The published scope
The inspection is an appearance check, and the policy says so in one sentence
The sentence that governs everything else reads: EastMallBuy will only arrange inspection for the product appearance, like model, style and size. Everything on this page follows from that, including the parts people find surprising.
The second sentence decides how much of the item anybody actually sees. If the goods are not garments, bags, suitcases or shoes, or if they are in sealed packaging or carry sealing strips, the wrapping is not opened and only the appearance is checked.
The three exclusions, and why each one bites
The policy carries a reminder section that names what is not included, and it is short enough to memorise: colour difference, size measurement error, and actual usage result.
Colour difference bites because every listing photograph is lit and edited. Size measurement error bites because sizing on these marketplaces is a seller opinion rather than a standard. Usage result bites last and hardest, because it covers everything that only shows up after a few weeks.
For appliances, digital products and other functional goods the policy adds three more: authenticity, function and quality are not part of the inspection. For CDs, garage kits and similar sealed goods, the appearance of the packaging is the entire check.
What changes depending on how it is packed
Packaging is not a detail here. It decides whether anybody sees the item at all, and it decides what the parcel looks like when it leaves.
| How it arrives | Opened | What happens to the packaging |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary packaging | Yes | The original packaging is removed and the item goes into a new sealed bag for storage. |
| Sealed, or has sealing strips | No | Sealed packaging stays shut, so what you get is what the seller sent. |
| Fragile, breakable or oversized | Yes | Fragile, breakable and oversized goods are kept in their original packaging, subject to how the warehouse handles them on the day. |
Inspection Policy, storage rules paragraph. Read 4 August 2026.
When the QC photos appear, and what to do with them
Photographs are taken after the item reaches the warehouse. If your order has only just been stored, the help centre says to wait a few hours while the team works through the queue.
When they appear, compare them against the specific things you asked for rather than against your general expectation. Right model, right version, print in the right place, no visible damage, the extras you asked to be kept. Those are answerable from a photograph.
What is not answerable from a photograph is the colour under daylight, whether it fits, and whether anything electrical powers up. Photographs are lit, and warehouse lighting is not your bedroom.
Reading the photographs
Four checks worth running on every set of QC photos
Do them in this order and you will spot the expensive problems first.
Is it the right item at all
Model, colourway name, and the version you asked for. Wrong item is the failure the inspection is best at catching, and the one you can still get fixed cheaply.
Is anything visibly wrong
Stitching, glue, print alignment, hardware, obvious marks. If you see it in a photograph, raise it before the parcel is submitted for shipping.
Does it match the numbers you were given
If you asked for flat measurements and the photograph includes a tape or a reference object, this is the moment to check. Afterwards, size measurement error is excluded.
Are the extras in the frame
Dust bag, strap, charger, spare parts. Packaging is removed at storage unless the item is fragile or oversized, so absence in the photograph is worth a question now.
The forwarding lane has a different rulebook
If you buy on the marketplace yourself and ship the parcel into the warehouse, a separate set of rules applies. The warehouse will not sign for a parcel that arrives with damaged packaging or that does not meet its signing standard. Once accepted, it is inspected for prohibited goods before storage.
The transit section of the policy also gives a rough transit time of three to five days to the warehouse in Yiwu, and asks you to contact your local carrier first if the parcel has not appeared after five days.
The parts people are most often surprised by
Four of them. None is hidden: all four are published, they are just easy to miss.
Nothing gets switched on
Authenticity, function, quality, model details and accessories are all listed as outside the inspection for appliances, digital products and peripherals. A phone charger that arrives dead is a matter between you and the seller.
The wrapping stays on
Sealed packaging and sealing strips stop the unwrapping regardless of what is inside. For blind boxes and figures that is arguably the point, but it means the check confirms the box and nothing else.
The original box usually goes
After inspection the original packaging is removed and the goods are put into a new sealed bag for storage, unless they are fragile, breakable or oversized. This is good for freight and bad for anybody who wanted the box.
At storage, not at inspection
The storage paragraph says quantity, colour and size information are checked as the goods go in. That is a record of what arrived, which is useful evidence later, but it is not a judgement about whether the colour matches the photograph.
What to do when the photographs show a problem
Four steps, in the order that keeps your options open.
Raise it before you submit the parcel
Once you submit a waybill the parcel moves into packing and shipping. Anything you want done about the item itself has to happen while it is still sitting in the warehouse.
Say which published rule you are relying on
Wrong model, wrong style, wrong size on the label are inside the inspection scope. Colour difference and fit are not. Quoting the policy rather than your disappointment gets you a faster answer.
Ask for the return route, and read the clock
Refund handling depends on the order stage, seller acceptance and payment route. Check the current request status and separate seller return, balance credit and withdrawal.
Keep an eye on the storage clock
Goods sit for ninety days from the point they show as stored. A dispute that drags on does not pause that. The storage rule
A clear request makes the evidence usable
First confirm the order number and selected variant. Then compare the whole item, the label or model, visible damage and expected accessories. Keep a short list of what cannot be seen: an obscured fastening, a missing side view or a measurement. Request that specific detail while the item is still in the warehouse.
