Ways to Buy Chinese Books in UK

Posted by Joseph Wang on April 25th, 2021

There was a Chinese bookstore near where I stayed in the past. But it disappeared suddenly, and I got really upset for a while. After that, I am always thinking of where can I, or other overseas Chinese to buy books in Chinese language?

Since then, I have moved books to the UK every time I return to China. The most annoying thing is that the books are very heavy, and the shipping costs are even higher. This is not a long-term solution. After some research, I found that there are many ways to buy Chinese books in the UK. In fact, everyone will find that the most worrying problem for online shopping or logistics is that once there is a problem, no one will take care of it, and no one will really solve the problem. So, after experiencing some websites and channels in person, let me share with you a few channels for purchasing Chinese documents in the UK, and compare the advantages and disadvantages. 

We-daigou website. www.we-daigou.cn is a website that has recently emerged, specifically targeting overseas Chinese, or more accurately European Chinese, as can be seen from the logistics information on the website. I have personally experienced this website. I tried it once after seeing an advertisement in the WeChat group. I was not at home during the delivery. UPS sent me an email and asked me to pick it up by myself. During the epidemic, I really did not want to go out and pick it up by myself. I sent an email to We-daigou customer service. The customer service helped me contact ups and reschedule it. I am very satisfied with this shopping experience. Advantages: 1. Chinese books are all in stock in the UK, and the logistics is fast. It is free delivery for payments over 60 pounds, and will be shipped within 24 hours, and arrives home in 2-3 days. It can also be mailed to other countries in Europe. 2. Don't worry about tariffs. 3. The customer service attitude is super good. Disadvantages: 1. The variety is not as sufficient as Jingdong or Taobao, and the spot quantity is limited. 2. The spot update is slower.

Taobao or Jingdong website. At present, there are still many people shopping on Taobao or Jingdong, and then send mail to the United Kingdom. First, they find an international express company on Taobao. Generally, the higher the quality of the freight, the more affordable the unit price. The address of the order is the address of the express company, and they will package and weigh the whole package and send it out. The advantage of this method is that you can select various types of books to be mailed, or other items to be mailed to the UK. Disadvantages: There is a risk of paying tariffs, and there are many books that are suitable for buying, and the timeliness are different according to different logistics methods. Especially during the epidemic and Brexit, it was even slower. Last October, I bought a batch of things on Taobao and mailed it to the UK. It took four and a half months to receive it. I really thought that this batch was shipped by rail and would not arrive. Various delays on the road and long queues for customs clearance lead to too slow timeliness. There are too many uncertainties, and the logistics costs are not low, but the point is that we need to worry too much.

eBay or Amazon. You can also buy Chinese books on these two platforms. There are also Chinese picture books and books for practicing Chinese characters on eBay. Advantages: fast timeliness, all British spot, no tariff worries. Disadvantages: The choice of Chinese books is very limited. 

Dongdonggou. Easterneast.com. The website claims to be the largest Chinese bookstore overseas. Its advantages: free shipping in the world, a wide variety of books, the website shows that they are in stock, after contacting customer service, their books are all shipped from China. Therefore, I didn’t make an order, and the price was high. Disadvantages: Customs taxation of non-spot products is borne by the buyer. The logistics timeliness website writes 14-26 working days. I believes that there are also some uncertainties. 

Uk Chinese book. https://www.ukchinesebookshop.co.uk/ The website claims to be a large online children's Chinese bookshop in the UK. Advantages: 1. Spot in the UK, mailed to the whole of Europe 2. Free shipping for England over £60. Disadvantages: 1. There are only Chinese children's books, no books for adults to read. 2. Free shipping over 60 pounds is only available in England, other parts of the United Kingdom must pay postage, and the cost is not low, the cheapest 0-5 kilograms also charge an extra 8.5 pounds.

There are still a lot of choices. Do not worry about not being able to buy the Chinese books you want. You can choose the most economical and convenient way to buy books according to your demand.