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the straps sit where you need them.
What settles it. Ask for outsole length and strap width. On an open shoe these two numbers decide wearability more than the marked size does, and both can be measured on request.
Hoodies and sweatshirtsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether it is the boxy fit in the photo or a slim cut with the same label.
What settles it. Chest flat and body length settle it. Ask for both in centimetres and lay a hoodie you like flat to compare. A garment that measures nothing like its label still passes inspection, because size difference is excluded.
T-shirts and topsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Shoulder width, which is where cheap tops go wrong.
What settles it. Ask for seam to seam across the shoulders and the body length. Cotton weight matters too, but no photograph settles it, so ask the seller for the gsm before you order rather than after.
Jackets and outerwearAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether it closes over what you wear underneath.
What settles it. Chest flat plus sleeve length from the shoulder seam. Ask with your thickest jumper in mind. The check confirms the label, not the fit.
Down jackets and puffersAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Loft, which decides warmth and cannot be photographed.
What settles it. Ask the seller for the fill power and the fill weight in grams before you order. At the warehouse you can still have the flat measurements taken, but nobody will assess how warm it is.
Knitwear and sweatersAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the yarn is what the listing implies.
What settles it. Composition is a seller question, not a warehouse one. What the warehouse can do is measure chest and length, and photograph the knit close enough that you can see the gauge.
Jeans and denimAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. A waist tag that is a Chinese size rather than an inch measurement.
What settles it. Never order denim on the tag alone. Ask for waist flat, hip flat and inside leg in centimetres. This is the single category where the measurement service most often saves an order.
Trousers and pantsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Rise, which changes where the waistband ends up sitting.
What settles it. Ask for front rise and inside leg, not just the waist. Two pairs with the same waist and different rises fit like different garments, and neither is part of any check.
ShortsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Length, which listing photos flatter.
What settles it. Ask for the outside leg from the waistband. It is one number and it removes the most common disappointment in this category.
Handbags and shoulder bagsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether it is the size you pictured.
What settles it. Ask for the three outside dimensions. They answer the size question and they are the same numbers the volumetric weight is worked out from when the parcel is packed, so you learn two things for one request.
BackpacksAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Hardware, which is where a bag fails first.
What settles it. Zips, buckles and stitching all photograph well. Name them in the order note so the arrival pictures include close ups, rather than hoping the default shots happen to show them.
Wallets and card holdersAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the finish matches the listing render.
What settles it. Small leather goods are photographed well by the warehouse, so edge paint and stitching are visible on arrival. Shade is not covered, so treat the render as intent.
BeltsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Total length, which is not the same as your waist size.
What settles it. Ask for the length from the buckle to the middle hole in centimetres. Buckle finish shows in the arrival photos; length only appears if you asked for it.
Hats and capsAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Crown depth, which decides whether it perches or sits.
What settles it. Ask for the internal circumference and the crown height. Both are quick to measure and neither is inspected by default.
Sunglasses and framesAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Frame width against your face.
What settles it. Ask for lens width, bridge and temple length, the three numbers printed inside real frames. Lens tint is a colour question, which means nobody checks it for you.
Luggage and travel bagsBefore you order
What people get wrong here. Whether a parcel can be built around it at all.
What settles it. The parcel page names anything over 1.5 m among the things Basetao basically cannot ship. Check the longest side including packaging before you order, and ask support if it is close.
Perfume and fragranceBefore you order
What people get wrong here. Whether it is allowed to leave China in a parcel.
What settles it. Liquid appears on both published lists, the buying one and the shipping one, and the official freight calculator carries separate attributes for liquid and cosmetics. Ask before you pay, and describe the format honestly.
Phones and handsetsBefore you order
What people get wrong here. Which of the two lists your item touches.
What settles it. A handset is a lithium battery with a screen attached, and batteries are named on the prohibited list rather than left to the inspection. Read that list before you pay: whether a line will carry that battery decides the parcel, and no photograph taken at the warehouse changes the answer.
Jewellery and small metalNever checked
What people get wrong here. What the metal actually is.
What settles it. Nothing is tested. The inspection reads the label back to you and stops there, so plating and alloy claims stay claims. Buy on the seller's reputation or accept the risk knowingly.
WatchesNever checked
What people get wrong here. Whether the movement is the one named.
What settles it. The case is photographed, never opened. A stated movement is not an inspected movement. Watches also carry their own attribute on the official freight calculator, so ask about the battery before ordering.
Consumer electronicsNever checked
What people get wrong here. Whether it powers on and whether the box is complete.
What settles it. Stated as excluded twice over: inspection of electronics is external appearance only, accessories are not counted, the device is not switched on, and functional issues are therefore not covered by insurance either. Get the seller to confirm the contents in writing.
Headphones and audioNever checked
What people get wrong here. Whether both sides work and pair.
What settles it. Same exclusion as all electronics, plus a shipping question: pure batteries appear on both banned lists, and a sealed rechargeable is a different case worth asking about before you order.
Sweatpants and joggersAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the waist and the inseam match the pair you already wear.
What settles it. Elastic waistbands are the worst thing to buy off a size chart, because the number on the label describes the band relaxed and you wear it stretched. Ask for the flat waist measurement and the inside leg in centimetres. Sizing is not part of the inspection, so this is a question you pay one and a half yuan to have answered rather than one you hope goes well.
WomenswearBefore you order
What people get wrong here. Whether the listing in front of you is the garment you meant.
What settles it. This tile runs a keyword search rather than opening a category, because the catalogue is built by garment type and not by who wears it. So the first thing to settle is the one thing a search cannot settle for you: read the listing title and the option names and confirm the cut, the length and the lining before you paste anything into an order.
Jerseys and kitAt the warehouse
What people get wrong here. Whether the name, the number and the badge are the ones you asked for.
What settles it. Every part of this is printed or stitched on the outside, which means a photograph settles it and the photographs are free. Name the player, the season and the number in the order note so the set you get back can be checked against something written down rather than against your memory of the listing.
Why clothing and shoes take up half the list
Because fit is the only common doubt with a published price attached, and because it is the doubt that ends most orders badly. The planner will send you here for any garment. Chinese sizing is cut for a different average build, and the tag on a pair of jeans is frequently a Chinese size rather than an inch waist.
The measurement service turns all of that into a one and a half yuan question, but only if you ask a specific one. The categories above name the two or three numbers worth asking for in each case.
The four categories where the answer is simply no
Jewellery, watches, consumer electronics and audio all end up in the same place: the inspection reads the label back to you and stops. Metal is not tested, cases are not opened, devices are not switched on, and accessories are not counted.
That does not make them bad buys. It makes them buys where the decision has to be complete before you order, on the strength of the seller and the listing rather than on anything that happens later.
Before anything liquid, powdered or battery powered
Three categories run into the published lists rather than the inspection: perfume and cosmetics, home and lifestyle, and anything with a battery sealed inside. The buying list and the shipping list are different documents with different contents, and it is the second one that stops a parcel being built.
The official freight calculator also carries a set of commodity attributes, including liquid, cosmetics, powder, magnetic items, watches and batteries, which is how a shipping line gets matched to what you are sending.
Open the official cost calculator page
how_make/cost.html on basetao.com, read 2026-08-04.
Next step.
- Judging a find turns these marks into an answer for the item in front of you.
- Finding the item is what to do when the link on a card no longer opens.