Wheelsets & Components from TaoBao?

[raz4pf]

Hey all,

Thinking about taking a punt on a wheelset from Taobao rather than going through Aliexpress or the usual brands, and wanted to hear from anyone who's done it or thought about it, especially your experience with agents/freight forwarders, what shipping and fees/VAT came to, and how you got on if anything went wrong.

Specifically, I've got my eye on a carbon-spoke wheelset: T1100, 28/21 width, RT240s hubs with 54T ratchet, 1275g (+/- 3%) for 58mm depth, roughly $340/£260 (not including all the fees & shipping). Link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1055629199908

[Dan S.]

Specifically, I've got my eye on a carbon-spoke wheelset: T1100, 28/21 width, RT240s hubs with 54T ratchet, 1275g (+/- 3%) for 58mm depth, roughly $340/£260 (not including all the fees & shipping). Link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1055629199908

The specs are nothing special, why these rather than something more-known?

[Sander2177]

Hey all,

Thinking about taking a punt on a wheelset from Taobao rather than going through Aliexpress or the usual brands, and wanted to hear from anyone who's done it or thought about it, especially your experience with agents/freight forwarders, what shipping and fees/VAT came to, and how you got on if anything went wrong.

Specifically, I've got my eye on a carbon-spoke wheelset: T1100, 28/21 width, RT240s hubs with 54T ratchet, 1275g (+/- 3%) for 58mm depth, roughly $340/£260 (not including all the fees & shipping). Link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1055629199908

This Item cannot be shipped to UK, plus its Alipay as well. Has it given you options to ship?
I was talking to a small seller the other day 60/60mm 18K Gloss carbon finish 3.2mm hidden nipple carbon spokes Goldix 180 SL hub shipped to UK £510

[raz4pf]

The specs are nothing special, why these rather than something more-known?

Just an upgrade on the wheels i have at the moment, and cheaper than the options I'm seeing from the more known brands.

[raz4pf]

This Item cannot be shipped to UK, plus its Alipay as well. Has it given you options to ship?
I was talking to a small seller the other day 60/60mm 18K Gloss carbon finish 3.2mm hidden nipple carbon spokes Goldix 180 SL hub shipped to UK £510

I have experience ordering non-cycling products from taobao, via agents, so that is one option I have.
The agents provides multiple different payment options, shipping routes, & quality control. There's also the possibility to declare the value of the item yourself as well, to avoid duties/vat.

The product photo of the wheels you are in discussion with looks strikingly similar to the link I shared, could there be a connection there? Would also love to hear more about this.

[Sander2177]

I have experience ordering non-cycling products from taobao, via agents, so that is one option I have.
The agents provides multiple different payment options, shipping routes, & quality control. There's also the possibility to declare the value of the item yourself as well, to avoid duties/vat.

The product photo of the wheels you are in discussion with looks strikingly similar to the link I shared, could there be a connection there? Would also love to hear more about this.

There is no link as such and of course they look the same many of these traders are buying the same products from the same sources/factories in some cases and selling similar wheels.                      The wheelset I asked about had 25mm Internal                                                                                                       
I have an instagram link:
https://www.instagram.com/hndcarbonwheelset?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&stkn=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== WHATSAPP: +86 182 5928 6879

[rovescio]

Cainiao, but you're still going to get wrecked by delivery fees because of package size.

For a package 3kg, measuring 85cm x 85cm x 20cm, Cainiao UK prices delivery at GBP87 (ocean freight, 50-75 days), GBP257 (air, 7-10 days), or GBP245 (air, 8-12 days).

Solid taobao brands are VOSO, 0011, Novatec, Farsports, Lun Hyper.

But you'll probably still end up with the same cost/quality for ICAN or Elitewheels on Aliexpress.