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 RMB	157 RMB	138 RMB	163 RMB	232 RMB	142.55 RMB	160 RMB
SF-EXPRESS	*	*	187 RMB	202 RMB		*	*
E-express	235.5 RMB	*	*			*	*
EMS	224 RMB	187.5 RMB	210 RMB	243 RMB	252 RMB	222.5 RMB	239 RMB
DHL	207.00 RMB	193.5 RMB	214 RMB	190 RMB	305 RMB	193 RMB	218 RMB

comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SF-EXPRESS			551 RMB	552 RMB
EMS	749 RMB	837 RMB	770 RMB	915 RMB	896 RMB	800 RMB	827 RMB
China Post Big Air Mail	973 RMB	1038 RMB			1031 RMB	867.56 RMB
China Post SAL	613 RMB	604 RMB	550 RMB	561.40 RMB		618 RMB
DHL		568 RMB	662 RMB	714 RMB	935 RMB	599 RMB	694 RMB

comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SF-EXPRESS			1260 RMB	1627 RMB
EMS	2361.50 RMB	2415 RMB			2874 RMB	2573.75 RMB
China Post Big Air Mail		3242 RMB			3236 RMB
China Post SAL		1844 RMB		1739 RMB		1878 RMB
DHL		1891 RMB	2038 RMB	1448 RMB	2870 RMB	1620 RMB	2156 RMB

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 RMB	157 RMB	134 RMB	155 RMB	232 RMB	152.1 RMB	146.65 RMB
SAL	195 RMB	210 RMB	179 RMB	190 RMB		208 RMB
Tax-free line	*	113 RMB	190 RMB	197 RMB
E-express	185 RMB		155 RMB			175 RMB
EMS	219 RMB		230 RMB	226 RMB	266 RMB	244.5 RMB	212 RMB
DHL	228 RMB	189 RMB		229 RMB	294 RMB	190 RMB

comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL	566 RMB	620 RMB	544 RMB	586 RMB	876RMB	628 RMB
Tax-free line			680 RMB	743 RMB
E-express	745 RMB		555 RMB			595 RMB
EMS	744 RMB	455 RMB	790 RMB	800 RMB	896RMB	822 RMB	716 RMB
DHL		644 RMB		803 RMB	1078RMB	610 RMB

comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL		1848 RMB			2661RMB	1888 RMB
Fedex	1210 RMB	1855 RMB				1560 RMB
E-express	2481 RMB					1897 RMB
EMS	2356.50 RMB	1367 RMB	2510 RMB	2563 RMB	2831RMB	2595.75 RMB	2,264 RMB
DHL		1917 RMB		1448 RMB	3486RMB	1620 RMB

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 RMB	155 RMB	113 RMB	152 RMB	232RMB	145.65 RMB	149.65 RMB
SAL	167 RMB	152 RMB	152.90 RMB	156 RMB		183 RMB
Tax-free line				152 RMB
E-express	220 RMB		210 RMB
EMS	227 RMB	220 RMB	204 RMB	228 RMB	266RMB	244.5 RMB	235 RMB
DHL	260 RMB	227 RMB	210 RMB	224 RMB	305RMB	220 RMB	250 RMB

comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 8.3kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL	517 RMB	469 RMB	472.80 RMB	499.00		568 RMB
sf-express			551.00 RMB
china post big parcel	726 RMB	812 RMB			808 RMB
E-express	780 RMB		735.00 RMB
EMS	773 RMB	653 RMB	694.00 RMB	816.00 RMB	896 RMB	688 RMB	795.00 RMB
DHL	680 RMB	661 RMB	560.00 RMB	787.00 RMB	935 RMB	640 RMB	810.00 RMB

comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL		1421 RMB			2488 RMB	1723 RMB
Fedex		1797 RMB				1440 RMB
E-express	2516.00 RMB
EMS	2450.00 RMB	1995 RMB	2199 RMB	2622.00 RMB	2831 RMB	1978 RMB
DHL	1810.00 RMB	1922 RMB	1635 RMB	1718.00 RMB	2870 RMB	1860 RMB	2530 RMB

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 RMB	111 RMB	116.00 RMB	130.00 RMB	181 RMB	125.1 RMB	119.20 RMB
SAL	151.80 RMB	144 RMB	133.00 RMB	125.00 RMB		148 RMB
E-express	165.50 RMB
EMS	174.00 RMB	148 RMB	150.00 RMB	141.00 RMB	184 RMB	153.75 RMB	154.50 RMB
DHL	215.00 RMB	177 RMB	176.00 RMB	168.00 RMB	270 RMB	180 RMB	207 RMB

comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 10kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL	781.80 RMB	694 RMB	673.00 RMB	656.90 RMB	868 RMB	688 RMB
E-express	975.50 RMB
EMS	804.00 RMB	699 RMB	780.00 RMB	699.00 RMB	868 RMB	698.25 RMB	685.50 RMB
DHL	1115.00 RMB	1288 RMB	986.00 RMB	834.00 RMB	1620 RMB	900 RMB	1,053.00 RMB

comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL					2408 RMB	1888 RMB
Fedex		2638 RMB				1800 RMB
E-express	2775.50 RMB
EMS	2204.00 RMB	1924 RMB			2388 RMB	1908.25 RMB
DHL	3115.00 RMB	2167 RMB	2786 RMB	1822.00 RMB	4620 RMB	1560 RMB	2,933.00 RMB

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 RMB	110 RMB			152 RMB	95.2 RMB	118.00 RMB
big mail	128.00 RMB	148 RMB	121.20 RMB
Fedex						120 RMB	170.00 RMB
Dpex	128.00 RMB					173 RMB
EMS	132.00 RMB	137 RMB	121.50 RMB	135.00 RMB	149 RMB	137.25 RMB	129.25 RMB
DHL	157.00 RMB	128 RMB	133.00 RMB	145.00 RMB	208 RMB	142 RMB	164.00 RMB

comparison for Medium parcels(example weight: 10kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
Fedex						480 RMB	728.00 RMB
big mail	488.00 RMB	501 RMB	440.70 RMB		502 RMB	876 RMB
EMS	636.00 RMB	364 RMB	526.50 RMB	639.00 RMB	635 RMB	424 RMB	574.75 RMB
DHL	787.00 RMB	775 RMB	637.00 RMB	613.00 RMB	1108 RMB	538 RMB	776.00 RMB

comparison for Large, Heavy parcels(example weight: 30kg)

Shipping method	Basetao	Bhiner	Cssbuy	Superbuy	Taobaofocus	Taobaotrends	Ytaopal
SAL					1302 RMB	2628 RMB
Fedex	730.00 RMB	809 RMB				990 RMB	1,968.00 RMB
EMS	1756.00 RMB	868 RMB	1426.50 RMB	1759.00 RMB	1715 RMB	1064 RMB
DHL	2187.00 RMB	1239 RMB		1653.00 RMB	3108 RMB	1440 RMB	2136.00 RMB

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 RMB exchange rate set by agent themself.

their USD to RMB exchange rate is always lower than the real live one which means you need to speed more USD to buy RMB.

For example,the current exchange rate(as of Oct 24th) on xe.com is 1 USD = 7.06 RMB

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 RMB	8.64%
Bhiner	1 USD = 6.67 RMB	5.52%
Cssbuy	1 USD = 6.85 RMB	2.97%
Superbuy	1 USD = 6.58 RMB	6.80%
Taobaofocus	1 USD = 6.54 RMB	7.37%
Taobaotrends	1 USD = 6.54 RMB	7.37%
Ytaopal	1 USD = 6.60 RMB	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= 7.52RMB 1 USD = 6.45 RMB	Insurance fee: 2% of total cost(optional) QC picture: Free
Bhiner	6 RMB + 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 21RMB	Paypal:4% + 0.3USD Bank transfer: unknown Western Union: unknown Transferwise: unknown Bitcoin / ALT coins:2% + 0USD	1 USD = 6.67 RMB	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 RMB	QC picture: 1.5 RMB per item MEASURE SIZE: 4RMB 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 RMB	Rehearsal packaging: 20 yuan per parcel QC picture: 5 RMB per item
Taobaofocus	10%	No transaction fee	1 USD = 6.54 RMB	The domestic delivery fee is 15 RMB per seller. No Picture Preview Fees
Taobaotrends	6% Service Fees The minimum service fee is RMB35	PayPal fee: 4% Credit card fee: 4%	1 USD = 6.54 RMB	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 RMB	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.