You want a cheap Taobao agent.
The problem is, you don’t know where to start.
We did the research for you and compared the least expensive Taobao agents out there.
It’s important to be aware that the cheapest might not be the best value for you. check out our picks for best Taobao agents, which emphasize value over having the absolute lowest cost.
we will cover the following topics in this post:
- which agent has the best exchange rate?
- all the costs of using a Taobao agent.
- 7 popular Taobao agent fees compared.
Which Taobao agent has the lowest shipping rate?
A large proportion of your Taobao shopping cost is from the international shipping fee. So finding the agent with the best shipping rate is an important part of successful Taobao shopping.
I put together shipping fee comparisons from popular Taobao agents.
It is an overview of what to expect from the major agents.
I hope it will help you find the cheapest ways and agents to ship packages from China.
Taobao agent USA shipping fee comparison
comparison for small, lightweight parcels(example weight: 1.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EUB | 147.00 CNY | 157 CNY | 138 CNY | 163 CNY | 232 CNY | 142.55 CNY | 160 CNY |
SF-EXPRESS | * | * | 187 CNY | 202 CNY | * | * | |
E-express | 235.5 CNY | * | * | * | * | ||
EMS | 224 CNY | 187.5 CNY | 210 CNY | 243 CNY | 252 CNY | 222.5 CNY | 239 CNY |
DHL | 207.00 CNY | 193.5 CNY | 214 CNY | 190 CNY | 305 CNY | 193 CNY | 218 CNY |
comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SF-EXPRESS | 551 CNY | 552 CNY | |||||
EMS | 749 CNY | 837 CNY |
770 CNY | 915 CNY | 896 CNY | 800 CNY | 827 CNY |
China Post Big Air Mail | 973 CNY | 1038 CNY | 1031 CNY | 867.56 CNY | |||
China Post SAL | 613 CNY | 604 CNY | 550 CNY | 561.40 CNY | 618 CNY | ||
DHL | 568 CNY | 662 CNY | 714 CNY | 935 CNY | 599 CNY | 694 CNY |
comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SF-EXPRESS | 1260 CNY | 1627 CNY | |||||
EMS | 2361.50 CNY | 2415 CNY | 2874 CNY | 2573.75 CNY | |||
China Post Big Air Mail | 3242 CNY | 3236 CNY | |||||
China Post SAL | 1844 CNY | 1739 CNY | 1878 CNY | ||||
DHL | 1891 CNY | 2038 CNY | 1448 CNY | 2870 CNY | 1620 CNY | 2156 CNY |
Conclusion for taobao agent USA shipping rate
Well,in general,the cheapest taobao agent for USA is Cssbuy.They offer a competitive price for most of the shipping methods.
for small parcels, you can use EUB(epacket),the rate is cheapest and you can usually receive your parcel within 2 weeks.
for medium parcels, SF-EXPRESS and China Post SAL are good options.
SF-EXPRESS is faster and China Post SAL does not charge the volumetric weight which is good for large but lightweight parcels.
for heavy parcels, SF-EXPRESS and DHL are both acceptable.
UK Taobao agent shipping fee compared
comparison for small, lightweight parcels(example weight: 1.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EUB | 172 CNY | 157 CNY | 134 CNY | 155 CNY | 232 CNY | 152.1 CNY | 146.65 CNY |
SAL | 195 CNY | 210 CNY | 179 CNY | 190 CNY | 208 CNY | ||
Tax-free line | * | 113 CNY | 190 CNY | 197 CNY | |||
E-express | 185 CNY | 155 CNY | 175 CNY | ||||
EMS | 219 CNY | 230 CNY | 226 CNY | 266 CNY | 244.5 CNY | 212 CNY | |
DHL | 228 CNY | 189 CNY | 229 CNY | 294 CNY | 190 CNY |
comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 566 CNY | 620 CNY | 544 CNY | 586 CNY | 876CNY | 628 CNY | |
Tax-free line | 680 CNY | 743 CNY | |||||
E-express | 745 CNY | 555 CNY | 595 CNY | ||||
EMS | 744 CNY | 455 CNY | 790 CNY | 800 CNY | 896CNY | 822 CNY | 716 CNY |
DHL | 644 CNY | 803 CNY | 1078CNY | 610 CNY |
comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 1848 CNY | 2661CNY | 1888 CNY | ||||
Fedex | 1210 CNY | 1855 CNY | 1560 CNY | ||||
E-express | 2481 CNY | 1897 CNY | |||||
EMS | 2356.50 CNY | 1367 CNY | 2510 CNY | 2563 CNY | 2831CNY | 2595.75 CNY | 2,264 CNY |
DHL | 1917 CNY |
1448 CNY | 3486CNY | 1620 CNY |
Conclusion for taobao agent UK shipping rate
the cheapest taobao agent for UK is Cssbuy and Taobaotrends.
Cssbuy is cheap for small parcels and Taobaotrends has a better rate for large parcels.
Tax-free line and E-express are two of the low-cost shipping method to the UK.
Canada Taobao agent shipping rate
comparison for small, lightweight parcels(example weight: 1.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EUB | 152 CNY | 155 CNY | 113 CNY | 152 CNY | 232CNY | 145.65 CNY | 149.65 CNY |
SAL | 167 CNY | 152 CNY | 152.90 CNY | 156 CNY | 183 CNY | ||
Tax-free line | 152 CNY | ||||||
E-express | 220 CNY | 210 CNY | |||||
EMS | 227 CNY | 220 CNY | 204 CNY | 228 CNY | 266CNY | 244.5 CNY | 235 CNY |
DHL | 260 CNY | 227 CNY |
210 CNY | 224 CNY | 305CNY | 220 CNY | 250 CNY |
comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 517 CNY | 469 CNY | 472.80 CNY | 499.00 | 568 CNY | ||
sf-express | 551.00 CNY | ||||||
china post big parcel | 726 CNY | 812 CNY | 808 CNY | ||||
E-express | 780 CNY | 735.00 CNY | |||||
EMS | 773 CNY | 653 CNY | 694.00 CNY | 816.00 CNY | 896 CNY | 688 CNY | 795.00 CNY |
DHL | 680 CNY | 661 CNY | 560.00 CNY | 787.00 CNY | 935 CNY | 640 CNY | 810.00 CNY |
comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 1421 CNY | 2488 CNY | 1723 CNY | ||||
Fedex | 1797 CNY | 1440 CNY |
|||||
E-express | 2516.00 CNY | ||||||
EMS | 2450.00 CNY | 1995 CNY | 2199 CNY | 2622.00 CNY | 2831 CNY | 1978 CNY | |
DHL | 1810.00 CNY | 1922 CNY | 1635 CNY | 1718.00 CNY | 2870 CNY | 1860 CNY | 2530 CNY |
Conclusion for taobao agent Canada shipping rate
Bhiner,Cssbuy and Taobaotrends have a good price for various shipping methods to Canada.
Bhiner is cheap for China post-SAL.
Cssbuy is cheap for EMS and DHL
Taobaotrends has a lower price for FedEx for large parcels.
Australia Taobao agent shipping rate
comparison for small, lightweight parcels(example weight: 1kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EUB | 140 CNY | 111 CNY | 116.00 CNY | 130.00 CNY | 181 CNY | 125.1 CNY | 119.20 CNY |
SAL | 151.80 CNY | 144 CNY |
133.00 CNY | 125.00 CNY | 148 CNY | ||
E-express | 165.50 CNY | ||||||
EMS | 174.00 CNY | 148 CNY | 150.00 CNY | 141.00 CNY | 184 CNY | 153.75 CNY | 154.50 CNY |
DHL | 215.00 CNY | 177 CNY | 176.00 CNY | 168.00 CNY | 270 CNY | 180 CNY | 207 CNY |
comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 10kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 781.80 CNY | 694 CNY | 673.00 CNY | 656.90 CNY | 868 CNY | 688 CNY | |
E-express | 975.50 CNY | ||||||
EMS | 804.00 CNY | 699 CNY | 780.00 CNY | 699.00 CNY | 868 CNY | 698.25 CNY | 685.50 CNY |
DHL | 1115.00 CNY | 1288 CNY | 986.00 CNY | 834.00 CNY | 1620 CNY | 900 CNY | 1,053.00 CNY |
comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 2408 CNY | 1888 CNY | |||||
Fedex | 2638 CNY | 1800 CNY | |||||
E-express | 2775.50 CNY | ||||||
EMS | 2204.00 CNY | 1924 CNY | 2388 CNY | 1908.25 CNY | |||
DHL | 3115.00 CNY | 2167 CNY | 2786 CNY | 1822.00 CNY | 4620 CNY | 1560 CNY | 2,933.00 CNY |
Conclusion for taobao agent Australia shipping rate
Superbuy offers the cheapest shipping rate for most of the shipping methods.
Ytaopal also has a good price for EUB and EMS.
Taobaotrends provides reasonable price for DHL for big parcels.
Philippines Taobao agent shipping rate
comparison for small, lightweight parcels(example weight: 1kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air mail | 112.00 CNY | 110 CNY | 152 CNY | 95.2 CNY | 118.00 CNY | ||
big mail | 128.00 CNY | 148 CNY |
121.20 CNY | ||||
Fedex | 120 CNY | 170.00 CNY | |||||
Dpex | 128.00 CNY | 173 CNY | |||||
EMS | 132.00 CNY | 137 CNY | 121.50 CNY | 135.00 CNY | 149 CNY | 137.25 CNY | 129.25 CNY |
DHL | 157.00 CNY | 128 CNY | 133.00 CNY | 145.00 CNY | 208 CNY | 142 CNY | 164.00 CNY |
comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 10kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fedex | 480 CNY | 728.00 CNY | |||||
big mail | 488.00 CNY | 501 CNY |
440.70 CNY | 502 CNY | 876 CNY | ||
EMS | 636.00 CNY | 364 CNY |
526.50 CNY | 639.00 CNY | 635 CNY | 424 CNY | 574.75 CNY |
DHL | 787.00 CNY | 775 CNY | 637.00 CNY | 613.00 CNY | 1108 CNY | 538 CNY | 776.00 CNY |
comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)
Shipping method | Basetao | Bhiner | Cssbuy | Superbuy | Taobaofocus | Taobaotrends | Ytaopal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAL | 1302 CNY | 2628 CNY | |||||
Fedex | 730.00 CNY | 809 CNY | 990 CNY | 1,968.00 CNY | |||
EMS | 1756.00 CNY | 868 CNY | 1426.50 CNY | 1759.00 CNY | 1715 CNY | 1064 CNY | |
DHL | 2187.00 CNY | 1239 CNY | 1653.00 CNY | 3108 CNY | 1440 CNY | 2136.00 CNY |
Conclusion for taobao agent Philippines shipping rate
Taobaotrends has lower shipping rate in general.
Cssbuy has a better price for small parcels.
and for big parcels, both Basetao and Bhiner offers a cheaper rate for FedEx and DHL.
Which taobao agent has the best exchange rate?
Currency conversion loss is a hidden fee that most customers ignore,
Currency conversion loss happens when you topup on an agent’s website using a fixed USD to CNY exchange rate set by agent themself.
their USD to CNY exchange rate is always lower than the real live one which means you need to speed more USD to buy CNY.
For example,the current exchange rate(as of Oct 24th) on xe.com is 1 USD = 7.06 CNY
let’s see which agent has the lowest exchange rate compared to the live one:
Agent | Exchange rate | Conversion loss |
---|---|---|
Basetao | 1 USD = 6.45 CNY | 8.64% |
Bhiner | 1 USD = 6.67 CNY | 5.52% |
Cssbuy | 1 USD = 6.85 CNY | 2.97% |
Superbuy | 1 USD = 6.58 CNY | 6.80% |
Taobaofocus | 1 USD = 6.54 CNY | 7.37% |
Taobaotrends | 1 USD = 6.54 CNY | 7.37% |
Ytaopal | 1 USD = 6.60 CNY | 6.52% |
from this table,we can see that cssbuy has the best exchange rate with nearly 3% loss(still very high!)
and other agents charge you a 5%-8% currency exchange loss.
it is a big one, why?
Because this is a % based fee,it charges you on every of your topup.
Some agents claim that they have a low or zero service fee,but they impose you shitty fees here.
all the actual costs involved to use a taobao agent
International shipping fees and currency conversion loss are not the only costs you need to take.
let’s take a closer look at the various fees that can impact the cost of using a taobao agent.
Essential costs
The essential costs are the expenses that you can’t avoid.
Item fee
The item price is shown on the product page.
Domestic shipping fee:
The fees of items are transported from Taobao seller’s location to the agent’s warehouse.
Domestic shipping fee varies by courier, parcel weight and the distance between seller and agent’s locations.
But this fee won’t cost you a lot because shipping within China is cheap!
And from the feedbacks I’ve learned before with the customers, even big orders (10+ wigs/shoes/bags) were only 10yuan~20yuan for each seller, since 98% of Taobao sellers combine shipping.
Buying multiple items from the same seller will save you a lot on domestic shipping.
Some sellers may offer free shipping and if you find any sellers offer free shipping, you can notify the agent before making the first payment.
then they will remove the domestic shipping fee for you manually.
Service fee:
Service fee,some agents call it the commission, is the money you need to pay for using their service.
Usually, agents take a certain percentage of the total items cost and domestic shipping fee as the service fee,the rate is between 5%-10%.
Some agents offer VIP program, you can get points every time you order from them, get upgraded to VIP and the service fee will be discounted.
International shipping fee:
International shipping costs are based on a combination of the following:
- Weight and dimensions of the package.
- Method of shipment such as EMS or DHL.
- The location you are in(also called the destination country).
transaction fee:
Paypal transaction fee:4.4%+0.3 of total payment will be charged when the order is paid via PayPal.
Currency conversion loss:
As I said,it is also an important part of your cost when using a taobao agent.
with taobao direct,you can save this loss, as taobao only use live exchange rate.
Optional costs
The following are things that you can decide to pay for but aren’t totally unavoidable.
Storage fee
Agents start to calculate the storage time when your items arrived in their warehouse.you have a free storage time.
If your free storage time has run out and you still haven’t shipped your items, they will begin to charge you a storage fee.
Most of the agents don’t have a clear statement about this fee.
Yoybuy and Cssbuy have a free storage time of 90 days.
Customs fee
This fee varies by local Customs policies. In countries with a high rate of Customs clearance, you don’t have to pay any fees.
However, in countries with a low rate of Customs clearance such as Argentina, you may be required to pay tariffs.
To avoid the Customs fee,you can request your agent to declare your package as a gift with a lower price.If you’re buying a brand name items or a large quantity, you might have to pay them anyway.
if your package weighs more than 10kg,you can request them to package your items into several small parcels,this will increase the chance of Customs clearance.
Insurance fee
They charge a certain percentage of the total price as the insurance fee.
Total price=Items fee + Domestic shipping fee + International delivery fee + Service fee + Customs fee
To take insurance, the insured value should be declared, which increases the value of the item at your local customs.
7 Popular Taobao Agent Pricing Comparison Table
Taobao Agent | Service Fee | Transaction Fee | Exchange Rate | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
Basetao | 5%-0% |
|
|
|
Bhiner |
|
|
1 USD = 6.67 CNY | QC picture: Free |
Cssbuy | 6%-3% |
|
1 USD = 6.850 CNY |
|
Superbuy |
|
|
1 USD = 6.58 CNY |
|
Taobaofocus | 10% |
|
1 USD = 6.54 CNY |
|
Taobaotrends |
|
|
1 USD = 6.54 CNY | No Picture Preview Fees |
Ytaopal | 0% |
|
1 USD = 6.60 CNY |
|
Wrapping Up
If you are just starting out and are on a budget, it is important to find cheap taobao agent to get you started before using taobao direct.
When looking for a cheap taobao agent, you should look beyond their listed service fee. Consider shipping fee, conversion loss, transaction fee and other extras that it might occur.
Do let me know which taobao agent you are using?
Have you used any of the taobao agent I mentioned above?
Share your experience with such taobao agents.
3 thoughts on “Top 7 Cheapest Taobao Agent Compared (Based on Real data)”
wow! gold info here ..thanks a lot!
View CommentThank you for the work you have done!
View CommentNice post man. CSSbuy looks good…
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