Quiet knits and polos on a HooBuy sheet: read the composition label and ask for the photos that show the fabric

Why old-money rows are a fabric category, not a style category

"Old money" on a spreadsheet means plain, logo-free clothing: crew-neck and V-neck sweaters, cardigans, polo shirts and knitted vests in muted colours. With no print to judge, the buyer's whole judgement rests on the fabric, the weave and the finish of collars and cuffs. Those are the points an agent's photos handle least well, and the points a seller's listing is most likely to describe loosely.

The row can still be opened through HooBuy: the link carries the marketplace item ID, as the HooBuy spreadsheet homepage explains. HooBuy is on our Hold list, so pay per order and keep the first order to one garment. The rest of this page covers how to read a label, which photos to request and what knits do to a shipping bill.

With no logo to look at, the label and the weave are the product.

Reading a composition label: what each wording tells you

A composition label lists fibres with percentages, for example "70% wool, 30% polyamide" or "100% cotton". The seller's title is not a label. Ask for the photo of the tag sewn inside the neck or side seam, and compare it with the listing. The table sets out the wordings you will meet and the photo each calls for.

HooBuy's own scope matters here. Its help centre names what inspectors look at: colour, size, model and version number, large damage and stains. Thread details and actual fit are left out. Fibre content is not on that list, so the label photo is something you ask for. The QC photos page sets out what the standard set shows.

A named fibre with a percentage is checkable; a feel word is not.

The photos to ask for, and what they cost

Three standard photos (front, back, side or logo) are the usual free set; the rest are paid. On 26 October 2026 the order form priced detailed photos at ¥1 each, with a cap of 10 per item against the help centre's 20, a QC video at ¥15 limited to one, a "fine inspection" at ¥5 and a "QC picture set" at ¥8, each limited to one. We could not confirm what the last two add, so we leave them out of the plan below.

1. Composition label, flat and readable (¥1).
2. Weave close-up with a coin or ruler beside it, to judge the gauge (¥1).
3. Light test: the garment held against a window, to see thin spots (¥1).
4. Collar and placket on a polo, or the neckline on a knit, laid flat (¥1).
5. Cuff and hem, to see ribbing that holds its shape (¥1).
6. A weight in grams, if you have a scale photo; otherwise rehearsal packing will weigh the parcel.

Gauge, in plain terms, is how tightly the loops of a knit are packed: a fine, dense weave looks smooth in a close-up, while a loose one shows gaps and pulls at the shoulder. The coin or ruler beside the weave gives the photo a scale, which a lone close-up lacks.

Photos that show a defect are a reason to act inside the 5-day return window, so order them with the item rather than after. The HooBuy spreadsheet with QC page lists the same services across all categories.

Five ¥1 photos on the fabric cost less than €1; the video is the optional part.

Knits in the box: soft goods can still bill by volume

A folded knit looks too soft to cause a volume problem, but three of them stack into a block. Take three sweaters at 450 g each, 1,350 g in all. Packed loosely in a 32 x 26 x 12 cm box, the parcel bills by volume; packed tight in 31 x 22 x 10 cm, it bills by weight. The rate is HooBuy's quote to France on DHL europe package-f1: ¥102.80 per 1,000 g on 26 October 2026, or ¥0.1028 per gram as a straight-line stand-in.

The box sizes are examples, and HooBuy's help centre allows divisors from 5,000 to 8,000 by carrier, so check your line. A ¥20 rehearsal reports the billed weight beforehand; the rehearsal packing guide and the shipping calculator cover both. For a French buyer, HooBuy to France lists frais de livraison (delivery costs) on every line.

Pack knits tight and the scale, not the box, sets the price.

Polos and cardigans: collar, placket and buttons

The two garment types fail in different places, so the photo requests differ. For a polo, ask for the collar laid flat, the placket with all buttons closed and the hem side seams. Collars that curl or plackets that sit crooked show up in a flat photo and not in a hanging one. For a cardigan, ask for the button row closed, the button holes up close and the front edge, since a stretched edge reads as a wavy line.

• Polo: collar flat, placket closed, sleeve hem, label inside the neck.
• Cardigan: buttons closed, button holes, front edge, ribbing at the cuff.
• Both: the label, an unfolded flat-lay with a ruler along the chest width, and a daylight colour shot.

The ruler photo does the size job, using the same method as the dress example on our women's page: double the flat chest width for the loop. HooBuy checks label size, not actual measurements.

Ask for flat, closed and close: collar flat, buttons closed, weave close.

Colour, light and the return rule for knits

HooBuy checks colour against the listing but not minor colour difference, and old-money shades (cream, grey, navy, camel) are the ones that move most between studio and daylight. Ask for one photo by a window and compare it with the seller's image. If the shade is clearly another colour, that is a fault to report in the window. If it is slightly warmer, it is probably outside the check.

HooBuy's return window runs 120 hours, five days, from an hour after the item is marked Stored, and items with tags or packaging removed at the user's request cannot be returned. Because we cannot tell from its rules whether trying on counts, ask before cutting a tag. The refunds and returns page has the fee tiers; the template page and the row tracker CSV give you columns to keep these checks per row.

Want a second reader for the label photos? Our WhatsApp is on the contact page; send the row and the photos, and each order stays a separate payment.

Judge colour by a daylight photo and keep the tag on until you have decided.

What HooBuy buyers ask

How do I check what a sweater is made of before I order it?

Ask the seller for a photo of the sewn-in composition label and compare its percentages with the listing text. A listing that says wool feel or soft knit without a percentage tells you nothing about fibre. If the seller will not show the label, ask HooBuy for a detailed photo of the tag after the item reaches the warehouse, at ¥1 on the order form.

Does HooBuy's QC check the fabric of a knit?

Not as a listed item. HooBuy's inspectors compare colour, size, model and version number and look for large damage and stains; thread details and actual fit are not in the check. Fibre content is not named in what we read on 26 October 2026, so treat the label photo and a weave close-up as extras you request and pay ¥1 per photo for.

What does a 450 g sweater cost to ship to France with HooBuy?

A 450 g knit sits under HooBuy's 500 g quote, which on 26 October 2026 was ¥51.40 (€7.44 at ¥6.91 per euro) on DHL europe package-f1 to France, weight only. HooBuy lists 12 to 17 days for that line. A folded knit rarely hits the volume rule alone, but three knits in a loose box can.

Is a ¥15 QC video worth paying for on a polo?

Only when the question is motion or texture, such as how the knit hangs or how the collar sits. For colour and label checks, still photos at ¥1 each are cheaper. HooBuy limits the video to one per item, and the QC photos arrive only after the item reaches the warehouse, so a video does not protect an order stuck at Purchased.

Can I return a cardigan if I removed the tag to try it on?

HooBuy's rules exclude items whose tags or packaging were removed at the user's request, and they do not say whether trying on counts. Because that window is only five days long, we would ask support before cutting any tag. Keep the garment unwashed and unworn, and check its size against your own centimetre figure first.

Why do old-money knits look different in the seller's photo and in QC?

Sellers photograph in studio light and often edit colour. HooBuy's inspectors check colour against the listing, but minor colour difference is outside its checks. Ask for one photo by a window in daylight, and compare it with the seller's image. If the shade is clearly another colour, report it inside the 5-day return window.