73 Comments

  1. Igor

    I’m starting to suspect that third party forwarders like ezbuy or sgshop are comparable to taobao consolidate shipping these days. $1.90 for air shipping (0.5kg and no first kilo surcharge) whereas taobao rates are ¥35-45 for first kilo and ¥11 for subsequent 0.5kg).

    Do you have any insights pertaining that?

    Thanks

    • yenkai

      Yes, indeed the third party ones are very attractive now. They are especially good for shipping just a few items because they charge a flat fee (whereas taobao consolidate has the first kilo surcharge as you correctly pointed out). However, don’t forget that third party use volumetric weight (which, at the point of calculating total, they will add another 10%!), whereas Taobao goes by actual weight, so each has its own merit.

      My strategy now is, for very light but bulky items (for example a yoga mat, or clothing in general), i ship via Taobao consolidate (and like what i discovered and shared in my posting above, Taobao direct is more worthwhile). For everything else, i go by third party. For third party, if it is very low cost but bulky items, use sea freight. If it is high cost, but not high enough to attract GST, use economy air.

  2. hasascott

    I want to buy from 3 different sellers. When I am about to check out, there are 3 options, namely, Taobao Global Direct Shipping, Global Consolidated and Third Party Shipping. Questions: 1. Can I use Global Direct Shipping even though I am buying from 3 different sellers? 2. Which is the cheapest option? Thank you.

    • yenkai

      Hi hasacott, yes you can use global direct shipping regardless of the sellers you’re buying from. You will be quoted the shipping to Singapore individually for each of the item you’re buying, so you will not be able to enjoy the benefit of savings from consolidating the 3 items, I think.

      The cost of shipping depends on the size and weight of the items. Assuming you are shipping via air freight (there is also the choice of ocean freight for really bulky items), the general rule is that if you are shipping bulky items, global consolidated shipping is cheaper (you have to further choose from the 4 courier combinations available), whereas ezbuy (third party) could be cheaper for shipping non-bulky items.

    • yenkai

      Hi Rene, anything that contains a battery has to be shipped as a sensitive item. If you are shipping only a few other items and this is the only sensitive item, then you should ship this one separately under sensitive, since the sensitive shipping fee costs a lot more (S$4.99 per 0.5 kg via ezbuy). Otherwise, if you happen to be buying a lot of bulky stuff, you should ship via ocean freight, and 86of.com would allow you to ship the sensitive item at their normal shipping rate. Or at least they say they will close one eye if you happen to be shipping a few items through them. I actually tried so I know it’s true.

  3. CeeJayHage

    Thank you so much for this most helpful post. Just one question: I saw that you managed to get an estimate for Global Consolidate and Shipping. May I ask if you got that estimate after checkout, or if you could get that before checkout and do a comparison with Taobao Global Direct Shipping?

    • yenkai

      Hi CeeJayHage, there’s no way you can get an estimate for Global Consolidate and Shipping. What I’ve shown in the post was the actual shipping rate. I guess you have to rely on intuition to decide how you want to ship, but you can assume Global Direct will be more expensive most of the time.

  4. jackson

    Hi, i recently bought a few items from a single seller and i chose Consolidated Shipping. The issue is that when I try to make payment for shipment to Singapore (the items have reached the consolidation warehouse), the system keep showing error message (unable to create the bills, in chinese). In the end it only worked when i changed the delivery option to delivery to my place instead of POPStation. This really cause problem for me as nobody will be at home during the day.

    I didn’t face such problem when i bought from different sellers last time. I suspect the error is probably due to the fact that since there is only a single seller they can’t “consolidate” the bill, which is kind of strange to me. Any advice on this?

    Thanks.

    • yenkai

      Hi Jackson, unfortunately I have no idea what the problem might be. I doubt buying from single seller gives rise to the problem. I hope you’ll get your parcels!

      • jackson

        Hi Yenkai, thanks for your reply. Yes i will still get the parcel no matter wat, just that instead of self-collection i got to wait for the delivery at home, how inconvenient!

    • Phil

      The error was probably due the parcel exceeding the max dimensions that a popstation mailbox could accommodate. Was it a bulky one?

  5. claire

    Hi Taobao experts,

    I would like to ship in a swing chair which is both bulky and heavy. May i know if anyone here has any experience on which is the cheapest media?

    Thanks in advance!

  6. Joyce

    Hi Yen Kai

    I’m looking to buy flash cards from Taobao (https://world.tmall.com/item/40266475231.htm?spm=a210c.1.0.0.PtkeCt&id=40266475231) and the weight is 4.95kg. Would it be cheaper to buy from Taobao direct or from ezybuy? I’m looking to buy from the same seller on Taobao. If using ezybuy, what do you think about its prime membership, would that be cheaper or using the ship for me option? I intend to buy lots of flash cards from Taobao. Many thanks for your help.

    • yenkai

      Hi Joyce, are the flash cards actually available from ezbuy? I really doubt flash cards can be found through ezbuy, and if that’s the case, it’s better to buy all the flash cards you wanted at one go and ship via sea freight.

  7. Yen

    Hi,
    How to ask the seller for dimension and weight of package? Im looking to get furniture of dimension 1.9m x 0.7 x 0.15m and 26kg weight on product detail page. Which shipping method do you advise? Taobao direct quote like rmb130 but I think theres some t&c if the final ship price is 5x more than quoted price, need to top up.

      • Yen

        Hi, thanks for your help. Didnt know theres limits for globl direct. So even if one is able to select global direct and estimated quote is given doesnt mean it will be processed eventually?!
        In case I have bought the item with global direct, order will be cancelled due to size exceeding limit?

        For the above item, how much will it be to ship with 86of? In case shipping cost is too costly, can we return item back to seller?
        TIA 🙂

        • yenkai

          Hi Yen, I don’t know what happens if you went ahead with the order. Best case is they cancel the order before the domestic shipping happens.

          Assuming the packaging doesn’t add a lot of bulk, the volumetric weight will be slightly over 0.2 CBM which equates to around S$30 for shipping with 86of, plus GST. As for returning item to seller, probably have to negotiate with seller first. I’m not sure but likely 86of is able to assist in returning item to seller, maybe for a fee.

          • Yen

            Hi, thanks for your reply. If just getting clothes, a few shoes and small misc stuff, how much can 0.1cbm fill? Will there be indication of consolidated packages sizes? Or one have to get each order parcel size from sellers to calculate? TIA

          • yenkai

            Hi Yen, the guideline given is 0.02 CBM is about the size of a rice cooker. From your description of the items you are buying (relatively small items), and assuming you are buying each item from a different seller, each of those small parcels will be counted as 0.01 CBM, so you can buy from a maximum of 10 different sellers.

            If your parcels are large (more than 0.03 CBM), the size (length width and height) will be indicated. Otherwise, it will just be noted as 0.01 CBM.

            I would advise that you need not be worried about the size of each parcel. If the consolidated size is more than 0.1 CBM, you will be charged proportionately, so you won’t lose out in any way.

  8. Mayvelyn chong

    Helo . Where can I choose for third party shipping? Taobao website only provides 2 types of shipping. Global Consolidated Shipping and Taobao Global Direct Shipping Only . Can u help me ?

    • yenkai

      Hi Mayvelyn, to ship via third party means you need to sign up with a third party forwarder first (e.g. ezbuy, 86of) and input the warehouse address assigned to you as your shipping address in Taobao. You will not see any third party “option” in Taobao website.

  9. Mayvelyn chong

    But the items sold on the ezbuy website are more expensive than taobao. That’s why I want to direct it from taobao. Can not use sea shipping? Taobao does not give the sea shipping?

    • yenkai

      Hi Mayvelyn, ezbuy offers a few types of services, and one of them is ship-for-me, whereby you have to directly buy the item from Taobao and ship it to ezbuy’s China warehouse. Ezbuy only helps you ship the item to Singapore.

      If you want sea shipping, then I suggest 86of because they’re cheaper than ezbuy. The learning curve is steep though. Taobao does not offer sea shipping at all.

  10. Mayvelyn chong

    How to use 86of? What is this 86of? Web to order like ezbuy? I do not know how to use 86of. Can you teach me how?

    • yenkai

      Hi Mayvelyn, I think it will be impossible for me to teach you how to ship via 86of, not by answering questions posted here at least. I have written three blog posts about my experience using 86of and I’m sure they will be helpful to you. If you are daring enough, you can learn by trying.

      Have a look at amkb.86of.com, the website for the Ang Mo Kio self collection point (they also have self collection points at Kovan, Tampines, Woodlands and Clementi). It is entirely in Chinese, and that may be an obstacle in itself. Moreover, their website is very poorly organized, unlike Ezbuy’s.

    • yenkai

      Unfortunately no. You will have to find a sea freight forwarder for Malaysia. Google search result example: jfexpress-tom.blogspot.sg. This is not an endorsement.

    • yenkai

      For East Malaysia, it will be expensive. You asked for sea freight, and according to jfexpress-tom.blogspot.sg, “First 0.5CBM: 550RMB”, it is more than double the cost of shipping to West Malaysia, but you can ship a lot of things with 0.5 CBM. I think other sea freight shipping provider won’t be very far off from this price. Best to consolidate together orders with friends and everyone share the cost. This is the cheapest option.

  11. Joyce

    Hi, Yen Kai,

    I thought I got the calculation of 0.01CBM by 86of clear when i read about it in your other blog. Now I’m a bit confused again 🙁

    Do you mind to clarify this scenario?

    If I make a purchase from three different sellers and the parcels are 0.003CBM, 0.002CBM and 0.004CBM, total CBM of the three parcels is 0.009, will I be charged as 0.01CBM (minimum CBM by 86of) or 0.03CBM?

    Each parcel in this case is below 0.01CBM, so do they charge a minimum of 0.01CBM for each parcel or they combine?

  12. Meow

    Hi Joyce,

    I think I may be able to share some info with you as I have ordered before from 860f.

    The idea of the sea shipping is that they are able to ship from minimum 0.1 CBM (e.g. minimum $13 shipping fee excluding GST of total products cost)

    Each parcel, even if less than 0.01CBM (e.g. 0.003CBM) will be measured as 0.01CBM =$1.30

    So your 3 individual parcels, each less than 0.01 CBM, from 3 different sellers, will be individually measured as 0.01CBM each. This means $1.30 + $1.30 + $1.30 = $3.90 (excluding GST)

    In your case, you now only have 0.03CBM, still need another 0.07CBM, so you probably would need to order a few more products to “combine” and reach 0.1 CBM (not sure if you could ship if below 0.1CBM, probably gotta pay extra $ which is not worth it.)

    Perhaps you can consider order a new bag for yourself, or maybe clothings…or non-stick frying pan, pretty useful and practical stuff…can easily reach the 0.1CBM requirement this way…

    Neverthless, do wait for yenkai to reply you as he is more familiar with this…hope it helps =)

    MeoW

    • Joyce

      Thank you so much Meow for your detailed and clear explanation even though i just realised i have got some of the numbers wrong in my question. I got it now, it definitely helps thanks! : )

    • yenkai

      Hi Wutyee, i’m guessing you mean using the ezbuy buy-for-me service? I have never used buy-for-me before so i’m unsure of how they process your request. Whether or not they will actually effect the buying request on 11.11 itself is the deciding factor. By right, they should only make you pay for the final price quoted by Taobao. But i wonder if they can have enough staff to handle the buying on 11.11? Sorry, can’t give you an answer, and maybe you can check with ezbuy.

  13. Lim Ying Ru

    Hi, am I able to use Lazada’s sea shipping in taobao to ship a XiaoMi Smart weighing scale? Afraid that it’s labeled as sensitive good cause its an electrical appliance technically.

    • yenkai

      Hi Ying Ru, sorry i can’t give you a definite answer. My understanding is that if it does not contain battery, it is not considered sensitive. My guess is that it should be fine. By the way, it’s going for 99 Yuan on 11.11

  14. w1nn7e

    Hi. There is a washbasin that I am eyeing at ezbuy. Upon check out, realize it is categorized as sensitive good, sensitive air & sensitive sea option. If I buy direct from taobao instead, which forwarder will you recommend? Ezbuy ship-for-me? Global Consolidated Shipping / Taobao Global Direct Shipping? Will the item still considered sensitive item? btw, I intend to ask the seller to crate the basin….

    • yenkai

      Hi Winnie, I ship via 86of (sea freight), I believe they’re the cheapest. 86of doesn’t really care if it’s sensitive item unless you ship lots of similar items. I’m actually not sure how ezbuy or Taobao consolidated shipping would classify a wash basin, can’t really find a definitive list of sensitive items.

      I shipped 3 wash basins, only one of them came in a wooden crate, but it was this wash basin that was chipped on the side. Crating doesn’t really help protect the wash basin, it’s actually foam that will help. The other two wash basins came packed in really thick foam, and they were delivered in perfect condition. The wash basin has to be packed in such a way that they will not move at all within the box, and they will be fine.

  15. eVanne

    Hi Yen Kai,
    I have ordered 8 items from various sellers on taobao and opted for global consolidated shipping. To my horror, I received messages that shipping insurance (运费险) has been successfully submitted and there will be an insurance fee on every single item that was shipped out by seller to warehouse. I don’t remember selecting any insurance options as my items are mostly low-cost, non-fragile clothings and shoes. Neither did I have to pay for insurance in my previous order of 3 items.

    Not sure if my limited understanding of chinese is correct. Appreciate if you can advise. I wanted to remove the insurance since these are just small items but the “customer service” don’t seem very useful.

    • yenkai

      Hi Evanne. Not sure how insurance was selected for your order, usually the checkbox is unchecked by default. Sometimes the insurance is thrown in for free, though it’s usually not. My impression is that the insurance doesn’t cost much anyway (maybe just a few Yuan?), so i suggest just let it be.

  16. eVanne

    Thanks, Yen Kai.
    I read the policy details after that and I think it’s the seller paying for the insurance in case of returns, etc. =D. My bad. Misunderstood the messages. Compensation for shipping would be 8 to 9 Yuan

    • yenkai

      Hi Soon Hoe. I believe it is possible to request for the courier company to re-dispatch the parcel. I’ve not done it before. I think there’s only one way you can contact the customer service anyway, via the online chat.

      I do have another suggestion: instead of sending the item back to the seller, why not try shipping the item via sea freight. You can try 86of (i.e. register an account and send your parcel to your designated warehouse address), and they can help you pay for the domestic courier fee, as long as you have topped up your account with funds. This is called 到付,whereby the sender just sends the parcel without having to pay, which makes it a lot easier for the sender. You can find out more about 86of’s shipping fee and handling of 到付 here. I’m pretty sure your parcel is under 0.1 CBM, which will cost you $13 plus $2.50 GST to ship, and maybe you can ship other stuff together also within the 0.1 CBM allowance.

    • yenkai

      Hi Leung, I can only recommend the only sea freight service I have used recently, 86of. Going by the dimensions you have given, the volumetric weight is 0.06 CBM, so the shipping cost is only $13 plus $4.50 for GST.

  17. Jie Ling

    Hi Taobao expert,

    I will like to buy electric scooter from Taobao to Singapore and understand this will classify under sensitive item. Any recommendation of good forwarder who can help me. Thanks.

    • yenkai

      Hi Jie Ling, thanks for the compliment. An electric scooter is probably quite bulky, and sea freight is probably the best way to ship it. I use 86of for sea freight. You do have to pay GST when you ship via sea freight, but i think you save even more on the shipping cost. I would guesstimate that the shipping fee will be less than S$26 (0.2 CBM).

  18. Ctien

    Hi Yen,

    I have mistakenly paid to lazada forwarder item by item. Hence, I would assume the items will reach me “one by one”. My question is, upon deliver to me, will lazada provide me with options to whether I can collect from POP offices? I just want to prevent the delivery man from knocking at my door every other day. I have altogether 9 parcels, from very small to a shoe box size. Thanks for your help.

    • yenkai

      Hi Ctien, if you did nothing at all, i think there is still a good chance that the items will come to you at one go, or maybe in 2 or 3 batches. It should be possible for you to call Lazada to get them to deliver at one go. I have not used Lazada before, but i was able to call Ninja Van regarding my delivery, and i presume Lazada should offer the same level of customer service. Definitely give them a call once you notice your parcels start arriving in SG.

  19. spiman

    Hi Yen Kai,

    I’ve this delivery option from a seller. Does this seller offer free international shipping?

    江苏连云港 至 海外 快递 免运费 16小时内发货

    • yenkai

      Hi Spiman, that’s interesting, I’ve not seen this on Taobao before. And I think it does mean the seller will ship to Singapore. I’ve only experienced seller shipping to Singapore when buying from Aliexpress and dhgate.

  20. Dao Thi Le

    Hi, i’m from Australia and has been tried to use the global consolidate & shipping service. However whenever I tried to place an order, there is no “Taobao Cargo” option for me to select, all I see that is “ship to my current Aus address” option and the “contact seller for shipping” option. Please tell me what to do 🙁

  21. BlueJeans

    Hi, I need a graduation gown set (can be quite heavy) from Taobao but wonder if I should use any of the official Taobao forwarder — also hard pressed for time. Any recommendations? Or should I get other services like eTrove etc? Since I’m getting only one item, there’s likely to be not much difference in shipping costs. I need it fast. Kindly advice. Thanks!

    • yenkai

      Hi Bluejeans, I would suggest going by official Taobao forwarder since it is easier, especially if you’re doing forwarding for the first time. Like you say, the cost probably won’t differ much.

  22. Yenny

    Hi , I have used the Mobile Taobao to purchase items from 4 different suppliers.
    The status of my items are now “运输中”。what does it mean? Do I need to do anything in order for my items be delivered to me? Thks

    • yenkai

      Hi Jenny, did you choose Taobao Direct shipping? My guess is you don’t know, and most likely it was Taobao Direct. If so, you don’t have to do anything.

  23. meow

    hi yenkai, have u ordereed anything from taobao and 86of?

    I suspect 86of and its guangzhou warehouse new address is experiencing a “banned” situation similar to ezbuy.

    I tried to make payment via zhifubao at Taobao, but the transaction cannot go through with a page in Chinese saying “current bank or organization is unable to make payment” something along this line.

    sigh, not sure what to do. waiting for 86of for their reply…i honestly doubt is my credit card problem, have been using it all along even recently for other non-taobao online payment.

    sad..

    meow

    • yenkai

      Hi Meow, my recent Taobao purchases were brought here from China by friends, so I haven’t engaged 86of for some time. Sad to hear that the same problem as ezbuy is happening. Hope they can resolve it soon.

  24. meow

    Hi yenkai,

    I got a reply from Taobao facebook private chat informing me the system problem has been resolved.

    I tried using my credit card and this time, it works….so happy, so it’s not another EZbuy scenario. But I did include the China warehouse address for them, and also mentioned that it belongs to a typical China forwarding/shipping company that does not do any “daigou” or buy for you services.

    In any case, very happy it is resolved by Taobao. You are very lucky got China friends assist you buy from Taobao…. =D

    meow

    • yenkai

      Hi Meow, I’m really impressed by how you go about inquiring with Taobao concerning the issue. Facebook private chat, wow. Chinese service support got from non-existent to amazing. Good to hear that everything is well and good. Good to hear from you Meow.

  25. Jerry

    Just for information

    Taobao had a GSS recently and offered 200 rmb off (if your consolidated amount is more than 200 rmb) for sea shipping if you use DEX as a third party. So i go on and order shit load of heavy bulky item in order to hit the requirement of 200 rmb(around 20 kg worth of goods). I was okay if it was a little over 200 rmb, maybe say 300 rmb where i can just top up 100 rmb. I wasn’t aware then that they would use volumetric as calculation. When i was about to consolidate and make payment, i was so shocked by the figures. presented. The actual weight of the item was only 18kg and the volumetric weight they gave and used was 34kg! HOLY SHIT! It was a total of 460 so I ended up paying 260rmb(460rmb – 200) around S$50 to ship it to my house in Singapore.

    EXPENSIVE LESSON LEARNT. HOPE I CAN SAVE SOMEBODY MONEY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE.

    PS I have not read this article prior to shipping sea with DEX

    • yenkai

      Thanks for sharing, Jerry. At least the rmb 200 discount was real and helped offset the shipping cost quite a bit.

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