Lifestyle

How to Ship From Taobao: 2019 Step-by-Step Shipping Guide

Chanel Li
8 February 2019

Learn how to ship from Taobao directly as an international buyer without agents in this Taobao English guide!

Part 1: How to Buy From Taobao 2019 Guide
Part 2: How to Navigate Taobao 2019 Keywords Guide
Part 3: How to Ship From Taobao 2019 Guide
Part 4: How to Refund on Taobao 2019 Guide

1. Understand Shipping Methods

After filling in your Taobao shipping address and card details, select 物流方式 (Shipping Methods) and then select the second option 官方物流-集运 (Consolidated Shipping).

Taobao Shipping Methods

官方物流-直送

(Direct Shipping)

All your items will be sent to Taobao’s warehouse in China to be registered, and then immediately sent to you directly as individual packages. You’ll pay for the shipping fee together with the item.

Price per kg: RMB ¥29 (SGD $5.80)

官方物流-集运

(Consolidated Shipping)

All your items will be sent to Taobao’s warehouse in China to be registered, consolidated and repacked for optimal shipping, and then sent to you. You’ll only know the shipping fee after the items arrive at the Taobao warehouse.

Price per kg: RMB ¥28.50 (SGD $5.70)

自行联系卖家寄送

(Seller’s Shipping)

You have to negotiate with the seller directly for them to ship directly to Singapore. This option is troublesome and you need to converse fluently in Mandarin. Plus, there are some sellers who will refuse to personally ship overseas.

Price per kg: Depends on seller

Which is the Best Shipping Method?

官方物流-集运 (Consolidated Shipping) is the best method, because it’s better to consolidate everything into one package for optimal shipping. Consolidated shipping is also slightly cheaper than direct shipping. However, you will have an extra step to do, as you need to manually consolidate your items and pay for shipping separately. Read on to understand how to consolidate and pay for your shipping.

Consolidated shipping of 8 packages (JBL speaker for scale)

Shipping Method	One-time Payment	Two-time Payment	Cost-Effective
Direct	✔️
Consolidated		✔️	✔️

After confirming the shipping method, you’ll be directed to an order confirmation page. Tap 去支付 (Pay) to process your payment and order.

2. Track & Consolidate

Congratulations, you’ve made your first Taobao purchase! Tap on the profile logo 我的淘宝 (My Taobao) and under 我的订单 (My Orders), select 查看全部订单 (View All Orders). You’ll be able to see all your orders and track their shipping progress. When you track your order, you may see that the final shipping address is in China. Don’t fret, that’s just Taobao’s warehouse, and your items will be shipped to Singapore upon arrival and consolidation.

When your items arrive in Taobao’s warehouse in China, you’ll receive a notification from Taobao. Go into your orders and select on 合并转运 (consolidate shipment) under any item to consolidate your items. Select 官方空运 (Shipping by Air).

Tap all your items and select 运费结算 (Shipping Payment).

Select 送货上门 (Doorstep Delivery) and ensure your address is correct. Then, tap on 下一步 (Next Step). Double check your items and tap on 提交并支付 (Submit Payment).

3. Payment

You’ll be directed to Alipay’s english website to process the payment. Tap on Pay Now to complete the transaction. (Remember to use your YouTrip card to avoid currency conversion fees!) You’ll then be redirected back to Taobao’s 支付成功 (Payment Successful) page. Now sit back and wait for your parcel to arrive!