QC (Quality Control) photos are the images your buying agent takes when an item arrives at their warehouse. They are your only opportunity to inspect the item before it ships internationally — once approved and shipped, resolving quality issues means dealing with international returns. This guide explains the systematic approach experienced buyers use.
When your ordered item arrives at the agent's warehouse, warehouse staff photograph it according to their standard process. You receive the photos in your account dashboard and must approve or reject the item. If you approve, it goes into your consolidation queue for international shipping. If you reject, the agent returns it to the seller — either for a replacement or a refund to your account balance.
A competent warehouse team will photograph:
If the standard photos don't cover the angles you need, request re-photos before approving. This is free on all major agents. Specify exactly what you want: "please photograph the right sole from directly below" or "please show the interior stamp close-up."
Hold the two sole photos side by side and compare logo placement, outsole pattern, and overall shape. Left/right asymmetry is the most commonly missed defect on rep sneakers and is clearly visible if you specifically look for it. A slightly off-centre tick or uneven logo placement that passes a quick glance becomes obvious in a direct comparison.
View the shoe from the side. The toe box shape is batch-sensitive on Jordan 1s, 4s, and Dunks — each has a specific profile that lower batches get slightly wrong. Save reference photos from community batch comparison threads on r/FashionReps for your specific colourway and compare directly.
Font weight, letter spacing, and logo sizing on the tongue label, heel tab, and side branding. These are the details batch factories invest in — top batches replicate them accurately; lower batches have subtle but visible differences. The "Nike Air" heel text on Jordan 1s, the "BOOST" text on Yeezys, and the "ADIDAS" tongue label on Sambas are the three most community-scrutinised branding checkpoints.
Stitching consistency at stress points — lace holes, eyelet rows, and the heel tab join. Loose or uneven stitching visible in QC photos indicates a construction quality that will worsen with wear.
Assess colour under natural light photos only — warehouse fluorescent lighting systematically misrepresents vibrant colours (orange, yellow, royal blue). If the standard photos are under fluorescent lighting, request a natural light re-photo for any vibrant colourway before approving. This is the single most impactful QC request you can make for colourway-sensitive items.
Hardware on luxury rep bags is one of the clearest quality differentiators. Examine clasps, zippers, and chain links: correct metal tone (warm gold vs cool silver vs palladium), surface finish consistency, no visible casting marks or rough edges. Cheap hardware has a distinct visual quality difference that appears clearly in good QC photos.
Corners are the stress points on bags. Check the stitching at all four base corners and at any point where panels join. Loose seams at corners are a common tell on lower-quality rep bags and indicate where the construction will fail first under normal use.
Embossed or printed logos: font weight, letter spacing, and centring. For GG Supreme canvas: pattern scale and alignment at seams. For Chanel: CC turnlock proportions and weight. For LV Monogram: pattern scale relative to bag size.
Interior lining, pocket stitching, and stamp/serial number placement. Lower batches cut costs on interiors — the exterior looks acceptable but the lining is noticeably cheaper. Request an interior photo specifically if the standard shots don't include it.
You can't feel fabric in photos, but you can assess drape. A heavyweight French terry hoodie hangs with structure; a lightweight fake falls flat. Look at how the fabric behaves at the hem and sleeves — structured drape at the hem indicates correct fabric weight.
Close-up of any embroidered logos or text. Stitches should be tight, evenly spaced, and not showing the backing fabric through the thread. Puckering around embroidery indicates incorrect stitch tension — a quality difference that's permanent.
Screen prints: edge sharpness and colour saturation. Screen print edges should be clean — no bleeding, no halo. Faded or undersaturated prints indicate cheaper printing process.
Reject if: wrong colourway or size was shipped, visible stitching defects at stress points, logo placement is measurably off from reference, hardware colour is noticeably wrong, or asymmetry is visible between left and right items.
Don't reject for: minor warehouse handling marks that will clean off, slight differences from reference photos that are within normal factory variation for that batch, standard rep characteristics that were communicated in community batch reviews.