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Money facts: the fee that is zero and the ones that are not

Nine exhibits on what an order costs, including three places where the operator's own documents disagree. Worked examples use round numbers so you can redo them.

Exhibits in this drawer

Codes M-01 to M-09. The PayPal card (M-03) is the one most buyers come for.

M-01Service fee
M-02Exchange rate
M-03PayPal fee
M-04Alipay and WeChat
M-05Help 99 oddities
M-06Two 8-yuan lines
M-07Domestic shipping
M-08Optional services
M-09Coupons

Fees: what is charged and what is not

The retained help states no buying-service handling fee. Compare the full item and parcel checkout, including domestic delivery, conversion, payment charges and selected services; a zero service fee does not establish the cheapest overall purchase.

M-01

No agent service fee is charged

The fact: Help article 63 states no handling fee for the buying service. Goods, domestic delivery, international freight, payment/conversion costs and selected services can still affect the total.
Printed where: Help centre, article 63 “How does shopping agent service charge?”
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: Compare the full item and parcel checkout. A zero buying-service fee does not establish the cheapest complete purchase.
Check it yourself: Read help article 63 and compare it with the cost lines on your own checkout screen.

M-06

Two CNY 8 descriptions have an unresolved relationship

The fact: Help 74 lists a “Packaging consumables fee: ¥8”. Help 63 says the customs declaration cost for a parcel “is generally RMB 8.00”.
Printed where: Help centre articles 74 and 63.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: The retained sources do not establish whether these are one charge described twice or separate charges. Do not infer CNY 16; check each actual parcel invoice line.
Check it yourself: Compare help article 74 with help article 63, then read your own parcel bill line by line.

M-07

Domestic shipping is charged once per seller per order

The fact: If all items come from the same seller and are settled in one purchase order, the domestic delivery fee is charged once. If the parcel turns out overweight, or the seller changes the price, Kakobuy may ask you to pay the shortfall.
Printed where: Help centre articles 75 and 83.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: The retained guidance describes one domestic fee for items settled together from one seller. Verify actual seller terms and any shortfall explanation; a request is not automatically correct or an instruction to pay without checking.
Check it yourself: Read help article 75 and help article 83.

Two shorter articles explain the domestic fee: it is charged once per seller and order, and a shortfall request can follow if the parcel is overweight or the seller changes the price.

The conversion rate on your bill

The official help describes a Bank of China rate basis but does not establish a permanent conversion margin. The retained 8 October 2026 observation of about 8.5% is historical. Compare the same CNY basket with the actual payable currency amount and payment method.

M-02

Compare the payable conversion, not a fixed markup

The fact: The retained 2026-10-08 comparison recorded approximately 8.5% FX markup and a zero standard service fee. Its combined figure covered FX markup plus standard service only; payment-channel charges were separate. This is a historical observation, not an official fixed rate. Help article 64 describes a Bank of China rate basis.
Printed where: Dated conversion observation retained in the source material; official help article 64 for the operator’s stated rate basis.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: Compare the same CNY amount credited or basket paid for, at the same time and with the same funding method. Record the reference conversion, actual foreign-currency payment and any channel charge separately, so a fee already included in the final debit is not counted twice.
Check it yourself: Compare the same basket and payment method at the actual checkout, including fixed and percentage fees. Record the date and reference rate.

Swipe across the table to read all columns.

Order value in yuan	What an 8.5% markup adds	Same cost as a fee of
¥300	about ¥25.50	8.5% of the order
¥1,000	about ¥85	8.5% of the order
¥3,000	about ¥255	8.5% of the order

This table illustrates the historical FX percentage in CNY-equivalent amounts; it excludes payment-channel charges and is not a checkout prediction. For a current comparison, divide the same CNY amount by a same-time CNY-per-currency reference rate, then compare the actual debit, including any separately charged funding fee. Keep an existing balance purchase separate from the earlier transaction that funded it.

PayPal: conflicting text and a historical image

Two official written formulas disagree, and an old embedded checkout image shows another calculation. The image is historical UI evidence. No one value is presented as the guaranteed current fee.

M-03

Official PayPal text conflicts; old screenshots add an example

The fact: Help articles 64 and 99 state 3.5% + US$0.30; article 65 states 2.9% + US$0.30. An older embedded checkout illustration uses amount × 0.03 + 0.01; it is historical interface evidence, not a third guaranteed current rate.
Printed where: Help centre articles 64, 65 and 99.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: A $100 arithmetic comparison gives $3.80 or $3.20 for the two written formulas, and $3.01 for the old image formula. Confirm the actual payment screen; article and image dates do not establish which rule applies today.
Check it yourself: Open help 64, help 65 and help 99 side by side, then read the processing-fee line on your checkout before confirming.

Swipe across the table to read all columns.

Where it is written	Formula	On a $100 top-up
Help 64 and help 99	3.5% + US$0.30	$3.80
Help 65 (PayPal article)	2.9% + US$0.30	$3.20
Checkout screenshot inside help 65	amount × 0.03 + 0.01	$3.01

Other ways to pay

Alipay and WeChat Pay carry no handling charge, with a delay of up to an hour before the balance shows the money. Card payments run through PayPal's card option. Wise has its own help article. The footer also shows bank-transfer and MIR logos.

Article 99, the only one that lists bank-transfer details, was left unfinished, with a placeholder where the account should be. Do not wire money on the strength of it.

M-04

Alipay and WeChat Pay top-ups carry no handling charge

The fact: “No handling charges” for Alipay and for WeChat Pay; the money may take 1 to 60 minutes to reach the balance.
Printed where: Help centre article 64 (Recharge method), repeated in articles 102 and 103.
Read on: 2026-10-10 (re-check after 2026-12-09)
What it means: If you already hold a Chinese wallet, it avoids the PayPal surcharge. Most overseas buyers do not, which is why the PayPal line (M-03) matters more to them.
Check it yourself: See the Alipay and WeChat sections of help article 64.

M-05

One payment article was not finished

The fact: Help article 99 says Kakobuy “currently supports 4 payment methods” and then lists three; a later paragraph reads “SUGARGOO supports multiple recharge methods”; the bank-transfer fields show the word “wait”.
Printed where: Help centre article 99 “KAKOBUY Payment/Deposit Method”.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: The retained article contains unfinished fields and legacy wording. Confirm payment availability and recipient details through the actual official account flow before sending money; the text does not establish why the inconsistencies occurred.
Check it yourself: Read help article 99 from the top; the leftover name is in the second section.

Posted prices for optional services and coupons

The selected service, item and parcel determine which charges apply. Optional prices below are retained examples; confirm current account conditions. Coupon notices keep their publication dates.

M-08

Optional services each carry a posted price

The fact: Retained optional prices: priority purchase CNY 5 per commodity order; detailed photo CNY 2 each; pre-packing CNY 18 per time; three parcel photos free if selected; storage extension CNY 10 per OG order per 30 days, subject to eligibility and the account deadline.
Printed where: Help centre articles 115, 114, 117, 118 and 120.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: Request the exact measurement or detail you need. Parcel-packing photos and intake QC photos are different services. Confirm the current selection, price and conditions.
Check it yourself: Each price is in its own article: priority purchase (115), personalised photo (114), pre-packing (117), parcel photo (118) and storage extension (120).

M-09

The sign-up coupon figure comes from a dated announcement

The fact: A notice dated 2024-09-22 describes CNY 3,000 (about US$410) of sign-up coupons. The October 2026 Halloween notice describes a coupon claim period of 10–31 October; each issued coupon has its own use conditions and deadline.
Printed where: Announcement list (tiplist) and announcement 56.
Read on: 2026-10-15 (re-check after 2026-11-14)
What it means: Historical banners and a claim period do not establish an account entitlement or each coupon’s expiry. Check eligible spend, route, minimum and stacking rules in the account.
Check it yourself: Open the announcement list and read the release times next to each title.