7 Pro Tips to use TAOBAO.COM

Author: Saahil

IIC contributor, Wuhan

Just follow 7 simple steps and you will be ready to shop online on Taobao in less than few minutes.

If you plan on living in China for an augmented timeframe, you will definitely need to use some online shopping sites like we are used to FlipKart, Snapdeal, Jabong etc., in India. Similar to that we have Taobao.com in China which is the biggest web based shopping website in China. Shockingly, despite being the biggest online shopping platform, Tabao does not have an English version. So, if your Chinese language skill is not good you will not be able to shop online via Taobao. Not to worry, by the end of this article you will be able to do so. I will try to make it as simple as possible, for you to understand Taobao.

Before getting started you need 4 things:

1. E-mail address
   2. Chinese mobile number (Chinese SIM Card)
   3. Address in China (To get the home delivery of the product)
   4. Bank Card (Visa, Master Card, PCB, or PPS for foreign cards for the online payment) [Taobao doesn’t offer Cash on Delivery for majority of products]

Step-1
Signing Up

Go to www.taobao.com. Signing up is very similar to many other websites. On the top left corner of the webpage you will find “Sign Up”

Step-2

A pop up will appear; Click the red button on that.

Step-3

Provide your phone number and slide the bar.

Step-4

On sliding the bar a picture pops up with Chinese characters. Not to worry, it is just like a CAPTCHA. Just click on the matching character on the picture. (No Chinese language skills required)

Step- 5

Then you will receive a text message (SMS) from Taobao.com with a six digit number put that in the blank space and hit the red button at the bottom.

Step-6

Choose your password and fill in the first blank and repeat the same in the second box. Then type in a username of your choice [Your First name or, nick name]. Now hit the Continue button (red colored button at the bottom)

Now, your Taobao account is ready to use. Go to the Homepage and Sign in with your User Name /Mobile Number and use the password as you set earlier.

Step-7
Set your Address

A drop down will appear, click on the Account Management

Click on the Shipping Address

On clicking that you will be directed to set delivery address page. Fill in your Address (better get your address translated in Chinese). Fill your Name, Phone number and Click on the Red colour button in the bottom to save it.

Now you are done.!!

Bonus

Pro Tip 

The chat icon is blue if the merchant is online and available to chat with. If you are good in speaking Chinese, you can speak directly to the merchant and ask for the product details before purchasing or even after the items are delivered. Reliable suppliers on Taobao are active and can be easily reachable, and it’s possible to even bargain. Depending upon the item, you will see several boxes where you can specify your preference of the product like colour, size, etc. Make sure to choose something rather than nothing, or else you can expect a call from the supplier asking you what you want in Chinese. You can see many other icons next to the product picture. The following glossary will make you pro at shopping on Taobao.

On the next article I will be telling you all about AliPay. Keep  visiting IndiansInChina.com and for the latest updates

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