What You Need to Know
Why QC Photos Matter
When you order through SugarGoo, you never physically touch your items before they ship internationally. QC photos are your only opportunity to identify defects before they are packed and sent. Approving bad QC means accepting the product as-is — returns from your home country are impractical and costly. SugarGoo provides free QC photos (up to 10 per item) as a standard service. The photos are taken by warehouse staff and uploaded to your order in the "My Orders" section. You receive a notification when they are ready.
QC Checklist for Sneakers
Sneakers have the most complex QC requirements due to the number of details that can go wrong. Use this checklist:
Overall shape: Does the silhouette match the retail reference from the same angle?
Toe box: Check from directly above — too round or too pointed indicates the wrong last
Heel counter: Should be firm and sit flush with the upper
Outsole: Color accuracy, tread pattern, and branding placement
Swoosh / Logo: Stitching alignment, thread count, and size relative to the shoe
Tongue: Tag placement, label printing, padding thickness
Insole: Logo position, font style, and print quality
Laces: Correct color, width, and aglet finish
Box: If box quality matters to you, request a box photo
QC Checklist for Clothing
Clothing QC focuses on different details than footwear: Label and tag accuracy: Look at the inside label for font, spacing, and thread quality. Compare to reference photos from legitimate purchasers. Print/embroidery quality: Graphic prints should be crisp with no bleeding edges. Embroidery should lay flat without puckering. Fabric texture and weight: Harder to assess from photos, but significant wrinkling or visible shine often indicates lower-quality fabric. Stitching consistency: Check seams, especially around logos, pockets, and hems. Loose threads or uneven stitching are QC flags.
Pro Tip
Ask for a folded vs. flat lay photo for hoodies — folding reveals how the fabric hangs and helps assess weight.
How to Request Additional QC Photos
If the default photos are insufficient, go to your order in SugarGoo's "My Orders" section and click the QC request option. You can specify in the note field exactly what additional angles or details you need. SugarGoo staff typically respond within a few hours to QC photo requests. Common requests: insole shot, outsole flat lay, toe box overhead view, label close-up, specific detail area with better lighting.
When to Reject vs. Accept
Not every imperfection warrants a rejection. Minor acceptable deviations include slight color variation from screen rendering, minor label printing differences that are only visible up close, and small cosmetic thread irregularities on non-prominent areas. Clear rejection grounds: wrong colorway, significant shape deformation, missing or inaccurate logo, damaged material, incorrect sizing tag. When in doubt, post the QC photos in the relevant Reddit community for community input before approving.
