Taobao Shipping FAQ
What items are prohibited for import/export?
The above is a non-exhaustive list. For a more comprehensive list, please check with your own country's customs.
What shipping methods do you offer?
A) EMS Express:
B) EMS:
Same as EMS Express, but slower by a few days, and no compensation for late delivery
C) Budget Express Courier:
D) DHL:
E) Registered air large packet:
F) Registered air small packet:
G) Registered SAL:
H) Sensitive Shipment:
I) Bulk Shipment:
Not all the above methods are available for every country. Please refer to the specific costs and shipping methods for each country on this page.
The above restricted items are not exhaustive. Restrictions are subject to changes according to the courier / postal service's policies. These policies may sometimes be relaxed, or become even more strict, depending on the situation in China.
As a rule of thumb, if you do not want to pay for expensive shipping i.e. sensitive shipment, avoid purchasing the following items:
Which company handles packages shipped under Budget Express Courier?
In China, the package is usually handled by Yanwen Express. Under certain circumstances, this may be changed to another local courier without prior notice. When the package reaches your country, it will be handled by your local courier company that is in partnership with Yanwen Express. In the USA, the partner courier is usually USPS. In Europe, it is usually Parcel Force or GLS. Subject to circumstances, the partner courier in your country may also be changed without notice. Rest assured that it will be a locally-based company that you can get in touch with. Regardless, if you have reservations about some of your local couriers, please check with me in advance, or use EMS.
Can I just use ______ shipping method although I purchased a product on its restricted list? I'm sure it will be all right.
Sorry but that's not possible. All items will be declared, and the courier reserves the final say in determining whether your parcel is allowed for shipping. If there are prohibited items in your parcel, it will be rejected and you will have to choose a new shipping method, or ship the prohibited items via another shipping method. Please be sure to understand all the restrictions of the various shipping methods before placing your order.
You may opt to split up your shipment and ship them by different methods.
What is volumetric weight?
Couriers under EMS, Budget Express Courier, DHL and Sensitive Shipment have low tolerance for bulky parcels, and often incur volumetric weight charge. Volumetric weight is calculated based on dimensions of the package. A rough estimation would be physical weight in kg x 1.5, but bulky parcels may amount to more than that.
Can I request for packaging material to be removed to reduce the weight of the package?
My package weighs 4.05kg. Do you round this down to 4 kg or?
All weights are round up to the next 100g, even if it’s just 0.01g. This is how all the postal services charge. Couriers who charge per 500g or per kg will thus round it up to the next 500g or 1kg.
Why is the weight of the package I'm charged for 10% more than the actual weight?
This takes into account weight of packaging materials, which is estimated to be 10% of the actual weight of items. It’s usually quite an accurate estimation because for heavier packages, more and sturdier packaging material is required for packaging. Corrugated cardboard boxes often account for a significant weight, and this is especially so when the box in question is very large.
I plan to order this very long / bulky / large item. It doesn't exceed max dimensions for my chosen shipping method. That's ok right?
Long and bulky items may have to be shipped alone, usually by EMS, even if they do not exceed max dimensions of the chosen shipping method. This is due to difficulty in packing items together, not being able to fit into standard dimensions for China Post services (notably the registered air and SAL shipping methods) and possible requirement of special packaging material.
Generally, if one side of the item exceeds 50cm, it will have to be shipped alone by EMS.
How are items packed to ensure safety of my purchases?
- Flammable items (including fragrances, alcohol, nail polish, lighter)
- Precious metals (gold, silver)
- Cigarettes
- Fresh food
- Live animals
- Plants (includes seeds and flowers)
- Hazardous products like weapons. Includes props that resemble weapons as well, notably guns and blades.
The above is a non-exhaustive list. For a more comprehensive list, please check with your own country's customs.
What shipping methods do you offer?
A) EMS Express:
- Pros: Fast, good with customs clearance
- Does not accept: Liquids, powder
- Max length of package < 150cm
- Compensation available if package is not delivered within promised duration
B) EMS:
Same as EMS Express, but slower by a few days, and no compensation for late delivery
C) Budget Express Courier:
- Pros: Fast and economical
- Does not accept: Chemical products (including cosmetics), items with international logos, items not made in China, food products, medicines, magnetic products, liquids, powder, CDs, batteries.
- For Australia, products made of wood are not allowed for import through this shipping method.
- Incurs volumetric weight, not recommended for large packages
D) DHL:
- Pros: Fastest of all the methods, good for emergency shipments
- Does not accept: Chemical products (including cosmetics), items with international logos, items not made in China, medicines, magnetic products, liquids, powder, CDs, batteries. Preserved food products can be shipped to Europe, but not fresh food products.
- Compensation available if package is not delivered within promised duration
- Incurs volumetric weight, not recommended for large packages
E) Registered air large packet:
- Pros: Good with customs clearance, recommended for shipping large packages to countries in Europe where customs fees are high.
- Does not accept: Liquids, powder, batteries, medicine.
- Max length of package < 150cm
F) Registered air small packet:
- Pros: Economical for shipping small / lightweight items
- Does not accept: Liquids, powder, batteries, medicine.
- Max length of package < 40cm
- Max weight of package: 2kg
G) Registered SAL:
- Pros: Good with customs clearance, recommended for shipping large packages to countries in Europe where customs fees are high. An economical option for shipping heavy packages if you don't need your items quickly.
- Does not accept: Products containing liquids, powder, batteries, medicine.
- Max length of package < 150cm
H) Sensitive Shipment:
- Pros: Fast, can ship just about anything except prohibited items
- Incurs volumetric weight, not recommended for large packages
I) Bulk Shipment:
- Pros: Fast, economical for very heavy packages. good for businesses
- Does not accept: Chemical products (including cosmetics), items with international logos, items not made in China, medicines, magnetic products, liquids, powder, CDs, batteries.
Not all the above methods are available for every country. Please refer to the specific costs and shipping methods for each country on this page.
The above restricted items are not exhaustive. Restrictions are subject to changes according to the courier / postal service's policies. These policies may sometimes be relaxed, or become even more strict, depending on the situation in China.
As a rule of thumb, if you do not want to pay for expensive shipping i.e. sensitive shipment, avoid purchasing the following items:
- Food
- Cosmetics products
- Liquid products
- Digital products & electronics
- Items with magnets and batteries
Which company handles packages shipped under Budget Express Courier?
In China, the package is usually handled by Yanwen Express. Under certain circumstances, this may be changed to another local courier without prior notice. When the package reaches your country, it will be handled by your local courier company that is in partnership with Yanwen Express. In the USA, the partner courier is usually USPS. In Europe, it is usually Parcel Force or GLS. Subject to circumstances, the partner courier in your country may also be changed without notice. Rest assured that it will be a locally-based company that you can get in touch with. Regardless, if you have reservations about some of your local couriers, please check with me in advance, or use EMS.
Can I just use ______ shipping method although I purchased a product on its restricted list? I'm sure it will be all right.
Sorry but that's not possible. All items will be declared, and the courier reserves the final say in determining whether your parcel is allowed for shipping. If there are prohibited items in your parcel, it will be rejected and you will have to choose a new shipping method, or ship the prohibited items via another shipping method. Please be sure to understand all the restrictions of the various shipping methods before placing your order.
You may opt to split up your shipment and ship them by different methods.
What is volumetric weight?
Couriers under EMS, Budget Express Courier, DHL and Sensitive Shipment have low tolerance for bulky parcels, and often incur volumetric weight charge. Volumetric weight is calculated based on dimensions of the package. A rough estimation would be physical weight in kg x 1.5, but bulky parcels may amount to more than that.
Can I request for packaging material to be removed to reduce the weight of the package?
- By default, packaging materials used for domestic shipping will be removed.
- Shoe boxes can be removed on request. Please ask. On a side note, they don't really contribute much weight. The ones that take up space are boots boxes. Note that boots will be folded if you ask to remove the box.
- Original product packaging will not be removed.
- We also reserve the right to make the decision not to remove the packaging material if we believe that may cause damage to the product during shipping.
My package weighs 4.05kg. Do you round this down to 4 kg or?
All weights are round up to the next 100g, even if it’s just 0.01g. This is how all the postal services charge. Couriers who charge per 500g or per kg will thus round it up to the next 500g or 1kg.
Why is the weight of the package I'm charged for 10% more than the actual weight?
This takes into account weight of packaging materials, which is estimated to be 10% of the actual weight of items. It’s usually quite an accurate estimation because for heavier packages, more and sturdier packaging material is required for packaging. Corrugated cardboard boxes often account for a significant weight, and this is especially so when the box in question is very large.
I plan to order this very long / bulky / large item. It doesn't exceed max dimensions for my chosen shipping method. That's ok right?
Long and bulky items may have to be shipped alone, usually by EMS, even if they do not exceed max dimensions of the chosen shipping method. This is due to difficulty in packing items together, not being able to fit into standard dimensions for China Post services (notably the registered air and SAL shipping methods) and possible requirement of special packaging material.
Generally, if one side of the item exceeds 50cm, it will have to be shipped alone by EMS.
How are items packed to ensure safety of my purchases?
Here is a typical package we ship out. Usually, a large sheet of bubble wrap will be used to wrap the contents. Items that don't come with individual packaging will be covered in a clear bag if necessary.
Due to customer feedback, I will request for accessories to be placed in a small box (to avoid squishing), and books / paper products of the same sizes to be stacked together and wrapped in bubblewrap to avoid bending. Cardboard backing will be requested if shipping only 1 or a couple of books.
If you wish to reinforce packaging for any other fragile materials that may get damaged during shipping, please ask me when making shipping arrangements. It is usually free of charge.
How can I avoid expensive customs fees / customs inspection?
The bigger and heavier your package, the higher risk of it being picked on by customs for inspection. Please keep your package under 30kg.
Avoid buying multiples of the same items. Packages with multiples of the same items tend to be regarded as commercial packages. If you must, keep it under 10kg.
What measures do you take to reduce possibility of customs fees / inspection?
We only choose to make available shipping methods that are known to be reliable and give few problems with customs.
All the restrictions for each shipping method are in place to avoid customs trouble.
Commercial invoices are not included in the package.
All packages are marked as non-commercial packages with an approximate value of 10 USD, unless otherwise requested. Please note that in event that your package is lost or damaged, you will only be entitled to a maximum compensation of the value on the package (i.e. 10 USD)
Can I insure my package?
With exception to some items like preorder items and custom orders, you can insure your whole package by paying 5% extra on top of the cost of your items + shipping fee. Should the package be lost / damaged in process of shipping and there is sufficient evidence for it, full compensation will be made regardless of the value indicated on the package.
Please note that insuring of items is only possible if the items are purchased direct through my logistics/shipping agent's account. This applies to most items except the following:
For questions related to problem packages, please refer to my After Sales FAQ.
To see shipping rates and methods for each country, refer to this page.
Due to customer feedback, I will request for accessories to be placed in a small box (to avoid squishing), and books / paper products of the same sizes to be stacked together and wrapped in bubblewrap to avoid bending. Cardboard backing will be requested if shipping only 1 or a couple of books.
If you wish to reinforce packaging for any other fragile materials that may get damaged during shipping, please ask me when making shipping arrangements. It is usually free of charge.
How can I avoid expensive customs fees / customs inspection?
The bigger and heavier your package, the higher risk of it being picked on by customs for inspection. Please keep your package under 30kg.
Avoid buying multiples of the same items. Packages with multiples of the same items tend to be regarded as commercial packages. If you must, keep it under 10kg.
What measures do you take to reduce possibility of customs fees / inspection?
We only choose to make available shipping methods that are known to be reliable and give few problems with customs.
All the restrictions for each shipping method are in place to avoid customs trouble.
Commercial invoices are not included in the package.
All packages are marked as non-commercial packages with an approximate value of 10 USD, unless otherwise requested. Please note that in event that your package is lost or damaged, you will only be entitled to a maximum compensation of the value on the package (i.e. 10 USD)
Can I insure my package?
With exception to some items like preorder items and custom orders, you can insure your whole package by paying 5% extra on top of the cost of your items + shipping fee. Should the package be lost / damaged in process of shipping and there is sufficient evidence for it, full compensation will be made regardless of the value indicated on the package.
Please note that insuring of items is only possible if the items are purchased direct through my logistics/shipping agent's account. This applies to most items except the following:
- Pre-order items with multiple payment stages
- Items where seller requests advance non-refundable payment
- Items that are selling out very fast.
- Custom-designed items
For questions related to problem packages, please refer to my After Sales FAQ.
To see shipping rates and methods for each country, refer to this page.