Taobao seller ratings, reviews, etc

After entering a Taobao shop, you'll find a section on the top right corner of the page, showing the seller's rating, ranking, number of listings etc, similar to the image below:

* Click the image to enlarge

Here is what it means:

* Click the image to enlarge

The information in the first red circle means the seller has signed the Buyer Protection Agreement with Taobao.com.

The second red circle represents the seller’s total feedback rating. Here is the complete version of Taobao's rating system (the bottom gold crown is the highest rating):

* Click the image to enlarge

The translation of the third red circle:

Item as described: 4.8  52.27% higher than average

Customer service: 4.9  74.59% higher than average

Shipping time: 4.9  72.74% higher than average

The fourth circle:

Positive feedback: 100%  Number of active listings: 147

The fifth:

The shop is opened on Jul.18, 2010

Hope this article gives you an idea of the performance of Taobao sellers. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Buy on Taobao.com with Taobao Assistant - costs, commission, and method of payment

Throughout the ordering process, you’ll need to pay us twice: the 1^st time for the initial payment, and the 2^nd time for the second payment. Our preferred method of payment is PayPal and West Union.

The initial payment is paid after we confirm with the seller regarding their stock and the domestic postage (corresponding to Step #3). The second payment is settled after the item arrives at our warehouse and the international postage is calculated (corresponding to Step #6).

Your initial payment = a) + b)

a) Item price
All items on Taobao.com are listed in Chinese Yuan (CNY, symbol: ¥). Our fixed currency rate: ¥ 1.00 CNY = $0.161 USD

b) Domestic postage: shipping cost from the seller to our warehouse;
It usually costs around ¥10.00 (equivalent to $1.60 USD), depending on the product weight;

Your second payment = c) + d)

c) International postage: shipping cost from our warehouse to your door;
This cost depends on the type of postal services you choose (economic or express). Click here for more information.

d) Our commission;
Our commission = item price × 10% + handling charge & bank charge $4.50 USD per order

Your TOTAL cost = initial payment + second payment 

For example, if the price of an item is ¥200.00; the domestic postage costs ¥10.00 and the international postage is ¥20.00. The cost in USD is:

a)       ¥200 × 0.161 = $32.20 USD

b)      ¥10 × 0.161 = $1.61 USD

c)      ¥20 × 0.161 = $3.22 USD

d)      ¥200 × 0.161× 10% + $4.50 USD = $7.72 USD

Your initial payment: a) + b) = $33.81 USD

Your second payment: c) + d) = $10.94 USD

Your total cost: a) + b) + c) + d) = $44.75 USD

How to search items on Taobao.com - part one: find the item

Well, you've probably heard of Taobao.com, the largest online shopping site in China, and you know it's cost-effective to order from there directly. But the question is, how to search for the item on taobao.com if you don't understand Chinese Mandarin? In this series of articles, we'll be discussing several ways of searching for products on taobao.com. 


How to search items on Taobao.com - part one: find the item


Below is the homepage that you see when you arrive on Taobao.com:

* Click on the image to enlarge

The "search field" and "search button" are located on top of Taobao homepage. If you understand Chinese characters, you can simply type keywords into that search field and click the search button, and a long list of items containing the keywords are displayed. This is similar to other shopping sites, such as eBay and Amazon. 


If Chinese language is completely new to you, here are several methods of finding the item you're looking for:


1) Enter English keywords into the search field. For example, type "handbag" into the search field if you're searching for a handbag; enter "t shirt" or "girl t shirt" if you want a T-shirt. One thing to remember: never make your keywords too specific. Most English words on taobao listings are general ones.

2) Use a translation software to translate your keywords into Chinese characters, and copy & paste the Chinese characters into Taobao's search field and then click the search button. We recommend Google Translate:

* Click on the image to enlarge

Always remember to translate from your language to "Chinese (Simplified)".

3) Shop by Taobao category and use Google Translate to translate the whole category list into your language. Here is how:


- Go to Google Translate, and set the translating from "Chinese" to your language, e.g. English, French, etc.

- Copy and paste the following Taobao category URL into Google Translate's left window, and then click "Translate".
URL: http://list.taobao.com/browse/cat-0.htm?ad_id=&am_id=&cm_id=&pm_id=

* Click on the image to enlarge

- In a few seconds, the whole category list will be displayed in your language. Scroll down the page to find the category that your item belongs to.

* Click on the image to enlarge

The great thing of this method is that, if you click a specific category and enter a shop, you'll find that a lot of other information (e.g. item description) has also been translated into your language!

4) Contact us (email: taobaoassistant@live.cn) for Chinese keywords ideas. You can describe the item you're looking for, send us photos, videos, etc, and we'll work out the most relevant keywords for you to search on Taobao.com, or we'll search for the item directly on Taobao.com and send you the URLs of the most relevant & cost-effective items.

With the above ways, it's generally not a problem for you to browse Taobao.com for the item you want, unless you're looking for a really specific product.

Any other methods, comments or questions are welcome! 

Welcome to Taobao Assistant

Welcome to the official site of Taobao Assistant!