Bhiner Review (Text-Heavy Post)

Bhiner was the second Shopping Service I used to buy from Taobao. I originally bought with TaobaoNow, but wanted to try something different.

First of all, the Cart System.

The Bhiner cart system was slightly confusing for me starting out, because I was used to a page with a box for a URL and a box for the specifics of the item you wanted. The Bhiner cart, once you get the hang of it, is so much easier. Once you enter a Taobao URL into the search bar across the top of the website, this page will come up:

Not only does it translate the item name and the sizes, it translates the color/style category, which comes in real handy when you’re buying on a store that insists on using pictures for this section. Saves you the trouble of describing it to the shopping service. The one flaw of this page is that you have to keep going back to the page if you want to order the same item in several different colors/styles. Otherwise, it’s really pretty swell.

Next up, the cart page.

The cart page has three sections. The first, “Quotes to be Confirmed”, is pretty much a storage area for all the items you’re interested in buying. The Shopping Service doesn’t know you want those items yet, and won’t be able to confirm them until you select the items you want, and hit the “Confirm Quotes”, which brings us to the “Quotes in Process” section. This section is a limbo of sorts. If the item is available, it will shoot down to the next section, which we’ll talk about in a moment. If the item isn’t available, or if Bhiner cannot contact the owner of the shop, the item will remain here, usually with red or purple text explaining why. You can then either attempt to hit the “Re-Quote” button and have Bhiner try again, or simply delete the item. Unfortunately, Bhiner seems to have really bad luck with getting in contact with some sellers. You may have to Re-Quote the item several time before Bhiner can confirm it.

Finally, the “Confirmed Quotes” Section. This is where all the items you’ve been lucky enough to get confirmed go. At this point, you’re still allowed to delete the item if you decide you don’t want (or need) it.  Bhiner is also nice enough to show the Domestic Shipping (That’s the shipping price to get it from the store to the SS warehouse) to be included with this order. If you click the nifty check-mark box at the top of this section, the total price will appear at the bottom, Domestic Shipping included. This can really help with deciding if you really want (or need) all those shinys in your cart. Once you’ve painstakingly revised your cart to fit your budget, it’s time to check out!

To check out, you’re going to need to transfer money from your Paypal account. This way of paying has always sketched me out a bit, no matter the website. However, the fact that you pay with Paypal makes me feel a bit better and safe, and the great features (many yet to be mentioned) of this shopping service make the slight risk worth while. Note that you’ll also have to pay Paypal fees on the transfer, so remember to factor that in. At this point, you’ll also have to choose your shipment method. I’m not quite sure what the pre-reqs are, but sometimes I’ve been able to get DHL shipping for a real nice price from them. From there, you confirm your order and the waiting begins.

Now that you’ve ordered, the fun part (at least for me) begins. As parts of your order arrives, Bhiner Staff photograph it and post it to the order page. This is quite nice, since it can help you catch any mistakes that the Bhiner Staff has missed. This is probably a good a time as any to talk about that. For the most part, my orders with Bhiner have been pretty flawless. This past one however, had a few mistakes, though, it worked in my favor. First, I ordered 30 Lucaille wig caps, but recieved 34 (dunno if this was intentional or not), and second, I ordered a pair of those Galaxy Seifuku everyone’s flipping a tit about, long-sleeved. They ended up sending me a short-sleeve one, which worked out for the best, but I digress. Bhiner doesn’t check the items in the orders as well as they probably should, which is slightly concerning even if it does end up being good in my case. Inspect the pictures they put on your order page carefully.

Everything in your order has arrived! Yay! Again, Bhiner will attatch a photo to your order, this time of your package on their scale, with the weight visible. Once they send your box of goodies on its way, the tracking number (provided your shipping method gives you one) and link to your Shipping Service’s tracking page will appear on the overworld section of the order page.

The items arrive well-packed, if packed like sardines in the smallest possible box. Most clothing will need ironing. However, as I mentioned, the items are very securely packed, and I’ve only opened up one broken item in the short time I’ve used Bhiner, though that could easily be chalked up to item quality.

Finally, communication. Bhiner staff are lovely at communication. They’ll usually get back to you the same night that you ask them a question. They almost always give the exact reason why an item quote couldn’t be confirmed. They’re more than happy to have a correspondence with any shop owner/associate that they can get a hold of. Their English isn’t perfect, but it’s absolutely understandable.

Bottom Line:

Ease of Use: 8/10

Communication: 8/10

Packaging: 9/10

Overall: 8.5/10, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone that want’s a good Taobao Experience, but can handle a few bumps in the road.

Taobao Review #2 (01/25/13)

Part two coming atcha.

Poofy Heart Antaina Lolita Shoes

Here.

As always, Antaina produces great shoes for Lolitas.

The one problem I have with these shoes is little hearts hanging off the back. They’re rather lumpy and look they’d get dirty easily.

The pink is also a little peachier in real life.

Overall Score 9/10

Wig Caps from Lucaille

here.

First of all, I ordered 30 of these fuckers.

They sent me 34.

I lose these like crazy cakes.

They’re good quality, too. Not much else to say.

Overall Score: 9/10

Pink Classical Puppets Wrist Cuffs

here.

The white trim is actually a light milky coffee color. They look nice, though!

Overall Score: 8/10

Blue Classical Puppets Wrist Cuffs

here.

Again, not too shabby.  Bit ita, but they have a certain charm to them.

Sort of a short one this time, sorry folks!

Prolly gonna break this up with Shopping Service  Reviews, so Bhiner Review tomorrow!

TaoBao Order Review #1 (01/24/13)

I should start off by saying that this isn’t my first order from Taobao, but it is my first time using the shopping service Bhiner. This is rather important later.

Without further ado, the package:

All that yellow? That’s tape.

And the grand opening…

aw yeah son.

First off, the Sweet Stripes dress from Classical Puppets in the off-white colorway:

Apart from some wrinkles, the dress is really pretty. It’s fully lined with partial shirring in the back.

The lace and print are pretty decent quality.

Bodice detailing is also swell:

So, in short.

Final Grade: 8/10

Starry Night Angel in the Dark Colorway

Starry Night Angel Dress here.
It’s out of stock right now, but two of the shopping services I use have said that it will be restocked eventually.

Bodice Detail:

So pretty!

Lace Detail:

The lace is very well made and quite soft!

The dress is also fully lined:

And a matching blue to boot.

And the print looks crisp:

The baby angels are starting to grow on me.

Detachable waist ties.

Overall Grade: 9/10

Galaxy Seifuku Tops:

Here.

Purple Stars:

The Seifuku were okay. I ordered a Large in both, but the bust and shoulders were still quite tight on me. The sleeves on the long-sleeved one were humorously short on me, as was the overall length of both (I have a torso on the shorter side, so this was a bit of a surprise).  They also smelled like smoke when they arrived.

The print left something to be desired, but I wasn’t expecting much from the purple. The airbrushed stars aren’t quite as terrible as they seemed in the product photo.

Blue Galaxy:

First of all, this was supposed to be long-sleeved, which I’m now happy that it isn’t since the sleeves on the first one were so short. Buyer beware, though, item mix ups seem common with this item’s seller.

The print on this one is better than on the purple one, but the stars are blurred when viewed close up.

Overall Grade: 6/10
Update on this one, you can throw it into the washer on cold and there’s no bleeding, at least on the Blue one. No shrinkage in the washer, either

Eyeball Sweater

here.

I thought this sweater was a nice change from the darker colors this print is usually in.

The print seems pretty well set, so I’m not worried about it bleeding in the wash.

Also, the material is thicker than I thought it would be…

I’m wearing this as I’m writing and it’s really quite comfortable. Update on this, it does wash without bleeding, but the print fades a bit. On the plus side, it becomes super duper soft!

Careful if you have big shoulders though, the cut and fit really accentuates their size.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Limited Edition Petticoat from Classical Puppets

here, but the item seems to be out of stock…

I’ve gotta say, this petticoat is impressively fluffy. It’s rather short compared to CP’s other petticoats. However, I had it sit low on my waist and it filled out both the afforereviewed dresses quite well.

The only issue…

ewwwwww

Yeahh… Doesn’t appear to be any kind of bodily fluid, but it’s still pretty yucky.

Final Grade: 8.5/10

Black Bunny Sweater:

here, but the also seem to be out of stock..

Honestly, I was expecting utter shit for the ~$4 I paid for this. I was rather surprised. It’s certainly nothing fancy, what with the

meh-tier stitching of the pompoms

And

slightly drunken construction

And the fact that

The fact that it’s not lined

But it’s still awfully cute for $4.

Overall Grade: 6/10

More to come tomorrow!