Choosing well before anything goes into a delivery request
The service charge is the last fee to land, but the choices that shape it come first: which catalogue you trust, which seller you buy from, which item you pick and which agent handles it.
Judging a spreadsheet site, this one included
A spreadsheet in this sense is a catalogue of finds sorted by category, with photos, prices and links. Choosing a spreadsheet site worth your time comes down to a few checks you can run in a minute:
- Does it date its facts and say where they come from, down to the page?
- Do its links open the page they describe, or a generic home page?
- Does it say what it does not know, or does every number look certain?
- Does it avoid star ratings and rankings it cannot back up?
- Is there a working address for corrections?
Apply that list to this site as well. Each Tigbuy rule here is tagged with the help article it comes from and the day we checked it, the links were opened in a browser before they were published, and the dated notes page says when each fact will be read again.
Reading a seller before you buy
The seller decides two parts of the service charge base: the price and the domestic postage. Good sellers make both easy to read. Signals worth a look on Taobao, Weidian or 1688:
- a shop that has traded for a while, with ratings and buyer photos on the platform itself;
- pictures of one item from several sides rather than a collage of different styles;
- a size chart in centimetres, with garment measurements rather than body sizes only;
- postage stated on the listing, or free postage inside China.
If you plan to buy several things from one shop, buy them together so Tigbuy can combine the domestic freight (help 62); one postage in the base instead of several is the easiest saving you can make on the charge.
Picking an item when the charge follows the price
Because the charge is a percentage, it scales with the item. A ¥40 tee carries ¥4 at the standard rate; a ¥400 coat carries ¥40. That is not a reason to avoid dear items, but it is a reason to be sure about them before they reach a request.
- Read the material line and the size chart, then compare with something you own.
- Check whether the listing price is for the exact variant you want; colours and sizes are often priced apart.
- Prefer listings with clear postage, because postage is in the base too.
- Order early enough that the seven-day warehouse week lands on days you can check your account.
Picking the right item first time is the only way to make sure the warehouse week is spent confirming, not rescuing.
Choosing an agent by how its fee is triggered
When you compare shopping agents, the headline percentage is only one of five things worth asking. These questions work for Tigbuy and for any other agent, and each has an answer on Tigbuy’s own pages:
- What is the fee worked out on? (Tigbuy: item price plus China freight.)
- When is it taken? (Tigbuy: at the delivery request.)
- What happens to items returned before shipping? (Tigbuy: they never reach the request.)
- Can a coupon cover it, and how many per parcel? (Tigbuy: one.)
- Which currency table turns yuan into your money? (Tigbuy: a fixed table, checked on the currency page.)
An agent that answers all five in writing is easier to budget for than one that only quotes a percentage.
Compare the same purchase through each agent
Use one actual basket, destination and service requirement when comparing agents. Check whether each will accept the seller link and product, what warehouse photos or measurements you need, and whether a suitable route exists. Then compare the full cost rather than only the buying commission. A fee charged at parcel submission can be missed if you stop at the first checkout.
For a first purchase, an ordinary item with clear measurements makes the process easier to assess. Keep room in the budget for international shipping, conversion, packing and applicable destination charges. A useful agent reduces a practical obstacle such as local-only delivery or a language barrier. It does not turn an unclear seller promise into a guarantee, and a direct or local purchase may still offer better value for your particular needs.
Other agents a catalogue find can go through
Finds in any catalogue can be bought through other shopping agents too, and most work the same way: they buy from Chinese shops, hold the goods in a warehouse in China and ship them abroad. The details that differ from one agent to the next are the ones on this page: what the fee is worked out on, when it is taken, what a coupon can do and how currency is converted.
This site does not compare Tigbuy with named agents or rank them. Rankings need data nobody publishes, such as how often orders go wrong. If you are weighing another agent, put the five questions above to its own help pages and read the answers side by side with Tigbuy’s.
When you compare, compare the same order. Put the same three items, with the same prices and postage, through each agent’s written rules. A fee that looks lower can land on a bigger base, at a different moment or with no coupon rule, and only a like-for-like order shows it.
Things to watch before you pay for an order
- Budget the charge yourself. One of Tigbuy’s fee pages (help 17) leaves it out.
- Know your coupon’s date. Coupons last thirty days from when you get them.
- Diary the warehouse week. Seven days from Arrived, then returns become negotiations.
- Watch storage. Ninety days free, then an unpublished extension price.
- Read the prohibited list. Tigbuy’s Delivery Policy starts with counterfeit products and lists drugs, cash, food and weapons among items it will not ship.
- Mind fragile goods. Breakage in transit is at your risk (help 69).
- Expect duty at home. The recipient pays import taxes (help 30).
