Taobao Know-How: Part 2 (Second Payment + International Shipping)

Welcome to Part 2 of my Taobao guide! If you're looking for Part 1, I'll leave a link down below for you. To recap part one, I discussed how to navigate and find items on Taobao, how to choose a shopping agent, and the process of placing your first order. In this segment, I'll cover the delivery to Bhiner section, your shipping options, and the second payment.  (Click Read More to get started!)

[ ♥ Taobao Know How Part 1 ♥ ]
[ ♥ Taobao Haul + Reviews ♥ ]
[ ♥  Bhiner ♥  ]

click to enlarge

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Last time, we left off waiting for my items to get shipped to Bhiner's warehouse. When you check your order's status (after you've paid the first time) you'll find that your items have transferred from the "cart" section to the "orders", as shown above.

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To see what's going on, you'll scroll on over to Phase 4, and you'll see your Order Number. Click on it, and you'll be brought to a page with your items, a breakdown of their prices, and shipping status.

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Since last time, my items went through a few changes. In Phase 4 (the Delivery to Bhiner section) I discovered that two of the items I purchased were out of stock. Although I'm disappointed that I won't be receiving them, I was happily surprised to find that Bhiner refunded the money (domestic shipping included) back to my Bhiner account. Here, I have the option of withdrawing this money, or leaving where it is. Should you choose to withdraw it, you have the option to send it back to your PayPal, Western Union, or credit card accounts. You will not be refunded any PayPal fees or currency conversion charges.

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If you scroll down a bit farther, you can see a complete detailed breakdown of the transactions; any returns or refunds will be shown here, and your new total will be displayed. You can see my initial total, everything that I paid for, the domestic shipping total, Bhiner's service fee, and then at the bottom, it shows the money that was refunded to my account (the domestic shipping price + items' cost).

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After a few days (the weekend rolled around), my items started arriving at Bhiner's warehouse. This is one of my favorite parts, because Bhiner will take photos of the items once they've arrived!  Lookit my super cute shoes ughhh (now let's just hope that they fit). This process took about two weeks. However, I purchased an item that had to be handmade (my bear garter), which added an additional week to Phase 4's timeline. I knew this beforehand, though, so I wasn't too surprised. All of my items were marked as received by the 23rd of March.

don't mind my tabs

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Once all of your items have arrived at Bhiner, you'll receive an e-mail notification telling you that your order is ready for the second payment! I chose AirMail HK as my shipping provider, as it was the cheapest for me. It's based on the actual weight of the package. My items are 2.5 kg, which is roughly 5 or 6 lbs.  The volume weight is gauged by how much space is takes up on the aircraft, rather than the packages actual weight. 

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There is a little shipping calculator on the right side, it's marked by a blue button with a white airplane. I've got it highlighted above. It'll bring out a little sidebar on your webpage.You can select different options and check out the prices. They'll all be fairly accurate as long as you put in the correct weight. The prices will also vary depending on whether or not you have purchased anything electronic, or brand-name. (You'll end up paying $10 or more.) I didn't have any electronics/brand items. As you can see, it was cheaper for me to use AirMail HK than any other service (excluding the USPS), costing $53.93.

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Once you're ready, you'll head on over to the orange "checkout" button, under Phase 5. You'll top up your account, similarly to how you paid the first time. If you need a refresher, you can click the link below! The page you're on will look like the one above. I have money already in my account from the refunds Bhiner issued me earlier, so I'll add in the remainder. After topping up your account, scroll down and fill in your shipping address. How else are you gonna get your stuff?

[ ♥ Taobao Know How Part 1 ♥ ]

the photo says 100%, but I ended up choosing 80%.

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Then, you'll see this. This is where you declare the value of your package. Some people change the value to avoid customs fees. If you're buying a brand name items or a large quantity, you might have to pay them anyway. To be safe, I'm just going to knock it down to 80%. You can also add any notes for shipping your items. Then, you should read over the Member's Agreement, which is simply stating that you will bear responsibility for customs taxes, confiscation,  and that Bhiner holds no responsibility over the quality or authenticity of the things you bought. Once you're comfortable,  continue to checkout. You'll be prompted to verify by reentering your password and solving a captcha. 

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Theeeeen you're done! You're package will be transferred to Phase 6, "Bhiner to your Home". You can view your tracking information and the package's status from the "orders" tab at the top of the page. Now all you have to do is wait for your package to be delivered to you, make a haul video to incite envy in everyone else (mainly me), and look fabulous.  I hope this little series helped you out. Buying from Taobao can be intimidating at first, but you'll be a pro at it in no time. (my poor wallet)

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