How to shop on Taobao

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Many Singaporeans live by online shopping these days, and when so many items are just a mere click away, it’s not hard to see why. One of the biggest platforms for convenient goods is Taobao (App Store | Google Play), an online marketplace based in China with just about anything and everything you can think of.

Taobao can be every shopaholic’s dream come true if you know how to use it, so here are some detailed tips on how to shop on Taobao –  even if you can’t read Mandarin.

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Is there an English version of Taobao?

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Screenshot from: Taobao

Taobao launched an English version just last year, so you can now easily change the language from Chinese to English in a few easy steps. However, do note that the selection of items on the English version can be quite limited, and the discounts from the Chinese interface often cannot be used here.

So if you’re looking for something specific and would appreciate a wider range of offerings, an alternative is to use the Google Translate function on the Chinese site in the Chrome browser.

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1. How to create a Taobao account

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As with all shopping platforms, you’ll first need to create an account before filling up your cart. Go to the Taobao homepage and click on the characters 立即登录 (Immediate Login).

Image adapted from: Taobao

You’ll be led to the page below, where you’ll want to click on 免费注册 (Free Registration).

Image adapted from: Taobao

You can sign in with your username or email. Alternatively, press 手机号登录 (Mobile Number Login) below the Facebook login button to sign in with your mobile number. If you’ve forgotten your password, press 忘记密码 (Forgot Password), and if you’ve forgotten your username, press 忘记账号(Forgot User) to trace it.

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2. How to shop in English on Taobao

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One of the biggest obstacles many of us face when shopping on Taobao is the language barrier. It’s difficult to search for anything or understand the reviews if we’re not proficient in Mandarin, but here’s how to get around it.

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If you’re using the Taobao website

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Image adapted from: Taobao

First, make sure your region in Taobao is set to 新加坡 (Singapore) after signing in. You’ll find it in the top left corner of the page. If not, look for 全球 (Worldwide), click on it and change to 新加坡 (Singapore).

Image adapted from: Taobao

For a basic page translation, try using the site in Google Chrome. An icon should appear on the top right of your page that offers to translate everything into English, and you can toggle it to “Always translate Chinese (Simplified)”.

The translation might be a tad wonky, but something is better than nothing.

And if you need help understanding the text in pictures, try uploading them to the Google Translate app (App Store | Google Play) to get a quick translation.

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If you’re using the Taobao app

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Image adapted from: Taobao

For app users, the only way to translate listings into English would be to switch over to the English interface. New users in Singapore may already find their interface set to English upon signing up – but if that’s not the case, simply go to your account tab and click on 语言 (Language) at the top right, which will take you to the language, location, and currency settings. Then, press on 语言 (Language) again and switch it over from 中文 (Chinese) to English.

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3. Check out Taobao reviews to ensure your items are legit

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As we all know, this is the most important part of online shopping. Reviews can either make or break your shopping experience, because an honest complaint can save you from a really bad purchase.

Seasoned users recommend only buying from shops with at least 3 blue crowns – that means they’ve processed at least 100,000 successful transactions with positive feedback.

In this case, there will be a swamp of reviews for you to wade through, but don’t worry – you can filter them to view only reviews with user-uploaded pictures of the product for clarity.

Click 评价/用户评价 (Comments) to look at the reviews, then click 图/视频 (Pictures/Videos) to view comments with product images and videos taken by actual buyers. You can also look at the proportion of positive feedback (好评) to negative ones (差评) as well as the follow-up (追评) by the seller in response to certain comments or inquiries.

Image adapted from: Taobao

In this case, this product’s reviews in the past 3 months were 99.8% positive, so you can rest assured that the recent quality has remained high.

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4. Search optimisation on Taobao

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Image adapted from: Taobao

When using the Taobao site, you can mouse over to 分类 (Category) to find products you’re interested in, from clothes or food to furniture.

Image adapted from: Taobao

To look at what’s most popular, you can arrange the search results based on sales volume (销量). The higher the sales volume, the greater the number of successful transactions and reliability.

On the other hand, you can use image search to find a particular product you saw online elsewhere. Click on the camera icon on the main page’s search bar, and you will be prompted to select a picture from your saved files. Taobao will then match it to a similar product sold on the website,  just like how Google Images does its reverse image searches.

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5. Getting the right size for clothes & shoes

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The model’s stats and clothing measurements for a blouse.
Screenshot from: Taobao

Take note that many models in the product listings do not represent the average body type, and pictures are often digitally enhanced, so it’s best not to agak agak sizes. Sizes in China tend to run smaller – we recommend getting your exact measurements in cm and matching them directly to the measurements listed in the product description.

If unsure, go one size up, because you can always take away the excess material if you need it altered.

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6. Decide on a shipping method

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After you’ve selected your items and the appropriate sizes, it’s time to check out (结算). Shipping on Taobao is quite flexible, and multiple modes of air and sea shipping are available.

Screenshot from: Taobao

If you don’t mind shelling out some extra money and aren’t purchasing anything bulky or heavy, you can choose air shipping (空运) instead of sea shipping (海运) for a much faster delivery. Many bulky or sensitive items like furniture or electronics can only be shipped via sea, but some sellers will not send out fragile things like large mirrors overseas, so do check with the shop before putting down your order.

But if you’d still like to get something that cannot be shipped over directly, the best option is to enlist the help of an agent – more on that shortly.

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Save with shipping discounts

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Normally, all purchases come with a delivery fee, but occasionally, there will be seasonal promotional events that you can time your shopping hauls with.

Some of the biggest ones happen before CNY, during 11.11 Singles’ Day, and China’s National Day on 1st October. These events will bring perks like free shipping vouchers, and 每¥300减¥50 (¥50 off every ¥300) to knock even more dollars off your purchase.

 

Screenshot from: Taobao

But besides limited-time deals, you can also just filter your listings with the 满¥199 SG 包邮 (Spend ¥199 to get free shipping to SG) button, to find products with that promotion. Then simply fill your cart up to at least ¥199 (~S$36.52) with the selected products to get them shipped to your doorstep for free.

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Choose consolidated shipping to save more money

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For items without shipping promos, the slowest but most economical method would be to use 集运-海运 (Consolidated Sea Shipping). This option sends all your goodies from different sellers to 1 warehouse where they’re packed, weighed, and shipped. Consolidated air shipment is available as well, so just pick the one that says 集运-空运 (Consolidated Air Shipping).

Screenshot from: Taobao

For consolidated shipping, the process is usually as follows:

• The seller ships out your items to the Taobao warehouse.
• You will be notified when the items reach the warehouse. Once you’re ready to consolidate your items, click on the 待集运 (Waiting to be consolidated) tab via your account page.
• On the next page, click on either 海运 (Sea Shipping) or 空运 (Air Shipping). This will take you to a page where you can select which items to consolidate and ship.
• After confirming which items you want to ship, you’ll be prompted to make a 2nd payment. Once you’ve completed this step, your items will be on the way to you.

If you’d rather get it over and done with a single swipe of your card, choose the adjacent options termed 直邮 – 海运 (Direct Sea Shipping) or 直邮 – 空运 (Direct Air Shipping). It’s pricier for the sake of convenience, as your items will be automatically consolidated and shipped out for you.

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7. Use an agent service to make purchasing easier

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If you can’t understand Mandarin, purchasing from Taobao directly may be rather challenging. And if problems with your order occur, especially during the shipping phase, you’ll have to liaise with the sellers, not all of whom may understand English. Using an agent service like ezShip or Oops solves this problem, acting as a reliable middleman between you and the seller.

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ezShip

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Screenshot from: ezShip 

You can purchase from Taobao, then choose to use ezShip to have your items delivered to you in a few simple steps. Just choose an ezBuy warehouse in China and set it as the address for your order. Then, fill in the tracking number and the courier company provided with your order into ‘Submit New Order’ on ezShip. You’ll be notified when your items have arrived at the warehouse, so that you can go to ‘View Order’ to make payment and arrange for their delivery to either your address or one of their over 277 self-collection points across the island.

Not only does using an agent simplify the process for non-Mandarin speakers, but it also offers logistics perks. For instance, ezShip provides up to 20 days of free warehouse storage, giving you ample time to wait for all your packages to arrive for consolidation.

And for $1, you can request photos of your parcel to check that it is correct and undamaged. If you want further peace of mind, you can get your items vacuum-packed or stored inside a wooden crate at an additional charge.

For a rough estimate of how much this service will cost, just use their Shipping Fees Calculator.

Submit an ezShip order.

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Oops

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Screenshot from: Oops

Oops is another agent you can use, and it operates on a similar basis to ezShip. Under its DIY Reship Service, you can sign up and receive a warehouse address and unique mailbox number, which you’ll set as the address for your Taobao order. Then, register your package using the tracking number and courier info.

After your order has arrived at the warehouse, just create a new shipment and choose your preferred shipping method, with different tiers of air and sea freight options.

Screenshot from: Oops

If you need a little extra help, go for the Assisted Purchase Service, where personal shoppers will help you place an order based on your requests. All you have to do is submit and pay for shipment to have your items delivered to Singapore. Check their service rates for both services.

Buy from Taobao with Oops.

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Taobao tips & hacks

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Admit it – once you venture into the world of Taobao, it’s hard not to get hooked. From the insane range of products to the low prices, it’s one of the best places to shop for everything under the sun, if you know how to navigate it. And with this guide in hand, it’s high time to get savvy.

Check out our other shopping guides:

• Where to buy Pop Mart and blind boxes in SG
• First Flying Tiger Copenhagen outlet in Singapore
• Guide to supermarkets and grocery stores in SG

Cover image adapted from: Taobao
Graphics by Nicole Ang.
Last updated by Huiyuan You on 19th December 2025.