# Buying things online in China



## andre_k (Feb 21, 2017)

Hey guys! 

I recently moved to Shanghai for work and am now trying to purchase things (such as foods, beddings, appliances etc) online. Is it recommended to shop through Taobao for these? I heard you have to be careful when you shop there. 

Also someone had recommended Baopals over the weekend for an English version of Taobao. Does anyone have any experience with these guys? 

Many thanks in advance! 

Andre


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## PeterT68 (Feb 4, 2016)

Hello Andre - I have not tried myself but a few expats here in Beihai use Taobao, for a wide range of products, with few complaints. 
My wife, who is Chinese, does use it with success and no complaints to date.
One thing to be wary of is whether your intended purchase is shown 'in stock' that it is actually in China, whichever service you use. 
I once ordered a couple of items through Amazon China, shown as 'in stock' then waited, and waited, and waited some more. Tried looking for 'progress' but kept getting a not recognised reference number response. After 6 weeks got a text message from customs asking me to confirm who and where I was and confirm acceptance of import duties - the latter supposedly included in original costs!! 
in the meantime my wife had ordered similar products from Taoboa which arrived in 5/6 days.


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## andre_k (Feb 21, 2017)

*Thanks!*

Hey Peter! 

Thanks for the info, unfortunately my Mandarin isn't flash at all so going into Taobao was a bit of a mission haha. 

I ended up buying stuff from Baopals and they were easy to use. Customer service was great too! 

Thanks for the heads up on Amazon! Will keep an eye out on that! 

Thanks again! 
Andre


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## tonyluo (Mar 17, 2017)

How's your purchasing on TaoBao now? Once you learnt how to navigate and close a deal, you will find it a great treasure. Enjoy!


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## Zip88 (Mar 16, 2017)

Tmall and JD.com sell more high quality products than Taobao


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## canadabound2013 (Sep 28, 2010)

*Great Question*



andre_k said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> I recently moved to Shanghai for work and am now trying to purchase things (such as foods, beddings, appliances etc) online. Is it recommended to shop through Taobao for these? I heard you have to be careful when you shop there.
> 
> ...


Thank you for posting this question.


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## jonnymhc (Jul 31, 2019)

Check out Tmall, major brands would set up their own store on Tmall so you’re buying directly from the brand, not private seller



Zip88 said:


> Tmall and JD.com sell more high quality products than Taobao


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