Taobao Field Guide » Advanced Tactics

Searching Taobao – No Chinese Required

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:02:48 +0000

If the stuff you want is not covered in our awesome guide to stuff to buy on Taobao, you will have to run a search. Here are a few quick tips to help you find good stuff.

Just Search in English

About 90% of the time, a Taobao search with an English word will hit the mark. Many products on Taobao are labeled with both English and Chinese names. And a growing number are labeled with English names alone.

Use the English Name to Find the Chinese Name

You can also use an English-language search to help determine the Chinese name. This will often help you find more products so you have more choices.

For example, a search for “drill” comes up with less than 200 results. But two of the results give a clue to the Chinese name. We can copy/paste 电钻 back into Taobao to get over 7000 results.

Online Machine Translation

Machine translators are perfect for the quick and dirty work of finding keywords and product names. Google is also familiar with company and brand names. Check out our field guide on Tools to Translate Taobao into English.

Find Something Good?

If your search has turned up something that you want to buy, continue to our guide to how to buy stuff on Taobao. If your search has turned up something that you want to buy, continue to our guide to how to buy stuff on Taobao. Or if you want to become a master of the search, check out our tips for filtering your Taobao results to find the best choice.

Find the Perfect Treasure with Search Filters

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:02:38 +0000

If you are search for a SD card on Taobao, you currently have have more than 27,000 options. Don’t just pick the one at the top of the list! Find the one that is best for you by filtering your results.

1. Category

The first filtering opportunity is with the product category. These text links display all the categories and subcategories that have results matching your search term. Click on any of them to see only things in that category.

2. Price

Next, you can click on the 价格 price to arrange them by price with the lowest costs at the top (not including delivery costs).

If you want to find items in a certain price range, type in your low or high costs here. This is useful if you want to find accessories for your phone, and you want to filter out the very cheap stuff and listings selling the phone itself.

3. Location

Filtering by location can save you time and delivery costs. This is also particularly important if you want to buy large things. Many Sellers of large, bulky items deliver themselves if it is within the same city.

These are just the quickest, easiest ways to find what you want. As you can tell, there are many other things that you can filter (such as second hand products, bulk purchases and Sellers overseas).

Do you use any other search filters?

Myserious Zero-Result Searches

The Field Guide — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:03:06 +0000

You run a search on Tuesday for a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll. You find a bunch. Then you come back on Wednesday and there are zero results! What happened?

Keep an eye on the Category next to the Search Bar.

Sometimes Taobao thinks it knows what you are looking for, and will decide a category for you. This is often very helpful. For example, if I search for an SD card, it changes the category to only search within SD Cards.

Notice that the navigation bar is blue – we are in Taobao’s electronics section. But if I change my mind about the SD card and want to search for some stuffed Elmo instead, we might have a problem. Taobao thinks it still knows what I want, and continues to search only within the SD card category. So a search for Elmo gets zero results.

If I wasn’t such a smart guy, I might think that Taobao doesn’t have any Elmo stuff. Luckily, I’m super smart. So I click on the Category Menu and look for 所有分类 all categories.

That’s right! Over 1000 Elmo products. Tricky Taobao thought it could fool me. Notice also that the Navigation bar changes from blue to orange. That’s because we went from Taobao’s electronics market back to their general market.

Have you ever been tricked by Taobao’s zero-result searches?

Understanding Product and Seller Info

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:00:41 +0000

Each product on Taobao has a page with some basic information. This will help you figure out if it is the product for you.

1 and 2: The Product Title and an Image of the Product

Make sure you completely understand what is being offered. Don’t assume what is being offered is what is in the picture. If you are wondering why the mobile phone in the image is being offered for 30rmb, it might be because what’s actually being offered is a case for the mobile phone. At the very least, run the product title through Google’s translator, and even better, ask the Seller to confirm that what you see is what you will get.

3. The Price and the Shipping Options

There will be two or three choices here, including 平邮 regular mail, 快递 kuaidi and EMS. You may also occasionally see 卖家承担运费, which means that the Seller will cover the shipping costs.

4. Buy It NOW! Button

Despite the title of this button, clicking here will not commit you to buy it immediately. There are more confirmation pages ahead, so don’t worry if you accidentally hit it.

5. Basic Product Stats

Here is where you can find out how many sets of the product the Seller has, where it is shipping from, if it is brand new or second hand, and other various product stats.

6. Basic Seller Stats

Here is where you can find the Seller’s name, feedback rating, and if they are available for online chat.

This only covers standard product and seller information. Scroll down below this panel to discover the real meat of the product description created by the Seller. On the right side is a small panel with information about the seller. There is a lot of information here, but mostly, we will only be looking for the seller’s feedback.

What does this all mean?

1. The Seller’s Taobao username, which may be in Chinese or English.

2. The Seller’s Feedback as a Seller. This is going to be the one you want to pay attention to. Look for the number of transactions and the number of icons — more is better. The icons may be hearts or diamonds. Hearts are good. Diamonds are better. Crowns are best.

3. The Seller’s Feedback as a Buyer. These guys buy stuff too!

4. The Seller’s percentage of good feedback as a seller. This Seller has 99.15% of good feedback. That’s a pretty good rating, but not quite perfect. It might be worthwhile to click through to see what the negative feedback says.

5. Percentage of good feedback as a buyer.

6. When the Seller joined Taobao.

7. The Seller’s Taobao Registration Certificate.

8. Link to see all the Seller’s products.

Like What You See?

When you ready to rock, click on that Buy It Now! Button to proceed with the purchase.

Is this Seller Reliable? – Looking at Feedback

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:01:52 +0000

First please remember that most Taobao Sellers are quite reliable. And this robust feedback system is a big reason why. Some Sellers even have 100% flawless records after thousands of transactions.

I’m pretty laid back about who I buy from. But when I make any big purchase, I do a little research to make sure that the Seller is on the up-and-up. Here’s how to do it.

Look Here for the Seller’s Feedback Rating

Is This Seller Good? The Quick Answer

Here’s the quick litmus test for deciding if the seller is reliable. Every transaction is different, but in general, you should look for Sellers that have: At Least 500 transactions and above 99% Feedback.

Be sure you’re looking at the 308 circled in green above, which is their rating as a Seller. The non-circled 7 is their rating as a buyer. Take a look our tutorial about the Seller Panel if you’re not sure about this.

Hearts < Diamonds < Crowns

These represent how many transactions the Seller has successfully handled.

Red, Yellow and Black Flowers

Click on the number (the 308 on the screenshot above) and you can see how a detailed breakdown of the Seller’s transactions. You will be taken to a page with a chart that looks like this.

Red = Positive Feedback

Yellow = Neutral

Black = Negative Feedback

There will be two charts on the screen. The top one rates the person as a Seller. The bottom one rates them as a Buyer. Yeah… buyers get feedback too.

Good Feedback is Boring. Bad Feedback is Interesting

If you have made it this far, you have to check out the what nasty things Buyers have said in the past. Even though a Seller has some bad feedback, it doesn’t mean that you should never deal with them. You can read about the dispute to figure out why it happened.

The Buyer’s complaint is grey and the Seller’s response is red / brown.

(Run it through Google Translator)

Update – new additions to the system

As of February 15, Taobao has added to their feedback system with a five-star rating scale to evaluate Seller Speed, Accuracy and Attitude. As this system starts getting used, we will update you with some tips on how to evaluate that information.

A Word About Leaving Bad Feedback

Bad feedback is all fun and games when you’re reading it, but you should think twice before writing bad feedback for a Seller. Taobao is their livelyhood, and a black flower can have a significant impact on their future business.

Make sure that this wasn’t your misunderstanding and always communicate with the Seller and do whatever you can to get any issues resolved. If need be, enlist a Chinese-speaking friend to who isn’t afraid to set you straight.

And remember how to avoid disputes: communicate with the Seller first!

Instant Messaging with the Seller

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:00:37 +0000

If you want to ask the Seller a question (and we think its a good idea to always ask some questions) then the Wangwang Chat program is the best place to do it. You’ve probably seen this blue waterdrop-lookin guy around the website. That is the button that invites you to open up a chat with a Taobao Seller. First check to see if they are online:

If they are online, just click on the button (and brace for emoticons!) Wangwang should appear in a pop-up window. Or if it is your first time, you may be prompted to install some plug-ins.

There is also standalone Wangwang Chat software, but it is noisy and I don’t like using it. It is probably most useful for Sellers who are online all day, but if you want to give it a try if you’d like. It has the added benefit of keeping official chat records.

When chatting with a supplier, start with a big ni hao. When they reply, copy/paste the link of the product you are looking at, and follow up with your questions. See our guide on What to Ask a Taobao Seller to learn more.

Update: if you have trouble getting the chatting to work right, try clicking the little chat button from a different page. You can find chat buttons on the search page, on the product page, on the seller page, and from your shopping cart. Each of these buttons may behave differently. So if you have problems with one, try another.

(The link from the product description page works best for me.)

What Should I Ask a Taobao Seller?

The Field Guide — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:03:26 +0000

Before you buy any product. It is good practice to contact the seller and ask a few questions. When you do, you might also uncover other issues that you had not originally considered. You can also try and see if the Seller can chat in English. Many do.

The First Question

…is always: “Is the product in stock?”

有现货吗？Do you have the goods?

You will be surprised how many sellers listing certain products do not have that product in stock. (Listing products on Taobao is free, so there is little incentive to take products down when they run out.) You can always get your money back, but it’s a little bit of hassle and delay that you can avoid.

Once I ordered a digital camera on Taobao, and waited eagerly by the door for it to arrive. But after several days, it still hadn’t shown up. I asked the seller what was up. The seller revealed that he was out of stock. So I found another seller who had posted the same product, but this time I asked him if he had the camera in stock first. He didn’t. Over and over, it seemed to be out of stock. Finally, the fourth Taobao seller had the camera, and turned out to be a great help.

Ugh… Pink?!

Another important question is: is it exactly the same as the photo? If the photo shows a black water bottle, you might not even think of the possibility of receiving a pale pink model. And the Seller might not consider why you might be particular about the color.

我收到的产品会不会和照片一模一样？ Will the one you send be the same as the photo?

颜色跟照片一样? Will the color be the same?

The Warranty

For electronics and some other products, the warranty may be of particular importance. Ask the Seller what warranty protection is offered, and for how long.

有没有保修服务？ Do you have a warranty policy?

Anything Else?

Finally, here is the catch-all to bring up other issues that you might not have considered.

还有什么要先确认吗？ Is there anything else we need to confirm first?

Well, that should get you started for most types of transactions. Are there other questions that you ask Taobao Sellers?

The Purchase Process – a Closer Look

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:01:42 +0000

The Quick and Dirty Buying Guide will show you the basics of how to buy stuff. But if you are looking for some elaboration on those points, check this out.

Step 1: Buy It

Click on the big orange button in the middle of the page 立刻购买 (buy now).

The next screen allows you to confirm your order details including shipping address / method.

1. The Product

This is the product you want to buy, and the Seller who you are buying from.

2, 3 and 4. Shipping Address

Number 2 lists your current shipping addresses. Numbers 3 and 4 let you edit your shipping addresses, and add a new one. Make sure that all your shipping addresses are in Chinese, and are 100% accurate! If nobody is home while you are at work, you may consider adding your office address to the list.

5. Order Quantity

How many of these things do you want to buy? Defaults to one, (and displays the maximum available in parenthesis).

6. Shipping Options

This will show your shipping options including 平邮 regular mail, 快递 kuaidi and EMS.

Kuaidi companies deliver during the day and someone will have to be present to receive it. You can also add your office address if that is more convenient.

If you are clever, you can tell the Seller to have the kauidi company deliver it on the weekend. Or if you have an Ayi, you can have it delivered while she is at your home.

If you choose regular mail, you will have to go to the post office with your passport in order to claim your treasure. This is best used if you want to order several different things and don’t want to keep a lookout for multiple kuaidi deliveries. You can pick them all up together on the weekend.

EMS is just expensive and slow. Not recommended.

7. CAPTCHA Image

To make sure that you are a human.

8. Special Instructions

This is a good place to confirm what size or color you want. You can also request that the delivery take place at a certain time. For example, if your Ayi comes on Tuesday mornings, you can request that kuaidi should deliver then.

The little checkbox below #8 will let you place your order Anonymously. Perhaps useful if you buy something naughty?

9. Confirm Your Order

Don’t stress! This is not a payment confirmation, it is an order confirmation. No money is released yet. Even if you click this, you can still change your mind, and you won’t lose any money.

Clicking this Confirm button will take you to a payment screen. You can either pay right away, or come back to it later. I often make big purchases, and then find out that I have a small account balance. Then I remind myself to make a trip to the post office to recharge my Taobao account.

Clicking this button will also let the Seller know your details. So the Seller may contact you (by phone or SMS) with any inquiries (such as “what color do you want?” or “when are you going to pay up!?”).

If you do change your mind between now and the next step, the worst that can happen is if the Seller gives you some bad feedback, which is not a big deal as a buyer. The Seller can also still adjust the price, so if you have negotiated a better deal, that adjustment will always happen after this Confirm here.

Next: Paying for your Taobao Order

Paying for your Taobao Order

The Field Guide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:00:52 +0000

When you order something, you will automatically be taken to this screen. In most cases, you can enter your password and you’re done. If there are any further questions, then the below guide is for you.

The Payment Password Screen

1. Order Price and Account Balance

Here you see the total price of your current order in orange, and your Taobao account balance below.

2. Enter Your Password

The text entry box asks for your Zhifubao password (which is probably the same as your Taobao password).

3. Pay for Your Order Button

Clicking this button will release funds from your account into Taobao’s escrow. The money will wait in escrow until you receive the goods and confirm that you are satisfied. If you don’t confirm within a certain time period, the Seller will receive the funds by default. That time period is 10 days if shipped by kuaidi, and 30 days if shipped by postal mail.

Out of money?

If you reach this screen and find that your account doesn’t have enough funds, you will need to first recharge your account, and then return to this screen through Alipay. The order will be listed in Alipay, with an order status of 等买家付款 waiting for the buyer to pay.

First time? You probably need a security plug in

Alipay keeps your money locked up tight! If it is your first time, your browser will probably need a small security plug-in. The currently supported browsers are IE and Firefox, and they will soon support Google Chrome.

Password Field Error?

You may also see a password field that looks like this. If so, you are not using a supported browser, or don’t have the plugin installed. If you see this, you can copy / paste the web address into another browser such as IE and it will take you directly to this screen (after signing in), and it won’t create multiple transactions.

Any questions on this step?

Let me know in the comments.

Alipay – Your Transaction Control Panel

The Field Guide — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:06:36 +0000

How to find Alipay

This is where you can manage all your Taobao transactions in one place. Here is a direct link to the Alipay Control Panel. If you are looking for this page later, here is how you find it.

Starting from Taobao’s main page, click on 我的淘宝 My Taobao, at the top of the page.
Then on the My Taobao page (pictured here), click on 管理交易 (manage transactions).

The Alipay Control Panel

How much money do I have on my account?

Check the green circle. I’m rich!

Transactions

Here you see your most recent transactions, including date, Seller info, etc…

Status

This is where you see what’s going on with your order (if it has shipped or not). Check out our sub-guide to Alipay order status.

Actions

This is where you want to look when you want to pay for your order, confirm that you received the order, etc… Check out our sub-guide to payment and other Alipay transactions.

Any problems here?

Let us know in the comments.