I came across taobao.com, which is apparently the ebay of China, but some research on the internet yields the fact that you have to use a buyer's agent to get them to forward you the goods. Does anyone know any, and what are the costs associated? I only want one or two small items, for less $10 total - is this really worth buying through this site? I'm just afraid that the forwarding costs could be enormous.
Any other tips/thoughts on the site appreciated as well.
I don't use it but I know my friends always make massive (couple of hundred dollar) orders. I don't think it's a site for small purchases. You might be able to try finding the item from a Chinese eBayer.
taobao or tmall is just the chinese equivalent of ebay for china in my opinion.
I have brought numerous things on there that you would get from ebay or even in local retail, I have work mates and family friends that travel up and down shanghai so i ask them to buy and bring them back to me.
if you dont have anyone can help you in that sense better off on ebay maybe slightly more pricey but its less of a hassle.
The problem with buying from Taobao through an Agent is that there is no accountability if anything goes wrong.
If you don't receive an item or the item is damaged to whom do you complain to?
The Seller? - they don't know you because you went through an Agent.
The Agent? - they've already got their commission from you and probably won't follow up.
Caveat emptor.
True, the best way is you have a trustful Chinese friend
I used mistertao and yoybuy before, i usually buy some items to ship together within one month and it will save me some shipping cost. i can keep my items for free in their warehouse.
I haven't bought at taobao.com, but my friends did. As I understood, it is better to buy several items there, and it takes a long time to wait for your purchase.
YES.
I use the shopping agent Pruany. I tend to order a lot of things at once so not sure if it's cost viable for only a few items as shipping tends to be expensive. Some people recommend DollyPoddle for small items, but I haven't used her personally.
http://dollypoddle.livejournal.com/
http://www.pruany.com/