LitBuy charges beyond the item price
LitBuy says its purchasing service is free and that it adds no markup to item prices. Several small charges still exist. Storage is the one this site is about; the rest are here so you can see it in context.
What the free service covers
LitBuy's Service and Fees page promises free shopping agent services, with no charges other than merchandise costs, international shipping and customs charges, and optional value-added services on top.
Its breakdown has three parts. Item costs are the product price plus what the seller charges to ship to the warehouse. International shipping depends on weight, route and destination. Customs charges cover declaration, generally ¥10 per parcel depending on the route.
Storage after day 90 is not in that list, because it only applies when an item waits too long. It is a separate policy, which is why it surprises people.
Small fixed charges
- Return you ask for (the seller is not at fault): shipping back to the seller, the seller's original shipping, and a ¥5 service fee, even when the listing had free shipping.
- Rehearsal parcel: ¥20, a trial pack to see weight and size before you commit.
- Custom photos: 1 yuan each according to LitBuy's help page; routine inspection photos are free and usually 3 to 6.
- Customs declaration: generally ¥10 per parcel, by route.
- Overdue storage: from day 91, 0.2% of the price a day, minimum ¥1, at most ¥300 per month, per item.
Per-parcel handling in LitBuy's freight quotes
LitBuy's freight estimator lists a warehouse handling fee per parcel alongside the freight. On 16 October 2026, for a 1 kg parcel with no product type, most routes showed a handling figure between about ¥10.50 and ¥12.65; one Canadian postal route showed none.
Unlike storage, these charges are per parcel, not per item. That is one reason people wait to group items, and why the free-day count and the parcel cost pull in opposite directions.
Estimator figures change often. Treat these as a dated reading and check the freight estimator for your own destination.
Compare waiting with shipping, using the full second payment
International shipping is a later expense than buying the goods. A combined parcel may reduce repeated per-parcel charges, but packing dimensions, route restrictions and extra protection can change the result. A large shoe box added to folded clothing is a useful example: the contents may weigh little while the package occupies more billable volume.
Use the same contents, destination and packing assumptions when comparing options. Include applicable payment conversion, requested services and destination charges, and distinguish a shipping deposit from the final weighed charge. If waiting may create storage fees, compare that cost with the extra parcel charge you would avoid. Neither a free purchasing service nor a low item price tells you which choice costs less overall.
Paying a yuan bill from another currency
Storage fees are settled in yuan from your LitBuy balance. If you top up with PayPal, LitBuy converts to US dollars whatever your PayPal currency, using a rate it says is based on the Bank of China and adjusted from time to time.
International bank transfer is also accepted, with the bank fee on the payer: 0.1% plus $2.5 for Hong Kong accounts, 0.1% plus $7 for others. Paying from balance or coins has no fee.
LitBuy does not publish percentage fees for card or PayPal payments; they are shown at checkout after login.
Storage fees earn no points
LitBuy runs a points programme in which product and shipping payments earn points. Its points rules list storage fees among payments that are not eligible, together with value-added services and refunded or cancelled orders.
Product points turn from pending to available once the item is stored in the warehouse; shipping points once the parcel ships. Neither depends on how long the item waits.
So late storage is a cost with nothing coming back. Points details are on LitBuy's beginner guide page.
Costs LitBuy has not published
- Card and PayPal percentage fees: shown at checkout only.
- Insurance compensation standards: LitBuy pays loss and damage claims to your balance under its own standards, which are not public; delays are not compensated.
- Membership level benefits and the Lit Prime price: announced on 18 September 2026 without figures.
- Customer service hours: purchasing runs 09:00 to 18:00 China time, but no support hours are published.
Next receipt in this set: Using LitBuy, link to parcel