If you're buying from Taobao, Weidian, or 1688 and live outside China, you need a buying agent. They buy on your behalf, hold the items at their warehouse, take QC photos, and ship internationally when you're ready.
The agent you pick affects your final landed cost by 15–30%. This guide is a real comparison — fees, shipping, what each agent does well, and what they don't.
Skip the reading? Paste any link in our converter and get all 11 agent links instantly.
How buying agents work
The flow is the same across every agent:
- You paste a Taobao/Weidian/1688 listing URL into the agent's site (or use our converter to skip platform-hopping).
- You pay the agent. They buy the item from the seller.
- The seller ships to the agent's warehouse — usually Guangzhou or Shanghai.
- The agent posts QC photos to your dashboard within 1–5 days.
- You approve, request reshoots, or reject.
- Approved items wait in free storage (60–90 days) until you bundle and ship internationally.
The differences between agents are in service fees, shipping rates, payment options, QC quality, and storage time. Below is each one ranked by what they're actually best at.
Mulebuy
Best for: beginners, budget-conscious buyers, anyone who wants responsive support.
Mulebuy is the highest-rated mid-size agent on Trustpilot in 2026 (4.8/5, 2K+ reviews). Reviewers consistently praise the speed of customer support and the quality of QC photos. They also offer a $400 new-user coupon pack and AI-driven shipping discounts.
Downside: less established than the older agents — fewer community spreadsheets and Discord channels exist for it (yet).
ACBuy
Best for: European destinations, fast YunExpress shipping, low payment fees.
ACBuy charges 0% service fee and ~3% payment fee. Their YunExpress line is one of the fastest standard options to Europe and North America (8–15 days). Trustpilot rating is 4.6/5 across 900+ reviews — among the highest of any major agent.
Downside: less polished interface than Sugargoo or CNFans.
Sugargoo
Best for: UK / Western Europe shipping, longest free storage.
Sugargoo's Royal Mail line is the cheapest verified option to UK in 2026 community comparisons. Free storage runs 100 days (longest of the major agents), the interface is well-designed, and QC processing is fast.
Downside: 15% withdrawal fee on wallet refunds — keep balance top-ups small. Trustpilot 3.7/5.
CNFans
Best for: existing users, Taobao + 1688 hauls.
CNFans has a clean UI, a long-running community presence, and accepts credit cards plus USDT. Storage is 60 days (shorter than Sugargoo or ACBuy). Payment fees run ~3.5%.
Recent changes (Jan 2026): CNFans dropped Weidian support and ended the affiliate commission program for new orders. Existing accounts are unaffected, but if you were previously sharing referral links, those no longer earn on new sign-ups.
Kakobuy
Best for: users who already have an account and good experiences with it.
Kakobuy has 0% service fee, an active community, and competitive shipping. However, recent Trustpilot reviews have been mixed (2.7/5) with recurring reports of slow support response on refunds. The community recommendation is to keep a backup agent if you use Kakobuy.
Superbuy
Best for: serious haulers, advanced features.
Superbuy is the most full-featured agent. Custom orders, advanced search, group buy support, more shipping lines than anyone. Their service fee is tiered (10% under ¥200 declining to 3% over ¥2000), so it's expensive for cheap items but reasonable for big-ticket purchases.
Downside: complexity. The interface has a learning curve and feels overwhelming for first-time users.
Hoobuy, Oopbuy, Ponybuy
Best for: alternatives if your main agent has issues.
These three are similar mid-tier agents — modern interfaces, competitive shipping, and 0–5% service fees. They're less established than CNFans/Sugargoo but increasingly popular in Discord communities.
Most rep buyers don't need to switch from a main agent, but they're worth knowing about as backups.
Quick comparison
The shorthand, based on 2026 community reviews and Trustpilot data:
- Highest user ratings: Mulebuy (4.8/5), ACBuy (4.6/5)
- Cheapest service fees: Kakobuy, ACBuy, Sugargoo, Hoobuy, Allchinabuy, Ponybuy (all 0% on Taobao)
- Best shipping to UK/EU: Sugargoo (cheapest verified Royal Mail rate)
- Best for big hauls: Superbuy (advanced consolidation, sea freight)
- Lowest community trust: Kakobuy (2.7/5 Trustpilot — keep a backup)
For a full feature-by-feature breakdown, see our agent comparison table.
How to actually choose
The honest answer: there's no single “best” agent — they have different strengths.
- Beginner / first haul: Mulebuy or ACBuy. Both have the highest current Trustpilot ratings and 0% (or low) service fees.
- Shipping to UK / Western Europe: Sugargoo. Cheapest verified Royal Mail in 2026 community comparisons.
- Already using CNFans: Stay if it works for you, but note Weidian support was dropped Jan 2026, and most discount/coupon promotions have wound down.
- Big multi-item hauls: Superbuy — most established, sea freight option for bulky orders.
Switch agents if:
- Your main agent goes down or has support issues (keep one backup account)
- You want a shipping line your current agent doesn't carry
- The price difference matters — use our cost estimator to compare landed cost across all 11 agents on the same item
Compare landed cost yourself
Don't guess. Paste any product link into our converter, click Estimate on each agent, and see the full landed cost — service fee, payment fee, domestic + international shipping — for the agents you're considering. Same item, same destination, all in one screen.
Or build a full multi-item haul and see your total landed cost across the whole bundle.
Common questions
Can I switch agents mid-haul?
No — items in an agent's warehouse must ship via that agent. Plan ahead. If you're testing a new agent, do a small first order before committing your whole haul.
Do agents accept PayPal?
Most major agents accept PayPal as one option among many. CNFans, Sugargoo, and Superbuy all support it. Some impose a higher payment fee for PayPal vs. credit card.
What about customs duties?
That's on you, not the agent. Agents may offer “tax-free” lines that route through duty-free zones, but those are ultimately a gamble — your country's customs decides.
How do I know if an agent is legit?
Stick to agents with active Discord servers and Reddit presence (CNFans, Sugargoo, Kakobuy, ACBuy all qualify). Avoid brand-new agents with no community footprint, no matter how cheap their fees look.
Disclosure: Haulkit is supported by affiliate revenue. The agent rankings here are based on community feedback and our own use — not on which agent pays the best commission.