Your first KakoBuy order from a spreadsheet row: eight steps, the screen to find at each one and what each stage costs

The eight steps at a glance

A first KakoBuy order has two payments and one waiting room in the middle. You pay for the item, the warehouse in Xiamen receives and photographs it, and only then do you pay for international shipping. Everything else is detail.

1. Register and save your address. Email, username, password, then your overseas address in the Member Center.
2. Paste the link and choose options. Colour, size, quantity and remarks.
3. Pay for the item. Item price plus the seller's domestic freight.
4. Wait for purchase and dispatch. Buying runs 09:00 to 18:00 (UTC+8); Taobao sellers ship in 3 to 7 days.
5. Check the warehouse photos. Arrival takes 1, 3 or 7 working days; the return window is 5 days.
6. Submit a parcel. Pick a line, insurance and free parcel photos, then pay shipping.
7. Track it. Shipped within 24 hours of submission.
8. Receive and inspect. Report anything abnormal within 72 hours.

Two payments, one warehouse stop: item first, shipping after you have seen the photos.

Steps 1 to 3: account, link and payment

Registration is on the homepage: click the free registration button, enter an email address, a username and a password, type the verification code and confirm. Then open the Member Center and add your delivery address under the international address section. A spreadsheet row gives you a marketplace link; if it came from a sheet built for another agent, our link converter rewrites it into KakoBuy's item-page format.

On the item page, pick the colour and size the seller lists and use the remarks box for anything the warehouse should check. KakoBuy says that if you want seller giveaways inspected, you must note them in the order.

Payment methods named in the help centre are PayPal, cards through PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay and Wise; see our payment page for the fee wording. KakoBuy's help pages describe paying into an account balance; we suggest paying per order instead, so no money sits with the agent.

Register, paste, choose options, pay the item, and pay per order.

Steps 4 and 5: purchase, dispatch and the warehouse check

After payment, KakoBuy says it purchases between 09:00 and 18:00 (UTC+8), which is why an order placed at night sits until morning in China; see the working hours page for the conversion table. Priority purchase costs ¥5 per order. Taobao sellers ship in 3 to 7 days, and the parcel reaches the warehouse in about 1 working day from the Pearl River Delta, 3 from the Yangtze River Delta and 7 from other regions.

When the status changes to stocked in, KakoBuy inspects appearance, model, style, colour, size and large-area damage. It does not cover colour difference or loose threads. Free photo counts are not published; extra personalised photos cost ¥2 each. If something is wrong, the return window is 5 days (120 hours) after stocking in, and the first return each calendar month is free. The QC photo guide and refund page cover both.

Storage is free for 100 days, so you need not submit the parcel the same day; see storage.

Decide on returns inside 5 days of arrival, not after the parcel has left.

Steps 6 to 8: parcel, shipping line and receipt

Open My Orders, tick every item with the "can submit waybill" status, and submit. The system lists the lines available to your country with prices. Choose one, decide on Kako Insurance, tick the free parcel photos (three pictures: before sealing, after sealing, on the scale), and pay. Pre-packing for ¥18 shows the weight before you pay if you want certainty. The shipping page compares lines, and insurance explains the payouts.

KakoBuy states it ships within 24 hours of submission and that the carrier collects within 2 working days, none on weekends or public holidays. At the door, inspect the parcel in front of the courier and report abnormalities within 72 hours of signing.

Pick the line, tick parcel photos, decide on insurance, then inspect at the door.

Cost checkpoints at each step

Most of the money moves at steps 3 and 6; steps 5 and 6 are where optional extras appear.

A worked example to Germany

Take a hypothetical ¥200 item (about $28, at ¥1 about $0.14) sent alone to Germany. KakoBuy's estimator quoted $23.70 for 1,000 g on "Europe DHL Line (Express Line)" on 12 October 2026, no dimensions, with 8 to 12 days listed. The declaration is generally ¥8, about $1.12. Sums were run in Python.

Shipping was 45% of the total here, which is typical for a light item. The Germany page shows the other lines.

The example came to $52.82, in two payments, before EU charges.

"Cómo comprar en KakoBuy": the same steps for Spanish readers

Written in English for readers who search in Spanish; the steps are identical.

• "Registrarse": register with an email address, then add a Spanish address in the Member Center.
• "Pegar el enlace": paste the Taobao, Weidian or 1688 link; choose size and colour.
• "Pagar el artículo": pay per order; the item and the shipping are separate payments.
• "Fotos de control de calidad" (QC): review them within the 5-day window.
• "Enviar el paquete": choose a line; KakoBuy's estimator listed "Spain CTT Line" at $29.64 for 1,000 g and 7 to 15 days on 12 October 2026.

With the same ¥200 example, the Spanish total is $28.00 + $29.64 + $1.12 = $58.76, before IVA and the €3 parcel charge. The Spain page covers the Canary Islands caveat.

Spanish readers follow the same eight steps; check the line accepts your address.

Questions buyers ask

Do I need a Taobao or Alipay account to use KakoBuy?

No. KakoBuy's help centre says the shopping-agent service is available to customers without a Taobao account, an Alipay account, or both. You register on kakobuy.com with an email address and pay KakoBuy directly. A Taobao account only matters if you want to buy from sellers yourself and use the separate parcel-forwarding route.

How long does a first KakoBuy order take from payment to my door?

Add the stages: Taobao sellers ship in 3 to 7 days, the parcel reaches Xiamen in 1, 3 or 7 working days, then KakoBuy ships within 24 hours of your parcel submission. On 12 October 2026 the estimator listed 8 to 12 days for DHL Express to Germany, so a first order plausibly takes two to four weeks.

Can I pay for the item and the shipping at the same time?

No, they are two payments. You pay the item price and domestic freight first, then pay international shipping when you submit the parcel. That split lets you see the warehouse photos and the real weight before choosing a line. Pay per order each time instead of leaving money in an account.

What can I still do after the item reaches the warehouse?

You can review photos, request personalised ones at ¥2 each, ask for pre-packing at ¥18 to learn the parcel weight, or request a return. KakoBuy's return window is 5 days (120 hours) after the item is stocked in, and only if the seller accepts returns and the item can be resold.

Is it cheaper to submit several items in one parcel?

Often, because shipping is priced by weight and line, and the declaration cost is generally ¥8 per parcel, not per item. On 12 October 2026 the estimator quoted $23.70 for 1,000 g to Germany and $39.30 for 2,000 g, so a second kilogram added $15.60. Check the weight before paying.

What do I do if my KakoBuy parcel arrives damaged?

Inspect it in front of the courier and refuse or note visible damage. KakoBuy's help centre asks you to report abnormal parcels within 72 hours of signing and damage to the local post office within 2 days. Insurance bought at parcel submission is what turns a claim into compensation, so decide on that at step six.