Online shopping has become the go-to source for nearly anything and everything, making products from around the world so much more accessible and available for lower prices. There is no longer a need to go out from store to store looking for what you need, when you can search online quickly and find exactly what you want, while also being able to compare prices and have it shipped right to you. Why fight traffic, deal with crowded shops, and have to travel from store to store to compare prices? It’s no wonder online shopping has become so popular. At the top of the online retail rankings is China’s Taobao, where online shopping has become one of the most popular ways to search for and order products at incredible prices.
If you have not yet set up a Taobao account, you will want to get one started right away so you can start enjoying your online shopping experience and get in on some great deals. Getting started is easy, and in just a few steps you can have your account set up and be browsing and shopping for some amazing products at fantastic prices. Here’s how to get started:
1. Download The App
The first step in getting started is downloading the app, where you can login and begin to create an account. Look up your country code to add to your phone number when going through your registration. All you will need to enter to get your account set up is your mobile number, so it’s incredibly fast and easy to get started. You will have to read and agree to the Terms and Conditions, then you will be sent a one-time code by SMS text. Simply enter your code into the app, and you are all set up! Now you can start shopping!
2. Start Shopping
Search by category or enter a specific product you are looking for in the search bar. You are able to filter the search results by price, brand and more. Product reviews can give you a better idea of what previous customers think of that particular product, to help you make a purchase decision.
If you have any questions or run into difficulties while you are shopping, a convenient chat feature lets you ask your questions and get assistance. Once you are ready to make a purchase, add the item to your cart and either continue shopping or checkout.
3. Complete Your Purchase
You have found everything you are looking for and now you’re ready to finalize and pay for your purchases. Just click on the shopping cart icon, where all of the items you have added to your cart will be displayed. You can either choose specific items to finalize those purchases or choose ‘Select all’ to confirm you wish to purchase all of the items in your cart. Then, click ‘Payment’, where you can enter your payment details, shipping address and contact information.
How To Save Money on Taobao
Online shopping can be a very fun experience, giving you the chance to search for and find unique products from all around the globe that you may have previously not had access to, or may have been quite difficult to obtain. For more than 15 years, Taobao has offered an increasing number of products at competitive prices, making them experts in handling large volumes of orders and deliveries. But there are some ways you can save even more money when shopping on Taobao. Let’s take a look at some of the tricks you can use to get the best deal while shopping.
1. Merge Your Orders Together
If you are ordering a few different products, Taobao gives you the option to send everything together in one shipment. This can save you a lot on your shipping costs, especially if you are outside of China. Shipping costs are calculated based on the weight of the package, with the first 500g having the highest cost. After that first 500g, the additional weight added has a much lower cost per 500g. So, if you are shipping in multiple packages, you are paying that high rate for the first 500g over and over.
2. Promotional Days Are Great For Finding A Deal
Although Taobao offers products at great prices on any given day, shopping on promotional days is a great opportunity to find even better deals. Being an online retailer, they have to compete with all other online retailers as well as physical, in-person shops. This means that they’ll have to put up some pretty spectacular offers on these big days to bring in the most customers. One of China’s biggest promotional days of the year is 11.11 day, or November 11th. Get familiar with the annual promotional days on the calendar and prepare ahead to scope out the deals Taobao is offering on those days.
3. Choose The Types Of Items Are You Buying Carefully
Because shipping costs are calculated based on weight, sometimes you can end up paying more in shipping costs than expected, making what seems like a good deal not so great anymore. You can instead search for your heavier things, like furniture and appliances, within your own region because even if you are paying more for the product, you are likely not paying nearly as much for shipping.
If you are shipping internationally, it usually makes more sense to buy heavier items domestically within your own region, and buy lighter products online. “Clothing is always a great choice to purchase from Taobao because it’s so lightweight that you can get a good amount of items and still keep your shipping costs fairly low, even if you are shipping internationally,” says Janelle, a writer at UK Writings.
4. Special Seller Discounts
Periodically, sellers are known to offer special discounts for many of their items. The most common sellers to participate in this are those who sell clothing, shoes and childrens toys. Check back often to see if any items you are interested in have been discounted, so you can grab them while they are even cheaper.
5. Be Aware Of Agent Fees
Not paying attention to the agent fees being charged can end up costing you big time – not only in the fees you are paying, but also if you end up falling victim to a scam agent. Look for service agents that determine their fees based on the cost of your items as well as the delivery fee. Most agents will charge a service fee between 8% to 10%, so use this as a starting point to determine what you can expect to pay.
6. Know The Taxes
Each country has its own taxes imposed on goods brought into the country. Before you checkout online, be sure to check out the customs fees you will be paying to accept your order into the country. Depending on the value of the product and the type of product, the customs fees will vary. You will also want to ensure that those products you are importing into the country are not prohibited. Being aware of the customs fees you will be expected to pay when your products are delivered ensures you are still getting a good deal. Ordering without this information means you could end up paying more than if you got the product within your country.
7. Buy Multiple Items From The Same Seller
Ordering all of your products from the same seller can almost always save you money in delivery fees. Because the seller will only be paying one delivery fee for the single package, they can usually offer discounted shipping. If each product is ordered from a different seller, each one will have no option but to charge you a separate delivery fee. As much as possible, try to keep your purchases to a single seller to keep your delivery fees down and get the best deal.
8. Pay In Chinese Yuan (CNY)
You actually have the opportunity to save even more money if you choose to pay in Chinese Yuan. If you are shopping on your mobile app, you may not have the option to change the currency you pay in. However, a way to get around this is to use a desktop computer to pay with your YouTrip card, because the default currency will be Chinese Yuan.
Online shopping is now the preferred way to shop for nearly everything. Get yourself set up with a Taobao account so you can become part of the ever-growing community of happy shoppers. With a great selection of good quality products and unbeatable prices, it’s no wonder Taobao has gained in popularity and continues to be the online spot for an increasing number of shoppers.
Taobao offers a great experience to shop for nearly anything you could want, at great prices. Knowing these tricks to finding even better deals can help you save even more, making your online shopping experience that much better – and keeping the balance in your bank account that much higher!
