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Seven things to look out for when shopping on Taobao!
 
Store rating
 
When considering purchasing a product, pay attention to the store's dynamic score. A high dynamic score indicates a superior service quality and product description of the store. Customers will score according to the details of the received goods, providing feedback for the store, and the score will change accordingly.
 
Buyer's product reviews, especially additional reviews
 
Equally as important, pay attention to the "cumulative evaluation" of products and their after-sales evaluations. These after-sales evaluations are an "additional" part of the review, giving a follow-up evaluation after receiving the company's use of the product. Usually, these provide the most authentic assessment of the product.
 
Sales considerations
 
Another one of the indicators that should be considered online shopping is the sales of the product. A high sales ranking means that the item is popular with buyers, but it does not necessarily equate to a high-quality product.
 
It is to note that a common phenomenon of herd mentality can be seen with consumers. When buying products, they often first consider a store's products with a higher sales volume or whether their friends and family have purchased the same thing. 
 
Photo search/Comparing similar products
 
Taobao now has a photo search option to directly search for the same or similar products to compare the product's cost performance. 
 
Get coupons
 
Generally, store coupons can be found on the home page of the store. Only after entering the store will you see the coupon. After receiving the coupon, you can use it if you meet the conditions. If you don't receive a coupon, you won't be able to use the discount.
 
Confirmation of receipt
 
Since the general Taobao receipt confirmation time limit is seven days, if the goods are found to be damaged, or any after-sales problems occur during this period after receiving the goods, you can directly discuss with the seller to resolve it or go through the Taobao official after-sales platform for mediation. However, once the seven-day after-sale guarantee period is over, the system will automatically default to the buyer "confirm receipt", and if there is a problem with the product, it can only be resolved by both the buyer and the seller. 
 
Official Consolidator or Private Consolidator?
 
Taobao users can choose between Taobao's official or private consolidators to transport the purchased items to Hong Kong when placing an order. The steps are different between the two options:
 
Taobao official shipping
 
  1. Fill in the Hong Kong address in the shipping address column, confirm the shipping address, and use the transhipment service. Note that when using an overseas address to check out, fill in 000000 for the postal code of non-mainland areas.
  2. If you choose the transhipment service, your items will be sent to a domestic warehouse first before you pay the shipping fee.
  3. Select the forwarder to ship to the transhipment warehouse in Mainland China, and select SF/Cainiao as the consolidator service provider in the "Modify Service Provider" on the right.
  4. After completing the payment, wait for the buyer to deliver the goods to the forwarder's warehouse in Mainland China. You can see a confirmation that the goods have been stored on "已買到寶貝中".
  5. After the parcel is signed by the forwarder and put into the warehouse, all the goods can be consolidated together. Select the goods that need to be consolidated and click "One-click package settlement". The system will split the package and automatically calculate the transhipment fee according to the delivery restrictions. You need to confirm the delivery method and receiving address as well as choose the home delivery or self-pickup option.
  6. After confirming everything, click "Submit and Pay" to settle the transfer fee.
  7. After successfully paying the forwarding fee, the forwarder will deliver the goods to your final delivery address. You may see the logistical details of your order in "View Logistics".
 
Private consolidation
  1. First, register an account with a private shipping company, and fill in the private shipping company's Mainland warehouse information, such as name, phone number, and address. The information can generally be found on their website.
  2. Submit the order, pay as usual and wait for the goods to be shipped out of the warehouse. Similarly, you can check the status of the waybill in "已買到寶貝中".
  3. After the goods are successfully signed and received, log in to the shipping company's website, fill in the cargo information to declare the goods and wait for the company to arrange the shipping. You can choose whether to have it delivered to your door or self-pickup.
  4. You will receive a notification to pick up the goods when they arrive. Expect roughly a week's waiting time for the product to be delivered.
 
Related website:
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