Buynosaur Taobao Agent Review

I was contacted by Buynosaur in December of last year to see if I would like to use them as an agent. They found my old Taobao Agent Reviews on Pruany, and Taobaoring. I found them interesting as they spoke proficient English.

Disclaimer: This post was NOT sponsored. Buynosuar asked me if I would like to use them as an agent and in return exempted me from their agent fee (which was only $9 HKD/$1.1 USD/$1.6 CAD - see Figure 1). They didn't ask me to write a review. I told them that I would. The review below is 100% honest. I will point out flaws if there are any.

Pros:

Proficient English: Better English than me ^____^' LOOL. If you speak proficient English, there won't be any communication mistakes. This is a major pro for me!

Very client oriented: Since Buynosaur is a very small company, you can bet on them being very personal with the client. Unlike other agents, they are very eager to help. Only one agent is assigned to you so they don't get confused with your order. They reply within 24 hours while other agents might take more.

Cons:

Higher domestic shipping fee: Because Buynosaur is an agent based in Hong Kong, the domestic shipping is higher compared to using a mainland based agent (see Figure 1). Usually domestic shipping cost is around 12 RMB. For heavier items, I will assume it will be double, therefore 24 RMB - but honestly, I rarely see anything above 15 RMB. Because shipping to Hong Kong from China is extra, 45 HKD is around 38 RMB.

Figure 1. Higher domestic shipping fee.

Longer domestic shipping time: Once again, because Buynosaur is a Hong Kong based agent, domestic shipping from China to Hong Kong will take longer than shipping between provinces in China. So expect longer wait time. If you are planning for a con, give an extra few days in your plan.

More complicated: Since the website is just starting up, you can't automatically add items to cart and checkout. You have to contact them to get a quote then they will email you back and input an order in your account (see Figure 2). 

Figure 2. How to Pay and View your Orders. After you get a quote from the agent, the agent will automatically input an order in your account. You can now pay and view your order.

Note: the price you see in your "order" is in HKD, not USD, not RMB. So don't freak out if something says $600, it is not $600 USD.

The final cost of the item came up to over $150 CAD or a bit over $100 USD.

Tip: I used Surface shipping which estimates to take about 50 working days. I don't recommend this because the parcel spend 20 days in Hong Kong after the parcel was posted (see figure 3). As of May 16, it has been 40 working days and the item is still en route. 

Figure 3. Parcel spend 20 days in Hong Kong. Parcel was given to the postal office at March 21st. Parcel left Hong Kong April 10th.

Final Verdict?

- If you can buy from Taobao directly, do it. Don't use an agent. Agent costs extra and is more time consuming.
- If you can't buy from Taobao directly, you can give Buynosaur a try. But keep in mind the extra time and cost.

And what about you? Do you think you will try Buynosaur? Do you have any agents to recommend? Any agents to avoid? Comment below ^_____^