How to use Superbuy for Taobao: the whole order, from link to doorstep

Is Superbuy a Taobao agent, or a forwarder?

Both. Superbuy is a shopping agent (it buys the item for you from a Chinese seller who would not ship abroad or take a foreign card) and a forwarder (it receives parcels at its warehouse, consolidates them and ships internationally). When people search for a "Superbuy Taobao agent", they mean the first part: you send Superbuy a Taobao link, Superbuy pays the seller in yuan through normal Taobao checkout, and you only deal with Superbuy in English.

The alternative is buying on Taobao directly with Taobao's own international shipping. That works for some items and some countries, but you lose the warehouse photo check, the ability to combine shops into one parcel, and the choice of shipping lines. For anything from more than one seller, an agent is usually cheaper once shipping is counted.

How do you buy from Taobao with Superbuy, step by step?

1. Create a Superbuy accountRegister on superbuy.com or the Superbuy app. You pay when you place each order, so pay only for that order rather than keeping a balance. The footer of Superbuy's site lists Wise, Visa and other cards, Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay; PayPal was removed in October 2024. Start with one small order.
2. Copy the Taobao item linkOpen the listing in a browser and copy the address that contains id= followed by a number. Short share links from the Taobao app (m.tb.cn) often work too; if one fails, open it in a browser first and copy the full address.
3. Paste it into Superbuy and choose optionsPaste the link into Superbuy's search bar. Select size, colour and quantity exactly as the seller lists them, and use the remark box for anything the seller needs to know.
4. Pay Stage 1Pay the item price plus the seller's China delivery. Taobao, Tmall, JD.com and 1688 orders carry no Superbuy service fee. Add optional services such as detailed photos here if you want them.
5. Check the free QC photosAfter the seller ships, Superbuy stocks the item (usually within 24 hours of arrival) and posts photos. Compare them with the listing: colour, size label, obvious defects. Ask for a return or exchange now, not after it has shipped.
6. Submit the parcel and pick a lineSelect the items to send together, choose packaging options, compare lines in the shipping calculator, and pay. The charge is based on estimated weight and is settled against the carrier's final bill afterwards.

Two habits save most first-time headaches. First, screenshot the exact option you chose on Taobao (colour name in Chinese, size) so you can show the warehouse if the wrong variant arrives. Second, don't submit a parcel the moment the first item lands; the free storage window exists so you can wait for the rest.

A remark that works: short, specific and in both languages if you can. For example: "请买黑色 L 码，谢谢" (please buy black, size L, thanks). Sellers read the remark through Superbuy's buyer, so avoid long paragraphs.

Which Superbuy orders carry a service fee?

Only orders from outside the mainstream platforms. The table below is taken from Superbuy's own fee page, checked on 30 September 2026.

Weidian isn't named on the fee page; if you're ordering from it, check the fee line on the order confirmation before paying. If a link can't be imported automatically, Superbuy's Shopping Enquiry lets you ask staff to buy it by hand. Orders placed that way may be charged like an unlisted platform, so again, look at the fee line before you confirm.

What happens to your items in the Superbuy warehouse?

Each item gets a basic QC check against the order (style, quantity, colour, size and obvious damage) and QC photos, at no charge; Superbuy advertises this as free QC. If you want more, Superbuy sells extra checks: detailed photos at CN¥2 each, a detailed inspection of linings, zips and pockets at CN¥5.50 per item, a re-inspection with three photos at CN¥6, and a power-on test for electronics at CN¥12.

Storage runs on a clock that starts when each item arrives, not when you placed the order:

How do you choose a Superbuy shipping line?

Enter your parcel's estimated weight and destination in Superbuy's shipping calculator and it lists the lines available to your country with their prices. Every line is built the same way: a price for the first weight step (often 500 g), a price for each additional step, and sometimes a customs clearance fee, fuel surcharge or operation fee. In Superbuy's worked example on Hong Kong UPS Economy (tax-free), the first 500 g costs CN¥320, each further 500 g costs CN¥50, and customs clearance adds CN¥38.

That structure tells you how to save. The first step is expensive, the next steps are cheap, so combining items is worth more than any coupon. Light but bulky parcels are billed on volume weight, which is why vacuum packaging (CN¥17) and folding shoe boxes (CN¥5) exist; free options include removing excess packaging and "simple packaging" in a plastic bag for non-fragile items.

• Courier lines (DHL, UPS, FedEx): fastest, dearest, duty usually collected on delivery unless the line says otherwise.
• Tax-inclusive or "tax-free" lines: the price includes clearance for the destination; slower, but no surprise bill at the door.
• Postal and economy lines: cheapest per kilo, slower, tracking can go quiet mid-journey.

Declare the real value. Duty is based on it, customs in the US and EU have tightened checks on small parcels since 2025, and an under-declared parcel is both more likely to be held and harder to claim compensation on.

More detail, including the two different services Superbuy calls "Shipping Expert", is in our Superbuy shipping guide.

What won't Superbuy buy or ship?

Superbuy publishes a mail restriction list and a policy on infringing items. In practice that means items with batteries, liquids, powders, and some cosmetics may need a special line or can't be sent at all, and unlicensed branded goods can be refused. The Split Order service (CN¥2) lets you separate a battery or a free gift from the rest of an order so the main parcel isn't blocked. Check the restriction list before you buy, not after the item is sitting in the warehouse.

What if Superbuy can't load a Taobao link?

Messages like "unable to retrieve Taobao product information" usually come from the link, not your account. Work through these in order:

1. Strip the link down to the item address and its id= number; tracking parameters and app share text can confuse the parser.
2. Open the link in a browser to make sure the listing is still live; delisted items can't be imported.
3. If you see "request too often", wait a few minutes before trying again.
4. Still stuck? Use Superbuy's Shopping Enquiry to ask staff to buy it by hand, and check the fee line before you pay.

For payment failures, the common fixes are trying a different payment method or completing any verification Superbuy has requested on your account. Orders sitting on "pending" for more than a couple of days are worth a message to Superbuy support with the order number.

Related questions

• What does one Taobao item really cost through Superbuy?
• What should I search on Taobao to find good items?
• Are Superbuy spreadsheets safe to use?
• Who writes these guides?

Sources we checked

• Superbuy fee structure, storage policy and value-added services (official)
• Superbuy Help Center (official)