http://taobaofieldguide.com adventures in online shopping - for people living in china Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:13:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Going Multi-Device Back when I only had one computer, one VPN access point was fine. But now that I have two computers, a PS3, and a wifi-ready Android phone. Applying the VPN to the latter two, in particular, has become a sisyphean ordeal. I need an easier way to share the ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/vpn-ready-router-lets-you-share-the-love I'm still fat I am the subject of an increasing number of belly pokes recently. Friends, colleagues, and girlfriend laobanniang all seem to think it is funny to point out my fatness. What's worse, my recent attempts to lose weight via peculiar Chinese products has flat-out failed. American-style weightloss My fellow Americanos may ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/time-to-get-fit-taobao-style Stay away from yoybuy.com If there is anything that we hate here at Taobao Field Guide, it is shenanigans! And this is shenanigans of the highest order. A reader from Australia has written in to warn us of a bad expereince he had shopping with Taobao Agent yoybuy.com The Bait-and-Switch David says that ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/taobao-buying-agents/warning-yoybuy-receives-complaints I did nothing! Now that we are turning the corner on winter, I have realized that I have not yet scheduled my annual cold-weather-escape trip to Sanya. That makes me 0 for 3 on my annual activities. I did not manage to make it to Dino Beach water park, nor did I ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/a-kilo-of-hainan-island-sand Laser-etched dog tags Following from the last post, some people caught some laser-etching mania.  My partner laobanniang among them, found some really crazy stuff. A perfect Valentine's day gift Don't have a dog? Me either. But I do have a girlfriend (the aforementioned laobanniang). So my plan is to get one of these ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/from-now-on-i-want-everything-laser-etched Urban Ninjas Only If you are a master Ninja-About-Town, you will want to equip one of these in your adventure kit.  Stainless steel construction ensures that you could use it as a throwing weapon, if need be. Not only does it let you know where you are going, but it can also ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/steel-pocket-subway-maps-of-chinese-cities A few weeks back we reported an exclusive rumor that Taobao was planning to launch a dedicated B2C consumer electronics platform. We were right And it feels so good. 3c.taobao.com is now online serving up a streamlined shopping experience. Run your purchases through the Taobao Electronics Mall and you won't need to ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/taobao-news/taobao-electronics-mall-rumor-confirmed GTD comes to China A long while back we reported on the cool dude who started his own Taobao business importing Moleskine notebooks and created the Chinese-language web community to evangelize the Moleskine lifestyle. Those still make a great gift. But if your new years agenda includes the resolutions to be more ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/gtd-brand-notebooks-bring-the-productivity-fetish-to-china I must confess. My custom-slim-fit fabric market shirts are struggling to endure the fatty disaster that I have become. I will have a New Year's resolution to lose the fat - so that I may announce on my lovematch.com profile that my body type is once again 'athletic.' Exercise: the bad ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/cool-stuff-to-buy-on-taobao/disaster-i-am-a-fat Click for Wallpaper-sized version Meet Taobao Head Honcho Jack Ma Jack Ma is an English teacher turned billionaire who created the two most successful websites in China: the Alibaba and Taobao marketplaces.  His biography is a national bestseller.  And being the most famous entrepreneur in a business-crazed culture, he is probably China's most respected ... http://taobaofieldguide.com/taobao-news/jack-ma-goes-green