Finder SpreadsheetFees, exchange rates, and the words on the bill
The cost of an order is a stack of small lines, two of them in Chinese. This page prices the stack and dates every number that moves.
What your order costs
The official fee article states the formula: total cost equals item cost plus international shipping plus customs charges, where item cost folds in the seller’s domestic courier fee to the warehouse. The agent service fee line is zero by stated policy, and optional extras bolt on per use.
Two small constants from the help centre: customs declaration cost generally runs RMB 8 per parcel depending on route, and a packaging consumables fee of the same order appears in the fee breakdown article. The relationship between these two ¥8 descriptions is not established. Do not assume both will be billed or add them together; read the actual parcel breakdown.
On a small screen, scroll to read every column.
| Line | Who sets it | Where it is visible |
|---|---|---|
| Item price | Seller | Listing, re-quoted at review |
| Domestic courier | Seller | Listing freight line; 包邮 may include delivery subject to area, quantity and terms |
| International freight | Logistics line | Estimator quote at parcel submission |
| Declaration cost | Route policy | About RMB 8 per parcel, per the official help centre |
| Value-added services | You | Optional: photos, reinforcement, vacuum packing |
| Agent service fee | Operator | Stated as zero on the official fee page |
Exchange rates: where the margin lives
A dated 8 October 2026 comparison lists about 8.5% for Kakobuy in both its FX and combined-cost columns because its standard service fee is listed as zero. The combined definition includes conversion markup and standard service fees, not every provider charge. For today’s payment, compare the yuan value credited with the actual debit and separately listed charges.
Rails differ in their own fees. Official PayPal pages conflict: help articles 64 and 99 show 3.5% + $0.30, while article 65 shows 2.9% + $0.30 and another screenshot formula. Confirm the handling line at checkout. The captured Alipay/WeChat articles list no agent handling charge and a 1–60-minute crediting range; external wallet or bank charges may differ. Card processing varies by intermediary. Compounding is the trap: a top-up fee plus the rate margin both apply before a single yuan reaches a seller.
The two money words on your order
Literally: supplementary payment
On a real order: The difference owed when a price moves after payment: seller-side changes, usually collected as a delivery fee per the official refund terms.
If you misread it: Unpaid supplements freeze the line in review. The order does not fail loudly; it just stops.
Literally: shipping included
On a real order: Domestic freight to the warehouse is free. On 1688 the same word often hides inside quantity tiers: free shipping above a bracket, charged below it.
If you misread it: Assuming 包邮 applies to your single-piece order on a wholesale listing adds a surprise domestic freight line.
Keep an order refund and an unused-recharge withdrawal distinct. A cancellation or accepted return can credit account balance; an eligible original-payment refund follows its own rules. Article 104’s captured application condition is more than two days after successful recharge, with extra checks described for remittances. Ask which record and method apply before interpreting a processing-time estimate.
Declaration names: ten words the routes refuse
Customs declarations ride with every parcel, and the official declaration guidance bans ten generic commodity names outright: sample, gift, personal effect, cloth, box-bag, seed, model, plastic, goods and accessory, in both languages (样品 (yangpin, sample) is the canonical example pair). Routes also carry per-route value guidance, and the risk article is blunt that false declarations can mean returned goods and fines.
Use an accurate product description, actual transaction information and any identifiers the route or destination requires. A duty-inclusive label does not eliminate every recipient obligation. Follow the current declaration process and ask support to clarify unclear fields; do not request false names or values.
The levers that actually move the total
No fixed ranking fits every apparel order. A combined parcel may avoid repeated minimum charges but gain dimensional weight or lose route eligibility. Compare the actual packed quotes, conversion/payment records and applicable services. Currency movement is not a reliable saving plan; a historical markup does not stay fixed merely because the reference rate moves.
The lever people overrate is chasing the cheapest listing. A ¥10 saving on item price evaporates against a ¥15 domestic freight line from a different seller; the listing page explains reading both lines before deciding.
Read 包邮 with its destination and quantity
On a seller listing, “shipping included” usually concerns the domestic leg and may depend on the delivery area or order threshold. It does not mean overseas freight is paid. Save the selected quantity and shipping line from the quote so a later supplement can be explained against the same request.