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me directly.
Three ways I help people arriving in, buying from, and dealing with Shenzhen. Each can be a single engagement or an ongoing arrangement.
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Packages · 服务套餐
Three ways to start
Fixed scopes at fixed prices, for people who would rather not assemble an engagement from a rate card. Everything below is also available by the day at from ¥1,500 per day.
Arriving alone
Shenzhen Starter
¥2,999fixed
- Airport pickup and the ride in — met at arrivals by me, not a car sent to a name you cannot read on a sign.
- A mainland SIM registered in your own name. Everything else on this list depends on it, which is why it goes first.
- A bank account opened in person, at a branch chosen because it will actually process a foreigner rather than because it is nearest your hotel.
- Residence registration at the correct police station, inside the window — 24 hours if you are not in a hotel, and the clock starts the day you move in.
- Apartment viewings with me in the room, so the questions you would ask in English get asked in Chinese and the answers come back straight.
Moving with children
Shenzhen Family
¥9,999fixed
- School consultation across the eight international schools, with fees, curricula and application timelines compared for your children specifically.
- Housing area analysis — the school run is usually what decides the district, so the two are worked out together.
- Relocation planning: the visa, permit and registration sequence laid out against your dates.
- Translation assistance for the documents the schools and the bureaus will ask for.
Relocating staff
Corporate
Quotedper engagement
- For companies relocating one employee or several, and for teams that need the same thing done repeatedly.
- Scope, deliverables and invoicing agreed in writing before anything starts.
- Invoicing and purchase orders accepted.
- Sourcing and interpreting can be folded in at the published rates.
What the price is not. These are fees for my time. Landlord deposits, agency commissions, government and visa fees, school application fees, and certified translation charges are yours and are paid directly to whoever levies them — I do not mark them up and I do not take a cut. If a package does not fit, say so and we will scope it by the day instead.
Choose the exact job
Four useful starting points.
Each page explains fit, scope, published rates and what happens after a guest request.
School selection · 选校咨询
The most expensive decision
you will make here.
Published tuition across these schools runs from about ¥127,500 in the youngest year groups to ¥372,900 at the top of a senior school, per child, per year, before buses, deposits and capital levies. One of the eight publishes no fees at all. That is the scale of the thing this consultation is about.
Most parents arrive with a shortlist assembled from school websites and a forum thread, and the shortlist is usually wrong — not because the schools are bad, but because the criteria that decide it are the ones nobody publishes. Which curriculum actually transfers to where you are going next. Whether the bus route serves the district you are about to sign a lease in. What the waiting list really means in the year group you need, as opposed to the year group the admissions page describes.
I do not represent any school, take referral fees, or receive commission from admissions. That is the point of paying me rather than an agent: nobody is paying me to steer you.
What it covers
- All eight schools compared against your children specifically — ages, current curriculum, and where you expect to be in three years.
- Fees modelled properly: tuition, capital levies, buses, deposits and the sibling positions, so the comparison is on total cost rather than headline tuition.
- The application calendar mapped against your arrival dates, which is where most families lose a year.
- Tour preparation — what to ask, and which answers should worry you.
- A written recommendation you can take away, argue with, and use without me.
Fees above are the schools’ own published 2026–27 figures, held in the school comparison and checked against each school’s schedule. Confirm current figures with the school before you budget on them.
01Relocation Guidance
Planning and carrying out a move to Shenzhen — from the decisions you make before you fly to the paperwork that follows once you land.
Good to knowThis is most useful started four to eight weeks before arrival, while housing, visa and school decisions are all still open. Later is workable; earlier is easier.
What it covers
- Shortlisting neighbourhoods against commute, schools and budget.
- Arranging viewings, and negotiating terms with landlords and agents.
- Sequencing visa and residence permit paperwork so nothing blocks anything else.
- Setting up utilities, internet, phone number and a bank account.
- Comparing schools and understanding their application timelines.
One-off engagement
- A defined scope with a clear end point — a housing search through to a signed lease, or a single setup day once you have arrived.
- Quoted per engagement, agreed before anything starts.
Ongoing retainer
- Continuing access through the whole settling-in period.
- Questions answered as they come up, rather than saved for a session.
- Accompaniment to appointments and viewings as needed.
02Purchase Agent
Buying in Shenzhen on your behalf — finding the right supplier, checking what you are actually being sold, and getting it to you.
Good to knowPrices for the same item can differ substantially between domestic platforms and the physical markets, and listings are usually Chinese-only. Most of the value here is in knowing where to look and what to check.
What it covers
- Sourcing on Taobao, JD and 1688, and in person at Huaqiangbei.
- Verifying the seller and confirming the specification really matches the listing.
- Comparing prices across platforms and markets before committing.
- Inspecting goods before they are dispatched.
- Consolidating orders and arranging forwarding abroad.
One-off engagement
- A single item, or one consolidated order.
- Quoted per job once the scope and value are clear.
Ongoing retainer
- Recurring purchasing for a household or a business.
- A standing arrangement on agreed terms, without re-quoting every order.
03Translation Services
Chinese and English translation and interpreting — for documents, for meetings, and for the situations where getting it wrong is expensive.
Good to knowOfficial documents often need a particular stamp or notarisation before the receiving body will accept them. It is worth confirming exactly what they require before any translation begins.
What it covers
- Document translation — contracts, certificates, records and official correspondence.
- Consecutive interpreting for meetings, appointments and negotiations.
- Accompanying you to government offices, hospitals, banks and viewings.
- Written correspondence with landlords, schools, suppliers and agencies.
One-off engagement
- Priced per document, or per interpreting session.
- Turnaround confirmed before the work starts.
Ongoing retainer
- Regular interpreting, or a standing translation arrangement.
- Useful where the same counterparties and terminology recur.
How payment works
Agree it in writing
We settle the exact scope and price before anything moves.
You see the listing, and pay the goods cost
For purchases I show you the official listing first, then buy the same day through the official channel and send you the receipt and serial numbers.
Fee and shipping at dispatch
My flat 5% and the shipping settle when it ships, with tracking. If I buy under the quoted price, you pay the lower price.
Pay however you already trust
PayPal, Wise or Alipay. No payment ever goes to an account that does not match my name.
Purchase agent
DJI Mavic 4 Pro to Europe
Bought from DJI’s own store, checked and photographed sealed, then shipped insured.
- Official store price
- ¥13,888
- My fee (5%)
- ¥694
- Insured courier
- ≈¥600–900
- Shipped to
- Germany
- Delivery
- About a week
- Receipt
- Provided
You get the store receipt, serial photos before dispatch, and the tracking number. Import duty at your end is yours, and I say so before you commit.
Relocation
One landing day
Met at the airport line, and the week-one list closed out before dinner.
- Day rate
- ¥1,500
- SIM card
- By lunch
- Bank account
- Same afternoon
- Residence registration
- Filed
- Transport & apps
- Set up and tested
The order matters more than the hours: the SIM has to come first, because everything else verifies against the number.
Interpreting
A factory meeting in Bao’an
Half a day of consecutive interpreting, plus the written record afterwards.
- Rate
- ¥400 / hour
- Duration
- Four hours
- Total
- ¥1,600
- Included
- Written notes
- Follow-up
- Supplier correspondence that week
Notes of what was actually agreed are the part clients come back for — spec changes tend to happen in the room, in Chinese.
Every engagement starts from a written quote you approve first — nothing begins on a handshake and a hope.
Want the detail behind these? Read the three engagements in full →
Start a booking request · 预约
Choose the service that fits best, describe the job and submit as a guest. Giovanni will review it and reply with availability, scope and a written price before anything becomes a booking.
After submission, a secure email link lets you claim the dashboard if you want messages and status updates in one place. See the privacy policy and service terms.
Every engagement starts with a booking request about what you actually need — there is no charge or obligation, and I will say so if I am not the right person for it. Book local help to get started—no account required.