Hello all, recently I used a shopping service called spreenow to order some things from taobao, and I wanted to review the items I got as well as the service I used.
♡The backstory:
I’ve been wearing lolita for approximately 10 years and I have never used a shopping service to buy from overseas despite how much I wanted to, I was afraid to. I had heard over and over that it was so complicated and confusing and you had to be really careful and blah blah blah. Back in my early lolita days there was no devilinspired, or my lolita dress. We had clobbaonline and their site was much smaller, very limited, and you had to order through their email. Today I am here to tell you that using a shopping service is not scary or difficult! I got fed up with losing money to resellers and decided that since I needed so much stuff I was going to use a shopping service to buy directly from taobao and save some money!
♡The info:
If you don’t know, or are new to lolita; taobao is a Chinese website that hosts a bunch of sellers shops, kind of like Amazon. However, almost no shops offer shipping overseas so to shop there you have to use a shopping service.
A shopping service is someone who buys the items for you and then sends them to you, like a middleman basically. They charge a fee, usually 10% of the order total. I used spreenow at the recommendation of another lolita.
♡The review:
this is spreenow.com. To order, all you have to do is (make an account first) put the taobao link in their search bar.
Here I entered a link for this cute cardigan from taobao brand Cute Q
here is the link if you’re interested: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=621813887915&_u=t2dmg8j26111
As you can see, you can select the size and color you want and then add to cart. Very easy. Once your cart is ready, you submit the cart, Spreenow checks the cart and then you have to pay.
**note** spreenow does not email you when things are ready, you have to check back to the site periodically.
paying was the only ~kind of~ hard part because instead of paying directly, you have to add funds to your account. They call this “Top up” they do all the conversions for you so you know exactly how much to transfer for the currency conversion. They do accept paypal!
after that they order the items, pack them, you pay shipping in the same way (through top up) and they mail them to you. The customer service is very good, they respond very quickly and their English is perfect. You can continue to add to the same order over time as long as it has not shipped. They offer lots of shipping options so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. I found the entire process to be amazingly simple. I saved approximately $50 by using spreenow instead of devilinspired and was able to get things that devilinspired does not carry. I highly recommend spreenow as a shopping service!
If you want to make an account and shop use my link here~ https://www.spreenow.com/category/c38854/
♡The items:
Shimotsuki Sakyua star choker in black (https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=524266691258&_u=t2dmg8j26111)
The choker is very well made, feels high quality and is soft against my throat. It’s a bit small, I have to have it on the biggest size to wear it, so I may add some chain to the end to make it more comfortable. The only odd thing is that its left handed? the clasp is on the opposite side of what I’m used to with western necklaces so that threw me off a little. Otherwise its beautiful and nicely made.
★★★★✩
Loris star crossbody in gold (https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=523282283992&_u=t2dmg8j26111)
As always, loris is high quality and well made. I have other bags from loris and they’re all excellent. This bag feels nice, sturdy, has 1 interior zip, looks cute. Its exactly what I wanted. I have no complaints
★★★★★
Lucky star flutter sleeve blouse in lavender (https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=548230015367&_u=t2dmg8j26111)
Needs a bit of a steam but this blouse fits me perfectly! It’s very pretty, I love the unique sleeve style. It feels light, airy, whimsical. The color isn't too warm. I tried to take a pic of it worn under a JSK so you could see the fit. It’s very comfortable and I kind of want to buy it again in another color.
★★★★★
Lucky star trumpet sleeve blouse in black (https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=558661985437&_u=t2dmg8j26111)
This blouse is also great fitting, comfortable, soft, and lovely. I have wanted a black blouse for ages and I’m very happy with this one. The sleeves hit me slightly short (which I like), I would not recommend this one for tall lolitas.
★★★★★
THIS is the item that actually pushed me to use spreenow in the first place. It wasn't available on any reseller sites and i HAD to have it as it goes perfectly with several coords I am planning. It is very very well made, comfortable and cute. I am extremely happy with it. This is the first rectangle headdress I have ever owned and I cannot wait to wear it to meets.
★★★★★
Halloween Alice strawberry love check accessories (https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0k.7386009.0.d4919233.3d761955DhQP65&id=610460744258&_u=t2dmg8j26111)
This was something I added onto my cart at a later date. I was nervous about the rings because I didn't know if they were adjustable so I was relieved when I found they are! Really cute, there was some hot glue strings left on my hair clips, nothing I couldn't just peel off though.
★★★★★
BONUS~~ I received some small free gifts, I do not know if these were from spreenow, or came with something I ordered?
I got 2 blue bow clips, 2 cute strawberry clips, and this......odd.....embroidery? ? ? it is a 2 way clip, its plush, there are carrots, i don’t know what else that’s suppose to be. I probably will not use it but It did give me a good chuckle so thank you to whoever these gifts came from.
♡ TLDR
Spreenow is easy to use and saved me a lot of money. I highly recommend their service. All the items I got were excellent, mostly 5 stars. I am very happy with and recommend everything I got as well as the shops they came from. I hope this review made using a SS a little less intimidating. If you want to start using spreenow to save some money on lolita, and you liked my review, please use my affiliate link to sign up :)
https://www.spreenow.com/category/c38854/
*this is not sponsored. I was not asked or paid to review spreenow or any of the items I purchased. Everything I reviewed I personally paid for except where mentioned. Using my affiliate link only allows me to purchase more lolita items from taobao for review. Thank you.
So quick question for folks who have ordered via SpreeNow.
Do they offer airmail? Or is EMS their only shipping option to the USA? I’d like to order a doll wig but am nervous since international shipping isn’t calculated until after the agents receive the order to their warehouse. How much does international shipping typically cost with their services???
I love these keychains!!! Young Victor is so beautiful!! 😍 These were a little harder to get. They were sold on the site Taobao, which usually requires a mediator site to buy them for me and have them shipped to the U.S. I used Spreenow, which was recommended by a friend.
