ordering from taobao with spreenow shopping service

SpreeNow is one of the taobao shopping services I recommend the most due to its easy to use interface and low cost. I first became aware of it when the shopping service I always used, TaoBaoNow, started advertising SpreeNow.com as their new website.

With SpreeNow you do not have to spend hours tediously filling out a spreadsheet making sure you've written down each meticulous detail about the item you're trying to buy, nor do you get hit by hidden charges like some shopping services do (some other shopping services I use convert the currency to USD and charge you more in the markup!), and the service fee is low as 10% (whereas I have come across other agents charging 15% etc). Also a bonus - you can use PayPal! As well the staff all have excellent communication and are English speaking and check your packages for you, explaining what is happening every step of the way. In short,

Why I use SpreeNow:

• "Spree It!" button + Cart = Ease of Use
• No hidden charges
• Low Service Fee (10%)
• Can use PayPal
• Helpful, English-speaking staff

Why have I begun using the new site SpreeNow over TaoBaoNow? One thing I find hugely beneficial about SpreeNow is the "+Spree It!" button. As it says on the website all you simply need to do is:

"Drag the ✚ Spree It! button to your browser's Bookmark Bar. Use that ✚ Spree It! button on Taobao or Tmall's product pages. It will add any product directly to your SpreeNowShop cart."

You do not even have to copy and paste a URL! For example, if I were to order this wig:

Click on the "+Spree It!" bookmark when you are on a product you want.

Here an image of the product will load as well as options, this will tell you the price and postage cost.
Just click "+Spree It!" when you are happy with the product.

And then simply click on "Go To Shopping Cart" to see all the items from different stores I want to buy, including the cost of shipping each products to the shopping service. When satisfied with that click "Submit Cart" - it will tell you the total cost of the order, plus the store's service charge of 10%. As it says on the cart page, that does not include international shipping. For more information about SpreeNow's international shipping, as it is done by weight with various shipping options as well as payment options, check out SpreeNow's question pages!

Why would you need to use a shopping service when buying from taobao? I have copy and pasted these answers from SpreeNow's about and question pages, to show why it is so important to use a shopping service:

• You do not understand Chinese language, and you need some help even when online translation tools are easily available.
• You do not have a bank account in China.
• You do not have a postal address in China.
• You want to buy many products from different sellers or even different websites, but international shipping costs a lot more when products are shipped individually instead of in a combined package.

And as to why it is good to use SpreeNow in particular:

• SpreeNow was officially founded in 2009. We were operating "sprees" among forums since 2007 and established a Shopping Assistance Service website in 2009. We have many years of experience in the e-commerce market in China.
• Shop at any online shopping mall in China, such as Taobao, PaiPai, Eachnet, Dangdang, etc., and spend less by combined shipping to overseas destination.
• Save money with our discounted international shipping services.
• Pay with our numerous payment options, such as credit card. (and can use PayPal!)
• Request any extra service such as customizing your order, additional packaging protection, shipping insurances, etc.
• We are also verified by Digicert with Extended Validation Certificate to provide a safe and secure environment for your protection.

I have been using this website a long time and it's definitely my favourite.

Please give it a go and let me know what you think! :)

https://www.spreenow.com/category/a09465/

(Please use my referral code if you try it!)

Thanks for reading!

review: taobao order direct from grand young

Recently, I've been wanting to get back into being more confident and experimental with fashion, as well as with cosplay, so I was reading up on good Taobao sellers. I found a lot of recommendations for the shop "Grand Young". As on their shop they state they are happy to deal directly with overseas customers through PayPal if you e-mail them, this swayed me into trying them out. This is my first time writing this kind of review so any suggestions would be welcomed.

Postage
I ordered on the 11/01/13 and chose "normal airmail", not EMS or DHL and cost approximately £13. The parcel arrived on the 23/01/13 to the UK (even though we were having so-called severe weather conditions and some days postal deliveries were cancelled) it arrived within 10 working days. The items were packaged in individual sealed plastic wrappers, the wigs with nets and padding inside, and the whole thing was boxed with a waterproof layer of packaging over the top. Absolutely no complaints. I've ordered from UK web shops that have taken longer to post. Fantastic.

Purchases
✘ Clip on hair horns ("kreepsville" inspired?) x 2 black, x 1 red @ £0.40 ea. (link)
✘ Eyeball hair clip x 1 @ £0.40 ea. (link)
✘ Bone hair clip x 1 black, x 1 white, x 1 bloodstained @ £0.40 ea. (link)
✘ Skeleton hand hair clip x 1 white @ £0.40 ea. (link)
✘ Portable/flat pack wig stand x 4 black @ £1.10 ea. (link)
✘ Horn/Ear beanie hat x 1 black @ £1.20 ea. (link)
✘ Skeleton hands necklace x 1 white @ £1.40 ea. (link)
✘ Grey/silver wig x 1 @ £5.40 ea. (link)
✘ Dark ashy blue wig x 1 @ £6.30 ea. (link)
^{(please note all prices/price conversion accurate at the time of buying.)}

Pictures

Review
Without styling or any make-up aside from BB cream, I tried on some of the purchases straight away, I don't think I'll be wearing them quite like this but tried to show as much as I could at once! Each item was pristine, the wigs are so thick (no big gaps in the wefting) and do not moult, and are made of high quality kanekalon fibres. The hair clips were so well made, no excess glue, no faulty clips, no scratches, marks or discolourations.

The only thing I will mention to be careful of is that each hair clip/accessory is sold individually. If you order x 1, you will get one clip, not one set/pair. Meaning one clip is £0.40, a pair is £0.80. I didn't realise that (Totally my fault for not reading properly and assuming!) so I will be returning again to order more clips the next time I order from there!

The seller was polite, courteous (even wished me a "happy new year"!) and was fast to reply by e-mail to any questions I had and explained well. They double checked my address and told me when they received payment and when they posted the item out. I really have nothing bad to say about this.

Rating

Postage: ❤❤❤❤❤
Service: ❤❤❤❤❤
Price: ❤❤❤❤❤
Quality: ❤❤❤❤❤

Overall: ❤❤❤❤❤

5/5 highly recommended

will order again!