In the past year or so there has been a surge in Storenvy shops that resell taobao items at a 300% or more markup.
I remember the first time I found out .... and I was less than impressed.
Taobao is a really easy shop to use, once you figure out how to use it, and even with SS fees your items would still end up being cheaper than buying from a resell shop.
Depending on who you ask you will get different answers on which way is best, it took me ages of looking into every shopping service to eventually order for the first time.
What is Taobao? :: Taobao has been described as a sort of Chinese eBay
Why do you need a shopping service? :: Most shops on Taobao only ship within China, and although they are rolling out some international thingy .... Im not smart enough to even start to figure out how that works.
Which shopping service should I use? :: This is an answer that will change depending on who you talk to. I use Taobaoring as its very simple and they are always fast at replying to emails and very helpful (and their English is v. good).
I dont speak Chinese...? :: Just browse in google chrome and use the translate feature, and dont forget to translate your search words before clicking enter! Failing that, you could always follow one of the many taobao tumblr blogs and let them do all of the hard finding work.
I follow about four and reblog the items im interested in onto a side tumblr so that when I eventually want to make an order I have a neat and easy list.
How do I use Taobaoring? :: Its really simple, I mean even I can figure it out so Im sure you can too!
Okay so, when I decided to make a Taobao order I usually have an idea of what im looking for and what I want to buy. I then log into Taobaoring and click on 'Quick Order'
I then paste the link of the item that I want into the item link box and click the green button which says 'get it!'
Input the required information and click Add to my cart.
If I have a question about the item (such as shoe size confirmation) I will write it in the Remark section and when the Agent starts confirming your items they will reply
After you have confirmed you will have to wait for a confirmation email that all of your items are in stock, if the item you want isnt in stock under the available column there will be a no and you will not be able to buy it.
Then when all of the items have either been confirmed as being in stock or not you can make your first payment!!
For some reason I forgot to take any screenshots for this but if you scroll down the method is exactly the same as the second payment however it is made up of the cost of the items, the domestic shipping to TBR warehouse and TBRs fees.
You can make your payment lots of different ways however I always choose to make mine through PayPal! When using PayPal there is an extra fee which is 4.4% + 0.03USD
When you have payed TBR will purchase your items and then you have to wait until your items arrive!
You can log into Taobaoring and check your orders list or you can wait for the email!
When you receive it you can then log in and check out the photos! Taobaoring take photos of your items so that you can check that everything is OK!
If you are happy with everything then you can pay the second payment! -its only international shipping!
Click the red $Pay button under Status in the Summary box and ->
You will then receive a confirmation email.
Once your items have been shipped all you really have to do is be patient and wait for them to arrive!
Im super patient so long shipping times don't really bother me..
Ive made several orders in the past and I've never been given extra custom fees *touch wood* so I don't know how Taobaoring does it but I'm v. grateful!!!
When your items arrive I suggest you open the package and ... well.... if you have a blog take photos
I hope this was helpful for you!!
My screenshots are from different orders as this has been a post I've been writing for a while.. hopefully they didn't confuse you.
I wish you the best of luck with your future Taobao orders!
and don't be stupid like me and never check the sellers rating... its like eBay, there are good sellers and bad sellers and its up to you to pick which you buy from!!!!
Hannah
I remember the first time I found out .... and I was less than impressed.
Taobao is a really easy shop to use, once you figure out how to use it, and even with SS fees your items would still end up being cheaper than buying from a resell shop.
Depending on who you ask you will get different answers on which way is best, it took me ages of looking into every shopping service to eventually order for the first time.
What is Taobao? :: Taobao has been described as a sort of Chinese eBay
Why do you need a shopping service? :: Most shops on Taobao only ship within China, and although they are rolling out some international thingy .... Im not smart enough to even start to figure out how that works.
Which shopping service should I use? :: This is an answer that will change depending on who you talk to. I use Taobaoring as its very simple and they are always fast at replying to emails and very helpful (and their English is v. good).
I dont speak Chinese...? :: Just browse in google chrome and use the translate feature, and dont forget to translate your search words before clicking enter! Failing that, you could always follow one of the many taobao tumblr blogs and let them do all of the hard finding work.
I follow about four and reblog the items im interested in onto a side tumblr so that when I eventually want to make an order I have a neat and easy list.
How do I use Taobaoring? :: Its really simple, I mean even I can figure it out so Im sure you can too!
Okay so, when I decided to make a Taobao order I usually have an idea of what im looking for and what I want to buy. I then log into Taobaoring and click on 'Quick Order'
I then paste the link of the item that I want into the item link box and click the green button which says 'get it!'
Input the required information and click Add to my cart.
If I have a question about the item (such as shoe size confirmation) I will write it in the Remark section and when the Agent starts confirming your items they will reply
If you are unsure of a size of something and would rather confirm your order asap, instead of emailing and waiting for a reply you can leave your question in the Remark box and when they are confirming your items they will reply.
In my example from a previous order I wasnt sure on the shoe sizing so I asked, although in the info it says Size(34) when ordering they ordered 39 and that is what I received.
When I am satisfied with the items that I have chosen I scroll down and click Continue and get the chance to choose my shipping method as well as confirm my address and #number.
Further down the page I get a chance to leave a message for my TBR agent. If the item(s) are selling out fast and you need them to confirm faster so you can pay and get the item, just let them know. If I order a lot of items I tend to leave a message asking them to keep me updated with shipping costs and wether they think splitting the parcel would be a good idea.
(Once they emailed me to let me know that EMS shipping was the same price as AIR for some reason and if I wanted they could switch it for me so I could get my stuff faster)
After you have confirmed you will have to wait for a confirmation email that all of your items are in stock, if the item you want isnt in stock under the available column there will be a no and you will not be able to buy it.
Then when all of the items have either been confirmed as being in stock or not you can make your first payment!!
For some reason I forgot to take any screenshots for this but if you scroll down the method is exactly the same as the second payment however it is made up of the cost of the items, the domestic shipping to TBR warehouse and TBRs fees.
You can make your payment lots of different ways however I always choose to make mine through PayPal! When using PayPal there is an extra fee which is 4.4% + 0.03USD
When you have payed TBR will purchase your items and then you have to wait until your items arrive!
You can log into Taobaoring and check your orders list or you can wait for the email!
When you receive it you can then log in and check out the photos! Taobaoring take photos of your items so that you can check that everything is OK!
Click the red $Pay button under Status in the Summary box and ->
If you choose to pay via Paypal will then get transferred to Paypals website for you to complete the transaction before being redirected back to Taobaoring.
You will then receive a confirmation email.
Im super patient so long shipping times don't really bother me..
Ive made several orders in the past and I've never been given extra custom fees *touch wood* so I don't know how Taobaoring does it but I'm v. grateful!!!
When your items arrive I suggest you open the package and ... well.... if you have a blog take photos
I hope this was helpful for you!!
My screenshots are from different orders as this has been a post I've been writing for a while.. hopefully they didn't confuse you.
I wish you the best of luck with your future Taobao orders!
and don't be stupid like me and never check the sellers rating... its like eBay, there are good sellers and bad sellers and its up to you to pick which you buy from!!!!
Hannah
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