Taobao is the largest eCommerce platform in China—renowned for offering a diverse range of products at the best price points in the region. Founded back in 2003 by the Alibaba Group, Taobao has grown to become the “go-to” marketplace for wholesalers and retailers looking for high-quality products at the lowest price points.
As one of the largest Customer to Customer (C2C) marketplaces in the region, the site is home to more than 8.5 million sellers. Despite the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, the platform recorded a gross merchandise volume of about 3.39 trillion yuan for the fiscal year ending in March 2020.
In other words, Taobao is one of the best marketplaces for businesses and individual consumers to source their products. However, the platform was specifically designed for the local market, which explains why the entire site is in Chinese.
This may appear to be a hurdle for foreign buyers, but it is still possible to buy products directly from Taobao even if you do not understand Chinese. This guide will take you through the steps you need to take to buy directly from Taobao as a foreigner.
目录
Step 1: Create Your Taobao Account
To buy items from Taobao, you need to be a registered user. The following procedure will help you register an account on the platform:
a) Translate Taobao Webpages
To sign up with Taobao, you should be able to read and understand the web pages, don’t you think? As such, it makes sense to first translate the site into a language you understand. Depending on the browser you are using on your computer, you could use either the Google Translate page or the Google Translate plug-in. For more details about it, you could refer to our STEP by STEP GUIDANCE.
Click on the Translate icon—positioned towards the right-hand corner of the browser window as illustrated below:
Note: This is a one-time “deal” as you need to translate each subsequent Taobao page you open using the above-described steps.
b) Taobao Account Registration on PC
Having translated the page into English, click on the “Sign up for free” link as illustrated below:
The registration process will take you through the following stages:
➢ Verification
Click on the Language drop-down menu—on the top-right corner of the screen—and select “English”. On the “Mobile phone number” field, click on the drop-down menu to select your country code. You should then key in your mobile phone number.
Next, move the slider adjacent to the “Verification” field from left to right. At this point, you will get a verification code through a text message to the number you just provided. Enter the 6-digit one-time verification code on the text message into the “Verification Code” box.
Finally, check the checkbox just below the Verification field then click on the “Next” button at the bottom of the page.
➢ Information
Having verified your phone number, you will be taken to the “Information” page. Here, you are supposed to enter your details accurately. The required information includes your email address, preferred username, and password.
Once you have filled in all the required information, click on the orange “Submit” button at the bottom of the page. This concludes your Taobao registration process. You should now get the following message:
c) Add Your Shipping Address
Log into your Taobao account using the username and password you provided while signing up. From the homepage, click the “My Taobao” link then ” Account Settings”, as illustrated below:
Next, select the “Shipping address” tab from the menu that just popped up to the left of your screen. Fill in all the required details accurately. Once done, verify that the information you provided is a curate then click on the blue “Save” button at the bottom.
d) Download and Install the AliWangwang App
While the Taobao mobile app allows you to chat directly with sellers on the platform, their website does not. To communicate with Taobao sellers on your PC, you just have to download and install the Alibaba Wangwang (Aliwangwang) application.
It is essentially an application that was developed by Alibaba for use by Taobao users. As of now, Aliwangwang is the only solution you can use to communicate with Taobao sellers on your PC. The following steps will help you download and install Aliwangwang on your PC:
Download the App
Launch your preferred browser on the PC and navigate to the Aliwangwang official download site. As you can see, the application is offered in two versions: a buyer-oriented app and a Seller-specific app. Be sure to download the customer version of the app, by clicking on it.
Clicking on the download link will take you to another page where you are required to choose your platform—either Windows or Mac. Upon selecting your operating system (OS), the software will automatically download to your computer.
Install Aliwangwang onto Your Computer
After the file has finished downloading, double-click on its executable file to launch the Installation wizard. Some screens may be displayed in Chinese, but you should just click through the installation screens as you would while installing any other software.
Launch and Login
Once installed, launch the Aliwangwang app on your desktop—the same way you open other apps installed on your computer. Next, log into the app using your Taobao username and password. This guide will enlighten you on how to contact and chat with Taobao sellers through the Aliwangwang app.
Step 2: Choose Product(s) and Seller(s)
Taobao is a very diverse marketplace. So, how can you find the right product(s) and supplier(s) to suit your needs? To begin with, you need to translate the webpage and log into your Taobao account, as illustrated above.
Once you are logged in, the following steps will help you find exactly what you are after:
a) Search for the Item(s) You Desire
The easiest way to find whatever you are looking for is to search for it on the Taobao website. In this regard, two different methods may be used to search for products and services on Taobao, as explained below:
➢ Keyword Search
Enter the name of the product you are looking for into the search bar on Taobao then press the “Search” button at the end of the search bar to run a search. You could also search for a keyword that is closely related to the product.
Even with the entire webpage translated into English, the search bar only supports Chinese keywords. In some cases, running a search for English keywords may produce the desired results. However, you should consider translating the keyword(s) into Chinese before running a search for better results.
➢ Reverse Image Search
You could also run a search for the desired products on Taobao using the relevant product image. This happens to be a great way to find similar items in the marketplace. To conduct a reverse image search on Taobao, click on the camera icon towards the end of the search bar.
Next, select the location where the image is saved on your computer. Select the image to upload it then run a search for related items on the website.
Note: You may need to conduct a preliminary keyword search on the platform before the camera icon is displayed on the search bar.
The images you use for the search should be at least 201 X 201 pixels. The picture should also be in one of the supported image formats, including png and jpg formats.
b) Analyze the Search Results
Your keyword or image search on Taobao is likely to yield hundreds, if not thousands of related products by different sellers. It is advisable to examine the various items on your search results and compare them to find a suitable product.
To find the right product on your Taobao search results, you need to:
1. Apply the Relevant Filters
The Taobao website features multiple search filters. Use these filters to narrow your search results down to the most relevant products. Taobao search filters may be used individually or in combination with others to find products that meet the desired criterion.
Some of the commonly used filters on this marketplace include:
· Category – If you happen to search for a broad keyword, Taobao allows you to trim the results down to specific categories and sub-categories that are related to the keyword. Clicking on any category exclusively displays only the products related to that particular category.
· Credit – seller credit on Taobao is a measure of the seller’s credibility and performance on the platform. You could use this filter to sort search results from high- to low-credit suppliers.
· Sales – refers to the number of times a product has been sold in the past. This filter allows you to sort your search results based on demand.
· Popularity – this filter sorts products based on the amount of traffic they receive—in the form of product views.
· Price – you could simply sort products in descending order from the most expensive to the cheapest item or the other way round. Taobao also allows you to set specific price limits (use a lower and upper price limit to view products within a specific price range).
In addition to these, the platform also offers a number of integrated filters. These include such as foreign goods, second-hand goods, return shipping insurance, cash on delivery, and genuine security.
You could use the integrated filters independently or in combination with the main filters discussed above. All these allow you to fine-tune your search results on the website. If used accordingly, Taobao search filters make it easier for you to find exactly what you are looking for in a matter of seconds.
2. Assess the Seller’s Reputation
Now that you have narrowed your search to the precise product specifications you need, the next step is to choose a reputable seller. Suppose you receive the wrong product(s), the items arrive damaged/deformed, or the ordered products are not delivered.
The logical thing to do in such a case would be to request a refund or replacement, right? The truth is that some Taobao sellers are not as straightforward and forthcoming when it comes to returns and refunds. As such, it makes sense to first ascertain your preferred seller’s credibility and decide whether they are worthy of your commitment.
From your filtered search results, click on any product that appears to meet your requirements to open the “Product Page”, as illustrated below:
This page contains much of the information you need to ascertain the suitability of the seller. To do this, pay attention to the following information on the product page:
➢ Seller’s Reputation (shown by pointer 1 on the product page above)
The feedback and reviews system on Taobao allows buyers to rate their sellers/suppliers following the successful completion of each transaction. Based on the products and level of service offered by the seller, buyers can leave a:
· Negative rating – this is considered to be a negative one (-1) points on the rating system
· Neutral – a neutral customer rating on Taobao translates to zero (0) points on the system
· Positive rating – each positive customer rating translates to 1 point
With such a system, a higher number of points indicates that the seller has a large number of satisfied customers and/or has been in business for a considerable period.
With regards to seller reputation, it is advisable to go for the sellers with a higher number of positive customer ratings. The system then assigns the seller the appropriate number and type of symbols to indicate their overall rating, as illustrated in the chart below.
For instance, if the seller has a total of 4 rating points, they will be assigned a heart symbol on the reputation section—Label 1 on the product page image above.
➢ Seller’s Description, Service, and Logistics Scores (As shown by label 2 on the product page image above)
Every product page on Taobao features a “Comments” section. Customers who have been served by the seller may use this section to express their experience dealing with that seller. The rating system requires a verified customer to rate three supplier metrics on a scale of 1 -5.
These metrics are:
· Description – how well did the received product match the seller’s description on their Taobao listing?
· Service – on a scale of 1- 5 points, how do you rate the level of service offered by the seller?
· Logistics – here, the buyer is requires to rate the quality and speed of shipping offered by the seller for the said product.
The buyer rates the seller by awarding them between 1 (the worst rating) and 5 (best rating) for each of the metrics mentioned above. The system will also show you how the buyer’s description, service, and logistics scores compare to the average industry score.
You can find these ratings on the section identified by label 2 on the product page image above. As a rule of the thumb, choose a seller that scores more than 4.5 for each of the metrics. Sellers with such a performance score are considered to be trustworthy and reliable.
➢ When was the Seller’s Store Opened? (Refer to Label 3 on the product page image above)
Taobao will also let you know how long a seller has been active on the platform. Basically, the longer a seller has been in business, the better. However, this is not always the case. If a Taobao seller has been in business for a very long time, they also need to have a large number of transactions to match.
Additionally, such a seller should also have already a diamond raring. While this is the case, it does not necessarily imply that you avoid the sellers with one or two-heart rating. It could mean that the seller is just starting out. Instead, consider other factors like consumer ratings.
For instance, a seller with a two-heart rating could have just 25 sales. If all the 25 sales have been rated positively by the buyers, then this seller is worth a try.
c) Contact Seller Through the Aliwangwang App
At this point, you must have one or two suppliers that appear to meet your requirements. You may turn contact these suppliers directly through the Aliwangwang app. From the product page, click on the Aliwangwang icon—refer to the “Connect” section of the page, as shown by label 4.
You could use this chat functionality to get the finer details and ascertain whether the seller is a good fit. For instance, you could enquire whether the seller supports “seller direct delivery” service. You may also use the opportunity to negotiate the pricing and ask about shipping fees.
You could also ask the seller about the product specifications that are not mentioned on the product page.
d) Add the Product(s) to Your Cart (Refer to Label 5 on the product page image above)
Having verified that the product meets your requirements and is offered by a reputable and reliable seller, you should now add it to your shopping cart on Taobao. From the product page, choose your desired product attributes, such as color, size, and material.
Next, you need to choose the quantity you would like to order for that particular item. Finally, click the orange “Add to cart” button at the bottom of the page.
Step 3: Complete the order and payment
If you wish to checkout right away, just click on the “Buy now” button. Alternatively, you could click the “Add to Cart” button and continue shopping. Once you are ready to place your order and make a payment, simply review your cart, select the items you wish to checkout then click the “Payment” button.
As part of the checkout process, you will be required to:
a) Confirm the Delivery Address
First, you will be prompted to confirm your shipping address. Here, you will be required to enter the appropriate shipping address, name, postal code, and mobile number. You may click the “Make Default” option to make this your default shipping address for future purchases on Taobao.
Once you have entered all the required information, click on the “Save” button to save the changes and proceed to the next step.
b) Choose a Shipping Method
Next, you will be required to choose a method by which you would like to have your products delivered. In this regard, Taobao offers multiple shipping options, including:
· Self-pick-up parts (Label 1)
· Official Direct Mail-Air Freight (Label 2)
· Official Direct Mail-Shipping (Label 3)
· Official Consolidation-Standard Air Freight (Label 4)
· Official Consolidation-Express Air Freight (Label 5)
· Official Consolidation-Economic Shipping (Label 6)
· Contact the Seller to Ship the Goods (Label 7)
To learn more about each shipping method, just click on the blue “Details” link at the end of the method, as illustrated below:
The right shipping method will mainly depend on the nature, size, and weight of the item(s) being shipped. Additionally, you choice of the appropriate Taobao shipping method will also depend on your budget and your preferred transit time.
If you are buying a comparatively small item(s) on Taobao—less than 25kgs in weight—it is advisable to choose the “official consolidation – air freight” method. If you happen to be buying heavier products, such as furniture, you may need to choose the “official consolidation – ship freight”.
For international buyers, Taobao offers the Taobao Global Consolidation and Shipping (Taobao CSCL) service—the official forwarding service for global buyers on the platform. As of now, the service supports about 10 regions, including Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Macau.
All in all, you should choose a shipping method that is both convenient and cost-effective. The various shipping methods on the platform may be grouped into two broad categories, as summarized in the following table.
| Method | Cost-Effective | One-Time Payment | Two-Time Payment |
| Consolidated Shipping | √ | √ | |
| Direct Shipping | √ |
Once done, click on the “Conform Order” button. This will redirect you to the “Confirm Order Information” page.
c) Confirm Order Information
Normally, sellers on the platform tend to set numerous checkout options for their products. Be sure to choose just the options that matter, including:
➢ Message to the Seller (Label 1) – leave a unique message to the seller regarding your order(optional).
➢ Find Somebody to Pay (Label 2) – if you do not have an Alipay account, use this option to ask someone to pay on your behalf.
➢ Anonymous Purchase (Label 3) – this option will prevent other users from searching up what you order, from whom, and when.
Finally, click on the “Submit orders” button to send the order to your seller.
d) Complete the Order Payment
After submitting your order, you will be required to make the first payment. This payment will cover the order value and domestic shipping fees from your seller to the forwarder’s warehouse in China. In this regard, you will be redirected to the Alipay account platform.
Here, your Taobao user name will be assigned an Alipay account. If it is your first time using Alipay, you must create a unique Alipay payment password. Next, you need to choose your preferred payment methods. These are some of the methods you could use:
Alipay Payment (Label 1)
This method is advisable if you wish to ship your products through the Taobao official shipping service. Alipay Payment may be used by shoppers in such regions as Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, US, UK, Singapore, Spain, and Italy.
Credit Card (Label 2)
Taobao supports the major credit cards like MasterCard and Visa. This makes it a viable payment option for internationally buyers from different parts of the globe. Additionally, the platform is said to accept JCB and Diner’s Club cards.
Malaysia E-Banking (Label 3)
This option is ideal for online shoppers in Malaysia or international shoppers who have a Malaysia bank account. It is one of the affordable payment methods on Taobao, attracting a service fee of about 1.5% per transaction.
Alipay Shopping Card (Label 4)
Another great payment option for foreign buyers on Taobao is the popular Alipay gift cards. However, the use of this payment method on Taobao is limited to just a few regions, including Singapore and Australia.
Again, Alipay gift card payments are limited to just 4500 RMB per transaction and 5000 RMB per day.
Note: If you are using direct mail as your shipping method, you will only be required to make one payment.
After you have selected a suitable payment method, click on the blue “Next Step/Continue” button.
e) Make the Second Payment (International Shipping Fees)
If you chose the “Official Consolidation” shipping methods, you will be required to make a second payment. This payment will cover the international shipping costs required to deliver the item(s) to your location.
To do this, navigate to the “Manage Your Parcel” page on your Taobao account.
Next, select the individual parcels you wish to consolidate prior to shipping from this page.
Finally, confirm that the delivery address is accurate and proceed to make the payment as you did with the first payment above.
Step 4: Manage Your Order
Following the first payment, you will be able to monitor the progress on your order from your Taobao account. The check your order Status, navigate to the “Purchased Items” page on your Taobao account.
From this page, you could:
· Contact the seller directly by clicking on the blue Aliwangwang icon (shown by label 1)
· Check your order details by clicking on the “Order details” link (Shown by Label 2)
· View logistics information regarding your order by clicking on “Check Logistics” (Shown by Label 3).
Even with close monitoring, several things can still go wrong with your order at this point. You need to know what to do if something goes wrong. In this case, here are some of the things you need to comprehend:
a) Refund/After-Sale Application
If something goes wrong with the delivery of your ordered items, you may need to get a refund from the seller on Taobao. In such an eventuality, you are advised to first engage with the seller to see if they can help you solve the issue.
If you fail to reach an agreement with the seller or the seller is unresponsive, you may need Taobao to intervene. To help you understand the process, here is a summary of the commonly assigned Status for the order Refund operation process:
| 订单状态 | 如何申请退款/售后 | If the seller agrees to a refund | If the seller refuses to refund | How to cancel refund/after-sale application (Make sure you and the seller have reached an agreement before applying) |
| “The buyer has paid” | [My Taobao]- [Bought baby] -Found the order-[Refund/Return]-[Refund only]. For detailed process, please 【click here to view】 | Full refund Within 48 hours after you apply for a refund, the seller will not process the refund application or agree to the refund application after the deadline. | The seller clicks to ship. The transaction continues as normal. If you still need a refund, it is recommended to initiate a refund and contact the seller. | “My Taobao-Bought Baby- Refund Management ” to find your refund, click [ Cancel Refund ]. |
| “shipped by Seller” | [My Taobao]- [Bought baby] page to find the order, click [Refund/Return], select the type of service and the reason for the refund. For the detailed process, please [click here to view] | Refund/return application is successful 5 days after you apply for a refund, the seller does not respond to the refund application after the deadline, and reaches a refund agreement by default, and refunds directly to the buyer according to the agreement in the refund agreement or enters the return procedure. | The seller refuses the refund application, and the member can choose to “modify the refund application” or ” require Taobao to intervene in processing “. For the detailed process, please [click here to view] | “My Taobao-Bought Baby- Refund Management ” to find your refund, click [Cancel Refund]. Reminder: the buyer has returned the goods and the customer service has intervened in the processing of the transaction can not be canceled and refunded |
| The order is shown as “waiting for payment from the buyer” | This status means that you have not successfully “paid”, and the buyer and seller can close the transaction after negotiation, or let the seller close it or the system automatically closes it over time. If you find that the order is in this state after the bank deduction , please don’t worry, Alipay will reconcile your bank reconciliation on the next working day and refund your repeated payment! | / | / | Reminder: There will be a limit of 5 operations for the buyer to close the transaction per day. After 5 operations, it can only be closed by the seller. |
| The order is shown as “transaction closed” | This transaction status indicates that the transaction has ended and it is not possible to apply for a refund. For details, please [click here to view] | / | / | / |
| Apply for after-sales | Within 15 days of successful transaction, [My Taobao]- [Bought baby] , find the corresponding order, and click [Apply for after-sales service]. For the detailed process, please [click here to view] | Refund/return application is successful 5 days after you apply for a refund, the seller does not respond to the refund application after the deadline, and reaches a refund agreement by default, and refunds directly to the buyer according to the agreement in the refund agreement or enters the return procedure. | The seller refuses the refund application, and the member can choose to “modify the refund application” or ” require Taobao to intervene in processing “. For the detailed process, please [click here to view] | “My Taobao”-“Refund Rights Protection”-” After-sales Management “-Find the corresponding rights protection in the “Taobao After-sales Service Record”, click “View Details”, and click “Cancel After-sales/Refund Application” in the middle of the page. Reminder: There is only one opportunity for after-sales rights protection, and it will not be possible to re-initiate it after revocation. |
Note: Taobao allows you to apply for a Refund/Return up to 20 days after receiving the item(s). If you happen to have concerns with the ordered products within 15 days of completing the transaction, initiate “After-Sales”. This will ensure that your rights are protected.
Conclusion
Buying products directly from Taobao appears to be a lucrative sourcing option for businesses and individual consumers alike. The online e-Commerce platform presents you with a diverse range of products at the best price points.
To buy, from Taobao sellers, you first need to translate the webpages from Chinese using Google translate. You should then open an account on the platform and add your shipping address. To avoid the uncertainties that come with online shopping, you should consider hiring the best Taobao sourcing agents.
Right from sourcing and warehousing to branding and third-party logistics, we will take care of everything to guarantee accurate and timely order fulfillment. Otherwise, this guide will equip you with all the necessary steps for you to buy directly from Taobao.