For small goods, freight is tiny

Item and domestic postage

The item price is what the store charges. Domestic postage gets it to the warehouse — often free on Taobao, sometimes not on smaller shops. Read both before you celebrate a low item price.

A 'cheap' charm with hidden domestic postage isn't cheap. The total is the only number that matters.

Agent fee as a rate

The agent charges a percentage to buy, QC, and ship. It's legitimate; people forget it and can't reconcile. Know the rate before you cart — and remember store events already cut the base.

Because small goods are cheap, the same fee percentage costs cents. The stack works in your favour.

Freight, the tiny line

Freight is what the line charges to fly your parcel. On a charm it scales with almost no weight — so freight is often pennies. Tight packing helps, but the math is gentle here.

This is the line that surprises people least on small goods. The bigger costs are the add-ons you forgot.

Watch the little add-ons

You set a declared value for customs. On small goods duty is often nil, but a 'free gift' still gets declared — and a protective case or extra box adds to the parcel. Count those before you cart.

Over-declaring just pays unnecessary duty. Sane and consistent with the price is the move; FX on it is small but log it.

The one-line math

Total = item + domestic + agent fee + freight + duty. Run it before checkout. The listing price is 90% of the story, not 100% — freight is almost nothing, but count the add-ons.

Once you do this twice, the surprise disappears and the charms stay cheap.

FAQ

Further reading