Saturday, October 4, 2014

From India, buying electronic components in Taobao

For my hobby projects, I buy electronic components from various online electronics shops in India. Time to time I buy components (not available or costly in local stores) from ebay.com. However last few buys from ebay.com (sellers obviously from China) did not reach me (waited for 40days).

So I was looking for other options to buy electronic components from China. Looked like Taobao is another option which I thought will explore.

Taobao is a Chinese consumer to consumer market place belonging to Alibaba group (yes the US$ 25 billion eCommerce giant). Buying from Taobao from other countries could be difficult because of language (Taobao site is in Chinese). I think this opened lot of business opportunities for others. There are so many agents in China who operate a website in English for overseas buyers and the process goes typically like
  1. You find out the items in Taobao site
  2. Share the item link in the agent web page
  3. Pay agent to buy the item along with a local courier fee
  4. Payment also includes a transaction fee for the payment platform operator say Paypal
  5. Agent buys it for you
  6. Item reaches agents warehouse
  7. Calculate weight and select shipment mode
  8. Pay service fee to agent and shipment fee
  9. Agent ships items and provides courier tracking number
Looking at various online reviews I have chosen www.yoybuy.com for my first purchase. They charge 10% service fee (US$ 5.69 min), their local courier fee around US$2.02 and the DHL shipment fee to India is around US$20 for first 500gms.

Having chosen the agent, I logged my first order for around US$20 on 22/10/2014. I most of the items reached agent's warehouse by 29/10/2014. To optimize internationl shipment charges, I placed one more order and waiting for the material arrival at agent's warehouse. 

Within a weeks time all material arrived at Yoybuy site and I selected all for shipment. At this point of time the commission of 10% order value or a min 5.x USD, shipment charges and custom clearance charges to be paid. Insurance payment also there as on option but I did not choose it. Looking at shipment mode, somehow DHL was not getting enabled it was around 20+USD so I have chosen Aramex. Aramex charges were USD9.x for first 500gram and it is very nominal. I paid all these using paypal (paypal charges some transaction fee of around 4.5%).

The same day Yoybuy shipped it and the next day I got Aramex tracking number. Being a Gulf based company, Aramex shipment first went to Dubai and from Dubai it came to Bangalore via Chennai customs. It took a week for the parcel to arrive in Bangalore. Only thing is customs charged me some 1250 INR and Aramex added some clearance charges of INR 150. (see more input in my reply below in response to a query).

Overall not bad, variety of items I got it within reasonable time. Yes there are variety of charges but I think in the end we can end getting some latest or difficult to items in less cost. Customs good be a spoiler because of the unpredictability in levying customs charges. If it is nominal say 10 to 20% actual cost then it is very good option to buy. But if customs thinks the parcel undervalued and treats it as a higher value item then the customs will be high and in the we could end up paying higher cost for the items.... 

68 comments:

  1. Hello sir,
    I am from Hyderabad. I would also like to buy from Taobao. I would like to know how trustworthy is www.youbuy.com? Can we believe upon their service? May i know the status of the order which you have mentioned here ? Awaiting your valuable suggestions. Thank you .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,shopattao is a great taobao agent that can help you solve all of the problem buy from china,and the price will surprise you,it has the lowest fee and the best rate..what is more,it is safe,it is a good choice for you,if you want to buy cheap chinese stuff,have a look at Web:www.shopattao.com

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    2. useful information on topics that plenty are interested on for this wonderful post.Admiring the time and effort you put into your b!.. Buy for me service

      Delete
  2. Sorry I saw your post very late, it is trust worthy I will from my experience. They bought it within the same day or next day and items reached their office withing 3-5days. I have chosen Aramex and it took 5days to reach India. Only thing is customs charged me a lot which I paid to Aramex while delivery. Overall I was happy

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  3. How much did you pay custom charge??

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  4. Hi,

    My invoice value was US$110.28 including aramex shipment charge. But customs added 20% as shipping charges and calculated INR 1250 as duty. In total I paid INR 1400 including aramex clearance charges. Suspecting aramex was charging me, I escalated this to aramex to which aramex gave all customs bill of entry etc. On quizzing why I was made to pay when their site says less US$200 there is no duty when importing on personal use. Aramex clarified that customs follows a verbal note on which any online buying import beyond INR2000 attracats duty.

    ReplyDelete
  5. fe fi fo fum! you got scrwed by customs/Aramex. Shame on you! http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cst2012-13/cs-gen/cs-gen141-151.pdf

    GENERAL EXEMPTION NO. 148
    Exemption from duty to bona-fide gifts (excluding alcoholic drinks) imported through courier or falling under Heading No. 98.04.


    the Central Government being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts bonafide gifts as are exempted from any prohibition in respect of the import thereof under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992) and either imported by a courier as defined in the Courier Imports (Clearance) Regulations, 1995, or falling under heading 98.04 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975) from the whole of the duty of customs leviable thereon under the said First Schedule and the whole of the additional duty leviable thereon under section 3 of the said Customs Tariff
    Act :
    Provided that the value of such bonafide gifts imported by post or as air freight does not exceed rupees ten thousand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Btw above also applies for 2013-14 (clueless public == high-prices):
      http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cst2013-14/cst1314-idx.htm

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  6. With the same understanding, I exchanged a series of mails with Aramex support (reaching upto India support head) and then they gave all document like bill of entry, customs valuation etc so Aramex did not cheat me but the gap is customs default arrives at conclusion that the goods are under valued so they arrive a value; based on that they put customs duty. Another funny part is though I included courier charges, customs put US$ 20 as logistics and arrived at the total value. The problem is as a customer I have not given a chance to prove the invoice value is genuine, I do not know how to break this... any suggestion welcome so next time I try it out...

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi how to purshase in taobao pls help me



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pls go through the information I posted above in my blog and if you have any specific query let me know.

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  8. Mohan, How did you make the payment - my card doesn't work - 3dsecure?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used credit card either SBI or Citi. But I do not remember it went through additional authentication or not. I see that some foreign sites do not go through it. Yes it is risky if it is not a well known one, I just watch for secure sign (https://, verified by a certificate provider) in the browser.

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    2. I used credit card either SBI or Citi. But I do not remember it went through additional authentication or not. I see that some foreign sites do not go through it. Yes it is risky if it is not a well known one, I just watch for secure sign (https://, verified by a certificate provider) in the browser.

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  9. I think you should just try a different shipping company and see what happens. From some experiences, FedEx is the best, then DHL, Speedpost and DTDC are ok (face some trouble in outlying areas), and Aramex has alot of complaints about customs issues, lost shipments, delays. Maybe only in Bangalore and Delhi they are OK.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I appreciate your work.we can buy electronic hardware devices online at affordable prize.

    Best Online Shopping Site in India

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks Mohan,
    I frequently buy from Taobao.
    I stay in Mumbai If anyone interested to order it from Taobao reach me siddiqahmed93@gmail.com or Wechat me
    siddiqahmed93

    ReplyDelete
  12. Online shopping from usa to india that provides the Indian consumer with an unparalleled international online shopping experience. It offers a wide range of branded products like health supplements, books, music, movies, beauty products and more on.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ship to India is the market for soft goods online is growing tremendously.include Games product, beauty product,mobile product, books. No shipping charges.

    ReplyDelete
  14. could you please help me how to buy directly from taobao to bangalore? without agents ? please.....

    ReplyDelete
  15. Taobao being a Chinese site may not offer shipping to India, try aliexpress or inkocean

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mohan any chance you could scan those documents and upload it? BTW, I found a cheaper source for shipping from China - Gati International. Do you have an email - we could jibber jabber?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please contact me on Above mentioned source can help you
      Thanks

      Delete
  17. http://storage5.static.itmages.com/i/16/0412/h_1460446545_8733222_7ced3f3a02.png

    link to pricing - we could negotiate together if you are buying? I need to buy some stuff sound meter, laser level etc

    ReplyDelete
  18. China Ppost prices are much lower :( only Rs:500/kg and they give discounts

    ReplyDelete
  19. What documents you me to upload? I just ordered something next order may take sometime, China post may take time to reach & possibility of getting lost is there; Gate I am not sure they are logistics company but how will you buy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. any docs would be okay - whatever you have, if you have a scanner :p (don't spend money on it and nuke the signature using gimp) Yeah, you could loose a pkg with ChinaPost BUT 1kg is 800Rs and if we find someone reliable, we could ship smaller quantities. I've been asking on QQ etc. In Hong Kong it's the cheapest Rs:450/kg upto 2kg and for 7kg it's Rs:350. GATI is a logistics company - google.. flyer..

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    2. The spot market for air freight is really low $2/kg but the freight forwarders basically run a monopoly :p

      Delete
  20. New model of There are many application centers as well as service Electronic consultant providers available in the market Mobile app development where you can get the chance to work on important facts.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks Mohan,
    I frequently buy from Taobao.
    I stay in Mumbai If anyone interested to order it from Taobao reach me siddiqahmed93@gmail.com or Wechat me
    siddiqahmed93

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey Mohan, I've started a Facebook group called 'Makerspace: India' please post useful links etc if you find anything. I'm still adding topics etc. Suggestions are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/Makerspace-India-547345365444976/

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. Hi,
    Have you bought anything from Taobao recently.
    Is the method you mention in this blog still the preferred method, or have you found better agents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Hi Rajesh you can contact me i can help you shopping from taobao at the cheapest price safer and almost no custom duty
      contact me:
      add me on wechat: siddiqahmed93
      or mail : siddiqahmed93@gmail.com

      Delete
  26. If you want to shipping from India to USA than you can prefer same private courier service provider. they ship your product securely at your preference.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I built an India post tracking site, it can help people track package from China easier: India Post Tracking Site.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Btw, taobao is the biggest online market in China, most of the products are very cheap, but the quality of some products are not very good.

    ReplyDelete

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  30. Hello sir, I want to order a soft toy from taobao.com worth ¥ 65 for personal use. Please tell me how much custom and other taxes do I have to pay. Also tell me how to order, the site is in chinese.
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Abha,
    you can contact me to help to you to buy it from taobao please reach my at siddiqahmed93@gmail.com
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi,

    I want to buy (8 nos) high capacity Lifepo4 prismatic cells(120 Ah) from Taobao.com and delivered in India. I would appreciate if anyone could point me to an agent/service.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi ,
      Sebastian I can help you please reach me at siddiqahmed93@gmail.com or wechat: siddiqahmed93

      Delete
  33. Thank for this post. You have to Contribute to support us by this valuable text. keep posting....
    Check courier charges from USA to India via shop in USA for Electronics product

    ReplyDelete
  34. Glad I came across the comments section of this blog. I found the contact of Mr Siddiq from the comments and tried him once to order it from Taobao and also Tmall, and now I am getting items regularly with his help. He has many different options as per the speed of delivery and cost, which includes reputed couriers like DHL. And he is not expensive either, he is reliable and provides competitive prices. So for people who want to have a hassle free shopping experience, I highly recommend getting in touch with this guy Siddiq. He will take care of your custom clearance as well. Good luck and all the best!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm looking for an Apple Watch. The 900 reviews and customer images show an authentic apple product and the seller claims to be authorised apple reseller. The price is. Erythromycin cheap. About INR 2000 WHILE THE ACTUAL PRICE IS 15000 INR IN USA. Is it a scam?

    ReplyDelete
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  41. Nice information you have shared about buying electronics components in India.you can buy imported products online from the website of iBhejo where you can get US products.

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