How to buy and deliver goods on Taobao in Russia. I am a mediator, sharing my experience

I work for a logistics company that transports goods from China to Russia. Everyone has already reached the classic AliExpress and usually orders goods from it. But in China there are so many marketplaces that it’s dizzying. For example, Taobao (TaoBao).

Visually, it looks something like the AliExpress platform, but in reality… I tell you how in reality in my article. At the same time, I’ll show you what interesting fish there are.

What is Taobao

One of the main features of Taobao is its scale. There is a huge selection of retail goods from millions of sellers, you can find literally anything.

I would highlight several categories that we usually sell on Taobao. Of course, these are clothes. It is probably bought as often as on AliExpress. From casual items to evening dresses, from sportswear to fashion accessories.

Next come smartphones, laptops, gadgets, and household appliances. They buy any new items here, including those that left Russia.

And, of course, this is a real paradise for women. From quality cosmetics to skin and hair care products!

They also buy goods for the home and garden, children’s toys, sports equipment, auto parts, accessories for cars and motorcycles.

But, as an honest person, I must mention a couple of disadvantages. The main thing is Taobao’s focus on the Chinese market. The application interface and the site language are entirely in Chinese, which is not very convenient. Yes, you can translate, but the translation is not always correct.

However, most sellers communicate exclusively in their native language. Online translators often save the day.

Another point is that goods are delivered only within China. Therefore, before you start ordering, you will have to find an intermediary company that would bring everything to you in Russia.

How to find intermediaries

The right choice of intermediary is the solution to all issues related to customs clearance, delivery, insurance and purchase of products. You can find several companies on the Internet at once.
First, make sure it has an office in the cities where the suppliers are located.

Secondly, be sure to find out how long the organization operates. The bigger, the better. During this time, the company will have a network of good suppliers.

Thirdly, company employees must know spoken Chinese. If this is not the case, then why are you still communicating with the company?

As for the cost of services, most companies charge between 5 and 15%. There is also such a thing that a percentage will be paid from the order amount.

This is the minimum requirement. I will tell you about everything else in detail next time.

How to register on Taobao

In my experience, I felt that Taobao likes to be mischievous. If you want to watch something or only criminals will order without registration, you will immediately be kicked off the page. Yes, this does not happen to everyone and not always, but it’s better not to waste time and register.

I show you how to register from a smartphone in 2 steps.

1. Register with Alipay

We’ll start with the complex payment system Alipay. This is necessary so that the Taobao system will perceive us as one of its own and not block us. To register, take a number that has not previously been used when registering on other marketplaces.

download Alipay and install it. Next, select your country, enter your phone number, agree to the terms of use and write down the code that you will receive.

After registration, fill in your personal information. You can also undergo verification using your international passport. Practice has shown that such a risk of account blocking can lead to risk.

2. Registration on Taobao

Next, go to the application store, download and install Taobao (Android, iOS). The phone number you provided in Alipay will be your login on the marketplace. Open the application we agree With everything offered, go to your Personal Account.

Select login using Alipay and again we agree with everything offered.
You will be transferred to your Alipay account. Here you need inclusion with compliance. After this you will register.

How to find good products on Taobao

We go into the card and see what data needs to be carefully studied:

▪️ Availability of a gold medal icon. This is the “Golden Supplier” status, it is given not to just anyone, but only to the most reliable seller. Usually these people have been on Taobao for a long time, they have a crystal clear reputation.

▪️ Let’s look at how many years the supplier has been in business.

▪️ Rating. It consists of sales volume. I strongly advise you to cooperate with those who have at least 3 crystals. This means that such a seller has conducted more than 1000 transactions. At the same time, check the verification of documents, this is a must-have.

▪️ Amount of guarantee obligations. Ask the seller, reluctantly, to return you money if something goes wrong.

▪️ Service level. Personal observations and customer experience show that the choice is suppliers with 4.5 points. They are usually comfortable to work with and do not cause inflammation of the buttocks. Points are calculated as follows: the description really matches the reality of the product, the level of service is really cool, and how quickly the seller ships and delivers.

Do you also want me to tell you a secret? You will be head and shoulders above other users if you do not limit this information and go to look at the same supplier page. It contains the address, brand, number of products and reviews of them. Immediately check the address on the maps and see where the company is located.

There is a video broadcast here

They are provided both by sellers and bloggers. According to statistics, Taobao Live is watched by 600,000,000 people per year.

On the one hand, nothing is incomprehensible, because the Chinese communicate here only in Chinese. Unexpected, right? On the other hand, you can see the product from all sides, beg for a discount coupon and even win something (but it’s difficult). I think it’s cool.

4 useful tips for shopping on Taobao

Enter the product name in Chinese.. This will greatly expand your search. And it doesn’t matter that from Chinese you only remember the good old Sun Horseradish In Tea. Go to DeepL and enjoy life. I use it all the time, it’s my favorite.

Use the online dictionary zhonga.ru. Here you can search for entire phrases, not words. You can also go to the forum (it smelled like the wool of ancient Chinese mammoths, yeah) and ask how something is translated. Or help you find the right hieroglyph. True, the forum is now half-dead, I would not rely on it 100%.

Read reviews. Yes, among them there will be scammers, but there are still ten times more buyers. Usually people post reviews with photos, so you can always see what you are actually ready to buy. Negative reviews are in a separate tab, you should definitely look at them.

Learn to trade with sellers. Remember the last time you were at the market (yes, the one where you have to stand on a piece of cardboard in the bitter cold) and tried to bring down the price? You should also trade with suppliers on Taobao in the same way. You should be polite and apply directly for discounts. But remember that it’s not worth getting too impudent; no one is obliged to give you big bonuses. Promise the seller that you will write a good review about him and turn him into a regular customer.

What mistakes can you make when purchasing?

If this is your first time on TaoBao, then I guarantee that you will thoroughly trample on other people’s rake. To minimize this, tell them exactly what not to do.

Firstly, do not buy in batches of 100 pieces of one product.. That’s not what Taobao is for. Alternative options are Alibaba or 1688, which will be much cheaper.

Secondly, check the price when you place an order.. In the product card, a small price usually increases upon the first purchase. Or it’s just indicative. Therefore, before placing an order, find out the real price. And be sure to ask about discounts.

Thirdly, you should not pay 100% of the order right away.. First, clarify the purchase, and he is ready to take an advance payment of 30-40% so that the money can be received before sending the goods. If you make a 100% advance payment, you risk seeing an oil painting: a lazy salesman in a warehouse who no longer wants to work and ship the goods.

What not to buy on Taobao

Based on the experience of redemption, I can definitely say: God forbid you order something fragile. No need to look at all sorts of glass objects, plumbing fixtures and tiles. At any stage of delivery, all this can easily break. And it doesn’t matter that the goods are perfectly packaged.

Also, based on personal experience, I would not take puzzles and light bulbs. They often arrive defective.

And, finally, there is no need to even try to translate something that is prohibited for transportation to Russia. At the very least, they won’t miss you. At the very least, the money is lost, and no one will return it to you.

Is it even worth trying to buy something on Taobao?

I think definitely yes. Taobao is a Chinese giant that has almost everything you need for a comfortable life. You won’t find many products in regular stores.

Yes, at first it may seem difficult, especially since the Chinese language is taken into account and the inability to order directly. But it passes quickly, you learn quickly (some, of course, slowly). At the same time, you immerse yourself in a new culture, study the trends and characteristics of another country. Look, you definitely won’t lose anything.

📸 All photos in the article: