Taobao for affordable goods? No, Taobao for affordable automotive goods.
As a part-experiment, part-sentiment, I wanted to try getting wheels from a different platform instead of the commonly-chosen origin of Japan.
Instead of Japan now, its China. Odd, I know, but I was thinking about whether or not buying from there would be anymore cheaper as an alternative to proxy buying from Japan.
To summarize it; yes. But not by much.
Too long will read (TLWR)? I’ll run you through.
Finding wheels
I was looking for a set of Honda steelies – steel wheels. So it would technically make it easier for me since its an OEM item, right?
To tangent a bit, there were sets available in Japan for roughly ¥8,000 (~S$66), but after surveying my shipping options from purchasing my other set of wheels from previous, I knew the cost to ship would be around S$165 or S$300 for sea and air shipping respectively – so I didn’t want to undergo that path.
Locally in Malaysia was not as viable. Shopee MY had one listing that offered the size I want – 15-inch and 4×100 PCD, but it was sold out by the time I found the listing. I could go down to several shops and ask, but I didn’t think it was likely any would carry what I was searching.
On Taobao, these wheels were for sale at S$16.52 per piece. I checked with the seller – confirming that it is a Honda OEM piece – or at least suitable for a Fit. It was a 15x6J, 4×100, 56.1 center bore.
For consolidated shipping before air freight international shipping, the total price for a full set of four steelies shipped to a domestic warehouse came out to S$74.62. I paid, and it spent six days total to arrive at its warehouse.
International shipping
Six days later and it was at the warehouse eligible for further payment to ship it internationally. The method of shipping is very vital here as it decides the amount I needed to pay; instead of a Japanese proxy service that normally would let you choose shipping method after arriving at the warehouse, Taobao’s method is to choose before the item arrives.
My shipping from China to Penang via air freight was.. S$212.55. This was painful to pay, but it isn’t as expensive as shipping a set of lighter wheels from Japan.
The total weight was somewhere around 17 kilograms for two boxes (the seller had boxed the set into two boxes, two wheels in each). Compared to my Mugen CF48s that I bought previously which was asking ¥31,350 – ¥40,856 (S$258 – S$336), Tabao’s shipping is already cheaper by at least 40 dollars, and is faster than either shipping options (speaking from experience)
Receiving
Six days from paying for international shipping, the first pair of wheels arrived with no extra fees.
On first glance, the wheel looks like a wheel. No very obvious dents on the lips and the wheel is mostly in one color. I say mostly as these are definitely not New Old Stock (NOS), some of the wheels having some degree of curb rash and similar.
The provenance is not so clear either – photos of reviews show these wheels being used mainly on the GK-generation Honda Fit / Jazz, but Japanese and other market Fit / Jazz cars have their own wheel most of the time.
I am likely just not well-versed with the Fit, but these are Chinese-produced steel wheels in any case. Durable? Hard to say, but each wheel is heavy at nearly ten kilograms – relatively normal for a steel wheel – it should last.
As for the golden question, they are compatible with my SiR hudcaps. I am missing a possible ring to clip the hudcaps onto the wheel, so using zipties may be my only option.
Time will tell if these wheels are warped or not, but they will go onto Feriko sooner than the Mugens. This post will be updated as time goes.
I have thought of procuring a set of Bridgestone Super RAP wheels – identical in design as a sports wheel but those are further out of my budget and only non-limited option comes in white, which I would have to respray. These will do for now.
My total for this set of wheels is S$287.17. Had I imported from Japan, my estimate to buy and ship with similar timing would be around S$400.
I will update on whether the wheels are good or not when I install them, but were these cheaper than buying from Japan? Possibly, so it might be worth your time. You can check from this link if you are also looking for a similar set of Fit wheels.
~Efini
Read more: Fuel for Thought: Buying wheels from overseas and the journey (Pt. 1)
