I won't really go through what Taobao even is. I feel like by now since there are a lot of fashion blogs around that there is enough information as to what Taobao is and how to order etc. What I will go over is a quick review of my agent.
I used TaobaoTrends for my order. They were the first and so far only agent that I have used for my orders. Here's what I like about them.
Pros:
* Great Communication - TBT is based in Hong Kong so their English is practically fluent. They also reply back to you within 24 hours (based on Timezone). I have gotten lucky and gotten replies back in less than 2-3 hours. Though this is only plausible if you happen to have written it during their work/day hours.
* No extra Paypal fees - I have noticed that some agents like Taobaoring charge paypal fees. TBT does not charge any other extra fees on top of their normal service fee of 10% of your total order + domestic shipping.
*Only 10% service fee - Kind of the same as other reputable agents like TaobaoSpree. It's quite low considering that there are a lot of things on Taobao that are extremely affordable and cheap. I kind of consider this as sales tax as California's sales tax is pretty high depending on the area.
* Multiple shipping options - They had airmail/Sal which is the cheapest, but slowest. A 40%-60% off EMS shipping and there is also FedEx,UPS, and DHL too. I actually got DHL once despite choosing EMS and I still got a 60% off that shipping! Normally they do not offer the discount for Fedex, UPS, or DHL.
* They send you arrival pictures of your items! I really like this as it proves that they received it and you can also see if there are any problems etc. Though there is a slight downside to it which is mentioned in Cons.
Cons:
* For the arrival pictures they use a Chinese online sharing site called Yunpan. This website does not work for those in the USA. You can access the main page, but the links they provide you show up errors that it is not available for the region or that your internet cannot access the page. I personally think the site is simply blocked here. They do however will send you the pictures as an attachment if you request it. It's just a small hassle to have to do :/.
* Hong Kong Post does not accept liquid items - I believe this refers to both domestic and international airmail shipping since they told me this during the first part of the ordering and payment process. I found this out in a separate/recent order I just made through them for nail supplies and they informed me that their postal carrier will not accept/ship liquid items. This means that you can't order things like nail polish, perfumes, and possibly hair dyes too.
So overall they're a pretty good agent. Though because of the no liquid shipping I may just try out TaobaoSpree next time. So far I have heard nothing but good things of them too.
Alright now for the MAIN EVENT!
This is a lovely JSK? From a Gothic Lolita shop called Infanta. Really geat quality. This was the reason I made the taobao order in the first place. I really wanted this dress and figured it would be nice to wear to work on Halloween. I'm extremely new to the Gothic Lolita scene in the sense of gathering and coordinating pieces. I've always wanted to delve into it, but dresses and outfits can be really expensive. Now that I have a job (some sort of income) I can now slowly build my wardrobe up :). You can see an up close picture of just one of the many printed pattern/pictures on the dress to the right. Looks just like the model girl in the original website's page!
Pretty large package. I was surprised how they were able to really pack everything in!
Part 1 of the loot! From outfits to tights! Ignore the plushes in the back. Those weren't included in the haul.
Part 2! Sweaters, underwear, and a purse!
This is a lovely JSK? From a Gothic Lolita shop called Infanta. Really geat quality. This was the reason I made the taobao order in the first place. I really wanted this dress and figured it would be nice to wear to work on Halloween. I'm extremely new to the Gothic Lolita scene in the sense of gathering and coordinating pieces. I've always wanted to delve into it, but dresses and outfits can be really expensive. Now that I have a job (some sort of income) I can now slowly build my wardrobe up :). You can see an up close picture of just one of the many printed pattern/pictures on the dress to the right. Looks just like the model girl in the original website's page! 
Original site's model pic of the dress.
This is one of my favorite pieces. They sell these in numerous shops, but I got mine at a shop called 911M. They sell a lot of Korean fashion styles. I got this really cheap and have seen them even cheaper elsewhere too, but I got free domestic shipping so I actually saved more than some other shops. I can wear this as either just a long-sleeved shirt or as a sweater. Absolutely love the pattern/print on it too. MONSTERS!!!!
The following pieces came from this one shop I stumbled upon while looking for otome and cute styles. There doesn't seem to be any word or reviews for this brand out there so here is one for those who are looking for affordable and casual otome clothes. This store pretty much sells everything as a full outfit so you'll get a shirt/dress, a sweater or cover up to go with it, and sometimes an accessory!
A summer outfit. Perfect for warmer days :). Actually wore this right when I received it. Came with a cute wooden heart necklace!
One of their Fall/Autumn outfits. I actually had to wait a few days before it was released for sale. But the site will put up things that are upcoming for sale and even have special release discounts!
Another Fall outfit. I love this one. It even came with a scarf!
The quality of these outfits are surprisingly good. Everything is well-made and you can even mix and match the cover ups/sweaters with other things too. Everything is priced between $15-$20 if you catch their sales, which I think is pretty good considering it comes with more than one peice! The only thing that may be a problem is the sizing. Some outifts I ordered it in small while others in Medium. Just depends on the style so you have to be careful and read the reviews and measurements they offer. For example the summer outfit is in a small, but the dress part is pretty short so I have to wear it with shorts under. The one next to it (blue fall outfit) is in a medium and is quite long on me, but the top/bust part fits just right. The Pink fall outfit with the scarf is in a small and fits me perfectly all around, bus, length etc. Anyways love this place and will definitely shop there again.
This is another favorite piece from this order. It's a fleece sweater with like sheep ears! It's utterly adorable and you can see what it looks like worn. There are even pockets, but they are a tad small. I got this at a place called HarshHarsh Qi. I honestly can't tell if this is a brand or referring to something else as the tag on the outfit does not say Harshharsh, but if you type in the chinese characters for it you'll receive a lot of Harajuku/otome outfits all being worn by the same model. Though this is definitely one of those wholesale type outfits as I have found it in numerous shops and even cheaper than what I paid here. BUT I must admit that it is totally worth my $18. It's also extremely warm and comfortable. I've even been wearing it indoors just because it's so cozy!
Stock photo but got this item here. Mixed feelings for it. First I can not tell from the back or front when I got it. There are no labels anywhere that can help too and second it's really itchy. I will only wear this with a long sleeve shirt inside, but it's pretty thick wool (think it's synthetic though). It was less than $5 so I can't really complain about it since despite the fact that there is no front or back and that it's itchy, it's still a pretty damn good piece of clothing for that price. I once paid around $20 on sale for something similiar at H&M and it was the same quality minus having a tag inside.
This here is a navy striped bag I purchased from a shop called BaMeiXiuXian. I both like it and am disappointed with it. It's cute and they also included a free cellphone charm with my purchase, but the one thing that bothers me is that the lining is pretty much plastic. While the star-pattern was shown in the original stock photos are the same as what I got, it's the inner lining that is different. The website showed it to be cloth with these cute designs decorated inside, but instead it was this plain waterproof plastic-like cloth inside. I guess the good side is that it's waterproof inside and that I only paid around $5 that time for it so I have to admit that for the price it's actually pretty nice. It just wasn't something that was exactly like the stock photos but for Taobao it's to be expected that there will be things that will not be spot on or awesome quality. Anyhow knowing that I paid so little for it means I can do whatever I want to it. I use it for work and have lined it up with my company's Rose Parade pins and accessories on the outside.
Using stock photos as I didn't get a chance to really take individual photos of them when I got them.
Tights!
OMG I'm so in love with these tights it's unbelievable. I guess these are imported from Japan as the brand label is called Daisy Rose. I got them for around $2.50 each and the quality is AMAZING. They're pretty thick and for a 5'1 girl they fit perfectly. I have a hard time finding tights that fit me perfectly length wise so I was extremely happy with them. They come in 23 different colors and the ones I got were burgundy and a dark teal. I love them so much that I acually just purchased some more for my Winter haul.
I feel like every taobao experience is not complete without ordering those fake tattoo or fake character knee high tights. I got the black rabbit ones since it's a rabbit! Utterly adorable and super fun! I have heard of knockoffs floating around, but these are really nice. Thick enough that they don't seem like they'll run or tear easily. The only thing is that they're kind of small and quite tight compared to my Daisy Rose tights. I'm one of those 0-1 size girls and I find the elastic in these tights just barely make it on my hips. The same goes for the length.
Pink Queen - Lingerie & Sleepwear
Yay for underwear! Haha okay maybe too much excitement for it, but this place has SO MANY cute lingerie. They also have sleepwear like pajamas and those very sexy wear that you find at Frederick's Hollywood. Almost all of the bras are sold as sets and priced between $5-$12! So you can get a bra and panty together for real cheap. The only problem is that all the panties they send is either free size or a medium. Luckily they fit me perfectly.
This here is what I think might be a victoria secret knockoff or perhaps it's the real thing. I actually have seen something very very similar to it in the actual VS stores (least the panties I have seen), but there's this strange extra elastic that is sewn onto the other side of the bra that you don't have in actual/normal VS's bras. It came wrapped in a VS bag though. The quality though besides the strange sewn pieces is pretty much on par with VS.
They have these Sanrio character bra sets, which are utterly adorable. Most of them have Hello Kitty, but there is also a My Melody version too. This set uses a satin material w/ cotton while the others had just cotton. It's too cute though. I almost wanted all of them!
This set was only $5.25 as I got it on sale, which is amazing! I love finding deals like this and they had plenty in stock too. Usually when I find something on sale they tend to have like the last pairs available so not a great guarantee that my agent can get it for me. I just love this ice cream pattern.
Overall verdict for these bras is that they're all really well made and that the quality is surprisingly great. The only thing is that PinkyQueen and most other cutesy and affordable bra shops on taobao I've noticed only carry A-C cups. I'm a B (35B/75B) cup so I had a great variety to choose from and also didn't have to worry for something selling out since my size also had a lot more in stock than A (I would assume C is also similiar). I'll be honest that one thing I've noticed A LOT in China is that the girls are all A cups there. Anyhow I have to admit I officially love shopping for my underwear on Taobao because I have to say that my size is almost always sold out at Victoria Secrets. Also paying $40-$50 for a bra there is just way overpriced. I can now find my pushup bras with nice ease and can choose from so many cute designs now! The padding is also removable too which is a nice plus since I think for the cotton ones they don't necessarily need them. Maybe it's the way they're designed, but they do the job pretty well w/o them.
Well that is it for my Autumn Taobao Haul!!! I just made one for Winter so there will be more reviews coming for those too! I also have an incoming small order for fake nails and more lingerie so look forward to it. Thanks for reading or simply checking my blog out! Feel free to comment too on anything that I posted :). Until Next Time!
~~~~~~~~~
Bonus Picture!
Considering of maybe wearing this for the Holidays :3. Maybe with a green shirt? Hee hee
Oooh everything you bought is sooo pretty, especially this beautiful dress - the print is smple adorable. I am also in LOVE with the Hello Kitty and bunny tattoo tights - I included a few pairs in my Taobao winter haul (you can read my review on my blog if you like (talithadoll.blogspot.com) and was so thrilled that they fit. I also am in love with your Pinky Queen lingerie sets. It's a shame about the bag but yeah, Taobao can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to quality. It's still really cute though!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad the tights fit! They are definitely really cute. I want a Totoro one now too hee hee. Pinky Queen is a pretty awesome store and I just reviewed another lingerie shop called Saacheer, which has more sizes in my recent review. I checked out your blog and it's super cute! I love that you have reviews on what I call the Harsh Harsh brand (Chinese characters translate it to that) aka the dresses such as the Black dot dress you have. I've been looking at them for a long time, but could never find actual reviews on how the quality was really like. Thank you again!
ReplyDelete