r/taobao

I’m kind of “playing” around with Taobao because for my first order i used direct shipping and took the free shipping voucher to deliver it to my home address.

Now im planning to buy small merches. I’ve read that it’s better to just use direct shipping for small items but bcs im buying them from different sellers i have to use the consolidation method so i can receive them in a single package.

I’m kind of lost on what to do (haven’t checked out anything yet). Once i select the consolidation method from the taobao app, will it direct to taobao’s consolidation warehouse? Or do i need to download cainao and put their warehouse address or something?

Lowkey if taobao has its own official consolidation warehouse, i would much prefer that since it would be less hassle for me. But what would be the difference between the two? What items do they ship or not ship??

If it helps I’m from SEA. Really need advice for consolidating items

Hi guys
I’m in Australia, and I ordered a handbag from Taobao. It arrived within 10 days, and the quality was good.
Now I’ve been a temu person and recently discovered taobao. Before I blow $70 on this app, can someone pls confirm

1. Are clothes from taobao worth it? I cannot find size options and I am in Australian size 10-12 (6-8 US) (165-170 china). I understand that default Chinese clothes may be suitable for petite women and was wondering if anyone has any experience in this regard?
2. I’m placing in a massive order to redeem “free shipping over $50” , and previously I did not need to have my package consolidated as I got it delivered to a pickup point directly, will I have to consolidate this one considering it’s free and I am buying much more stuff?
3. any other tips and past experiences are appreciated
   Thank you

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to create a taobao account for weeks now, but I can't get through.

My plan was to locate some running shoes from Li-Ning and Anta which are not available on Aliexpress, copy the link on a proxy like superbuy and have them send home in Germany.

Now, without the taobao account I can't navigate through the website to locate the link. Is there any workaround?

For all of you without an account, how do you do it? I feel like I'm missing something :(

Many thanks for your help!

Been using Taobao for about a year now and wanted to share some things that would've saved me a lot of headaches early on. Hopefully this helps some of the newer members here.

Product listings lie — always check the reviews with photos.​ Seller photos are almost always heavily edited. The real gold is in the buyer review section, especially the photo reviews. Filter by with images and you'll get a much more accurate picture of what's actually arriving. Pay attention to the date of the reviews too — quality can shift over time.

Size charts are not standardized.​ This one burned me multiple times. Chinese sizing varies wildly between sellers, even for the same type of item. Always look for the specific measurements listed in centimeters rather than trusting S/M/L labels. If there are no measurements listed, message the seller before ordering.

Communication with sellers is easier than you think.​ Most sellers respond quickly, and even if your Chinese isn't great, a simple screenshot of your question translated into Chinese goes a long way. Google Translate or DeepL works fine for basic queries like asking about stock, color options, or estimated shipping time.

Consolidation saves real money on shipping.​ If you're ordering multiple items, consolidating them into one package through a warehouse cuts shipping costs significantly. Just make sure all your items arrive at the warehouse before requesting consolidation, and check whether fragile or oversized items have restrictions.

Understand what "pre-sale" means.​ A lot of listings are pre-sale meaning the item isn't in stock yet and will ship after a production run. The estimated wait can range from a few days to several weeks. It's usually marked in the listing but easy to miss — always double-check before ordering if you're on a time crunch.

Anything else you'd add? Especially curious if anyone has tips for dealing with items that arrive damaged through the warehouse — that's my current headache.

I’ve seen many talk about using a proxy when using Taobao.. Is that really needed?? what exactly is the use for it? I have yet to order from Taobao, but I also wanna know what I should watch out for? please help, why is ordering from Taobao so confusing😭

Hi, i am a buyer from Malaysia and i just bought 2 diecast model cars from an official retailer, however only one item is shipped out and has received a tracking code but the other still displays "Warehouse processing". Is this normal? Like, do they combine both items and only gave one item a label or was it because the other item may have been a presale item?

For context i am using the English version of the app. And the other item with the "Warehouse processing" label does not have "presale" anywhere when i purchased it and paid full price for it as well.

Hi guys, I created a taobao account some days ago. I live in Italy and now my account was locked for security reasons. I can't verify it:how can I unlock it?

i managed to restore my taobao account, and tried to connect it to cainiao app to see if it's possible to use it for delivery for me, but i can't find the option to switch the language anywhere and all the directions i have seen must be outdated because i can't find it.

i also found the option to put my address in "address book" but it only lets me choose chinese provinces.

how do i set the language and country and even check if my country is available?

I live in switzerland and tried to sign up for taobao. The reason I want to use taobao is that I want to buy something and have it shipped to china, not abroad - and AliExpress does not allow for shipping addresses in China.

When I tried to sign up I had to enter my phone number (which is a swiss phone number) and got the message that taobao does not operate in my region. It did not let me continue.

Is there a way I can nevertheless sign up for taobao?

So I am in Canada but it might not apply to me but from what I am reading, is the main reason people use Cainio is due to tariff in US?

Would Taobao consolidation be the best for me in Canada since I don't have to deal with that?

i have an order placed for a domestic chinese address but i am leaving china so i need to have the order rerouted to the consolidation warehouse.

the seller doesnt allow refunds but they can change the address for me, but they can only put a domestic address.

i've tried contacting customer service but they haven't been super helpful. is there a specific way to do this?

Ok...so I have almost all of my packages, and have been playing around with shipping cost. The price difference is just insane 😭🫠🤯 Wanted to make a faster shipping by choosing standard air freight and it turns out to be ¥8300!!! Vs the express ship freight which is ¥2330

I guess wanting things quicker costs a ton more 😭😭