Stop D of six

Stop D: putting approved pieces into one box

Combining is the biggest saving in the whole ledger, and packing decides whether it works.

Where this stop sits in the ledger

AOrder placedLink, picture search or Fill&buy formPayment one: goods + seller delivery
BWarehouse inboundOrder status reaches StoredNo charge listed; storage clock starts
CQC photosYou approve or raise a concernPhotos free; count unpublished
DParcel builtApproved pieces combined and packedUnpack-and-count option at USD 0.00
EFreight paidUS or Canada line, checked weightPayment two: international line
FArrivalTransit, customs, the doorstep7 to 11 days quoted; duties are yours

Stop D. Packed by size; the box shape now matters.

Why combining pieces is the main saving

Help article 7791 calls consolidation the step that saves the most, because international lines charge mostly by weight and size. The pricing explains why. On the cheaper US line the first 500 g costs CNY 135 and every further 500 g costs CNY 39, so the fixed opening charge is paid once per parcel. Three pieces of 400 g sent separately pay that opening three times; sent together, they come to 1.2 kg and pay it once.

United States freight steps from 0.5 kg to 5 kg showing the large first step and smaller further steps — The tall first step is why one parcel beats three.

Carton volume versus scale weight on Rowbuy lines

A line charges the larger of two weights: what the scale reads, and a size weight worked out from the carton. Rowbuy's line data uses a divisor of 6000 for both US lines and 8000 for the Canada line. The carton's volume in cubic centimetres, divided by that number, gives the size weight in kilograms is the size weight.

A carton of 45 by 35 by 20 cm holding 2.1 kg of hoodies has a size weight of 5.25 kg on a US line. The parcel is billed as 5.5 kg rather than 2.5 kg. The same carton to Canada comes out at 3.94 kg. That gap is why packing choices matter more for US addresses.

Comparison of scale weight with size weight for the same carton on United States and Canada lines — One carton, three billed weights. Figures computed from the divisors in Rowbuy's line data, 22 October 2026.

Items the lines refuse

The parcel stop is where restricted goods surface. Rowbuy's prohibited list (help article 7363) is long: batteries and power banks, perfume, alcohol, lighters, powders, food, medicine without approval, animal and plant products, weapons and valuables. Article 7827 adds that some items may travel on one line and not another, and that Rowbuy will tell you if something in your parcel is restricted on your chosen line.

The awkward case is the item you have already paid for. Ask about anything with a battery or a liquid before payment one, not here.

Eight groups of goods on Rowbuy's prohibited list including batteries, perfume, powders, food and weapons — Grouped from help article 7363. The full article lists many more examples.

Packing, boxes and what to leave behind

Rowbuy describes its packing as cost-effective and sized to the items, with reinforcement for safety. It lists no paid packing upgrades. What you can control is the packaging that arrived with the goods. Shoe boxes, rigid gift boxes and hat boxes are mostly air. If you can live without them, say so in a note when you submit the parcel; help article 7795 says removing unnecessary packaging helps reduce cost.

White chunky low-top sneakers standing on a yellow shoe box — The box under these sneakers would take up about as much carton space as the shoes.

When to submit the parcel

Two pressures pull against each other. Waiting for more pieces makes the parcel cheaper per item; the free storage window closes at day 90. A sensible rhythm is to plan a haul around one ship date inside the 90 days of the first piece to arrive, and to ship whatever is stored by then. Late pieces can start the next parcel.