Why Are Taobao and 1688 Not More Present on OzBargain?

JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 10:36
Last edited 03/06/2018 - 10:36

As many may be aware Taobao is the eBay of China, which offers a variety of goods at extremely low prices. The hitch is that you will need to use Google Translate and may find it harder to get the right keyword for a product. Despite this, I have been able to import goods from Taobao to Australia directly without an agent and at incredibly low prices compared to other Chinese stores such as Aliexpress or DH Gate. Why is Taobao not more established throughout Ozbargain?

Alot of eBay, Aliexpress and DH Gate just get their goods from Taobao or 1688 and then just mark it up.

General Discussion

Comments

  • No Username on 03/06/2018 - 10:51
    +6

    Too much effort and shipping can cost quite a lot with some sellers. eBay also offers protection and follow Australian Guidelines.

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:35
      +1

      Taobao's shipping prices is relatively cheap compared to eBay especially. You will notice most eBay items are heavily marked up from Taobao prices. If you decide to use a Taobao agent such as Superbuy, the process is alot simpler and there is buyer protection.

    • andylch on 05/06/2018 - 13:37
      +1

      eBay's buyer protection is nothing compared to Taobao.

      eBay just lets the sellers do whatever they want to do, while Taobao will enforce the sellers to provide full refund and compensation if the evidences show that it is not the fault of the buyers.

      • No Username on 05/06/2018 - 17:10

        I've had really good experience with eBay. When something goes wrong I always get my money back within 3 days of the opened case. I even sometimes get a free $10 voucher for my troubles. eBay covers 30 days and if u paid with PayPal you get 180 days.

  • EightImmortals on 03/06/2018 - 11:11

    Tried buying stuff off Taobao last week but couldn't get anything to go into my cart.

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:34

      Sometimes there are items that won't ship. What does your page say translated when you try to add something? I have noticed as well that you might need to go back into Google Translate it, set it to Chinese and then try adding it to cart.

  • altomic on 03/06/2018 - 11:24
    +2

    1688 is just alibaba isn't it?

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:36

      Yeah I think so but they price cheaper and some items you do not need to buy in bulk unlike Alibaba

      • MrBear on 04/06/2018 - 09:43
        +2

        So, AliExpress then?

  • Clear on 03/06/2018 - 11:38
    +4

    So many hoops to jump through with Taobao and others. There is a reason AliExpress and others do so well.

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:31

      Aliexpress typically have a much smaller range than Taobao and the sellers usually increase their prices dramatically. Although there is a bit of effort involved, buying multiple items in one "haul" will be much more cheaper.

      • Clear on 03/06/2018 - 18:47

        Yup I'm aware. I actually use Taobao daily.

        The hoops is the reason why. Just like why fast food works despite costing more than what you'd get at the supermarket. You need to use Google Translate and then decipher everything. Also the problem of some sellers not speaking English and what to do when something goes wrong.

        • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:50

          Yeah I do agree, if you're buying a single cheap item it will be better buying from Aliexpress/Ebay due to the buyer protection but I feel when you want more expensive stuff it would be better to do a haul and then either go with Taobao Direct or a Taobao Agent if tere is a need for buyer protection.

        • Clear on 03/06/2018 - 18:52
          +1

          @JD6750: It's the website being in Chinese is what turns people off. If they did what JD did by creating a website like Joybuy they'd have success.

        • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 19:35

          @Clear: Yeah agreed, the process of having to deal with domestic and then international shipping also puts people off.

  • Axelstrife on 03/06/2018 - 12:15
    +1

    Could you tell me how do you buy from them?
    I have it in the cart and im loged in but im confused but the part that says "photographed goods" according to google translate.

    the price is near half of ali express also how is that possible?

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:30
      +10

      Usually after you tick all your goods that you want in your "haul" there will be a translated button that says settlement which takes you onto the payment process. Most AliExpress suppliers buy straight from Taobao and 1688 in bulk and then increase their prices. I'm going to write up a guide as to how to use Taobao in the coming days.

      • Axelstrife on 03/06/2018 - 19:09

        So its pretty much the same as aliexpress only a differant language?

        I also cannot find out how long the shipping will take.

        • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 21:39

          Most aliexpress shoppers buy and resell from Taobao, therefore it is generally cheaper. As for shipping, it takes a couple of days to get to the China warehouse and then around 1 to 2 weeks to get to Australia, much faster than goods on eBay or Aliexpress sent via China post, EMS, etc.

        • Axelstrife on 03/06/2018 - 21:48

          @JD6750:
          I just bought something.
          it is indeed exactly half the price i would of paid on Aliexpress.
          if that's all there is i dont think ill be buying much from aliexpress lol.

          Thanks for posting this topic though.

        • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 21:51
          +1

          @Axelstrife: All good, you’ll have to pay a second shipping fee for international shipping as well which comes up after the parcel comes to their warehouse.

      • Noblejoker on 04/06/2018 - 09:50

        Yes Please

      • Roney on 04/06/2018 - 19:19

        That'll be great if you can write up the guide! But, won't the GST+$5 customs fee from next month be the killer?

  • robhung on 03/06/2018 - 12:28
    +12

    Despite this, I have been able to import goods from Taobao to Australia directly without an agent and at incredibly low prices compared to other Chinese stores such as Aliexpress or DH Gate.

    Perhaps it would benefit the community if you shared your process, or even start a wiki here!

    • havebeerbelywillsumo on 03/06/2018 - 15:12
      +2

      I'd plus 10 this if I could.

      • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 18:20
        +7

        I'll get onto this and try and have one done in the next few days

        • robhung on 03/06/2018 - 18:25
          +3

          Good stuff mate, big fan of the OzB community - you'll be doing your part!

  • shaybisc on 03/06/2018 - 19:27

    "Millet upgrade version of Saks Sonic electric toothbrush Soocare X3 adult intelligent rechargeable millet toothbrush"

    Hmm. I think that's what I want.

    Where does it show the postage cost on a Taobao page?

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 19:49
      +2

      There are two postage costs, firstly the domestic cost which is relatively cheap and can be checked during the checkout process. The international shipping costs come after it reaches the Taobao warehouse where you will get a price quote which requires a second payment. If you're ordering under less than 1kg, it's 49 yuan via 4px, which is around $10 aud. If you wanted, you could use a Taobao agent such as Superbuy, Ytaopal, etc. to simplify the process however they charge more for shipping and include a small service fee.

  • Fiximol on 03/06/2018 - 20:59

    It just isn't that convenient, and personally I don't find the prices on Taobao (after shipping, conversion etc) all that attractive. It might be marginally cheaper, or often times they are more expensive since they charge RRP (Albeit in RMB) a lot of the times whereas the items I am looking at are often on sale.

    • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 21:38

      I find that just general clothing such as plain trackies or shirts are much cheaper and of a similar quality to what you would fund in store heavily marked up. Same goes for other items like phone accessories or the general stuff you see from shops like Gearbest, LITB, etc. I personally don’t use it for branded products such as Xiaomi as like you said there would only be marginal savings. It comes down to what you are really looking for

      • Fiximol on 03/06/2018 - 21:51

        You weren't ever going to get cheaper than $1 slazenger hahaha. That's the ozbargain standard for cheap clothing. :p

        • JD9151 on 03/06/2018 - 21:53

          Wowee that’s a classic deal

      • Clear on 03/06/2018 - 22:06

        I find that just general clothing such as plain trackies or shirts are much cheaper and of a similar quality to what you would fund in store heavily marked up.

        Random fact of the day. Over 100 Chinese brands of clothing found all over the net are owned by the same company. The same company who supply big chains like Target, Walmart and Kmart in America…. the same company who has a subsidiary with a website very well known here… Gearbest!

  • Grofazau on 04/06/2018 - 07:13
    +2

    I must admit I've not heard of either of those websites/companies. Looking forward to seeing the "guide" when you finish it :)

  • [Deactivated] on 08/08/2018 - 10:14

    Pretty ridiculous prices if you ask me and now the freight forwarders no longer use private couriers like Toll since the partnership with Australia Post which means almost all parcels take up to 2 weeks to arrive. Oh and did I mention, non-existent tracking? You might as well save yourself the few extra dollars and do pick-up collection if that is available.

    I think a lot of the freight forwarders to Australia also packed up and went insolvent as there is only one left.

    20RMB Shipping promo cap was only for stores that send directly to customers, lots of people got burned there.

    Overall, unless you know what you are doing and going for specialty items, then it isn't worth it.

    Prices are overall more expensive than Aliexpress even though they charge for GST.

    • JD9151 on 26/09/2018 - 12:05

      Think that you are looking at the global Taobao page. When you switch the region to China Mainland, then you actually have access to all of their products, which are cheaper than Ali. Just need to be able to use translate to work out the payment process. Shipping is really quick considering it's from China as they use 4PX, which does in fact have detailed tracking

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