Top 7 Cheapest Taobao Agent Compared (Based on Real data)

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%	Giropay fee: 3.3% + 0.35 € POLi fee: 2.75% + 0.5 AUD iDEAL fee: 2% + 0.7 € Paypal: unknown eNets:SGD fee: 3.2% + 1.8 SGD Bancontact fee: 2.2% + 0.45 €	1 Euro= 7.52CNY 1 USD = 6.45 CNY	Insurance fee: 2% of total cost(optional) QC picture: Free
Bhiner	6 cny + 5% of (Item(s) total price + Domestic Shipping Fee) higher VIP level will enjoy lower % agent fee, as low as 2% the minimum service fee is 21CNY	Paypal:4% + 0.3USD Bank transfer: unknown Western Union: unknown Transferwise: unknown Bitcoin / ALT coins:2% + 0USD	1 USD = 6.67 CNY	QC picture: Free
Cssbuy	6%-3%	PayPal fee: 3% + 0.3 USD Creditcard fee: 3.8%+0.3 Alipay fee: 1% Wechatpay fee: 1.5% bitcoin fee: 1%	1 USD = 6.850 CNY	QC picture: 1.5 CNY per item MEASURE SIZE: 4CNY per item
Superbuy	no service fee for taobao order expert service fee :10%	Paypal: 2.9% + US $0.3 Credit Card: 2.9% + US $0.3 Giropay: 2.9% + US $0.3	1 USD = 6.58 CNY	Rehearsal packaging: 20 yuan per parcel QC picture: 5 CNY per item
Taobaofocus	10%	No transaction fee	1 USD = 6.54 CNY	The domestic delivery fee is 15 CNY per seller. No Picture Preview Fees
Taobaotrends	6% Service Fees The minimum service fee is CNY35	PayPal fee: 4% Credit card fee: 4%	1 USD = 6.54 CNY	No Picture Preview Fees
Ytaopal	0%	Credit/Debit Card: 4.4%+0.3 bitcoin fee: 1.5% iDEAL fee: 3.3% + 0.35 € Paypal : unknown	1 USD = 6.60 CNY	No Picture Preview Fees Insurance fee: 5% of total cost(optional)

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.