Kakobuy Spreadsheet Seller CheckThe bill
Fees and the exchange rate, line by line
The headline is true and incomplete. Kakobuy charges no service fee on purchases: the official fee article says that apart from item cost and shipping, no handling fee applies, with value-added services optional. The full cost structure is still worth knowing line by line, because seller choice changes several of those lines.
| Line | What it is | Does seller choice move it |
|---|---|---|
| Item price | The listing price at your quantity tier | Yes, heavily: see round one |
| Domestic freight | Seller to warehouse; depends on the seller’s order and delivery terms | Possibly: confirm the charge for the combined quantities and variants |
| International freight | Warehouse to you, by line and weight | Indirectly: heavier packaging from some sellers adds weight |
| Packaging consumables | Eight yuan per parcel (help centre article on purchase fees) | No |
| Customs declaration charge | Generally eight yuan per parcel (help centre fee article) | No |
| Value-added services | Optional add-ons, priced in yuan | Sometimes: weak buyer evidence makes extra photos worth buying |
One honest flag: the help centre lists the eight-yuan packaging charge and the eight-yuan declaration charge in two different articles, and never says whether they are the same fee described twice or two fees. We list both, separately, and do not add them together. Check your parcel bill, which itemises each charge.
The quiet line
Exchange rate: compare the debit and yuan credit
A zero purchase service fee does not make the total transaction free; currency conversion and other charges still affect the final cost. Listings are priced in yuan; you pay in dollars, pounds or euros; the rate applied is not the mid-market rate you see on a currency site. An independent measurement taken on 2026-10-08 put the exchange-rate markup at about eight and a half percent over mid-market. That historical figure is not a current quote. Compare the actual debit and yuan credit alongside the itemised service and freight costs.
Top-up channels add their own layer. The official October 10 snapshot conflicts: recharge articles 64 and 99 list PayPal at 3.5% plus US$0.30, while article 65 lists 2.9% plus US$0.30. Confirm the actual checkout charge. The dated Alipay and WeChat articles list no handling charge; availability and processing depend on the payment. Wise and international cards are listed as further channels. Compare the final amount for your actual top-up rather than assuming one method is always cheaper.
Refunds of recharges return to the original payment method with the handling fee borne by you, and can only be requested two days after the recharge, according to the refund terms. Top up for what you will actually spend.
Add-ons
Value-added services, priced
All of these are optional, all are priced in yuan, and each is described in its own help-centre article, checked 2026-10-10. The ones that matter for seller choice are the ones that compensate for weak evidence.
| Service | Price as published | When it earns its keep |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised photograph | Two yuan per photo, within twenty-four hours | When the shop had few buyer photos and you need a specific angle |
| Priority purchase | Five yuan per order, within four hours of buyer working time | When a listing shows signs of selling out |
| Pre-packing | Eighteen yuan per time, weight within twenty-four hours | When the freight decision is close between two lines |
| Parcel photo | Free, three photos, must be ticked at submission | Always, for multi-piece orders |
| Storage extension | Ten yuan per order per thirty days | When you are waiting on a slow seller to complete a haul |
The storage extension price changed during 2026: a mid-year copy of the same article listed a different price and period. The October figure above is the later captured version; check before relying on it, since this is the kind of number that moves quietly.
Putting it together
Where seller choice saves real money
Three places, in order of size. First, quantity tiers: ordering one piece from a shop priced for ten costs more than ordering from a shop priced for one, even when the headline looks cheaper. Second, domestic freight: concentrating an outfit in one vetted shop may reduce domestic freight; compare the actual combined-order charge, including any separate dispatches. Third, after-sales: a relevant promised-returns policy gives an eligible item a defined remedy to request; acceptance and costs still depend on the case.
Coupons and shipping subsidies come and go, listed with their dates on the updates page. They are real money, but they are the same for every shop; seller choice is the part of the bill that is yours to shape.
Put it into practice
Compare the delivered cost
Write down the listing’s selected unit price and quantity, domestic freight, actual top-up debit and yuan credit, optional services and the estimated international line. Keep currencies separate until you have the applicable conversion rate.
Eight-step ordering guide →One shop is cheaper, but only before delivery
Compare the same required variant and quantity from each seller. Keep any unknown domestic freight or packaging weight visibly unknown; replacing it with zero unfairly favours the less complete listing. If that missing amount could reverse the result, obtain it before choosing a winner.
A confirmed lower item price does not compensate for a failed requirement such as the wrong dimensions or an unacceptable return condition. Keep those as pass-or-fail checks in the five-listing comparison, then compare the total cost of the shops that remain. The historical exchange-rate difference above is a cost comparison, not a measurement of Kakobuy’s profit.