A Guide + Review to DotDotBuy
I have not used dotdotbuy since this purchase and it looks like their site layout has changed. I won't be updating this guide but will keep it up in case it's still useful to anyone.
This
is a rough-ish guide to using dotdotbuy to purchase from
Taobao.
Taobao
is
a Chinese marketplace akin to eBay and Amazon. In order to purchase
from Taobao outside of China, you'll need a middleman service to
purchase the items and ship them to you in the US. Dotdotbuy is one
such service, and the site I chose after some research on which
offered the best assistance. I've read that Dotdotbuy's international
shipping costs are much lower than the seemingly more popular Bhiner, and their commission fee is lower than some services like Taobaoring.
For
the record, I'm not an expert at using this site - this is almost
more of a journal documenting my first experience with it. Still, I
wanted to write something up for it because I found a lack of
tutorials for it while I was researching, and it might still be
helpful for some.
Also, I know this is kind of a pain in the ass to read on tumblr. I’ll probably be posting it elsewhere shortly so it’s more easily accessible.
First of all, here’s a quick overview of dotdotbuy’s services, specifically the pros:
- Service fee is (item price+international shipping)*5%
- Will store items up to six months
- Multiple options for international shipping methods
- Multiple options for payment, including Paypal
- Intuitive interface despite being entirely in Chinese (well, in my opinion, anyway)
Payment #1 will be the cost of the item itself + domestic shipping (from the seller to dotdotbuy).
Payment #2 will be international shipping (from dotdotbuy to you) + China customs fees + dotdotbuy’s service fee, which is (item price+international shipping)*5%.
Domestic and international shipping are dependant on weight.
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Why Use Taobao?
If you're keen on using a deputy service, you probably already have an item in mind that you'd like to purchase. However, I'd like to start out by stressing that you should do your research before you start purchasing from overseas. China is home to many bootlegs and fakes, and at best factory rejects. Purchasing from Taobao is not always a good option depending on whatever it is you want to buy. Furthermore, using middleman services are inherently pricey, since you’re paying for the item itself, two rounds of shipping, and a service fee. It might not be cheaper to buy certain items overseas. Personally, I only use these services for things I could never find in the US.
To search with Taobao, you’ll need the Chinese word/phrase for whatever it is you’re searching for. This can be difficult for more complex search terms, even with Google translate. You can try using a translator, or looking around online for tips depending on the item you want.
I
came to Taobao looking for unreleased toys, and I happened to get
lucky. This Sneasel “Cheebee” Jakks Pacific figure was my first
Taobao/Dotdotbuy purchase. (Not really sure why it says “Bandai”
- it could have been released under Bandai's name in Japan, but by
Jakks in the US?) Here's a screenshot of the item on Taobao,
translated with Google Chrome. For those curious, this figure was
part the second set of “Cheebee” figures that were never formally
released. Judging by the phrase “Display Model” in the title,
these copies were likely shown off at Toy fairs before the line was
shut down. It's safe to assume that only a handful of Sneasels exist.
Here’s what the listing looks like on Taobao (translated). You can see the price of the item and domestic shipping in yuan. You
can use Google to find out how much this costs in USD. Sneasel is ¥89, or $14.33 as of the time of writing. I believe domestic
shipping can vary depending on location, so watch out for that.
Making Your Account
I
already knew what I wanted to buy, so it was time to make a dotdotbuy
account. Below is what the front page of the site looks like. It's
important to note that the entire site is in Chinese, so a translator
of some sort is necessary unless you can read it yourself. I use Google
Chrome, which automatically translates pages, but I'm sure other
browsers have option as well. Keep in mind that the wording used on the site might differ depending on your translator. I also unfortunately do not speak or read Chinese myself, so I apologize if I misinterpret or misunderstand minor things.
Go
to the top left-hand corner to create a free account. If you sign up
with a student email, they'll actually dock the service fee to 3.8% as opposed
to 5%.
Purchasing Items
To
add your item to your cart, simply copy and paste and the URL
directly into the “purchase” bar in the top right corner of
dotdotbuy's front page. You'll come to a page like below (assuming
the info can be fetched properly.) You can actually manually change
the price of the item and shipping on this page - I've read that
this is in case the seller has a sale, or perhaps if they accepting
haggling. However, the boxes should fill in by themselves otherwise,
and I recommend not messing with it unless you're sure of what you're
doing.
At
the top, you can see a “Tip” about prohibited goods. Click that
to read more about what Dotdotbuy can't purchase or send to you. This
may be relevant if you're interested in something like cosmetics or
food, as there are restrictions on transporting certain items
overseas.
When
you're ready, you can add the item to your cart, which will look like
this (below). The total for this charge will be pretty much what you
expect - the item's price and domestic shipping
(from the seller to dotdotbuy). You can add more items to your cart
if you'd like, or continue
to payment.
Before
you're able to complete the purchase, you'll need to add funds to
your account. You can do this before you add items to your cart by
clicking on your username in the top-left corner and selecting
“Charge” on the left sidebar. However, it will also prompt you to add money
when you go to check out your items. There are several ways to send
money - I personally use Paypal, and find it to be the easiest and
most secure way to send money online. If you send through paypal,
you'll need to account for PP's 2.9% fee. This is what “actual
arrival” is referring to (below).
Note: I once recieved an error message saying that the “recharge failed” after adding funds, but they soon showed up on my profile. Be sure to check your balance on dotdotbuy if you get this message.
Once
you've added money, you can officially place your order. At this
point, it's just a matter of waiting for Dotdotbuy to purchase the
item for you and for the seller to ship it.
You
can check the status of your order buy clicking Users > Shopping
Order in the top-right corner. Below you can see my Sneasel and its
status on the far right - as of now, it's been sent to storage at
the warehouse. Clicking “Order Details” will give you a more
in-depth look at what's up with your purchase, which is super handy.
As you can see in the second photo, it has a timeline for my entire transaction and
timestamps for each step. When my item was first shipped by the seller, I recall there being a message saying that dometic tracking was not included - however, this page was still updated with what seemed like extensive tracking information, which was nice.
I
placed my order on Wednesday night (Thursday
in China),
and the seller shipped out Sneasel the
next day. Domestic shipping via China Post usually takes 3-5 days
according to dotdotbuy, but mine was even faster - just two days.
Once the package has arrived, dotdotbuy will spend a bit of time
inspecting it. It might sit at this stage for a little while
depending on the time of day that it shows up. Thankfully mine only
spent a few hours in limbo before being put in storage in dotdotbuy's
warehouse. Dotdotbuy will keep your item in storage for up to a
whopping six months. After that, they are justified to destroy your
stuff. My Japanese middleman only keeps items for 30 days, so this is quite a leap, but you most likely won’t want to wait so long anyway.
Shipping From Dotdotbuy to You
Once
an item has reached the warehouse, it's ready to be shipped to you.
Click on “My Warehouse” in the top-right corner when you're ready
to submit shipping information. On this page, you can see your item as well as
the weight. Mine says Sneasel
weighs 700 grams (about 25 ounces),
but you may be given a different weight once you actually click the
button saying you're ready to ship. Mine actually ended up being 770
grams - the item itself weighs 700g, and the extra 70g comes from packaging. (In the end, though, I think they way overpacked - see “Recieving Your Package.”)
By the way - you can instruct multiple items/orders into one international shipment if you have a bunch of things sitting in the warehouse. This is less expensive than shipping things out individually in the long run.
You can estimate shipping costs before you go any further, which you
can do by clicking the link above the “Submit Transport” button. (You’ll still be presented with shipping options and costs before you pay, though, so it’s not entirely necessary.) There are a few different shipping options you can choose from. If
you want you the most reliable option, go with EMS. In
my experience when buying from my Japanese middleman (which for the record is FromJapan), it’s always fast. Airmail is a step down from EMS and will
take a bit longer, but is still relatively quick, as parcels travel
entirely by plane. SAL is slower and stands for “Surface Air
Lifted” - the package will travel by ground within countries, but
by air in between. I've read that when packages are loaded onto the
plane, EMS always has priority - so if they run out of space before
they can load any airmail or SAL packages, they may be delayed until
the next day.
According to dotdotbuy, EMS usually takes 5-10 days; airmail 7-15; DHL 3-6. I have only had packages sent EMS, Air, and SAL, so I can’t speak to any of the other methods. From Japan, EMS packages have always been on time for me, while airmail has sometimes taken less than a week to reach me under ideal circumstances. SAL
almost always takes 30 days (I think I’ve had one SAL parcel reach me in two weeks, but that was unusual). I go with SAL if I want to be cheap and
don't mind the wait, but airmail is usually a happy medium and
doesn't cost that much more than SAL. Sometimes EMS isn't even that
much more expensive. Most things I send from Japan weigh under 4kg and thus can be sent as small packets, which make for rather cheap shipping. Costs do increase once you reach a certain weight and/or value, and this can also depend on your middleman. For example, FJ won’t let you send packages with a value of over 6,000 yen as small packets, and in this case, EMS is usually cheper than regular airmail and SAL. I assume that there are similar rules about shipping methods from China, but you’ll have to do more of your own research if you need in-depth info.
Above
you can see the estimated cost of shipping for my package. You can
edit the weight and commodity price for an accurate quote. It looks
like the total for EMS (in red) is ¥263.15 ($42.38). However, if
you expand this tab, you can see that this actually includes the
original cost of your item. International shipping itself is ¥154 ($24.80), customs fees are ¥8 (which is the same for every package I believe), and dotdotbuy's service fee is ¥12.15, which is 5%. (By the way, I estimated this before I said I was
ready to ship and realized the weight was 770g, not 700g. But you get
the point.) This seems to be considerably more expensive than EMS from Japan, but I’m really bent on making sure this one runs smoothly, so I’m gonna go for it.
On the next page, you can also select packaging options if you
think you'd like more or less packing. If you're shipping something
very fragile, you might want to consider more secure packing. Lightweight packing might be viable if your item is unbreakable and you’re afraid of extra packing increasing shipping costs. (According to the confirmation screen a few images down, dotdotbuy will refund a portion of shipping costs if you find that they overcharged you.) You can also use a coupon if you have one. Since
I'm a new user, I have a coupon to waive the service fee of 12.15
yuan. Nice. You'll
need to save your delivery method before it can give you a total, which you can do by clicking the small blue text above the shipping cost. You'll also be prompted again to add funds if you haven't already.
The bit above “packing details” is an option to add insurance. You might want to consider this, as things always have a greater chance of being lost when they’re coming from overseas. Up to this point, I was under the impression that EMS always includes insurance (as it seems to from Japan), but it differs by country. Since dotdotbuy doesn’t try to stop me from adding insurance to my EMS package, I assume that Chinese EMS does not include it, but I’m actually still having trouble finding solid information on this (mostly due to the fact that it’s difficult for me to understand the Chinese EMS website...). Since EMS is so fast, you’re probably safe without it, but it’s up to you.
Once you’re done playing around with the options, look to the right to see a column (not pictured above) with your total, the price breakdown, and finally the button to submit your order.
WoooOOooo you're all done! Now you just have to
wait for dotdotbuy to package and ship your parcel.
Again, you can check the status of your package on the “Shopping Order” page. It will say “Packed” in the preparation stage, then move to “Sent” once it has been dispatched. If your shipping method includes tracking, you’ll need to check the “My Package” page on the left sidebar under “Send Transit.” Track your package here or on a similar site (just google “Chinese tracking,” there are a few of them); USPS will also likely update with your tracking number at some point if you’re in the states.
Recieving Your Items
I wanted to wrap this up with some pictures of my package and my figure! EMS, as expcted, was quite fast. I believe I instructed the shipment on Sunday, and it reached me the next Thursday.
I was surprised at how big the box was when it arrived, and I thought that the figure might have come with its original packaging after all. However, turns out they just reeeaaally padded this guy. While the figure was bigger than expected, it wasn’t big enough to warrant the use of such a large box, and there was a ton of newspaper padding. No wonder the shipment was so heavy... Next time, I think “lightweight” packing will suffice. That said, overdoing it is better than not enough, since the trip from China is a long one and I obviously want my item to reach me in one piece. It was in great condition when I opened it, so I’m not too fussed over it.
And here is Sneasel itself! He’s quite a cutie, and it’s awesome to own such a rare piece, considering it’s likely that only a few exist!
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Contacting Customer Service
I did happen to hit one snag during my experience - I had trouble logging in at one point, and it kept saying it didn’t recgonize my email address. I was getting freaked out, so I decided to use their live chat service to talk to a rep and find out what was going on. I wasn’t super excited about doing so because of the language barrier, but I was at a loss for what was going on and had already placed an order.
I’d really prefer not even bringing this up because it’s so embarassing lmao but it turned out that I’d added an extra letter to my email address when signing up, so it was actually spelled wrong. But, I think it’s worth mentioning just how pleased I was with their live chat and customer service. I was connected to a rep immediately and their responses were quick. I sent all of my messages in English, and all of their replies were in Chinese - despite this, the conversation flowed smoothly (with the help of Google Translate on my end). They were able to figure out what the problem was, and while some things were a bit lost in translation, I had no trouble understanding the bulk of what was said. Despite my stupid mistake, they assured me that I didn’t have to worry about it, and that I could contact them if I needed any more help. (Sure enough, I was able to complete everything without checking my email, though I’m sure they send email alerts and whatnot).
It’s just so awesome that I could so easily communicate with someone across the world, speaking a totally different language with the help of technology. So don’t hesitate to contact them if you need help.
The Verdict
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was for me to use dotdotbuy. It was a bit intimidating at first, since I’ve never used a Chinese middleman before and I couldn’t understand a word of anything without a translator, but in the end the entire transaction went smoothly. It seems to me that dotdotbuy has even more to offer if you use it regularly, like special deals and whatnot.
The costs were pretty much what I expected, aside from the price for EMS, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect there anyway since I’ve only ever shipped things from Japan. While it’s a bit pricey, one advantage dotdotbuy has over FromJapan for me is that it will tell you exactly what the shipping cost will be before you have to pay for it. On top of the extensive storage period, you have plenty of time to plan for the costs. In contrast, FromJapan cannot give you a shipping cost until you instruct the shipment, and at that point you’re locked in and have to pay within 72 hours unless you want more fees tacked on. After you’ve used deputy services for a while you come to know what to expect from shipping, so it’s not as big of a deal, but for new users the costs can come as a surprise.
Overall, I would definitely reccomend using dotdotbuy if you’re in need of a Chinese deputy service. I hope this guide was helpful for and easy to follow! If you have any questions or suggestions for this guide you can feel free to contact me here on tumblr and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.