anyone using taobao (chinese ebay)

zerog

paddyrg wrote: »

Without realising the age of the OP, I tried the search. Part of the problem of using online translations...

Did not find the baby with " 867837267 "

Brilliant ;-)

No, it's just a sort of pun, they just call all their products their babies.

Charshy

I love Taobao, I have done about 3-4 orders now. Mostly clothes - I'm quite petite and often find UK shop clothes don't suit me (usually too big in the bust and hip), so I've done very well!

Some stuff I sold on eBay after getting it (wasn't as nice as I hoped etc.) but also got some great bargains. A bit like shopping on eBay, really!

My preferred agent is Taobaonow.com because they use a shopping cart system, rather than having to manually work out all the fees and such. :cool: They charge a 10% fee, which is higher than some other agents (taobaoring I believe is 8%), but I like their service and shopping cart system. Personal preference, says I.

For weightier or more expensive items I'll still buy UK-size for my consumer protection, getting more info, cheaper shipping/customs. It's knowing what's best to get on Taobao.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i was going to ask, how can i translate it into english,

Charshy

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

i was going to ask, how can i translate it into english,

Hi triker, I use Google translate on individual blocks of text, but largely I allow my agent (taobaonow) to handle any queries I have re: sizing, can I order custom sizes, colours, etc. Also do a google for "taobao dictionary", people have already made spreadsheets of commonly-wanted items you can use for your search items using Chinese characters (hanzi).

You will not be able to buy from taobao without an agent - you need a Chinese bank account/card and honestly, it would be quicker AND cheaper to just pay an agent the fee to handle it. 10% of the transaction is a drop in the pond compared to savings made, just don't forget international postage is expensive, you won't necessarily save mega-money unless you're buying small, light things!

J400uk

Has anyone else tried the agents, or is taobaonow.com generally reccomended? I'm tempted to give it a try but nervous about been scammed! Struggling to find UK reviews of agents.

Brooker_Dave

J400uk wrote: »

Has anyone else tried the agents, or is taobaonow.com generally reccomended? I'm tempted to give it a try but nervous about been scammed! Struggling to find UK reviews of agents.

Is there anything on there that's not on the more western friendly dhgate/aliexpress/dx ?

steveo3002

ok ive used it a fair bit sinse my first question

used 2 agents , the first was fine but now only takes western union

i now use yoybuy.com , theyve been very reliable and give you the price for all the differant shippers (standard airmail seems fastest atm)

for me the stuff i buy works out cheap , but it adds up as you get stiffed on converting to dollars , plus all thier fee's etc

they will mark the package at whatever value you wish too

edit..view the site with google chrome and it translates

J400uk

Will check out yoybuy.com. Do any of the recommended agents allow PayPal? Western Union always makes me a bit suspicious.

steveo3002

not many do now , they used to but paypal stopped it im told

unless you have a paypal card ..id guess you can use that

steveo3002

heres an example of my last purchase

2% fee for using visa

item $18.21
shipping to uk $11.70 (760grams) standard airmail
service fee $5.69
china customs fee $1.30
insurance $ 1.13

plus any uk customs fees when it arrives -plus any exh fee's to convert to dollars