Hi angels! As promised in my haul post, I'm going to do a review/first impressions on using Buyee as a proxy shopping service. I had a really nice experience and I know that a lot of people use this service already but there's also a lot of people using alternative services that might be curious about this one.
This is not a sponsored post and if you already have a service that you enjoy using, I encourage you to stick with it unless there's something you really don't like about using it lol. I thought I'd write this for anyone who might be looking into using Buyee but was unsure about it.
Let's begin! ✨
Placing An Order
Buyee has a lot of pictures and guides on how to place orders on various shopping sites with it so please visit their first time user page to read up on this.
This process was super easy and painless. You just select the site you want to shop from, type in what you're looking for and pick out the items you like. Once you find something you want just add it to your cart or proceed to the checkout page. Follow the on screen instructions and be on the lookout for coupons/etc to apply at the checkout page because those can be easy to miss.
From this checkout page you'll also see the Buyee fee breakdown. There are some you can opt out of so be sure to read this page carefully and understand what you are paying for. Fees will apply on a per item basis rather than for the overall order being shipped to you so keep that in mind.
Item Storage
Once you complete the purchase and the item gets shipped, Buyee will receive it and store it at their warehouse until you decide to ship it to yourself. You get 30 days of free storage, after that you have to pay a fee for them to keep your packages. You're going to want to ship before your free storage period is up because I hear that's where you end up paying a lot in fees.
From the "package information" page you can see all your parcels in storage or delivery. You can select options here to consolidate multiple parcels into one and/or add protective packaging for a small fee.
Please note that once you consolidate a package you cannot add more to it or change the contents.
Shipping
When you have everything you want and you've consolidated everything into one or multiple parcels, you can choose your shipping option. The fee you pay for this is calculated based on the service selected as well as the weight and size of the parcel. That's pretty much it! The whole buying process is relatively straightforward and easy. You also don't need to fill out customs declarations, however you may be subject to duties/import taxes when your package arrives in your country so do keep that in mind.
First Impressions
I was not expecting my haul to come as quickly as it did, I think it literally showed up in like 4 days. I had to pay around $48 in duties and I paid probably like $80 in shipping for 19 items.
It came in a big cardboard box and each item was packaged individually either in a paper envelope or a plastic coated envelope. I paid for package consolidation (I think it was like $18) but I did not pay for protective packaging btw!
If the seller leaves you a note or something in the parcel, Buyee will include that for you so that was really nice! I had a few cute little thank you notes on some of my items. Overall Experience
Ease of Use: ♥♥♥♥♡
Service Cost: ♥♥♥♡♡
Delivery Speed: ♥♥♥♥♥
Item Quality & Accuracy: ♥♥♥♥♥
Buyee is really easy to use and beginner friendly. I took a point off because if you're trying to buy something from say, Rakuten, and the items have a lot of size/color options, you may not be able to check out from the Buyee page (the option is just not there, the button is greyed out)
Other than that, everything is great. Loved that I was able to receive my package in less than a week. The fees can really add up so if you don't actually need package inspection or insured shipping from the seller to the warehouse, then you can save a bit by opting out of these services. I believe they are both selected (500 yen for both or 300 yen per service, then + the Buyee service fee for the transaction) by default so if you don't click to opt out you will be charged these fees!!
I did pay for the inspection and insurance on some items that were listed with damages or defects however in hindsight I probably could've just opted out since they were exactly like the photos in the listings. I would recommend you get these services if the item you're purchasing is really expensive or has a lot of specific defects just so you have some peace of mind.
That's all I really had for this post, I hope you found this helpful! I think I'll continue to use Buyee since it is a relatively hassle-free experience and they shipped very quickly. I know lots of people are not a fan of this service because of all the fees you can accrue but a majority of them are optional, you just have to make sure you select your parcel options accordingly.
Let me know if you have any questions about this! I'll see you again soon~
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