How to order dolls from China!
I know some of you are wondering how to go about ordering dolls from China, so this guide will hopefully be useful! This guide is primarily geared for those interested in Kurhn dolls, but also has its uses for collecting Monster High and other types of dolls that were made in China (S.I.S., MGA, etc). TaoBao.com is a big retailer, this guide could also be used for purchasing clothing, makeup, and other desired accessories!
If TaoBao.com has confused or intimidated you prior to now, here's how I do it! (I don't speak or read Chinese, but I'm a very determined doll-hunter! Where there's a will, there's a way!)
For several years I've used an intermediary shipping-service called TaoBaoNow.com. If you've registered on this site at any point, try to find your original email and password because they've become quite successful and decided to build a new webpage for their service. If you were a member on TaoBaoNow.com, you get a special 8% service fee on their new site (forever!) instead of the regular 10% fee.
Their new site is very easy to navigate, and geared for English-speakers. It's called SpreeNow.com and registering is easy to do.
Once you're registered on SpreeNow.com, all you have to do is browse around on TaoBao.com and find listings for what you'd like to buy. It helps to figure out the Chinese characters that specify what you wish to purchase so you can shop for the cheapest listing (but make sure to select one from a reputable seller--SpreeNow will translate the listing so you can check for this information)!
I'm shopping for the Chrysanthemum Fairy doll by Kurhn. When I go on TaoBao.com I can search for 'Kurhn' and turn up results. The most common characters used for these dolls in their title listings is this: 可儿娃娃
Kurhn dolls are also listed in intervals of a thousand by the manufacturer. Since the Chrysanthemum Fairy is a collector doll (and I've done lots of browsing) I know to look for her in the 9k range. Her title is 可儿娃娃 9057.
From there, I search for 可儿娃娃 9057 and this shows me all current listings. Now I can shop by price! :)
Some helpful tips and tricks:
* If you're shopping for multiple items, it really helps to get them all from the same retailer on TaoBao.com. Think of it in terms of eBay; you get combined shipping when you order from the same shop!
* There is a mid-step through SpreeNow.com where, after you place and pay for your order, they purchase the items you selected from TaoBao.com and have them mailed to their office. This is where communication is important; you can request to have your order de-boxed if you think this will make it lighter (and thus make the international shipping fee go down).
* If you're not a keep-in-the-box type of person, I highly recommend doing the above. Each time I've ordered they have been very careful with deboxing and, often enough, the dolls are still attached to the backing and carefully wrapped. I have never received a damaged or badly-packed box from SpreeNow.
* International shipping from China runs on size over weight. It can seem expensive initially, but once you cap a certain weight the price has minimal increase unless your box is very large (hence the advice to have your dolls de-boxed to fit more into a smaller box). Be aware, though, that you could spend $30 on shipping!
* Once your items from TaoBao.com arrive to offices at SpreeNow.com, they weigh them and give you a final shipping quote. As I've said, you could incur a shipping fee of $30 (or perhaps more) depending on how much you order! This is why I only use this service for dolls I can't procure here in the United States. :)
I hope this guide is helpful to some of you! Please inbox me if you have any questions regarding the process; I've ordered things through this service many times. It comes with my full recommendation; my parcels have never been lost or packaged badly. I'd love for other people to be able to make use of this wonderful service!
