Three formats, three different lifespans
Hacoo lists reach people in three containers. Each has a job it does well, and each fails in its own way.
| Format | Best for | Main weakness | Links clickable on a phone? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared Google Sheet | Browsing a list that someone maintains | Needs a connection; owner can delete it | Yes |
| Saving and sharing a snapshot offline | Frozen on export day; can't be fixed | Only if exported with links intact | |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Editing your own copy on a computer | Mobile apps vary; macros can be risky | Usually, in the Excel app |
The Google Sheet wins for shopping, because it is the only one that can get better over time. PDFs are good as a backup of a sheet you trust. Excel files are useful when you want to keep your own notes next to someone else's list, which is how many buyers track sizes and prices.
Shop from the live sheet; keep the PDF as a dated backup.
How to check a downloaded Hacoo file
- Look at the file name and first page for a date. No date means you have to assume it is old.
- Test that links are links. Long-press one. If the phone offers to open or copy a URL, the link survived the export.
- Run the five-link sample from our Hacoo links guide: five random rows, two points each.
- Check where the links go. Hacoo links should open the Hacoo app. A file whose links open browser shops claiming to be Hacoo is not pointing at Hacoo at all.
- Refuse anything that asks to run. No macros, no "enable content", no app installs.
The last point deserves emphasis. A spreadsheet of finds never needs to run code. If an Excel file asks you to enable macros or a PDF asks you to install a viewer, close it.
A good file only needs to be read; anything that wants to run is a warning.
Why Hacoo PDFs age faster than other spreadsheets
Agent spreadsheets made of Taobao or Weidian links last a long time, because the marketplace item number survives even when an agent changes its link format. Hacoo links depend on the listing staying visible in the app in your region, and Hacoo shows different stock in different countries. That is why a PDF made by a Spanish creator (Spain is the largest market in the search data) can look half-dead to a buyer in Germany or the UK on the day it is shared. The Spain and Germany pages compare what Hacoo quotes for delivery in each.
Rows that mix in marketplace links age differently again: they break when the agent in the link closes. Those are the easiest to rescue, with the agent link converter.
Regional stock makes Hacoo files decay faster than marketplace lists.
Building a phone-friendly copy
If you are going to keep a list, make it easy to use where you shop: on your phone. Four columns are enough. Put the photo first so you can scroll visually, then the link, the date you checked it and a short note. Split categories into tabs (the men's, women's and shoe pages show how most lists are divided). Export a PDF once a month as a backup, with the date in the file name.
When a Hacoo row dies, move it to a separate tab rather than deleting it. The photo is still a lead, and our guide to finding the seller behind a Hacoo listing explains how to turn it into an order elsewhere.
Photo, link, date, note: a list in that shape stays useful long after its links fade.
When to stop hunting for the "full" file
Many groups advertise a huge Hacoo PDF with thousands of rows. Size is not the point. A hundred rows that open today are worth more than three thousand that mostly don't. If what you really want is a particular item you saw in an old file, a screenshot is enough: send it to our WhatsApp service and we quote one delivered price, payable per order, or find it yourself through an agent on our status list.
Fewer, tested rows beat a giant file every time.
PDF and Excel questions
Why don't the links in my Hacoo PDF open?
Either the links were never clickable, because someone printed the sheet to PDF as an image, or they are clickable but point at listings Hacoo has since removed. Long-press a link: if nothing happens, it's an image. If it opens the Hacoo app's home screen instead of a product, the listing is gone. Both problems are common in PDFs that have been passed around for months.
Is it safe to download a Hacoo spreadsheet file?
A PDF or .xlsx from a known creator is usually fine, but files are a common way to deliver malware or phishing links. Prefer a view-only Google Sheet, which can't run code on your device. Never enable macros in an Excel file from a group chat, and don't install anything a file tells you to install. A spreadsheet only needs to show text, photos and links.
What is the difference between a Hacoo spreadsheet and an Excel file?
Mostly the container. 'Spreadsheet' in this world usually means a shared Google Sheet that the owner updates online, while an Excel file is a copy someone downloaded. Searches for 'spreadsheet hacoo excel' in Google autocomplete show people want the file version, but the online sheet is the one that gets fixed when links break.
How many links in a typical Hacoo PDF still work?
It depends entirely on the PDF's age, and we haven't measured a fixed rate. That is why we suggest testing a sample yourself: open five random links, give a point for each correct product and a point for each price close to the listed one. A score of eight or more out of ten means the file is still usable for now.
Can I turn a Hacoo PDF back into an editable sheet?
Yes. Copy the text into a new Google Sheet, or use a PDF-to-spreadsheet converter, then re-test the links. Keep the photos: when a Hacoo link has died, the product photo is still useful for an image search on Taobao or Weidian. From there, an agent can often buy the same item, with warehouse photos before shipping.