Everything you need to switch from Pandabuy to an active agent — account setup, link conversion, haul migration and tips from the community.
I put this guide together because the migration resources available immediately after Pandabuy shut down were mostly speculative — written by people guessing at the process rather than having actually done it. This one is based on the actual migration experience: what steps matter, what can be skipped, and what catches people out.
The most important realisation that took time to spread through the community: your old Pandabuy spreadsheet links are not dead. The Weidian and Taobao sellers those links point to are still operating. The only thing that died was Pandabuy as the agent. Switching agents is the migration — it takes about 30 minutes to set up a CNFans account and you can place your first order the same day.
Before You Start
Pandabuy shut down in 2024. Your account, wishlist and warehouse inventory from Pandabuy are not accessible through any workaround. However, every product link you saved is still valid — Weidian and Taobao sellers are still operating. This guide walks you through exactly how to set up a replacement and resume buying.
Step-by-Step Migration
1
Choose your replacement agent
Most former Pandabuy users migrate to CNFans (closest fee structure, 0–1.5%), Kakobuy (best interface) or Sugargoo (0% fee). See the full alternatives comparison to choose.
2
Create your new account
Register at your chosen agent. Use your email — no connection to Pandabuy is needed or possible. Account creation takes under 2 minutes on CNFans and Kakobuy.
3
Convert your saved product links
Take any Weidian or Taobao link you had saved in Pandabuy and paste it into the Link Converter at ChinaRepTools. Select your new agent and get a direct purchase link in seconds.
4
Top up your wallet
Most agents accept credit/debit cards and PayPal for wallet top-ups. Use a card with a low limit as standard practice. Conversion rates are displayed before you top up.
5
Place your first order
Paste your converted product link into the order form, confirm the item details and submit. The agent purchases from the Chinese seller and sends it to their warehouse.
6
Approve QC and ship
When your item arrives at the warehouse, the agent sends QC photos. Review them, request extra photos if needed, then approve and select your shipping method. Use the QC Checklist at ChinaRepTools to know what to inspect.
Pro tip: Build a haul before shipping — most agents offer 60–90 days free storage. Buy multiple items over a few weeks, then ship everything together to cut per-item shipping cost by 40–60%.
What You Lose vs Pandabuy
Being realistic about what cannot be recovered: your Pandabuy wishlist is gone (but you can recreate it from W2C posts and spreadsheets). Your purchase history is gone. Items in Pandabuy warehouse were largely lost. Your balance was refunded by some users through a claims process — check Pandabuy's official channels if you had funds remaining.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to set up a new agent?+
Account creation takes 2–5 minutes. Converting your first link takes under 30 seconds with the Link Converter. You can place your first order the same day you decide to migrate.
Do I need to find all my product links again?+
If you saved your Weidian/Taobao links outside Pandabuy (bookmarks, notes app, spreadsheet), you just convert them. If you only had them in Pandabuy's wishlist, you will need to find them again via W2C posts on Reddit or community spreadsheets at ChinaRepTools.
Is the ordering process the same as Pandabuy?+
Yes — all major agents follow the same flow: paste link → agent buys → item arrives at warehouse → QC photos sent → you approve → international shipment. The steps are identical to Pandabuy.
Curated by APU — rep buyer and spreadsheet curator since 2018. All seller links verified across Weidian, Taobao and 1688. QC-checked before listing. Updated daily. Trusted links only.
✓ Verified links✓ Real QC✓ Updated daily
Still Works Without Pandabuy
All your old finds work with CNFans, Kakobuy and Sugargoo.
Before migrating from Pandabuy, complete the following steps: withdraw any available account balance, submit or discard any warehouse items that will not be migrated, export your order history for reference, and identify which alternative platform you will migrate to based on your research.
The migration itself is simple from a process standpoint. Create an account on your chosen alternative platform, familiarise yourself with the interface through the available documentation, and place a test order before migrating full purchase volume. Most experienced Pandabuy users find alternative platforms intuitive given familiarity with the purchasing agent model.
The Parts of Migration Nobody Talks About
Post-migration haul — LV, Goyard and Supreme finds ordered through CNFans after leaving Pandabuy
The technical steps — convert links, create new account, place test order — are the easy part of migration. The part that actually trips people up is the psychology of it. Pandabuy had years of community familiarity behind it. You knew how the QC photos looked, you knew the approximate timing on orders, you trusted the platform because you'd used it enough times to build that trust. Building that same confidence with a new agent takes three or four orders minimum. That's normal, and it's worth accepting upfront rather than being surprised by the discomfort. Read the rep buying guide before your first order with a new agent if you want a framework for evaluating QC photos on an unfamiliar platform.
The agent choice matters less than most discussion threads suggest. If you're choosing between CNFans, Kakobuy and Sugargoo, you're choosing between three solid platforms that all purchase from the same Weidian sellers. The fee differences are real but small relative to item cost. The interface differences are real but you adapt. What matters far more is which sellers you're sourcing from and whether the batch quality at those sellers is currently good — and that's determined by community research, not by which agent you use.
One thing that's worth doing before your first post-migration haul: update your shipping line defaults. Pandabuy had default shipping selections that many buyers just accepted without thinking about. Different agents have different defaults, and the default is often not the best option for your destination country. Check the shipping rates guide for current community-reported data on which lines are clearing well for your country right now, and set that as your default rather than trusting whatever the agent pre-selects.
Also: don't migrate everything at once. If you have a large batch of saved links, convert them using the link converter and place them over multiple orders rather than one giant consolidated haul. A failed first order with a new agent is much easier to handle when it contains three items rather than fifteen. Once you've confirmed the workflow works end-to-end — purchase accepted, QC photos arrived, shipping submitted, parcel delivered — then scale up. See the full comparison if you're still deciding between agents before starting your migration.
