Shopping is a fun activity for most people, as a hobby, stress reliever, or to acquire essential items. Online shopping has been picked in recent years due to the wide range of products and convenience. Taobao is one of the largest places to shop online. It is a Chinese site that you buy goods from, but you have to find a shipping agent to act as a middle man between you and the seller. This is because no Taobao product transshipment to USA or other countries is offered. In this extract, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Taobao shopping.
Advantages of Taobao Shopping
a. Hot deals
Taobao often has sales and events whereby shops offer vouchers and huge discounts. Customers are excited by the deals and develop the urge to jump on them and get good items at low costs. The site has clocks for particular items that show the time left for the sale to start or end.
b. Variety of Products Available
Whatever product you want to purchase can be found on the Taobao shopping site. Different suppliers offer different products ranging from baby stuff, electronics, pet stuff, beauty products, etc., and you can compare prices and settle for the best. The platform can satisfy its customers and build its name in the process.
c. Extremely Low Prices
As a Chinese-based site, prices are bound to be quite low due to the low cost of materials, labor costs, and running an online business. The high number of sellers creates competition among them, and prices are forced to go low. If several companies offer one similar item as a consumer, chances are you will go for the cheaper one.
d. Unique Products
Taobao is well known for having goods designed with a lot of creativity, unique ones, and crazy ones. If you’re looking for items with specific writing like pillowcases written ‘happy valentines’ or any other occasion, this platform is the place to go. They have products with weird shapes, attractive to kids, and many others fit for every buyer.
Disadvantages of Taobao Shopping
Shipping agents are essential in this site due to limiting factors that affect consumers and make shopping difficult. They include;
a. Language Barrier
International buyers experience a hard time trying to purchase from Taobao. Its website is mostly in Chinese, and the sellers are local, and most don’t speak or understand English. Price negotiation is common; thus, communication is crucial. Sometimes the items received are not as indicated, or you need to return an item or get a refund. Google translation may help you but identifying an agent is important. There are shipping agencies that work with Taobao, which you can use for an easy and effective shopping experience.
b. No International Shipping
Taobao only presents products to you on their website but doesn’t offer any shipping. The sellers do not know about it and don’t support foreign payment methods or currencies other than the Yen. After identifying the product on the site, copy the URL on the shipping agent’s sites, then proceed with them from there.
Conclusion
From the points discussed above, it’s clear that the pros out way the cons. However, if the limitations are not taken care of, it’s impossible to receive your goods. Taobao is a licensed shopping platform with genuine products and good customer reviews.
