Complimentary Inspection When You Use Chinabuy to Order from Taobao and Mention OzBargain

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ChinaBuy

• • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 19:44

    Hi @Food,

    Thanks for your time to share your thoughts with us — I am sorry I was just hoping someone might find this information helpful…

    Cheers,
    Olivia.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 19:49

    +1

    Thanks @dan199, I am sorry if this has been a time waster for you… I was just hoping someone might be interested and the service did cost $3 and is free for a limited time.

    I will try to bring you better deals next time. :)

• 

  pyramid on 21/02/2014 - 19:50

  Yep we need deal and not ad in this section…

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 19:52

    I am sorry and thanks for your time @cniminc. :)

    • 

      pyramid on 21/02/2014 - 19:53

      +1

      no prob..we users are here to help you…

      • 

        Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 19:54

        Thanks :)

• 

  Entropy Reseller on 21/02/2014 - 19:56

  +11

  Technically this is a deal since you are getting an add on service for free. Just because it sounds pretty useless doesn't change that fact. I wouldn't down vote a deal for nappies just because I have no children and have recently graduated to training pants.

  • 

    Tal_Shiar on 21/02/2014 - 19:58

    its sending photos of items you've purchased, so its like effectively showing you a googled picture, most people in jobs around the world call this double handling and if you worked with me, i'd tell you off for doing so!

    • 

      Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:04

      +2

      Hi @Tal_Shiar, thanks for your comments and sharing your thoughts. The inspection service is not uncommon for purchasing agents who buy items on your behalf from the USA or China. You can find a similar service from PriceUSA, for example.

      The whole idea of the service is to help buyers make sure they get what they want, and in case there's an issue, it can be resolved before items are sent overseas to avoid unnecessary international shipping costs.

      Buyers can choose to use or not to use the service — it is 100% up to them. For us we are buying on the buyer's behalf and will follow any instructions from buyers where possible. :-)

  • 

    4agte on 21/02/2014 - 20:32

    +1

    I disagree. What product are they offerring which is cheaper than a competitor? I don't want to see ozbargain filled with online sites posting about changes regarding their shipping. It's no different to another site saying "hey we now have free shipping". What's the bargain if I could have gotten it elsewhere and paid for shipping? This is nothing but advertising.

• 

  Entropy Reseller on 21/02/2014 - 20:11

  Maybe I have misunderstood the service but aren't they taking photos of the actual item that you've bought? I'm assuming that most listings wouldn't have photos of the actual item. Again, it seems like a useless service but if you thought otherwise you'd have had to pay $3 for it before this deal. If be curious to know how many times this service has been paid for.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:19

    +1

    Hi Entropy Reseller,

    Thanks for your reply again!

    Actually about 50% of our customers choose to opt-in for this service. I'd personally choose the service for $3 if I was ordering something from Taobao. :)

    For listings on Taobao, eBay etc. sometimes what you get can be different from what appears on the item listing page. The ability to check how the actual items look at an earlier stage of the ordering process can be useful if you want to later forward items overseas. Most customers who buy clothing and shoes, for example, choose to use this service. On the other hand, customers who buy electronics are less likely to choose this service.

    It's really a matter of personal preference but we're just letting all customers try this service for free if they wish to.

    Cheers,
    Olivia.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 21/02/2014 - 20:16

  +1

  I'm sad that AUD is going down down down… I can't really get good deals from overseas anymore :(

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:22

    Just a very personal point of view, lower Aussie dollars may be better for local jobs and businesses. Of course this would be a pain when it comes to shopping from overseas, but 1 AUD can still buy you 4 to 5 CNY so have a look at Taobao you may find something interesting. :-)

• 

  pmupsinep on 21/02/2014 - 20:21

  +1

  Even the rep admits this is barely a saving, half the deacription is introducing themselves as a new service and asking us to like their Facebook page, so it's clear the rep is abusing this site to drum up business and admits they're not even interested in offering an actual bargain.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:25

    +2

    Hi pmupsinep,

    I apologise for wasting your time. I was a bit surprised that the deal was badly received, but appreciate OzBargainers like you for making this clear to me. Next time I will try to bring you some real deals. :-)

• 

  RickOnOzBargain on 21/02/2014 - 20:22

  +14

  Guys! This is a useful service being badly explained…

  You order something you see from TaoBao, etc.

  It is delivered from TaoBao to ChinaDirect who will do the posting to you in Oz.

  BEFORE they post it to you, they send you photos so you can check
  it is exactly what you want/ordered.
  Then they send it to you.

  That is a useful service.
  I know, as on at least 2 occasions stuff I have ordered (from someone on Alibaba.com)
  has come wrong… in the wrong colour and once a totally different product!
  I ordered a belt and they sent me an electric razor!

  This photo service would have nipped that in the bud.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:29

    Hi RickOnOzBargain,

    Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts with us. I think I must have explained the inspection service very badly this time. :-)

    I do appreciate you share your experience with us which makes it clear that the inspection service may be useful on some occasions.

    Kind regards,
    Olivia

  • 4agte on 21/02/2014 - 20:37 Comment score below threshold.
    • 

      Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 20:48

      Hi @4agte, thanks for your comments. We will make every effort to make sure items ordered are correct, for example by forwarding any specific requirements, comments, etc. from the buyer, and confirm details with sellers. All these services are absolutely free. And if we ordered a wrong item, we will be getting you the correct one at no extra costs.

      The problem here is that we're also a buyer purchasing on our customer's behalf and some sellers do send wrong items. So the service would help our customers find any potential problems sooner.

      We're glad to say that most of the times the photos are not actually necessary as items are correctly ordered. But on a few occasions we did find sellers send wrong colour/size etc. Even if everything is correct, having photos beforehand almost always make our customers feel happy as they would not have to worry till they actually receive the parcel. :-)

      I agree the service is only useful on some occasions. The inspection service is optional. This is an opt-in service by default. But I do appreciate your time for sharing your thoughts!

      • 

        andyken on 21/02/2014 - 21:21

        just curiosity, is this services only available for taobao? how about aliexpress? if so how can you sent us a photo? i thought most product was sent directly to the postal company from the company

      • 

        Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 21:56

        Hi @andyken, the service is only useful if you send items via our logistics partner in China, i.e., the seller does not send directly to Australia. This applies to most Taobao sellers but not aliexpress.

        If you're buying from aliexpress there's no need to go through us. :-)

    • 

      mskeggs on 21/02/2014 - 21:20

      +3

      Sure, but this is if you want to buy from Taobao, which means items you can't get elsewhere or prices well below elsewhere. The pics allow you to correct any issue before they ship it to Oz, which would be useful as many of the items are bulky/costly to post.
      I don't think you understand what they are offering, so your neg is unfair.

  • 

    tomwood on 23/02/2014 - 04:50

    +1

    Should link to this comment in the description…

• 

  rambokid on 21/02/2014 - 21:17

  -4

  Kudos to the rep for acknowledging that lower aud is better for local jobs. However by acting as a rep for Chinese exporters you are effectively dumping junk into Australia. Contradictory ?

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:05

    +1

    Hi @rambokid, thanks for your comments. We're just providing a service and in the last few months I have found many customers actually find something they want on Taobao.

    I agree there are many junk on Taobao, but most of our smart Aussie customers are clever enough to tell what's junk and what is not. Most items ordered so far are those not possible to find here, not cheaper alternatives. For example, costumes for cosplay is something hard to source in Australia if you're not residing in larger cities. :)

    We're based in Adelaide and the idea we start a business like this is we hope we can bring Taobao buyers in Australia better customer service and overall shopping experience.

  • 

    Tuba on 21/02/2014 - 22:16

    +4

    Its business, no one is forced to buy it. Australians must want that 'junk'. We probably supply some of the raw materials or other inputs that go into the 'junk'.

• 

  Tsort on 21/02/2014 - 21:22

  +1

  Won't neg but don't think this is a bargain. You should have given this service for free, even if only for loyal customers. Then you'll be viewed as great buyers agent with plus plus, rather than using buyers' fear of getting scam for making extra money.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:09

    Hi @Tsort, with the fact that our service is otherwise for free (most Taobao agents charge a 5% to 10% service charge), and we provide very competitive international shipping costs, a cost for detailed inspection is usually necessary to cover the extra time for both our logistics partner in China and us.

    Overall I think costs to use our service are comparable if not cheaper than others. :-)

    If you're interested in more details about potential costs involved when you shop from Taobao I would recommend you read this (I wrote this a while ago):
    http://www.chinabuy.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2233

• 

  miffy on 21/02/2014 - 21:25

  Chinabuyagency aka taobaoenglish have always done this for free.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:00

    Hi @miffy, I think other Taobao agents charge a service fee on top of items costs/order total, usually 5% to 10%. Overall I think costs to use our service are comparable if not cheaper than others. :-)

• 

  pyramid on 21/02/2014 - 22:21

  +9

  Now I must appreciate rep for answering all question n comment and that also peacefully n accepting their area of improvement n suggestions.

• 

  Tuba on 21/02/2014 - 22:24

  Rep, translate this for me please, and what is the $AU for one?
  http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.84.JCl2d6&id=…

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:35

    +5

    Hi @Tuba, sure thing. :-)

    This is a NITECORE EA4 outdoor torch. You can find more reviews here:
    http://www.productreview.com.au/p/nitecore-ea4.html

    Please let me know if you need any specific translations. I am more than happy to help.

    In terms of costs, here is a rough estimate with Express Post to Australia (if you're getting just a torch, you can get charger, diffusers, etc. at some extra costs):

    Items: CNY 275 / AUD 57.05
    Shipping in China: CNY 10.00 / AUD 2.07
    International shipping: Regular Express | 0.5kg | AUD 25.40
    Subtotal: AUD 84.52

    International shipping is handled by Chinese EMS and typical delivery time to Australia is 5 days (once shipped, including weekends).

    For this particular product I've done a bit of research and found it may be cheaper to buy from eBay etc. for around US$60. You can of course combine this with other items to save more on international shipping. :-)

    If you have any questions please do not hesitate to let me know. Answers for some frequently ask questions here http://www.chinabuy.com.au/faq. You can always obtain an obligation-free quote from https://www.chinabuy.com.au/order.

    • 

      y12345678 on 21/02/2014 - 22:48

      +1

      the exchange rate seems overcharged

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:44

    +4

    Should have used OzBargain to search for cheapest price. Turns out only $46.90 with Free Shipping!
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/91140

• 

  bob_wangkar on 21/02/2014 - 22:52

  Banggood.com does this service for FREE ($0.00) all the time…

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 21/02/2014 - 22:59

    +1

    Thanks @bob_wangkar, you are absolutely correct! I did check Banggood.com and they have this item in stock and indeed cheaper ($66.77 shipped):

    http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-NITECORE-EA4-CREE-XM-L-U2-5-Mode-860Lm-Waterproof-LED-Flashlight(4+AA)-p-67888.html

    I suspect most added costs are from our shipping (for example, we use EMS and they may use Airmail which is much slower, but I am not sure so please correct me if I'm wrong).

    The main advantage of using our service lies in its flexibility, i.e., you can choose to buy from different sellers and consolidate items for international shipping. Also Taobao.com has much more on offer than what you can find on Banggood.com. I hope this helps. :-)

• 

  COR80 on 21/02/2014 - 23:51

  +14

  Regardless of whether people agree it is a "deal" or not, props to store rep Olivia for the way you have conducted yourself in a rough comment section.

• 

  povertytrap on 22/02/2014 - 00:04

  +10

  Agree with COR80. The rep has made a wonderful effort to deal with queries. Plus vote from me.

• 

  Unorthodox on 22/02/2014 - 00:24

  Would think that photos of the item would be an obligation if the customer asks before or after purchase.
  Charging $3 isn't exactly fair and would be better off as an insurance deal too whereby the seller would compensate for items not looking like the pictures/description.

  • 

    blazeninja on 22/02/2014 - 01:19

    Iirc when I used some japanese forwarders for both JP exclusive items and amazon.jp auctions I remember they offered a similar service for charge, so it might just be a convention. But this was a few years ago and I was importing collectibles so I can see why they saw an opportunity to provide that kind of service.

• 

  greenie4242 on 22/02/2014 - 02:07

  +4

  I think a service like this is a great idea, and the fact it's FREE now, normally $3, is a deal! Notice it says 'inspection service' not just 'take a photo and email it' service. They'll make sure it matches description and isn't obviously broken.

  I've lost count of the number of times I've been sent something incorrect, or not matching the description, or with half the pieces missing. It's a pain when buying from an Aussie seller (just tonight I ordered a take-away burger but upon arriving home found the damn thing was missing half the ingredients, despite me paying more for extra stuff!), but when you wait three weeks for something to be delivered from overseas only to find out it's completely wrong, you'll end up having to take pictures yourself, email the supplier, send it back, wait again. A charge like $3 for somebody to inspect it beforehand can save you months of waiting and hours worth of hassle, but for free this is even better!

  Maybe some of your have been lucky enough to receive the exact item you ordered every single time you purchase something online, but most people I know have at some time had to return items that were incorrectly labelled, advertised incorrectly, broken or where they simply sent the wrong item by mistake. A service like this, where the middleperson shipping company checks the goods to make sure it matches the invoice and isn't obviously broken (and sends you photos so you can assess yourself) is something I'd pay for, particularly with a more expensive item. I'd imagine it would also be easier for a person in China to deal with a company in China if a return is necessary, as they can explain exactly what's wrong without translation issues. Once I spend weeks emailing back and forth and had to lodge a PayPal dispute because the seller of an item would't believe me that the "DVR Car Camera" I ordered was NOT the "IR Security Camera" they ended up sending me. This was despite the item they sent me being worth double what I paid, I didn't want it, need it, nor have a use for it. An inspection service like this would have prevented that hassle.

• 

  g12345567 on 22/02/2014 - 03:32

  I ordered a hard to source computer part from Taobao not available in Australia last year. I could see several photographs of the items before and after they were packed including the shipping labels. So I know I was getting the correct items. I don't know how this differs from what they already do when ordering from them.

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 22/02/2014 - 09:48

    Hi g1234567, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I think the Taobao agent you were using was doing a great job if you were using one. The charge for inspection is necessary to cover time to take photos, forward them to our customers etc. Since our service is otherwise free whereas most Taobao agents charge a 5% to 10% service charge already, it is necessary to have the service as optional at an extra fee. :-)

• 

  wizzlesticks on 22/02/2014 - 05:20

  -6

  Initially I thought this was okay, but I looked a little deeper, and 'm now going to neg based on their exchange rate gouging. This is obviously how they make their money:

  Item(s) price CNY 996.00 (this is the total from taobao)
  Exchange rate 4.80 (bank rates are 5.50)
  Domestic subtotal AUD 207.50
  International shipping AUD 121.40 (they charge through EMS which is very expensive)
  Detailed inspection AUD 3.00 (this is what they are saying is currently free as part of this 'deal')
  PayPal surcharge AUD 15.20 (by now they've earned a big fat NEG from me)
  Subtotal AUD 347.10

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 22/02/2014 - 09:32

    +5

    Hi wizzlesticks,

    We appreciate your time for sending in an order with us and I do apologize that our costs are higher than expected. If you can give us a chance though to explain the costs…

    The items you ordered are big and bulky compared to what our customers usually order from Taobao, and the estimated weight for your parcel is 10kg. This is the main reason for the expensive international shipping. For our current international shipping costs please refer to http://www.chinabuy.com.au/shipping-costs

    Our international shipping costs are similar to most Taobao agents. For EMS we offer approximately 50% off advertised price. You can take a look at the China Post website for detailed costings etc.

    The exchange rate 5.50 as you can usually see on Google or Yahoo is a bit misleading if you buy Chinese Yuan, as it is the mid market rate and we'll have to buy at lower rates. In fact, the Chinese government regulation is that one can only purchase Chinese Yuan with USD not AUD so we'll have to buy USD first, forward USD to China and then convert the funds to Chinese Yuan. All these add to the costs for any legit Taobao agents that accepting payments in Australia. Our exchange rate is similar to most banks rate for travel money and cash, and indeed our profit comes from this exchange rate difference but it is smaller than you might have thought it would be, and we do not charge a fee for our service compared to a usual 5% to 10% fee from other agents. Most agents accepts USD and pass on part of the potential currency convertion fee to you. The whole idea behind the simplified fee structure e.g., no service fee and one simple exchange rate is to bring Aussie customers a transparent shopping experience.

    Our system would automatically add $3 to order total for the inspection service but we'll waive it for all OzBargainers. You can also avoid the PayPal surcharge by paying via online transfers.

    I hope the information above helps. If you have any other questions regarding our service or your order please do not hesitate to let me know.

  • 

    TCM on 22/02/2014 - 22:23

    +3

    Seriously do you think they should be providing a free service? Because that's what it sounds like as you're complaining about "where they're making their money" like they shouldn't be. This is a business not a charity.

    Also, $121.40 doesn't sound at all unreasonable for a 10kg parcel via EMS. I just tested a 10kg order at Amazon (the seller being Amazon.com) and the shipping is $119 for regular and $200 for priority (EMS equivalent).

    And to the rep, I think you've done a great job in handling the questions and negativity here. It's quite refreshing to see that as it doesn't happen very often. Also if you bank with Westpac or ANZ this might interest you: http://www.australianbusiness.com.au/international-trade/news/direct-trade-between-australian-dollars-and-ch-(1)

    • 

      Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 23/02/2014 - 01:35

      +1

      Thanks @thechengman for this very useful information! Currently we use Western Union to buy USD with AUD, then send it to China. Once USD is received we convert that to CNY. The restriction seems to be on our Chinese bank which does not accept anything other than USD (as they advised, but maybe they are just not aware of the new policy). The total costs for the transfer range from 2% to 3% depending on the amount we transfer each time.

      I'll call Westpac and ANZ on Monday. If they could reduce our costs for IMT it would be great; my hope is always that we can save as much as possible and pass on the savings to our customers.

    • 

      wizzlesticks on 23/02/2014 - 14:35

      You've missed my point. Of course there is nothing wrong with making money, but it's the method in which they have gone about it. I'm fine with paying a buying agent commission or fee, but it should be separately itemised, bot hidden in the exchange rate. The rep has stated that 'other agents' charge these sorts of fees and gave the impression that they do not.

      Secondly, my point about EMS was comparative to China Post. I'm looking at importing some bulky items, and say for example I do this through Aliexpress where that is given as an option, it works out to be much cheaper, even though the list price for Taobao was less.

      • 

        Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 23/02/2014 - 20:35

        Thanks @wizzlesticks for your comments. Your costs for an order can be hard to itemise as it involves a process that we forward your payments to China which we obviously cannot do on an per-order basis (due to much higher costs). Also the exchange rate is always going up and down a bit. There are essentially two approaches to this cost variation problem: either we claim we have a fixed commission e.g., 5% but in fact we're still not exactly charging an extra 5% for every order; or we claim we don't charge a service fee at a slightly lower exchange rate. In this regard, the fixed commission is actually not really that fixed as it seems to be. Also, many Taobao agents use exchange rates lower than the market buy rate plus a fixed comission; and they don't accept payments in AUD, so I wouldn't say their cases are comparable to ours. We would like to note our exchange rate (with a small commission included) is actually comparable to many banks' rate for travel money and cash.

        Perhaps more importantly is the fact that when a Taobao agent charges a service fee there can be other potential costs involved. For example, many Taobao agents have a minimum service charge and a cancellation fee. Our aim was to eliminate all these notorious fees and bring customers an non-complicated fee structure. This is in good faith to let our customers know what they will pay (they will only pay for items costs plus shipping, nothing else), without any unexpected costs. If you're interested in what these extra costs might be please take a read http://www.chinabuy.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2233

        TLDR: We are very confident that your costs is lower through us than most if not all other Taobao agents if you try to get a quote and compare. Also we will bargain on your behalf and you'll have access to original transaction records on Taobao. All we want to give our customers is a simple process for ordering and less costs involved.

• 

  chenye on 22/02/2014 - 23:31

  +2

  Just posted it on Weibo @OzBargainBuzz

  Not sure whether it can be helpful or not since we don't have many fans(But they all Chinese at least)

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 23/02/2014 - 01:35

    Thanks @chenye, that is very helpful. :-)

• 

  tomwood on 23/02/2014 - 04:49

  Can I ask why you have a PayPal surcharge please?

  • 

    Store Repchinabuy @ ChinaBuy on 23/02/2014 - 13:39

    +1

    Hi tomwood, that's a very good question. We'll have to pay a charge to PayPal every time accepting payments through them. There are also other fees (if you read through Section 18 in the link below).

    The current PayPal fees can be found here:
    https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/cfsgpds-full?country.x…

    When accepting payments through PayPal we need to additionally transfer the funds to our bank account, resulting in additional bookkeeping overheads. Although payments via PayPal clear instantly, when we request the funds to be transferred to our bank account it usually takes 3 to 5 days.

    We would encourage our customers use online transfers as it does not incur any surcharge, unless they would like to use a credit card, or need to order something urgently as online transfers typically take up to 48 hours to clear.

    I hope this helps. If you have any questions please let me know. :-)

• 

  pdaa on 23/02/2014 - 09:43

  +1

  Kudos to the rep and seller.

  Handled very promptly, diplomatically and politely. Hopefully indicative of good service.

  For some reason some users here seem to think your service shouldn't make any money. Any service has a price, hidden or not.

  Regarding the deal, $3 is $3. Some deals on ozbargain are for less. If people like it, it gets you attention. If they don't you get ignored. Simple. All store reps use ozbargain as a point of advertising regardless of how good the deal.

• 

  boredrandom on 23/02/2014 - 21:09

  +4

  Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel like there is a general misconception of what Chinabuy actually does…
  Taobao is a website kind of like EBay, where you have thousands of different sellers. However most only ship to places within China, so you use a freight forwarder, such as Chinabuy in order to get the item to Australia. They are not the ones selling the items. By taking pictures of the items before they get sent to you, you can make sure everything as ordered.
  Good work Rep for dealing with all these negative comments.