Help desk: questions, a glossary of MambaBuy screen terms, and contacts
Short answers to the questions beginners ask most, the words you will meet on MambaBuy screens, and the right door for each kind of problem.
Quick answers for the opening haul
Is a Chinese marketplace account required?
No. MambaBuy pays the seller. You only need a MambaBuy account and a way to pay it.
Is there a service fee?
None for website self-service orders. Orders sent by chat for staff to key in cost 3% (under CNY 5,000) or 1.5% since 15 October 2026.
How many free photos do I get?
Three standard photos per item. Detailed photos are CNY 2 each.
How long can my goods wait at the warehouse?
Ninety days free from Stored, 180 days in total before unclaimed goods are treated as abandoned.
Can I return something?
Request it within 5 days of Stored. The first return or exchange each month has no service fee; return shipping is yours unless the seller was at fault.
Will I pay duty?
On lines named "Tax & Duty included" the line handles it. On EMS lines to the US, Canada and Australia import tax is yours.
Where are the warehouse photos?
Member Center, Warehouse, Stored, once the goods arrive; inside the order once the parcel is packed.
What if the seller is out of stock?
MambaBuy confirms stock with the seller; an item that cannot be bought goes back to your wallet as credit.
Does this site get paid when I sign up?
No. There is no MambaBuy referral code behind our links, just a tracking tag naming this site as the source.
Beginners frequently asked us these before their own opening haul; for anything about a specific order, MambaBuy's chat is the place.
Glossary: TG numbers, Stored and other MambaBuy screen words
- QC
- Quality check: the warehouse's photos and look at your goods on arrival.
- Stored / Not stored
- The two lists under Warehouse. Stored is when both the return clock and free storage begin.
- TG number
- The order-level reference MambaBuy uses for stored goods; storage extensions are priced per TG order.
- MB number
- The parcel reference (MBxxxxx) quoted in protection claims.
- DC number
- Your user ID, in the format DCxxxxx, asked for in Alipay payment remarks.
- Consolidation
- Combining stored packages into one international parcel.
- Volume weight
- Carton volume divided by the line's divisor; the heavier of it and the scale reading is billed.
- Line
- A shipping route and carrier, such as RM01 or DHL-EC02, each with its own price and limits.
- Tax & Duty included
- A line whose price covers import duty for the destination.
- DIY Order
- A form for links the search bar cannot read, such as JD or Xianyu.
- Manual order
- Links sent by chat for staff to enter; now charged 3% or 1.5%.
- GL / RL
- Shopper shorthand you will meet in forums: GL, short for green light, is forum slang for photos that pass; RL, red light, flags something to send back or swap. MambaBuy's screens do not use these terms.
Which MambaBuy door handles which problem
| Problem | Where to go |
|---|---|
| A specific order, parcel or payment | Online chat on mambabuy.com, six days a week, 9 am to 6 pm Beijing time |
| Account access or settings | [email protected] |
| Business cooperation | [email protected] |
| A balance payment request | Orders, After-sales, Repayment |
| A lost or damaged parcel | Chat, within 7 days, with the MB parcel number and evidence |
| Something wrong on this site | [email protected] |
MambaBuy also runs a Discord server linked from its site. Community answers there are from other users, so treat them as experience, not policy.