Build a China shopping agent budget covering the product, domestic delivery, purchasing and payment fees, warehouse services, international shipping and excluded destination charges.
This page answers one question: what is the complete budget for a China-shopping order? Use it to list and total product, payment, warehouse, international-shipping and destination charges. It does not compare agents or explain how to choose one; use the agent comparison checklist for that decision.
The product price on a Chinese shopping site is the starting point of your budget. When using a China shopping agent, write down what you pay now, what will be quoted after arrival and what may be payable at destination. Otherwise a cheap-looking item can feel unexpectedly expensive halfway through the order. For service roles and boundaries, read what a China shopping agent does.
Divide the budget into three stages
| Stage | What to record | When to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | Product, domestic delivery, purchasing fee, payment or currency-conversion cost | Before paying for the order |
| Warehouse and export | Checks, storage, packing, consolidation, international transport and optional cover | Before authorizing the relevant work and dispatch |
| Destination | Any duties, taxes, clearance or delivery charges excluded from the shipping quote | Before accepting the route, with destination rules checked separately |
A cost can be included in another line. Record that clearly so you do not add it twice. If a charge is unknown, mark it “pending” rather than treating it as zero.
Start with the actual product order
Confirm the chosen variant, quantity, seller price and domestic delivery. Ask whether the purchasing fee is fixed, percentage-based or calculated another way, and what amount the calculation uses. Use the reviewed order, not a price from an old screenshot.
Check the payment currency and the amount your own card, bank or payment provider will debit. Currency conversion and payment processing can be charged in different places. Compare the amount paid with the credit or purchase amount shown in your order record.
Leave room for the warehouse stage
List the extra services you request: detailed photos, a functional test if available, storage beyond the included terms, protective materials, repacking or a domestic return. Ask the price before authorizing the work.
If you will arrange forwarding yourself after arrival, the first forwarding order guide shows when to review the photos, packing instructions and final shipping proposal.
Treat international shipping as a measured quote
Before warehouse arrival, an estimate needs a stated weight and packaging assumption. After packing, ask for actual weight, dimensions, chargeable weight and the route’s billing rule. Destination postcode, accepted goods and surcharges can also affect the proposal.
Several orders in one shipment? Use the separate-versus-combined shipping worksheet to decide whether consolidation helps this particular order. Do not assume that a smaller number of boxes guarantees a lower bill.
Keep destination exclusions visible
Ask what the shipping quotation includes and excludes. Customs treatment depends on the goods, destination and applicable rules. Check the relevant destination authority or ask for clarification before budgeting an excluded charge as zero.
For an Ireland-bound 1688 order, the supplier-by-supplier consolidation and landed-cost worksheet applies this budget to the actual goods, packed cartons, proposed tax-included service and importer arrangements before payment or dispatch.
Add the lines, then check the conditions
Your working budget is the sum of product and domestic delivery, purchasing and payment costs, selected warehouse services, quoted international transport and applicable destination costs not already included. Keep a note beside any uncertain amount and the stage at which it will be confirmed.
This calculation answers “what might this purchase cost?” For cancellation, refund deductions, quote validity and responsibility if something goes wrong, use the agent quote and refund checklist before paying.
For a YDA Express request, provide the product link and selected option, review the purchase charges, and keep later forwarding charges as a separate budget stage until they are confirmed. Ask support to explain any unclear line before you approve it.
📲 Download the YDA Express App
Use the YDA Express App to place China purchasing orders, view product check photos, manage packages, and arrange consolidation and international forwarding.