Service Fee
Q: What fees does the Bee Source platform charge?
A: The platform primarily generates revenue through a Service Fee, which is charged as a fixed percentage of the order amount (ranging from 0% to 5% depending on membership tier). No registration, browsing, or inquiry fees are charged. Certain value-added services (e.g., photography services, in-depth quality inspection) are billed separately.
Q: How is the Service Fee calculated?
A: Service Fee = Order merchandise amount (excluding shipping) × applicable rate based on membership tier. For example: A V0 member places an order of ¥100,000, Service Fee = ¥100,000 × 5% = ¥5,000; a V5 member (3% Service Fee) with the same order amount pays ¥3,000.
Q: What is the subscription fee for the recurring membership?
A: The recurring membership subscription fee is ¥28,000 JPY (approximately ¥1,300–1,500 CNY)/30 days. The subscription fee is charged monthly, and all orders placed during the subscription period enjoy a 0% Service Fee. The subscription starts on the date of your first payment and will auto-renew after 30 days (unless manually canceled).
Q: Is the recurring membership right for me?
A: Consider a buyer with a monthly purchase volume of ¥50,000: V0 member monthly Service Fee = ¥2,500; recurring membership (¥1,400) + 0% Service Fee = ¥1,400, saving approximately ¥1,100. Conclusion: When the monthly purchase volume exceeds approximately ¥28,000, the recurring membership is more cost-effective. The greater the monthly purchase volume, the more you save.
Exchange Rates & Currencies
Q: Which currencies does the platform support for settlement?
A: The platform supports settlement in multiple major currencies, including Chinese Yuan (CNY), US Dollar (USD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Euro (EUR), and British Pound (GBP). You can set your preferred settlement currency in "Account Settings" → "Currency Preferences," and the system will convert at the real-time exchange rate. Quotation details display both the merchandise price and estimated shipping cost for easy comparison.
Q: What if exchange rate fluctuations increase my costs?
A: For large orders (single order exceeding ¥500,000 or equivalent in foreign currency), we recommend negotiating a locked exchange rate with your dedicated account manager. The lock-in period is typically 7 days. The exchange rate lock service itself is free, but a deposit must be paid within 48 hours of quotation confirmation to secure the rate.
Q: What exchange rate is used for quotations?
A: Prices in quotations are based on the real-time exchange rate at the time the quotation is generated, and are typically valid for 15 calendar days (may be shortened to 7 days during peak seasons). The exchange rate source is the mid-point rate of the interbank foreign exchange market, and the platform does not charge any exchange rate markup.
Cost Optimization
Q: Besides the Service Fee, what other fees may apply?
A: For standard B2B sourcing orders, additional fees may include: Quality Inspection Fee (¥500–¥1,200 per batch, depending on order value), Storage Fee (¥5/m³/day for goods stored more than 30 days after arrival without shipment), Order Modification Fee (¥200 per change when order specifications need to be modified after confirmation), and Express Processing Fee (an additional 1%–3% of the order amount for urgent requests).
Q: How can I reduce the per-unit procurement cost?
A: Three most effective cost-reduction strategies: 1) Upgrade your membership tier—reducing the Service Fee from 5% to 3% effectively increases net profit by 2%; 2) Choose the recurring membership (suitable for buyers with a monthly purchase volume exceeding ¥28,000); 3) Place bulk orders to trigger tiered unit pricing—typically, every additional 100 units can lower the unit price by 3%–5%.
