淘宝 & Hello Kitty

10:25:00 PM Unknown 0 Comments

In anticipation of my new house (yeah, my very own one!) , I started to browse  淘宝 for Hello Kitty apparels, and I went just a bit 'wild'..... =p

If you are keen to know how to make purchase from 淘宝, scroll down and read on ya?

Living Room:  

RMB$39 + S$55 ~  S$63 (for 2 cushions)

Bedroom:   

RMB$57 + S$7 ~ S$18

RMB$160 + S$20  (for 3 boxes) ~ S$53


This is how the kitties should look like when open up....

Bathroom: 
RM$154 + S$37 ~ $69

Ya, I knew this is like so overpriced, because of the packaging lor.... =(

 Toilet Accessories: RM$67 + S$10 ~ $24
2 Bottles: RM$50 + S$15 ~ $25

RMB$6 for 2 shower cap = $$1.25

RMB$45 + S$6 = $$15 (inclusive of 6 HK head hooks)

Kitchen: 

RMB51 + S$22 ~ $32
RMB16 + S$2 ~ $5
RMB$121 + S$42 ~ $67 
(Total cost for 4 plates, 4 bowls, 2 ladles, 1 wall screen)

Chopping board : RMB$25 + S$3 ~ $8 
 

The prices are all very cheap (i.e. the RMB price) but the shipping charges from China to Singapore is so expensive!!

Oh well, but if I'm gonna buy similar items in Singapore, I probably need to spend much more, so I think I still 'save' by buying from  淘宝? Please agree with me so that I can feel less guilty... =p

Ok, this is probably the more interesting part for you ~> How to buy?

1) Create a VPOST account:

How VPOST works in my super summary:
  • VPOST will give you a US/CHINA/EUROPE/JAPAN address and telephone, which you will need to create account in the merchant's website.
  • The fees include a base charge of $12. Every 1kg is an additional of $10. Minimum charge at $22.
  • Base charge is per shipment, so you should try to accumulate your packages and send them together as 1 shipment.  
  • Note that you can accumulate the packages with VPOST counterparties for a maximum of 21 days, otherwise it will be chargeable, and VPOST start counting the days based on the receipt of the first package. 
  • The charges is based on volumetric weight or actual weight, whichever is heavier.  (That's explained why my 0.5kg cushions end up with $55 shipping charges because of the size)
Oh, I got 15% on my first time shipment, which the customer service said it applies to all new joiners, so do make use of the discount ya? 

There are people who buy through Singapore agents. The benefits of buying from the agents are they can check the items, make sure items are okay and also consolidate the items for shipments. But I'm not too sure how much is the 'premium service' and whether there will really be cost-savings. If I do try them, I share okay?


2) Create 淘宝 account using the VPOST address and telephone.  Welcome to Ebay chinese version. =)

And ya, I'm pretty impressed by 淘宝, so many things... Better than gmarket, but not so good for the wallet though... hahahhha   

Payment can be used with DBS credit card, but I dunno whether other bank credit card can or not.  

And knowing how to read chinese is a must for 淘宝! For those jiao kan dan ( eat potato aka only know english), perhaps this will spur you to master Chinese!

Maybe I can organise some group purchases, and we can save on the shipping and you dont need to go through all the chinese words? What do you think?  And what are the items that you are interested to buy in group purchases?  Leave me a comment!  ^_^

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