From The Straits Times    |

 

Shopping on TaoBao can be great, but with crazy shipping costs and complicated instructions, it can be quite useful to get an agent to help you out.

Here are three I’ve found to be quite reliable and affordable.

Your BFF
EK LINK 

Great because:
– Basic English speakers
– Transactions always run smoothly even if you type the wrong code. Because they’re contactable through WeChat, you’ll find it easy to rectify any mistakes.
– Always available to answer any queries through WeChat. It’s really like talking to a friend.
– Agents are very very patient with you, especially if you’re a non-Chinese speaker.
– They repack everything that Taobao sends to their warehouse for you, which means your buys are rarely damaged.
– Affordable.

Notes:
– To register that you want to use EK Link services, you have to add them as a friend on Facebook first: EK LINK
– Then you post on the wall and ask for a walkthrough and how to get started.
– You’ll need to download WeChat to stay connected with EK Link.

THE WELL-OILED MACHINE
65 Daigou

Great because: 
– They’ve been at this for so long, they’ve developed great technology to help you buy directly from their site. This means, unlike other agents, you don’t have to copy the link, remember the name of your product and calculate the price beforehand. 65 Daigou does it all on their website for you.
– It allows you to search Taobao in English on their site.
– Reliable cause many people have used them, and they do ship for other sites aside from Taobao too.

Notes:
– They’re a little pricy as compared to the other companies.
– But if you choose for them to deliver by sea instead of by air, your shipping fees will be much cheaper. The only trouble would be that it would take about three weeks to a month for your buys to come ot you.

THE NO FRILLS, BASIC FREIGHT FORWARDING
4px

Great because:
– It’s very basic and simple. 
– Very quick delivery speeds. About three to four days to wait after purchase. 
– SMS notification for everything, so you’re always kept in the loop.
– You never have to leave the taobao website and send the agent the codes of your purchases on a third party site, or by email.

Notes:
– Because 4px is linked directly to Taobao, you won’t have any English translations to help you through. Luckily, there are plenty of walkthroughs like here.
– To use 4px as your freightforwarding service, check the box that says “国际转运服务” while in your shopping cart. This will lead you to the page that allows you to choose the right freight forwarding service.