Shipping Amazon Purchases to Singapore using ezBuy (Formerly 65Daigou)

The U.S dollar has weakened slightly from the highs of S$1.45 to about S$1.35 (As of writing of this article). Perhaps it is time to consider making that Amazon purchase that you have always wanted (Don't forget to get your Cashback!). Whilst Amazon does provide shipping to Singapore on certain purchases (e.g Books, Clothing and Shoes), there are also some really good deals on items that do not ship direct (e.g Electronics, Tech. Gadgets and Health Products). 

If you are interested to get a product that does not ship directly to Singapore, you can use a freight forwarding service like ComGateWay, Borderlinx or ezBuy!

In this article, we will explain and provide a step-by-step guide on how to buy and ship an item from Amazon to Singapore using ezBuy.

Our experience with ezBuy has been positive and it has one of the most competitive freight forwarding rates in the USA.

1. Create an ezBuy Account

Create an ezBuy account (if you have not) and select "Ship-For-Me"->"Forwarding Address" to get your unique forwarding address.

This is the address that you would be shipping your Amazon purchases to. 

2. Setup the Address in Amazon

Login to Amazon, Go to "Your Account->Manage Addresses" to setup your ezBuy address (it should look like the screenshot below).

3. Browse for the item

Start Shopping!

Search for the item that is available in Amazon (In this example, the product is unavailable in Singapore and its variant is significantly cheaper if bought from the US/Amazon).

Certain electronics are also comparatively cheaper in the US than in Singapore, Example, this PS4 Slim would typically cost >$450 in Singapore. But buying it on Amazon (On Cyber Monday - US$212) Would likely cost you about $340 inclusive of freight from a forwarder. Do note about the warranty of these products. Some provide global warranties while others are only applicable in the US.

Do note that certain items are eligible for global shipping (direct from Amazon). If that is the case, you can ignore the remainder of this article and ship direct instead of using a freight forwarder.

4. Checkout and select the ezBuy Address

Make your payments and select the ezBuy address that you have just created. The items will be delivered to that address. Once the purchases have been shipped by Amazon, you can proceed to step 5.

5. Inform ezBuy of your purchases

Login to ezBuy and click "+ Submit New Order".

Copy and paste the product URL and Tracking No. This will facilitate the processing of your package when it arrives at the USA Address (Warehouse).

6. Pay and Receive

Login to ezBuy and select "Ship-For-Me -> Arrived".

Under the "USA" tab, you will see the total chargeable weight of the package. The rates (at time of article) are charged at S$ 3.99 per 500g (no base charge).

Choose your preferred delivery method, pay, receive the goods and enjoy!

For more help on the ezBuy purchasing guide.

* This is NOT a sponsored or paid article.

4PX vs 65Daigou vs Peeka Comparison

Having been actively purchasing from Taobao for the last two to three years, we have used and experienced a variety of freight forwarders. Enough for us to share our personal experiences with each of the more popular ones. Hopefully you will find this infographic useful! 

*As of APR-2016, 65Daigou is now known as ezbuy.

Our Summary (Based on our experiences)

Value - In terms of value, 65Daigou and 4PX are pretty much tied. Both generally offer slightly better shipping rates than Peeka. Perhaps due to the auto-inclusion of 7% GST by Peeka for all sea shipments. This often makes the shipment overly expensive - especially if the total value is less than $400 (Minimum sum for customs GST declaration). 

Edit: In general, for small air packages (1.5-2kg), 65Daigou would be about 19RMB cheaper. However, if you do choose home delivery, there will be an additional charge - $5 or $8 (>= 8KG)

Promotions - 65Daigou and Peeka often run promotional rates on their shipments. Sometimes giving up to 20% off shipping during certain periods of the year. We have never seen any promotions for 4PX shipping.

Speed - 4PX in general has one of the fastest door-to-door turnover. Mainly because it is integrated with Taobao, has a partnership with Singpost (POPStation) and also a sizable logistics team in China. We experienced quite a fair bit of delays (about a week) with 65Daigou Ship-For-Me service. Peeka delivers as advertised.

Packaging - We had several poor experiences with 65Daigou, with regards to packaging. Several of our purchases were poorly packed and some where crushed during shipping. Peeka on the other hand handles this superbly. Our purchases were packaged nicely in carton boxes and arrived in great condition. We had no issues with the packaging by 4PX as well. Most of the packages arrive in well wrapped packages.

Misc - 65Daigou and Peeka provides various Buy-For-You services for users who are not proficient in Chinese. The service includes an agency fee, which covers checking of purchases and the concierge services rendered.

Our Recommendation

4PX - Fast economy air shipment, for purchases which are not bulky or heavy. We use this freight forwarder for most of our regular Taobao purchases. For those at work during office hours, the POPStation delivery method is simply perfect for you! 

65Daigou - For sea economy or bulky items, purchases below $400SGD and those who are willing to wait 3-4 weeks for a shipment.

Peeka - For sea economy or fragile items and purchases above $400SGD.

TaoBao - A 65Daigou Ship-For-Me Guide

In my third installment of reviews on independent Taobao freight forwarders, i will be reviewing the 65Daigou Ship-For-You sea freight service. According to their website, 65Daigou is one of the pioneer companies in Singapore providing specialized purchasing, logistics and international shipping services.

Note: 65Daigou is now known as Ezbuy.

They Buy The World For You... You Pay Of Course!

1) Register a 65Daigou Account

The first step is to create a 65Daigou account. Simply click "Register" and proceed to fill up the email address, password and user id field.

2) Add Your Unique PRC Address to Taobao

When you create your 65Daigou account, you will be given a PRC address. This address is unique to your account. It will also be the address that you need to setup in Taobao. Do note that you will be given a Guangzhou and Shanghai address. These are two different warehouses that belongs to 65Daigou, choose either one and make sure you send your Taobao purchases to the correct warehouse.

For my purchases, i choose to use the Guangzhou warehouse. This is because alot of the Taobao sellers i buy from are based in Guangzhou as well. 

* Please refer to this link to setup the address in Taobao

Your Shanghai and Guangzhou Address

3) Proceed to Purchase

Proceed to buy from Taobao. When checking out, remember to select the "New" address that you had created in Step 1. This is important as it will instruct the seller to send your purchases to the selected 65Daigou warehouse in either Shanghai or Guangzhou.

4) Submit an Order

Once your orders have been placed, sit back and wait for the seller(s) to post. When you have been notified that an item has been sent, login to 65Daigou, click on "Ship-For-Me" -> "Forwarding Orders" -> "Submit New Order". 

Here, you can specify the warehouse that should be expecting your goods. Additionally, you can add courier company and tracking number. This information will be used by 65Daigou to facilitate a smooth receipt of your packages.

Submit an Order

5) Declare the Value 

When all purchases have arrived at the designated warehouse, make a declaration of the value of each package. This is for the purpose of GST* and insurance calculations. 

Based on my experience, there was a slight delay between arrival of goods at warehouse and updates on the website. My purchased had been received on a Saturday morning. However, it was only updated on the 65Daigou on a monday.

*Do note that if the total value of your package(s) is more than $400 SGD, you will be required by law to pay 7% GST.

6) Self Collect or Arrange Delivery 

65Daigou gives you the option to select self-collection or home delivery. The self-collection can be made at any one the following self-collection points in Singapore. 

For the purpose of my review, i have selected the Home Delivery option. This will incurr an additional charge - in my case, it costs me S$8.00.

Delivery Rates:
Flat rate S$5 - for parcels with a total weight less than 8KG

Flat rate S$8 - for parcels with a total weight equal to or more than 8KG

Deliver or Self-Collect

- Insurance (Optional): The charge is 3% of the declared value of the goods and international shipping fee. If the parcel is lost, you will be 100% compensated, capped at S$2000.

7) Pay for Shipment to Singapore 

The Rates for the Ship-For-You service is as follows:

$1.70 per 500g (For first 0-30KG). That comes up to $3.40 per 1KG.

So a rough estimate of a 10KG* consolidated package would cost $34. 

*Do note that the quoted rates are rounded up to the nearest 500g. i.e, 10.2 KG would be rounded up to 10.5 KG and you would be charged $35.7.

Rates (As at 05-FEB-15)

There are several options for payment:

• Bank Transfer or ATM Transfer
• Credit Card
• Pay Pal (This method is no longer accepted)

For Bank and ATM Transfers, do remember to put the "65daigou XXX" (Whereby XXX is your account name). This will facilitate their the payment processing.

For Credit Card top-ups, there will be an additional 3% charge incurred. 

Once you have paid using any of the methods above, the amount will go into the "My Prepay Available Amount" as available credit. Simply select your entry in the "Unpaid Payment" section and click "Pay".

After selecting the shipment for payment, there will be a generated bill available for downloading. 65Daigou will also proceed to pack and ship your order to Singapore !.

8) Delivery

When your packages finally arrive in Singapore, 65Daigou will have them delivered to your home address. (This is also the address that was specified during check-out in point 6).

Hope you enjoyed the review and guide! Happy Shopping! :)

Pros: 
- Easy to use web interface
- Occasional discounts on Shipping (15% - In my case)
- GST (7%) costs is only applicable for total value of goods more than $400SG.
- No Agent fees related to the "Ship-For-Me" service

Cons:
- Freight Rates are not very much cheaper than other freight forwarders
- Slight delay between arrival of goods at warehouse and updates on the website

- No checking or re-packing of goods

*Edited: Agent fees are only charged on the "Buy-For-Me" service of 65Daigou.