Walkthrough · snapshot 2026-11-08
QC photo checklist
This is the checklist I run on every warehouse photo set before I approve an item for shipping, written out in full so you can copy it. It covers garments, shoes, bags and accessories, in the order I actually check them, with the thresholds I use and the specific photo I ask for when something looks off. Two notes before you start. The thresholds are my own rules of thumb from my own parcels, not official standards from any warehouse or brand. And a checklist cannot tell you whether an item is genuine, only whether it matches what you think you bought.
At a glance — every table on this page
From: Photo type checks
| Photo type | Question it answers | Fail condition for me |
|---|---|---|
| Full front | Is this the right item and colour | Wrong model, wrong colourway, obvious shape mismatch |
| Full back | Consistency between panels | Different print placement from the listing |
| Tag or label | Is the size and model correct | Tag missing, unreadable, or disagrees with the variant |
| Detail close up | Condition at arrival | Stain, scuff, glue, open seam, cracked print |
| Measurement | Does the flat size match the chart | Disagrees with the chart by more than 4 cm |
| Box and accessories | Is everything included | Listed accessory absent |
From: Garment checklist
| Garment check | How I read it | Threshold I use |
|---|---|---|
| Label size vs measured chest | Flat measurement against the seller chart | More than 4 cm off, ask for a re-measure |
| Stitching at the hem | Follow the hem line in the detail shot | Visibly uneven or an open section |
| Print condition | Raking light across the print | Any crack or lifted edge |
| Pilling at collar | Close up of the collar edge | Visible balling on a new item |
| Symmetry | Compare left and right panels | One panel clearly shorter |
From: Shoe checklist
| Shoe check | How to read it | Threshold I use | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left and right toe height | Both shoes in one frame, same angle | Visible difference above about 5 mm | Ask for a reshoot, then decide |
| Midsole stitching | Follow the stitch line in a close up | Wander above about 2 mm, loose ends, fewer stitches on one shoe | Cosmetic unless a panel is pulling |
| Insole length | Tape next to the insole | More than half a size from your foot length | Consider an exchange |
| Size tag | Inside collar or tongue | Missing or unreadable | Ask for a second photo |
| Accessories | Box shot against the listing | Any listed item absent | Ask the warehouse to search the shelf |
Before you open the photos
Have three things in front of you: the listing photos you ordered from, the size chart for the variant you chose, and your own body measurement or foot length. A QC photo set only answers questions relative to a reference. Without the listing open, everything looks fine.
Then decide what would make you reject the item, before you see it. Mine is simple: a defect that would stop me wearing it, a wrong variant, or a size more than one step off the chart. Deciding in advance stops the drift that happens when you have already paid twice and just want the parcel to leave the warehouse.
Photo type checks
Work through the set by photo type rather than by item, because each photo type has one job. The full front and back answer shape and colour. The tag shot answers size and variant. The detail shot answers condition. The measurement photo answers fit. The box shot answers completeness.
If a photo type is missing, that is the first thing to request, before you judge anything else. A set with no tag photo and no measurement is not a set, it is a gallery.
Garment checklist
For tops and outerwear, check the neck label first, then measure the flat chest across the armpits with the tape in frame. Compare that number with the seller's chart for the size you ordered. My threshold is 4 cm. If the label says the size I ordered and the flat chest disagrees with the chart by more than 4 cm in the same direction across two measurements, I ask for an exchange rather than shipping it.
Then check the four condition points: collar and cuff edges for pilling, the main seam for openness, the print edge for cracking, and the hem for uneven stitching. Look at the same point in both the front and back photo if it appears twice. A single dark spot on one photo is usually a shadow. The same spot in two photos is a mark.
- Neck label readable and matching the variant ordered
- Flat chest measured with a tape in frame
- Compare with the published chart, not your own chest
- Collar, cuffs, main seams, print edges inspected
- Any mark confirmed in a second photo before acting
Shoe checklist
Shoes deserve their own pass because they fail differently. Ask for both shoes in one frame, heels aligned. Then read the size tag, ask for the insole length rather than the outsole, and compare the left and right toe box profile. My threshold for toe height is 5 mm. Below that it is normal variation. Above it, ask for a side by side reshoot before deciding, because a pressed toe box often recovers and a genuinely deformed one does not.
Then check the midsole stitch line around the shoe. I look for a path that wanders more than about 2 mm from the moulded line, loose thread ends, or clearly fewer stitches on one shoe than the other. On most models that is cosmetic. It matters when the stitch is open or a thread is pulling a panel away. Finally check the heel logo, the insole print and the box contents, because the insole and the spare laces are the parts most often left behind.
Bag and accessory checklist
Bags fail at hardware, straps and shape. Check the zipper pull and slider for play, the strap attachment points for even stitching, and the base for creasing. Ask for a photo of the inside lining, because that is where a used or returned item shows first, and ask whether the dust bag is included if the listing showed one.
Accessories fail at the finish. Check for plating bubbles on metal, for uneven coating at the edges, and for the clasp tension in a short video if your warehouse offers one. A video is worth asking for on anything with a moving part, because a still photo cannot show whether a clasp holds or a zipper drags.
Scoring and acting
Score each item out of five checks and act on the total rather than on the worst individual thing. A single 2 mm stitch wander with everything else clean is a pass. Three small issues together is a return, because the pattern predicts more that the photos do not show. That is the judgement no checklist can make for you.
When you do ask for an exchange or return, quote the exact photo and the exact check. Support moves faster with the item number and a sentence like, the tag says M and the flat chest measured 58 cm against a chart that shows 62 cm. Vague complaints turn into a thread of questions, and the return window keeps moving while you type.
Common questions
Questions people actually ask
How many photos should a QC set have?
Four to six is normal, and I add a measurement photo when the size matters. If the set has no tag shot and no measurement, that is the request to make first, before you judge condition.
Are these thresholds official?
No. The 4 cm size gap, the 5 mm toe difference and the 2 mm stitch wander are rules of thumb from my own parcels. Warehouses and brands do not publish thresholds like these, and passing them is not a guarantee.
What should I check first on any item?
The tag and one flat measurement, because those decide whether the item is even the right size and variant. There is no point inspecting a condition issue on a garment you would have exchanged for size anyway.
Can QC photos prove an item is genuine?
No, and that is a limit worth stating plainly. Photos prove condition at a moment. They cannot prove origin, material or how the item will wear.
What if the warehouse will not take the photo I ask for?
Ask once more on the same item thread with a specific angle. If it still does not come, decide with the uncertainty attached rather than asking a third time, and price the risk into whether you keep the item.
Searches this page answers
- qc photo checklist
- warehouse qc inspection list
- how to check qc photos
- item inspection before shipping
- oopbuy spreadsheet
- oopbuy spreadsheets
- spreadsheet oopbuy 2026
Use the catalogue, not the guesswork
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