How to shop at Taobao

Quite a few people asked me again and again how exactly do I shop at Taobao. So I was thinking why not do a blog post about it and let everyone see and have an idea how do you exactly shop at Taobao. 

I was a noob at first too, because it's really quite complicated, but once you know the steps and started buying stuffs from there for the first time, you will get the grip and know the process and you will find that it's actually quite easy to shop there. :D

Step 1:

Go to www.taobao.com. Type what you want to find/buy at the box (black oval).

Step 2:

For example, if you're looking for ombre cut-out/exposed shoulders top, type in the keywords 变色露肩 and there you go, a list of results according to the keywords you typed are all displayed out. 

If you can't read mandarin, SORRY but I really don't know how to help you. :((( I won't suggest you use a language translator because most of the time the results are not reliable... So you might need a friend who knows how to read and understand mandarin to help you!

Even if you know how to read mandarin, you also need to know what keywords to type in! It's almost like direct translate from English. For example ombre means 变色 and cut-out/exposed shoulders means 露肩. But some words may not be the case... like chiffon means 雪纺. And you go "HUHHH????". Haha yea I feel you. But once you shop frequently, you will know what keywords for which type of clothings (patterns, material etc). Good luck on that!

Step 3:

Browse through the pages and choose the cheapest one!!!

 Click on the cheapest one...

and you will arrive to the item page!

Some item maybe have measurements, some may not have. So do take note! Majority of the bottoms will have la... and also all the sizes and colour etc. AGAIN, you must know how to read mandarin in order to understand all the information that are stated there. Translator may help! 

 Scroll down the page for my pictures and information!

Step 4:

Add up the price!

Black colour means the price of the item (价格), red colour means the China domestic shipping(快递), green colour will display all the sizing, colour and quantity you want to order. 

For the shipping, as you see there are two kinds: 快递 and EMS. We will add the 快递 fee on top of the item price ONLY. Just ignore the EMS. (Some 快递 may be 0.00元 which means ¥0, which also means free china domestic shipping like what some blogshops says $24 mailed which also means normal mail is included.)

Do note that some item may not have sizing or colour. Some shop may display many colour for one clothing but only sells ONE colour so you must make sure to refer to the "green rectangle" I've drew it out to see if they have the colour you want. For example they may show pictures of the white/black/pink/green colour of the design but only sells black and pink. So be very sure to select the correct colour and size (if applicable)!

Step 5:

Save to your shopping cart!

You may save all your items on Taobao (which is the blue colour rectangle) but Taobao only allows you to up to 20 items so it may not be enough! Sometimes Taobao just delete all the items you save at your shopping cart unknowingly and you have to search and save again!!! >:( 

So after lesson learnt, I've grew smart and save my Taobao items now at www.sgshop.com! 

All you have to do is to register an account and you can start piling up your items on your shopping cart! :)

Step 6:

Copy your Taobao item page url and paste it on the red box as seen below and press "Express".

And something like this will pop out:

Sgshop.com makes it more convenient for us as they can automatically capture the item information and price directly from the website so you can save time copying and pasting! All you need to do is to adjust the domestic shipping (快递) fee accordingly as their default fee is ¥20. In this case, the ombre cut-out/exposed shoulder top China domestic shipping fee is ¥10.

And press SUMBIT! And you've successfully saving your item into your shopping cart! =D

Step 7:

Find a reliable agent!

It's such a pity that we can't order from Taobao straight away because we don't have a china credit card. :( Even if you own one, you also need a place at China/Shanghai in order for the shop owner to mail it to your house! They can't possibly ship over to Singapore. So that's when we need a agent.

I ordered twice before, first time from spreeculture and second time I ordered together with my friend ourselves (since her dad is at Shanghai).

***DISCLAIMER: I am just recommending an agent to you guys. I ordered before and nothing goes wrong so I assume they are reliable. You can choose not to use my agent and find one yourself, the choice is up to you.***

Spreeculture website

Find a Taobao spree! Do note that different spree has different way of ordering, exchange rate and also international shipping fee, SO READ BEFORE ORDERING. There are some that offers meet ups at west area which is suitable for me, so I will always go for that (one of them is ijustwannajoin). Again, choice is up to you. I'm just offering suggestions.

All the necessary ordering information and T&Cs.

If you don't understand any of the information stated at their page, be sure to ask them and clear your doubts before you start ordering. It's important!! You don't blur blur and follow the flow.

If you're wondering why there's two payment:

1st payment consists of the item price + china domestic shipping (follow their format if you're going to calculate). Once you transfer your 1st payment to them, they will verify the payment and then order the item(s) from the various Taobao shops. Once the spree is close and everything has arrived (including other people stuffs that they have ordered from the spree), spree owners will weigh your item(s) and calculate according to their international shipping fee as stated. They will then email you how much you need to pay for your 2nd payment. Once you've transfer the money and they verified it, they will then pass it you by meet-ups or postage (depends on what you want).

Do check your email frequently if you join their spree! They will constantly email and update you regarding your item(s) status and etc.
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Good thing about Taobao is that their things are REALLY very cheap. Even after adding the international shipping fee, it is also very cheap. Bad thing is that it may be confusing and difficult to order from there for some people, and the waiting time is usually quite long (3-4 weeks). But for me, my mindset is that, if it's cheap, I don't mind waiting. Hahaha. Yes very typical aunty mindset. It's like $10 for one piece of clothing leh..... If you mind waiting, then you will have to buy from those blogshops that sells the exactly identical piece in Taobao but price is like 2-3 times more than that of Taobao. You choose!


I really hope this long and naggy post helps you guys out there that have many problems and questions when shopping at Taobao. For further questions, you can comment below, formspring me or also email me. :)

Happy shopping! ^.^