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