Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Peeka?
• What is Taobao / 淘宝
• Tips for Shopping at Taobao
• How to I purchase Taobao products with Peeka?
• Different Type of Shipment to choose from
• How are the charges calculated?
• Can I Buy Shipping Insurance?
• What are the Shipping Rates?
• How to make payment to Peeka
• Do you offer Paypal or other payment methods?
• What should I take note before adding new product?
• Peeka Basic Inspection criteria
• Can I buy anything from Taobao?
• What Peeka isn't?
• Other FAQs

Why PEEKA?

Peeka presents you with the leading Buy4U (代购) portal in Singapore. We bring Taobao (淘宝), the largest online retail market in the world to your doorstep.

The Peeka! Advantages

• Peeka's Modern Shopping Cart allows you to keep track of all your purchases, both present and past. It provides detailed breakdown of your orders and charges, so you don't have to keep track of them elsewhere.
  > No more lengthy forum pages and multiple emails to keep track of.
• Peeka's Economy Delivery offers the lowest shipping rate from Taobao right to your door step.
  > No need for meet-ups at MRT stations
• Peeka has its own Receiving Centre in China. No 3rd-party agents involved.
  > No Agent means lower cost to you!
• Peeka is operated by X2Plus E-Trade LLP, an ACRA registered entity.
  > You can be assured that your order is secure with us.

 

Taobao / 淘宝

What is Taobao / 淘宝?

Taobao is the largest Internet retailing platform and accounts for 3/4 of China market share (source Wikipedia). You can find every imaginable product there at attractive prices.

Taobao consists of 2 groups of sellers:

C2C

Taobao started out as a consumer-to-consumer platform, pretty much like eBay, with individual sellers and small retailers listing their products for sales, targeted at end-consumers.

B2C

Taobao Mall (mall.taobao.com - 淘宝商城) was later developed to attract accredited retailers to participate. These retailers pays a commission (up to 5%) to Taobao based on their sales and have to adhere to Taobao's strict quality criteria. They guarantee genuine products and generally have better inventory control. You can identify these sellers by these logos:

Tips for Shopping at Taobao

Click to enlarge

Follow the tips below to get best shopping experience out of Taobao.

1) Seller's reputation: Only buy from merchants / sellers which has good reputation and high rating. Crowns are better, followed by Diamonds, then Hearts.

2) Check out previous buyers' reviews and the Total or last 30 days sales volume.

3) Buy from Taobao Mall - Taobao accredited merchants and sellers. You will get greater assurance on quality and stock availability

How to I purchase Taobao products with Peeka?

1. Search for what you like to buy at Taobao web site, or you can use our search bar as well.
2. Create an order at Peeka with the following info:
   • Delivery method (Economy or Express Delivery)
   • Product URLs/Links
   • Quantity
3. Peeka Customer Service will provide a quotation for the order within 1 working day (excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday).
4. Make payment for the quotation and Peeka will proceed to order the item on Taobao.
5. Once the items have been received and inspected, they will be weight and measured. You will be requested for a 2nd payment for the shipment before the item is packed and delivered to you.

 

A Quick Visual Tour

Different Type of Shipment to choose from

There are 3 delivery options for you to choose from.

Economy (by sea)

Orders are shipped to Singapore via sea right to your door step. You will be requested to make a 2nd payment based on the volume of these items (including packaging) before your receive your orders. Typical shipment time is 2 weeks. This is good for bulky, heavy orders which are not time critical.

3-Days Express and 7-Days Express (by air)

Orders will be posted directly to you from our Receiving Centre via Third-Party Air Couriers to your doorstep. For this method, your order will be measured and weighed when all the items in the order have reached the Receiving Centre. Express shipping charge is based on the higher of actual weight or volumetric weight of of your parcel (including packaging). Balance payment will be required before your parcel is shipped out. You will be provided with tracking number to track the shipment progress. Select 3 or Express shipping based on urgency of your order.

* Important notes:

1) All duration specified are indicative and does not include the time taken to purchase and receive the items at our Receiving Centre. It typically takes 3-5 days for existing stock items to reach our Receiving Centre.

2) The shipping durations quoted above are norms. Above 95% of all Peeka shipments meets these durations. Unforeseeable factors such as bad weather, customs delays and inspections that can cause delays are beyond the control of Peeka and it's shipping partners. The shipping duration do not cover peak festive seasons such as Chirstmas, New Year and Lunar New Year, local China and Singapore holidays and Sundays. 

3) Economy and Express deliveries are to doorstep in mainland Singpore. MRT meet ups are not supported. Additional delivery charges applies for shipment to sensitive government, military installations, restricted areas and Sentosa.

How are the charges calculated?

China Local Courier (快递)

This is the China local courier fees charged by Taobao merchants / sellers. Depending on the type of products purchased (size, weight), purchasing multiple items from the same seller may or may not incur additional local courier fees.

Concierge / Handling Fee

We operate the Receiving Centre in China and do not use any 3rd party agents. As such, there is no agent fee for our Buy4U service from Taobao.

However, to cover the cost of placement of orders, receiving and repackaging, there is a 5% handling fee (minimum of S$5 per order). There may be additional handling fee for delicate or fragile items. This additional fee is on a case by case basis and will be quote upfront.

GST

This is 7% of the total amount paid to merchants and is payable to Singapore customs. GST is payable for all Economy Shipping. For Express Shipping with value in excess of S$400, GST is also payable.

Exchange Rate

This fluctuates and will be reflected in your quotation once you checkout your order.

Can I Buy Shipping Insurance?

Basic Shipping Insurance

FREE Basic Shipping Insurance is provided with every shipment. This covers the purchase value of items and the corresponding China courier (快递) fees of the goods that are visibly damaged or lost while in transit from our receiving centre to your location. The coverage of Free Basic Shipping Insurance is limited to the lower of S$30 per shipment (regardless of the number of combined orders in a single shipment per user) or Peeka Shipping charges for that order. Shipping insurance do not cover Peeka concierge and shipping charges. Shipping Insurance do not cover quality or manufacturing defects.

Full Shipping Insurance

You can choose to purchase Full Shipping Insurance to cover the full value of the item from damaged or lost while in transit from our receiving centre to your location. Full Shipping Insurance must be selected at the point of submitting your order to Peeka and cannot be added after your order has be shipped out of our Receiving Centre. The premium payable is 3% of the total amount paid to the Taobao merchants.

What are the Shipping Rates?

Revised! Economy Shipping Rates

(via Sea, 7% GST applicable, ~ 2 weeks)

Volume	Shipping Charges
Tiny (3,000 cubic cm and below)	S$6
Very Small (6,000 cubic cm and below)	S$10
Small (6,001 - 10,000 cubic cm)	S$16
Medium (10,001 - 60,000 cubic cm)	S$16 + ( $0.40 per 1000 cubic cm above 10,000 cubic cm )
Large (60,001 - 200,000 cubic cm)	S$36 + ( $0.30 per 1000 cubic cm above 60,000 cubic cm )
Very Large (200,001 - 500,000 cubic cm)	S$78 + ( $0.25 per 1000 cubic cm above 200,000 cubic cm )
Very Very Large (500,001 - 1,000,000 cubic cm)	S$153 + ( $0.2 per 1000 cubic cm above 500,000 cubic cm )
Extremely Large (1,000,001 cubic cm and above)	S$250 + ( $0.13 per 1000 cubic cm above 1,000,000 cubic cm )

For Example, an order with 3 parcels and a total volume of 85,000 cubic cm,
The total shipping charges will be:

S$36 + ( ( 85,000 - 60,000 ) / 1,000 ) * S$0.30

= S$36 + S$7.5

= $43.5

 

Revised! 3 Days Express Delivery Shipping Rates & NEW! 7 Days Express Delivery Shipping Rates

(via Air to doorstep, GST excempted for value < $400)

Total Package Weight	3 Days Express	7 Days Express
500g and below	S$28	S$17
Subsequent 500g	S$6	S$3.5

 

Example 1 - Total weight of parcel is 750g, 3 days shipment charge is S$34, 7 days shipment charge is S$20.5

Example 2 - Total weight of parcel is 1.5kg, 3 days shipment charge is S$28 + S$12 = S$40, 7 days shipment charge is S$17 + S$7 = S$24

The higher of the actual weight or volumetric weight (including packaging) will be taken into consideration for the Express Shipping Charges.

Volumetric weight (kg) = length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm) / 5000 (cm3/kg)

How to make payment to Peeka

Currently we only accept payment by bank transfer.

Please use your Peeka user name (nick) when submitting a 3rd party transfer to us.

You can bank transfer to one of these accounts:

1. 
   DBS Savings Plus - 120-4-001653
2. 
   OCBC - 623-057536-001
3. 
   UOB Uniplus - 450-380-580-9

 

After you made your payment, you must acknowledge it so that we can verify your payment.

I don't have a local bank account. Do you offer Paypal or other payment methods?

Our standard mode of payment is bank transfer to either a DBS, UOB or OCBC account.

We do have a number of users (non-locals and oversea users) who don't have local bank accounts. For these users, we have made arrangements for them to make payment via alternative methods.

However, any transaction costs arising out of these alternative payment methods will be borne by the user. The reason for this is that the bulk of all payments goes to the Taobao sellers. We have very competitive exchange rates and are not able to absorb the transaction fees on their behalf.

For details of alternative payment methods, please contact us at contactus@peeka.sg or via your order comments.

What should I take note before adding new product?

Before adding new items, please take note of the following:

1. Time-Limited Promotion - Certain items may have a time-limited promotional price (秒杀价). Peeka does not guarantee a timely purchase. If you do not wish to purchase the item unless its at a particular promotional price, please indicate in remarks: Drop if the promotional price is not x元.
2. Time-Limited Purchasing -Due to factors such as domestic, international shipping and Customs clearance, which are beyond Peeka’s control, we cannot not support / guarantee / commit to time constrained orders. Time contrained order includes, but not limited to:
   • Time limited promotion (see above)
   • Purchasing by certain date
   • Receiving by certain date
3. Free Gifts - There are 2 ways Taobao sellers provide Free Gifts.
   • Gift is provided automatically with purchase: To make sure that we are aware of the free gift, please indicate the gift item in your item remarks.
   • You are required to 'purchase' the gift on Taobao at ¥0 or ¥0.01. For such freebies, add the gift item to your order, specify FREE GIFT in the remarks and set price and shipping to 0.
4. Variable Product Price - Certain Taobao items are listed with different prices based on the size, design or bundle selected. For such items, please adjust the price accordingly to the options you have selected.
5. Taobao VIP discounts - Certain Taobao shops offers VIP discounts for loyal customers who have hit a minimum purchase with them. Such discounts are tied to individual Taobao accounts, not Peeka's.

Peeka Basic Inspection criteria

Peeka Basic Inspection covers the following Quality aspects: Colour, Sizing and Quantity. As quality is subjective. All other aspects of quality are not covered.

Colour - We will match the general colour only. Variants in colours are not covered and are considered the same general colour. Light blue, baby blue, sky blue, navy blue, dark blue are all considered blue.

Sizing - We will match the size indicate in your Peeka order to the size label on the product received. If the size label is not available on the product or if it is presented in a different format or standard than that is given in your order, it would be assumed as correct.

Quantity - We will check the quantity purchased matches the quantity received.

Items not covered in our Basic Inspections:

• Items of unit value ¥6 and below.
• Bulk quantities
• Items that are very small (e.g. buttons).
• Items packed in wooden crates.

Can I buy anything from Taobao?

In general, you can buy almost everything from Taobao. However do note that the following non-exhaustive list of items will not be suppported by Peeka.

• All types of food products
• Plants
• Animals and pets
• Medications, Controlled drugs and psychotropic substances
• Firecrackers and Explosives
• Chewing tobacco and imitation tobacco products
• Obscene articles, publications, video tapes/discs and software
• Multimedia contents including video tapes, video compact discs, laser discs, records or cassettes
• Telecommunication and Radio Communication Equipment including toy walkie-takies

What Peeka isn't?

Peeka is NOT in anyway affiliated to Taobao. We DO NOT represent www.Taobao.com (淘宝) or any of the merchants / sellers on Taobao (淘宝).

Our Receiving Centre in China carries out basic inspections to determine that that goods delivered from the merchants / sellers meet the description of the product. Should there be any mismatch or defects, we will effect a return to the merchant / seller immediately and request for a replacement.

If a replacement is not possible, we will be requesting for a refund. This is done at receiving centre before the goods are ship to you so you can be assured that you are getting what you bought.

However, we do not provide guarantee and will not be responsible for the quality, authenticity and functionality of the products purchased via Peeka.

Other FAQs

Can you give a overview of Peeka! order process?

1. After you loging into Peeka!, go to the dashboard and click on New Order.

2. You will be prompted to enter information about the 1st product, such as the product name, URL, unit price, qty, PRC shipping price and remarks such as colours and sizes.

3. You can enter as many products as you like.

4. As you add items, you will be able to see the breakdown of all charges except shipping charges to Singapore. If you are going for SMH Promo #1, then you don't have to worry about shipment charges.

5. Once you have completed adding items to your order, do a internet bank transfer or ATM transfer for the deposit amount indicated in the order. Let us know you have transferred the amount by acknowledging your payment. Deposit amount is approximately 80% of the value payable to the Taobao sellers.

6. Upon receiving your payment, Peeka! will proceed to purchase your order.

7. When the purchased items arrived at our receiving centre, they will be packaged into a single box (if possible) for delivery.

8. Depending on whether you have opted for Express or Economy Delivery, you will be given the weight and dimensions of the parcel. A final quotation with the shipping charges will be sent to you.

9. Pay the balance amount via Internet or ATM transfer and acknowledge the 2nd payment in your order.

10. Sit back and wait for your order to be shipped to your doorstep. =)

Is Peeka! a Taobao Spree or Bulk Purchase?

It is neither. There is no start or end date to place your Taobao orders on Peeka! Peeka! is an on-going service. Upon payment of deposit, we will proceed to purchase your items on Taobao. You don't have to wait for a Spree or BP to close before your orders are executed.

Deposit amount is approximately 80% of the actual amount paid to the Taobao sellers. We will request for the balance amount and shipping charges in the 2nd payment.

That said, Peeka might organize our own Bulk Puchase in the future.

How do I get the best shopping experience at Taobao?

Seller's reputation
Buy from merchants / sellers who has good reputation and high rating. Crowns are better, followed by Diamonds, then Hearts. This rating indicates the number of items sold by the Sellers.

Buyer's review
Check out previous buyers' reviews and the Total or Past 30 days sales volume. You can quickly figure out if a particular product has quality or after sales issue.

 

Buy from Taobao Mall
Taobao Mall is a subset of Taobao. Taobao mall accredited merchants and sellers guarantee authenticity of the items they sell. You will get greater assurance on quality and stock availability.

I received a notification indicating that my order has been purchased. However, when I review the order online, why are some of the items indicated as not yet purchased?

Your order is indicated as purchased when we have finished entering them into Taobao. However, as out of stock (OOS) situations occur quite frequently, we take an additional proactive step of verifying with Taobao Sellers on their stock availability. If these sellers are not contactable or not able to provide a response immediately, you will see that their items are indicated as not yet purchased in our order online.

We are taking this step so that we can let you buyers know ASAP when there are OOS items in your order.

One more point, if placing order with same merchants and they offer free internal shipping after buying from them a certain amounts, are we still being charged for that internal shipping? thanks

You will be charged with what we paid to Taobao Sellers, no more and no less. I.e. we will update your order values if there are discrepancies.

If there are promotional pricing that is not indicated or captured in the Price at the top of the Taobao page or if there are freebies, please do the following:

** For promotional pricing, please indicate the promotion in the products' remark: e.g. 三件包邮， 买十送一.

 

** For freebies, indicate the free items as separate products in your order, put the price and PRC shipping as 0 and indicate in the remark e.g. 满100送赠品.

We process numerous orders daily. Sometimes we may miss out such info, so please indicate them in your order/product remarks.

 

To find out more about how to determine PRC shipping (快递费), refer to our earlier FAQ in this thread "Question: I am buying several items from the same Taobao seller. How do I determine the PRC Shipping / 快递费 ? ".

How does Peeka differs from the other Taobao Spree / BP organisers

Peeka! has own Receiving Centre in 广东，China. We don't depend on 3rd party agents to purchase your items.

With Peeka! advance online ordering system. you can track the status of your order down to the individual items. To be frank, we are not fans of excel spreadsheets :).

How does Peeka! process Out Of Stock items in your order?

In you order, you can specify alternate items such as colors or size should your item of choice be out of stock.

Because Peeka! has its own Receiving Centre in China which execute your orders, you get timely feedback on items which out of stock. As long as your order is not fully received and packed for shipment, you can always submit a request via the order comments to provide us with a replacement seller for your out of stock items.

I am buying several items from the same Taobao seller. How do I determine the PRC Shipping / 快递费 ?

To determine the PRC domestic shipping fees and incremental shipping fees （加件运费）, go to the top of the Taobao page, select 广东, and you can see the 快递 amount to our Receiving Centre for the first item. Then scroll all the way to the bottom to see 加件运费 amount. This will work for most of the small items. For most fashion items, it is 加件运费 is usually between 0 - 4 元.

However, some sellers use 首件 and 加件运费 to make their list price lower, thus seemingly cheaper than their competitors. So you will need to take the base and incremental shipping fee into consideration when doing your purchase.

On the other hand, there are some sellers who put ridiculously low price for their shipping and later ask buyers to top up for shipping after after the item has been checked out. This normally apply to wholesalers or sellers with big and heavy items (e.g. furnitures) and it is hard for them to come up with a standard Taobao shipping price structure for every single goods in their inventory. In such cases, you can leave Peeka! a comment in your order and we will check our with the sellers.

I am an existing user. Where did the Orders' check out/reopen orders buttons go?

Peeka! has updated the work flow to speed up the turn around time. Preliminary quotations are now automatically generated and updated as you add products to your order. There is no need to wait for Peeka! to provide a preliminary quotation.

Once you have completed entering products into your order, just pay the deposit amount indicated. We will then take over to verify your payment and process the order.

 

Last Updated on 17-Oct-2011