Frequently Asked Questions

Here are frequently asked questions related to Taobao, buying from Taobao in English, Taobao agent, international shipping, Taobao shopping service, fees, payment, etc.

Answers by topic:

General questions:

Q1. Why are products so cheap on Taobao.com?
A1. Admittedly, China is the world’s factory. Cheap labor and high competition make products very cheap. Taobao.com is targeting thrifty Chinese citizens. It is the place where more than 80% of Chinese online buyers go shopping every day. What’s more, free access to open a shop on Taobao makes numerous individuals all around China become Taobao sellers. They compete for sales even more than real shops because one Taobao search can show you all the prices from up to down. To attract business, they have to put their item price to the lowest possible level.

Q2. On taobao.com, are the products of good quality?
A2. Cheap doesn’t mean bad quality. If you have a shopping experience on Taobao, we are sure that you will get many unbelievable pleasant surprises. However, as applied to all commerce in the world, you should always be cautious. To help you choose the best products at the best price, we will always follow our experience to advise you. Do not hesitate to ask at any time.

Q3. Why do I need your assistance to shop on Taobao?
A3. We help you avoid lots of hassle in ordering and save your money on international shipping. We make your shopping experience more enjoyable and less expensive, as you can order from Taobao in English and pay less for shipping.

Q4. Can I shop on Taobao.com on my own and buy from Taobao without an agent?
A4. Yes, if you already have an available Chinese e-bank account and know some Chinese language. Some sellers on Taobao might speak English and even accept international payments, but as you can guess, their prices are often higher than average, and they don’t provide cheap international shipping as most Taobao agents do. So it might be more expensive than with our assistance as we make many great savings for you.

Q5. Why is it even cheaper to use buying service than if I buy from Taobao on my own?
A5. First, Parcel Up (Taobao FOCUS) provides you with a large discount for international shipping, which you probably cannot get in case if you buy on your own.
Second, if you buy different items from different sellers and when you do it on your own, you need to pay international shipping every time for each order. While with us, we will combine all the items that you buy, and the international shipping fee is counted only once, which is another great saving.
Third, we check your items for defects before international shipping, if a return is necessary, your loss is minimized, while it is impossible for you to do it if you buy on your own.

Q6. What makes you better than other Taobao agents?
A6. We are very confident to tell you that you have many reasons to choose us:

  1. We provide the biggest discount in international shipping: up to 60% off in DHL, up to 50% off in EMS.
  2. Except for the item price (domestic delivery included), you only need to pay the service and international shipping fees. No transaction fee!
  3. There are no minimum order requirements. With us, you buy no matter how much you want and still enjoy our low commission. Minimum commission fee: 35RMB.
  4. It is very easy to use our service: you make an order in English in our Taobao order system and follow the process.
  5. With us, you can enjoy shopping with the biggest reassurance: when your order arrives to us, we will not only check it carefully for visual defects but also send a photo for you to check and rest assured.

See more of our advantages here: Why Parcel Up (Taobao FOCUS).

Q7. Can I buy whatever product from Taobao? Is there any limit?
A7. Normally you can buy all products available in the online store. But there are limits concerning the shipment. The following items are forbidden for international shipping: medicine, DVDs, digital products, products containing powder or paste-like and liquid substances, arms/weapons, and all items which look like aforementioned items. Additionally, batteries can be shipped only in small Airmail packets under 2kg. Food can be shipped only in vacuum-sealed packages. Please inform yourself about the legislation in your country regarding the possibility to import the type of items you want to buy from Taobao. We are not responsible for customs clearance in your home country.

Q8. How can I pay for your Taobao agent service? Is it safe?
A8. We use a reliable payment gateway as our payment option, which can process credit cards. When we require your payment, we provide you with the link in our Taobao order system, which redirects you to Payment Gateway secure website where you enter your payment information in a secure way. In a word, it is 100% safe. Be sure that the payment page address starts with HTTPS and shows a valid secure certificate.

We also accept Webmoney, RBK Money, Contact Western Union, and China local bank wire transfer.

Q9. What is Taobao currency? What currency do you use? What is the currency rate?
A9. Chinese Yuan is used for all transactions on Taobao.com. As for items, agent, and shipping fees, we currently use only US dollars. Our currency rate is based on the interbank currency rate. Currently, it is 1RMB = 0.157USD, it might change from time to time along with the changing live currency, which we will always indicate to you. There is NO hidden fee.

Q10. What should I pay if I use your Taobao buying service?
A10.We charge the fewest fees. With our service, you only need to pay the Taobao item price (including domestic delivery), service fee, and international shipping fee. There are NO other additional fees!

Q11. Do I need to pay you the transaction fee?
A11. No. The transaction fee is on us. Taobao items, agent fees, and shipping are the only three points to pay.

Q12. Do I need to pay the registration fee or fuel tax for international shipping?
A12. No. Registration is free of charge, and our international shipping price list is the final price for international shipping. For more questions, please check Parcel Delivery and Tracking from China.

Q13. The international shipping fee listed on your site is applied to all products?
A13. Our international shipping fee listed on our site is applied for most situations, but if the items you want to buy are special or sensitive, this shipping fee list doesn’t apply anymore. If it is in this situation, please contact online support for information.

Q14.If my country is not on the international shipping fee list, does it mean you do not provide shipping to my county?
A14. No, our Taobao shipping services by DHL, EMS, and AIL MAIL provide shipping to almost everywhere in the world. If your country is not on the list, please ask us, and we will tell you the shipping fee to your country.

Q15. Except for DHL, EMS, and AIL MAIL, can I have other international shipping options?
A15. Yes, we recommend these three shipping methods because of the discount we can get and their quality. We can also provide UPS, FedEx, TNT, Hong Kong Post, SAL and inland transportation. So if you have a preference for other shipping methods, please ask us.

Q16. I use Google Translate to translate the Taobao item description into English, but it is not perfect, and sometimes I misunderstand something, so I am afraid I might order an item that is not what I wanted at all. How do you avoid this from happening?
A16. Our service of sending you the photo to check when your Taobao order arrives to us makes sure that you know what you buy. If there is a mistake, we will help you return/refund/exchange the item. Also, we sincerely suggest that when you make an order with us, you send us not only the item link but also the specification of the item functions you expect, so we can check if it is exactly what you want. In any case, if you have even the slightest hesitation, please feel free to ask.

Q17. If I want to buy an item for 100RMB, how much do I pay you? How much will my order cost me?
A17. Total fees = item price (domestic delivery included) + service fee + international shipping fee.
Our Taobao shopping service fee is 10% item price (domestic delivery included). International shipping fee depends on the weight of your item and the destination country. Please check the Shipping fees from China. We also have a Taobao item price and shipping calculator to estimate international shipping price.

Weight estimation for Taobao clothes and shoes:
Women’s jeans: 0.3 – 0.6kg (0.6 – 1.3 lbs).
Men’s jeans: 0.5 – 1kg (1.1 – 2.2 lbs).
Dress shoes, casual shoes, cross trainers: 0.5 – 1kg (1.1 – 2.2 pounds).
High-heeled shoes and sandals: 0.3 – 0.5kg (0.6 – 1.1 lbs).
Jean jackets: 1 – 1.5kg (2.2 lbs – 3.3 lbs).
Cotton shorts and tee shirt together: 0.5 – 1kg (1.1 – 2.2 pounds).
Underwear: under 100g (under 0.2 lbs).
Dress suits: from 0.8 to 1.8kg (1.8 – 4lbs).
Dresses: 0.2 – 0.5kg (0.5 – 1.1 lbs).
Dockers, other casual men’s pants: 0.3 – 0.5kg (0.6 – 1.1 lbs).
Women’s dress pants: 0.3-0.5kg (0.6 – 1.1 lbs).
Sweatshirts, sweaters, and other hoodies: 0.3 – 1.7kg (0.6 – 3.8 lbs).

You can optimize shipping fees by adjusting the weight of your purchase and by choosing the most appropriate delivery service. You can always ask us for advice.

Q18. How to order from Taobao? How to buy from Taobao? What is the procedure?
A18. Check How to order: Order procedure.

Q19. Why only taobao.com? Can I buy from other Chinese online shopping websites?
A19. We recommend Taobao because it is China’s biggest shopping platform and has more than 80% market share, you can find everything there very easily. There are other famous shopping sites such as: www.eachnet.com, www.paipai.com, www.dangdang.com, www.amazon.cn, www.vancl.com, www.360buy.com but we currently provide the shopping service only for Taobao.com.

Q20. How long does it take to receive my order?
A20. After you pay us the 1st payment (item price + our service fee), it takes approximately 3 – 5 days for your order to arrive to our warehouse. It takes one day for us to:
1. check your order for defects,
2. weight it,
3. send you photos, inform you about the parcel weight, request your 2nd payment,
4. get your confirmation together with payment
5. repack it.
After your payment for shipment is done, you receive your order approximately within 7-40 working days depending on your delivery choice (DHL: 5-10 days, EMS: 7-15 days, AIR Mail: 15-40 days). So in total, in average it might take between 10 and 45 days. Please note that we provide only estimated time, but it may be influenced by many independent on us fact and then order processing and delivery may take longer time.

Q21. How do I track my order?
A21. Check Delivery tracking

Q22. Will customs require me to pay the tax?
A22. It depends on your local customs legislation. We advise you to pay attention to the weight of your order and the number of the same item together. Avoid buying too many same items.

Q23. Can I buy insurance for my order?
A23. We do not provide insurance because to take insurance, the insured value should be declared, which increases the value of item at your local customs. But if you insist in taking insurance, we can help you insure the shipping.

Q24. Who will be responsible if my items are broken during international shipping?
A24. For fragile items, we always pack them with ultra care and skill to avoid being broken during shipping. But if it happens, we are not responsible for it. Please read our terms and conditions.

Q25. What if the items I bought are defective?
A25. Before international shipping, all items should be without problem because we check the items for visual defects in our warehouse. But if your items are broken soon after being used or any other cases within the condition of product guarantee, we can help you change or return them. We do this free of charge but you have to pay the shipment fee to return the product.

Q26. What if the item color/size is not what I ordered?
A26. We check the size and the color of all items before international shipping, and also we send you the picture for your approval. But if there is still a size/color problem when you receive your parcel, please provide us the picture of the item with evident proof, and we will check if it is our fault or if the seller made a mistake. If we have made a mistake, we will refund you our commission for the item; if it is the seller’s fault, we will negotiate the refund/exchange for your benefit.

Q27. How to register on Parcel Up (Taobao FOCUS) ? How to login?
A27. Please visit following page: Registration at Parcel Up (Taobao FOCUS)
To login, please go to Parcel Up (Taobao FOCUS) login page .”

Q28. You gave me tracking number for my Taobao order, but I cannot track it online?
A28. Sometimes tracking information takes time to update, especially for China Air Mail. Please be patient. If after 5 days for EMS and 10 working days for Air Mail there is still no any update information, please contact us for verification of status.

Q29. How to pay on Taobao?
A29. Please check: Taobao payment and shipping

Q30. How much is domestic delivery in China? How do I calculate domestic shipping in China
A30. Domestic shipping fee in China is calculated on flat rate of 15RMB per seller. Combined domestic shipping in China: when you buy several items from the same Taobao seller domestic shipping will be calculated only once. Please check our Taobao shopping and shipping calculator. Please note that there are cases when domestic delivery may be higher than 15RMB, for example if: the seller is located very far from our warehouses, the item is very heavy, the seller uses only one time of delivery which is more expensive than usual one.