Taobao: General Guide & Haul

Since I've started buying from Taobao more often since mid/late last year, I've gotten questions asking where I get my stuff, and how exactly Taobao works. I always meant to do reviews and post pics of the hauls I do but I get super lazy... however now is the time! My most recent haul came in yesterday and since my friend wanted photos, I decided to take more and post them here too. Shopping hauls are dangerous with friends, I tell you that... but of course it's so much fun, I think I may be addicted to Taobao shopping! >__<

I suppose it's about time to write my own version of a guide. Note that I only started using Taobao in 2010 and I've done about 10 individual orders in total. As I mentioned before, this is the guide that helped me first use Taobao (when I wanted to get lolita clothes to try out instead of spending on brand things) and it gives a more detailed look into ordering, so below is just a simple general guideline and my personal opinion. Wordy post ahead!

First, what is Taobao?
Taobao is a China-based online shopping marketplace much like ebay or Amazon. I believe you need a bank account in China in order to buy from the site and use their shopping cart system, and most sellers usually don't ship overseas. Some of them do, but they will usually leave an e-mail address for you to contact them with in order to set up payment through Paypal offsite. So, how do you buy from Taobao if you are not located in China?

Shopping Service/Agents
I think Taobao is increasing in popularity overseas as there are a lot more agents and shopping services to choose from now. The one I use and recommend is TaoBaoSpree. Agents allow you to buy via proxy. Communication is usually done over e-mails and payment is arranged privately over Paypal. It's as simple as e-mailing them the URL of the item on Taobao you want to buy. Usually when you first e-mail them, you will be assigned an agent to take care of your order. Your order is done with Excel so it's all very organized, and they always answer e-mails promptly. What I also like about my agent is that they pack things very carefully and all the items are numbered and correspond to the order sheet so nothing is ever missing. I can't comment on the use of other services because I've only ever stuck with TBS. You can also use Yoybuy to buy directly from the Taobao shop using the shopping cart system which makes things a lot easier, but I still think agents are involved and I've read some mixed reviews.

Why buy from Taobao?

1. It's cheaper.
Rather than buying things in stores that are probably all made in China anyway, it would probably be cheaper getting it directly from the source. Items are usually cheaper than in offline stores. I see a lot of cheap jewelry on Taobao being sold in Etsy shops/online indie retailers being passed off as high end goods at many times the cost.

2. One-of-a-kind items.
At first, Taobao may look like a sketchy place with tons of cheap replicas and knockoffs with many shops using the same stock photos... but as with all online marketplaces, you will have your good and bad sellers. The tip is to buy from stores with reputable feedback. You soon learn to avoid sketchy stores and come across shops selling unique, original items that you can't find anywhere else! I don't know how many shops are on Taobao, but I'm always coming across new things each time I browse the site.

Is it really worth it?
So far this all sounds pretty good, right? Not yet! Agents and shopping services also charge commission fees. Usually it's 10% of your total order cost, the 4% Paypal transaction fee, and exchange rate considerations. You also have to pay for shipping costs, twice. Usually the first time is for the item from Taobao to your agent (this usually isn't much) and finally shipping of your items from your agent to you. Overall with the fees and shipping costs, it may not be worth it, but that judgement is yours to make. Just be advised that although things may seem cheap at first, they may add up in the long run!

What do you buy from Taobao?
Everything. There is everything! o_o (well, almost, lol) I don't read Chinese myself so I either get friends to help me search for items I want or Google for popular shop links. I believe you'll have a better time using Taobao if you know exactly what you want and know how to search for it, because Google Translate can only get you so far. ^^;

There are many sellers and shops I've bought from, so if you want any specific recommendations, let me know and I'll provide the links! On to my actual haul:


Big box of stuff! Some of it belongs to my friend~ This order was actually delayed for over a month because of a petticoat and socks from a Taobao lolita brand called Classical Puppets. I heard their petticoats were really fluffy and I figured I could use some extra poof... but over a month passed and my agent got no response from them (didn't mention if it was custom made or not) we were fed up and ended up cancelling them. u__u


There's too much stuff so I didn't take photos of each item individually... but yeah, mostly clothes this time!


(Don't mind the blue-ish glare and the horrible lighting, it was getting dark when I finally got home to open the box yesterday) It seems like nearly every time I order from Taobao I have to get stockings...well, most of these belong to my friend but the Little Red Riding Hood print ones are mine and are so cute!! >_< The bottom things are two fluffy skirts with a shiny stars print on them. I got the black one and my friend got the ivory. They're actually a lot puffier than I expected, very gal-like style skirts... not sure how to wear it just yet :S


I guess I am glad this order was delayed because then I was able to add the Chess Story coat (pink thing in the top left corner) to my order and have it shipped together before the Chinese New Year holidays! I've been wanting a lolita-styled winter coat!


Close up of the skirts my friend and I both ordered. I didn't know it at the time but apparently they're replicas of Snidel, a popular Japanese clothing brand. I think I would have preferred to buy the original despite the price because this one smells really badly of glue and the color looks a lot like a dirty grey than a cool cleaner looking grey in the promo photos. T__T But I really liked the design, cut and flower pattern..


Here is a close up of the inside of the Chess Story coat, the fabric that lines the inside has a very cute print! It also came with extra heart buttons. I am currently airing the coat out (it doesn't smell bad, just...new-ish? lol) so I will get a proper photo later. The fit is rather wide on me, and there is a lot of extra room (maybe for extra cardigans and high-waist lolita skirts??) but the fur trim is removable and overall it is really cute. :)

I think all shopping services/agents for Taobao are on lockdown if I'm not mistaken, because of the long Chinese New Year holiday, so I am really thankful I got this order before then. It's also good because I have time to save and plan for my next haul, haha! Not sure how many of you are interested in seeing my haul related posts, but I hope you enjoyed reading anyway~ ! Until next time~ ^^