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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Buying our dining set, sofa bed and more from Taobao

On Day 16 of our reno, about halfway through the duration we needed, we ordered some items from Taobao. Taobao is like ebay/gmarket but in the China version. I shop from taobao from time to time and this time round, we took a bigger step and purchased our furniture from taobao! 

The dining set that we set our eyes on in Singapore would set us back about 1999 on promotional price! We decided to purchase a similar themed table from taobao at merely 300+ before shipping fees! 

To match that, we got 4 beautiful cushioned chairs at about 60 bucks each before shipping. I may get more of these especially since we've the luxury of getting a really large dining table! Perfect for hosting family and friends! (: 

The sofa beds we found in Singapore were all rather steep and the cheaper ones weren't pretty. We took the risk of purchasing this beauty for our guest room at about 200+ before shipping! (: 

W also purchased many other items...
Make up holder.. merely 14 before shipping! A mere fraction of what one would pay at Howard's! 

As recommended by many users in a facebook group, we decided to get a series of DeHub products after trying them out at Takashimaya. Of course, getting it from taobao is so much cheaper.

Kitchen roll holder...

Toiletries rack...

For the kitchen...

Corner rack for the MBR...

A holder for mops etc...
  
An automatic toothpaste dispenser and storage that cost merely 4+! 

Whale wall decal! 

Kitchen decals! 

We also got a skinny shoe cabinet for 70+...

Bodum glasses.. 4 450ml ones for merely 26!

Blackboard wallpaper for the small cupboard next to the main entrance..

Little perk me ups for the toilets! 


We went through my usual favourite agent to purchase our items and I'm really appreciative of them doing all the liaising even though their services is slightly costlier as compared to getting my stuff shipped via a forwarder. I can't wait for these items to arrive at our place soon! (: 



54 comments:

  1. Hiya, your sofa looks luxurious!

    May I know how did u buy from taobao or which agent did u use? Any problem shipping into singapore?

    Thank u for sharing, Jesse. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello!

      Thanks! I got it from taobao and I brought it in through agent Peeka. No issues shipping it to SG (:

      Delete
    2. Hi! Cn i check wif u cynthia.. Why u chose to use peeka? Am interested to get furnitures from taobao too! Bt nt sure which agent to chose

      Delete
  2. Hi, is it expensive to pay for the shipment? I plan to buy furniture from taobao for my new house in KL :) Lastly, any defects on your item?

    Please advice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Expensive or not that's subjective? Esp since our currencies are already different with you being in KL and I in Singapore (: I'm not sure what the shipping charges are like too for it to be delivered to you...

      Nope there were no defects on most of my items.. (:

      Delete
  3. Hi! may I know what's the cost of the shipping fees for the item like sofa? ;-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i purchased it with many many other items so I can't give you the exact cost for 1 sofa.. but it's really huge so it'd be 100-200 bucks..

      Delete
  4. Possible to share the links to the table and chair? ^^ they got into the theme I want... Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. here: http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=40092102331
      http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=20949832939

      Delete
  5. Hello! love your blog and thanks so much for sharing on your home reno, taobao loots! just a quick question, hows the quality of the table that you bought? would you say its worth the price that you paid for? thanks so much!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! Thank you! it's my pleasure to do so!

      The table is good! We paid about 800 for the entire set (chairs and shipping inclusive) as opposed to a similar set going for 2k in SG.... I would say it's definitely work it! (:

      Delete
  6. Do you have the link to bodum glAsses?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello, please refer to latest blog post for link to fb album for links to the items posted.

      Delete
  7. Hello, thanks for sharing so much bout your buys and the reno!! (:

    Are you able to advise on the material of the wood used in the table you purchased? can't seem to find that properly at the link. Am looking for a scratch proof wood surface, i.e. it shouldn't be made of melamine for example. Thanks babe!! (:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Andrea,

      I'm sorry but I'm unable to advise on the material of the wood...

      Delete
  8. Hi Cynthia are the "Dehub" holders so far so good ? sturdy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello..

      they're good so far. but not for pressing of the various shampoos/shower gels... I usually lift the bottle and press it before placing it back.

      Delete
  9. Hi Cythia, has the table arrive? does the color match what they show in the taobao picture?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's Cynthia please.

      The colour matched. The wood was rather rustic even though it's been treated but we love it to bits. You can find a photo of it in the recent entries (:

      Delete
  10. Hi Cynthia, could you please share the link for the paintings? Thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi
    Where to get the services of the furniture assembler?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Cynthia, how did you get the weight of the sofa? The seller provide?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i didnt need the weight of the sofa. i used sea shipping which charged by volume.

      if you need details, it's best to ask the seller.

      Delete
  13. Hi Cynthia, i'm oso thinking of buying furniture from taobao. Just like to ask did the sofa & dining table comes flat packed & you have to assmble yourself? If they were shipped as it is (already assembled), did your agent delivered them to your house right down to the doorsteps (since the items are big)?

    Really appreciate your reply :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was flat packed and assembly required.

      Peeka shipped it right up to my doorstep

      Delete
  14. Hi Cynthia, thanks much for your reply. I guess for the sofa, you only need to assemble the legs?

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi, chanced upon ur blog while researching on taobao furniture and coincidentally, we are eyeing the same dining table design! could u share from which taobao seller did u get ur table from, and how do u find the quality? thanks in advance! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello!

      Please refer to the Taobao directory for the link. The quality is good... surface is a little uneven but it's rugged the way we like it. We draped a table runner across it and it's good! (:

      Delete
  16. Hi Cynthia, can you kindly share with me ur sofa and shoe cabinet link? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Janelle,

      you'd be able to locate them in the Taobao Directory (refer to tabs)

      Delete
  17. Hi,

    May i know what is the total shipping fees and if it's ok, can you list down the items for the whole shipment.

    I wanna roughly gauge the shipping fees as i am also looking to buy sofa and dining sets thru tb.

    TIA :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello,

      I paid 800 all in all for my dining set..
      I don't have the breakdown as I shipped in bulk.

      Delete
  18. Hi,
    Can save on the 3% credit card admin fee if I apply BOC(bank of china) credit card?
    Bodum glass u bought r real ones?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I usually pay via enets.. 3% is a lot if you're buying larger batches of its.
      I doubt the Bodum is authentic but it's of really good quality nonetheless.

      Delete
  19. Hello. May I know which shipping agent did you use for these furniture? 4px?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used agent peeka. 4px has a limit for size and weight. Not suited for large items.

      Delete
  20. Hi Cynthia, how much did you spend on shipping on all the items listed above? Thanks in advance! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello,

      sorry, there were too many items in all to calculate..

      Delete
  21. Hi there, a great loot you have. How long did the delivery took?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello, thanks. It took about a month via sea, u inclusive of time taken for seller to send to warehouse.

      Delete
  22. Your blog is full of entertainment and helpful information that can allure to anyone anytime. Continue posting!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi,
    Thanks for sharing your purchases! Like to know how's the sofa quality so far? Is it still firm or does it sink in?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, it was still good when we gave it away in mid 2016 (:

      Delete
  24. Hi,
    Thanks for sharing your purchases! I've been wanting to cart a sofa from tb but concerned about its quality as I have lower back pain. Does your sofa stay firm after usage or does it sink in?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello, mine was a basic model that we got for our guest room. If you have lower back pain, you may wanna invest in a better model.

      Delete
  25. Is there any chance taoboa in english version? Dictionary translate doesn't works at times. :(

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Cynthia,

    How about assembly of the furniture? Is it possible to DIY or need to engage professional?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, you can DIY if it's within your ability. Else, engage a professional.

      Delete
  27. This post is so informative and makes a very nice image on the topic in my mind. It is the first time I visit your blog, but I was extremely impressed. Keep posting as I am gonna come to read it everyday! read review

    ReplyDelete