LGBLovegobuy Quote Board
Guides

Practical guides, written for this board

These are not generic articles. Each guide maps to something you actually do in the tool — recording a source and date, judging price uncertainty, reading the three kinds of images, ranking cost per kg, and keeping a Lovegobuy spreadsheet-style worksheet that stays honest.

01Anyone pasting a price from a chat, an email or a page.

Record a quote with its source and date, every single time

The value of a quotation collapses the moment you cannot say where it came from and when. This is the habit that keeps the whole board honest.

  1. 1

    Copy the exact URL, not the screenshot

    When a price appears in a chat, open the actual page behind it and copy that page's address into the Quote source URL field. A screenshot cannot be re-opened or re-checked later.

  2. 2

    Paste it straight into the field

    Use the Quote Board's source field. If the link does not start with http:// or https:// the form will stop you, which is deliberate: an unopenable link is worse than no link.

  3. 3

    Write the quote date as it is issued

    Use the issuer's date, not the day you happened to save it. If the source shows no date, leave the row out until you can confirm one — a price with no date is decoration, not data.

  4. 4

    Add the carrier or service label verbatim

    Type the label exactly as the source prints it. Do not tidy it up or translate it. Your future self will search the board by that exact wording.

  5. 5

    Re-open and re-check before you trust it

    Before acting on any row, click the open-source button and confirm the price still exists. If it changed, edit the row and update the date rather than keeping a stale figure.

A source URL proves where you saw something. It does not prove the price is correct, current, or offered to everyone.

02Buyers comparing two or more quotes side by side.

Treat every quoted price as an estimate, not a final total

A quotation is a snapshot of what one source said on one day. It is not a contract. Recording that uncertainty is the difference between a useful board and a misleading one.

  1. 1

    Note what the price does and does not include

    Shipping, handling, packaging, fuel surcharges and customs duties are often quoted separately. If the source does not spell it out, put that in the Note field so you do not compare a partial price with a total.

  2. 2

    Record the quoted weight the price was based on

    The quoted weight is what the source priced, which may differ from what you will actually ship. Enter it as given so cost per kg reflects the source's own assumption.

  3. 3

    Keep currencies separate

    If two sources quote in different currencies, the Quote Board will show cost per kg for each, but it deliberately will not convert between them. Converting hides the exchange-rate risk inside a number that looks precise.

  4. 4

    Re-quote instead of extrapolating

    Do not scale a quote up or down by guesswork. If you need a price for a different weight or destination, ask the source for a fresh quote and add a new row with its own date.

No price, stock level, transit time or availability on this board is guaranteed. Numbers you enter are only as reliable as the source and date you recorded.

03Buyers who rely on images to judge a purchase.

Seller photos vs warehouse QC vs tutorial images: know which is which

Three different kinds of pictures get treated as if they were the same evidence. They are not, and mixing them up is one of the most common sources of disappointment.

  1. 1

    Seller listing photos are marketing

    These show what the seller wants you to see: the best angle, the cleanest lighting, sometimes a stock or borrowed image. Treat them as an advertisement, not as a record of your item.

  2. 2

    Warehouse QC photos describe one specific item

    When a warehouse photographs the actual unit before shipping, those images are tied to a parcel. They still only capture what the camera saw on that day, and they are not a guarantee of condition, function or authenticity.

  3. 3

    Tutorial images teach a method, not a product

    Step-by-step or explainer images exist to show how something is done. They are not evidence about any particular seller's stock, so never use them to judge a listing.

  4. 4

    Label the image type in your own notes

    When an image matters to a decision, write in the Quote Board's Note field which type it was and where it came from. This board intentionally stores no photographs — it stores the reference and the date.

  5. 5

    Ask before you assume

    If you cannot tell whether an image is a listing photo, a QC shot or a tutorial step, ask the source directly. A one-line question is cheaper than a wrong assumption.

This guide shows no product or QC photographs of its own. It cannot tell you whether any photo you see elsewhere is genuine.

04Buyers ranking quotes by value.

Compare cost per kg the safe way: same currency, then same basis

Cost per kg is the fastest way to compare shipping quotes, but only if two conditions hold: the currencies match, and the weights mean the same thing.

  1. 1

    Let the board compute cost per kg for you

    Enter the quoted price and the quoted weight; the board divides one by the other. Always enter the weight exactly as the source gave it, because the ratio is only as good as that figure.

  2. 2

    Only rank rows that share one currency

    Use the currency filter to isolate one currency at a time, then compare within that group. The board never assumes an exchange rate, so cross-currency ranking is left to you and clearly marked as unsafe.

  3. 3

    Check the weight basis before trusting the ratio

    Two quotes can both be 'cost per kg' yet price different weight bases — item weight versus volumetric weight, for example. If the basis differs, note it; the ratio is no longer apples to apples.

  4. 4

    Flag expired rows out of your ranking

    Filter by status and set the list to 'Not expired'. An old cheap price is not a bargain, it is a stale snapshot that will mislead your decision.

A lower cost per kg is not automatically a better deal. It says nothing about reliability, damage rates, customs handling or the authenticity of anything shipped.

05Buyers who need a realistic timeline and know the risks.

Read transit ranges, insurance restrictions and expiry dates closely

Transit and insurance are where the fine print lives. Capture them exactly, or a row that looks complete can quietly mislead you.

  1. 1

    Only enter a transit range if the source states one

    The transit field is optional by design. If the source is silent, leave it blank. Guessing a delivery window is how you end up with a board full of invented promises.

  2. 2

    Copy the range, do not average it

    If the source says '7–15 days', enter the range rather than picking a middle number. A range is information; a single number is an opinion you injected.

  3. 3

    Write insurance restrictions as words, not ticks

    Note what is excluded, capped, or not covered — for example, whether fragile items or batteries fall outside cover. 'Insurance restrictions' should read like a sentence, because that is what you will need later.

  4. 4

    Enter an expiry date whenever the quote has one

    Many quotes are valid only briefly. When you enter an expiry date, the board flags the row as Expired once that date passes, so you never act on a dead price.

  5. 5

    Re-quote when a row expires

    When a row is flagged expired, do not simply edit the date. Ask the source for a current quote and add a fresh row, so your board keeps a truthful history.

Transit ranges and insurance terms are the issuer's statements, not promises from this guide. Delivery timing and coverage are never guaranteed here.

06Buyers who were tracking quotes in a Lovegobuy spreadsheet and want structure.

Build your own Lovegobuy spreadsheet-style worksheet that stays trustworthy

If you have been keeping a Lovegobuy spreadsheet of favorite links, treat this board as its disciplined cousin: same idea, stricter rules about sources, dates and honesty.

  1. 1

    Start from zero, on purpose

    The board opens with no rows. Resist the temptation to bulk-fill it with remembered prices. Add rows only as you collect verifiable quotes, so nothing on the board is a guess.

  2. 2

    Use one row per quote, not one row per product

    A single product can carry several shipping quotes from different services and dates. Keep them as separate rows so the dates and sources never get muddled together.

  3. 3

    Export to CSV and keep dated copies

    Use Export CSV to download a real file. The export neutralises formulas that could otherwise execute in a spreadsheet and preserves any fields containing commas or quotes. Keep one file per date so you can see how prices moved over time.

  4. 4

    Re-build your old sheet row by row, honestly

    For each line in your older Lovegobuy spreadsheet, add a row here only once you can re-open the source and confirm it. Anything you cannot confirm stays out, or goes in the Note field clearly marked as unverified.

  5. 5

    Reset deliberately when you start a new season

    When a batch of quotes is fully out of date, use Reset board — after confirming — to clear it and begin a clean sheet. Export first if you want the history.

A tidy worksheet can still be built on weak sources. Structure improves your record-keeping; it does not make any quote true or any seller verified.

Put the guides to work

Open the board and add one row following guide 01. You do not need many rows to benefit — you need rows you can re-check.

Add your first quote