{"id":33365,"date":"2024-06-27T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T22:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=33365"},"modified":"2024-06-27T18:13:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T10:13:40","slug":"taobao-shopping-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/taobao-shopping-guide","title":{"rendered":"How To Shop On Taobao Directly (If You Can\u2019t Read Chinese)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have probably heard of Taobao, the e-commerce website that has won the hearts of online shoppers with its low price tags.<\/p>\n

The downside is that it\u2019s all in Chinese. For those who can\u2019t read the language, making a purchase on Taobao can be a headache – we could ask our Chinese literate friends, but that takes away the freedom and fun of online shopping.<\/p>\n

Although Taobao has partnered with popular online shops, such as Lazada, being able to purchase directly allows you access to its extensive shopping categories.<\/p>\n

Since we are sticklers about saving money and are always on the hunt for a good bargain, we are going to guide you through Taobao, so you don\u2019t have to miss out any longer.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Homepage overview<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

This will be the first thing you see once you open the\u00a0Taobao website<\/a><\/u>. To make this easier, we have created a diagram to indicate the main buttons for your shopping ease.<\/p>\n

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Quick tips<\/strong><\/div>
Remember to first change the country to Malaysia (\u9a6c\u6765\u897f\u4e9a) in the top left corner of the page, so that the prices will be reflected in RM on the product pages.<\/div><\/div>\n

Since we can\u2019t translate the whole website for you, Google Chrome comes in handy, yet again.<\/p>\n

First download and install\u00a0Google Chrome<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/u>(if you haven\u2019t already), and head over to the Taobao page. After picking your category, just simply click on this icon on your Google Chrome address bar. (As shown below)<\/p>\n

\"taobao<\/a><\/p>\n

How the page looks before translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How the page looks after translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The translation is admittedly not perfect. However, it does a well enough job in helping the non-Chinese speakers get by.<\/p>\n

Now with that out of the way, let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

<\/span>1. Register and login<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

This will be a breeze because they have an English option on the right side of the page. Refer to the screenshot below, if you can\u2019t find it. Just click on that and fill up the blanks as you normally would with any other website.<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t worry, you don\u2019t need to translate your name to Chinese, as English letters can be used for your username and password.<\/p>\n

This also requires your phone number, as a verification code will be sent to you via SMS to complete your registration.<\/p>\n

After that, you should be automatically logged in. You\u2019ll now be able to change edit your profile and password via account management and enter your shipping address so you can receive goods.<\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t logged in, just click on the login button as indicated on the homepage overview above.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the translated login form for your convenience.\"TaoBao\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span>2. Browsing for choices <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve registered and logged in, it\u2019s time to scroll through the inventory to fill up your shopping cart. Just click on categories and there will be a a new menu filled with all sorts of categories for you to explore.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, if you know exactly what you\u2019re looking for, you can type the English name of the item in the search bar and the website will detect it. However, due to the unreliability of Google translation (seldom, but happens), you can also\u00a0search by image<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Search by image<\/h4>\n

Simply leave the Taobao search bar empty and click search. This will bring you to the search page. Then just look for an image of an item that you are looking for, then click on the camera icon on the Taobao search bar to do an image search.<\/p>\n

\"taobao\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When a dialogue box pops up, search for the image of the item you would like to purchase. Click on the orange button next to the camera icon to search. A list of search results will appear below.<\/p>\n

With this search option, you may even specify which area of the image you would like to search. For example, an image with multiple products:<\/p>\n

\"taobao\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first step is to click on the image below the Taobao logo on the top left corner, then when a bigger image pops up, move the image highlight to the product you would like to search for. Lastly, click on \u201cConfirm\u201d to search.<\/p>\n

In this example, you will be able to see a list of wallets available on Taobao or Tmall for your browsing.<\/p>\n

\"taobao\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Compare seller prices<\/h4>\n

Additionally, if you wanted to\u00a0compare seller prices on an item<\/strong>, you can hover your mouse over the product and a \u201cfind the same\u201d and \u201cfind similar\u201d button will be shown. Clicking on this will bring you to a list to sellers with the same or similar item \u2013 by doing this, you can get the lowest price for your item!<\/p>\n

\"taobao\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, below is the translated version of a product page after you\u2019ve clicked on an item \u2013 the English may not be perfect but it\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n

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The product page will indicate how much the item is in RM and which country it will be delivered from (as shown above). It also states what delivery options are available \u2013 direct shipping and global consolidate shipping (cargo), which we will discuss later.<\/p>\n

Quick tips<\/strong><\/div>
Add items you are contemplating buying into your shopping cart. You can always remove them from your shopping cart at checkout if you decide not to purchase them. This will avoid the hassle of having to scour through the website again to find that one item you wanted.<\/div><\/div>\n
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<\/span>3. Checking out your items<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you have finalised your shopping cart and are left with things you want to purchase, it\u2019s time to check out. This process is straightforward and just like any other online e-commerce website.<\/p>\n