Exciting updates! Now it is easier than ever to buy stuff from Taobao.
There is a FIFTH method to getting things from taobao and I have already tried it twice.
I must say I am very happy with this method!
This method is similar to the 4th method I mentioned previously, only this time instead of a friend, you look for a official forwarder. What you get is a warehouse in China where you can ship all your items to, and the forwarder will pack them together and ship them to Singapore for you. I like this method because I receive my shipment faster (3 days!), I get to earn points through taobao, I don’t need to pay service fee to a third party and I get to charge it to my own credit card for points.
The first time I tried it, I ordered some wedding stuff. The forwarder I used was 4PX. Go to this link to learn how to use their in-house forwarder (国际转运).
It is pretty simple though; you type in your normal SG address in taobao and during the checkout process you choose the option of 国际转运. Taobao sellers will ship the items in a warehouse in China and once all your items have arrived, you consolidate them into one package and ship it to SG!
Update (5th May 2014) Tracking can be done on a third party website as the automated on taobao will stop updating once the items arrived in Singapore. 4PX ties in with two delivery companies in Singapore: Airpak Express or TGX Asia /TCK Express (TGX actually gets TCK to deliver items from taobao so check with the latter when you have questions about the delivery of your item). If your tracking number starts with 8100, it will be delivered by Airpak; if it starts with 2009, it will be delivered by TCK.
I spent around $20 for shipping and bought the following stuff (plus a scarf). 4PX charges by actual weight, my items weigh about 3.3kg, rounded up to 3.5kg.
I didn’t really like the way they packaged my items, plus the 快递 amount was always wonky as they capture the item as going to 海外 and not the warehouse in China. Also, certain 套餐 items cannot be bought conveniently.
The second time I tried with another forwarder, trading one.
This time round, you use the address of their warehouse in China during checkout. After you have bought all your items, complete and send an order form so that the people in the warehouse can pick out your items. Once all your items have arrived, you inform them to package it and ship it to SG!
I spend $19 for shipping this time round. My items weigh 3.3kg but was rounded up to 4kg. So I lugi abit, but that was also cos’ I can’t think of anything to buy anymore! I could actually add more items to make the shipment more worth it.
I like the way they packaged my items and the shipping is slightly cheaper than 4PX. However, they charge by volumetric OR actual weight, depending on which is heavier.
So there you go! A new way to shop at taobao 🙂
absolute honesty 