PbS and Ag2S nanorods have been synthesized using a polyol process in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). First, the production of Pb or Ag was realized via the thermal decomposition of a lead/silver salt. Then the Pb or Ag precursor was directly combined with S power under heating, leading to the formation of the final products. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). PbS cubes and cubes with a hole in the center were prepared under different reaction conditions. Possible formation mechanisms of different PbS or Ag2S morphologies have briefly been discussed.