Are you considering transitioning to a new house or renovating your home? Have you already compiled a comprehensive list of the essential furniture items required for every room in your residence? With this list in hand, visit your local mall and prepare to be astounded by the costs. You will substantially exceed your budget if you purchase from these stores. Although some online retailers may have affordable rates, Taobao.com, China’s largest online retailer, has unmatched prices.
Because Taobao gives them many options regarding the diversity of styles, customizations, and incredible rates, many individuals purchase furniture from here and have it transported to their respective nations. This post will help you if you intend to buy furniture from Taobao.com.
Table of Contents
Translating the website to English
The first step you should follow when buying furniture from Taobao is translating the website into English. The site offers exciting products and prices, but they are all in Chinese. You will need to be fluent in Chinese to navigate the site. Consider using Google Chrome Browser or the Google Translate feature to translate Chinese to English before browsing the products.
Searching for the furniture you want
Taobao is a massive site; you can be lost in it for hours together if you don’t search for your products correctly. When buying furniture or any other product from Taobao, you can search for the same in three easy ways. They are:
- Searching for the item itself or the retailer – You can search for the particular category you want (for example, dining set, chairs, etc.) and be directed to that specific category. If you are unique about buying furniture from a particular retailer on Taobao, you can search for that specific retailer or seller’s name to get the desired results.
- Searching with the product’s image – You can use this feature effectively on your Taobao mobile app. If you have already taken a picture of a furniture piece you loved, you can search for the same on the Taobao site. Alternatively, you can also conduct an advanced search and crop the image to look only for a part of the furniture, not the entire room or photo you have.
- When you shop from international websites like Amazon or eBay, you’re accustomed to swiftly typing in keywords to find what you’re looking for, right? However, this straightforward approach only applies to Taobao.com if you’re well-versed in Chinese. If you’re aiming to navigate Taobao.com, it’s wise to use Google to find the Chinese equivalents of standard English terms like sofa, dinner table, coffee table, armchair, and closet. Armed with these translations, you can seamlessly paste them into Taobao.com’s search bar and uncover many products that align with your preferences.
Buying the right furniture piece
After spending so much time and effort in your searches, buying the right furniture for your requirements is natural. There are two important points you have to remember to get this step right. They are:
- Choosing sellers with good ratings – Many retailers may sell your desired furniture. Before choosing one, you have to check for the ratings and features of these sellers. Do they ship to international locations? Do they have an English-speaking customer helpline? Do they promise prompt, secure delivery of your products? You can choose the best seller for your needs by answering these questions. To understand more about the products before purchasing, you can communicate with the website or app sellers.
- Giving importance to customer reviews – Check the customer reviews of a particular piece of furniture before investing money in it. Some customers post pictures of the table and write reviews of the same. Read these reviews in detail to know if they are satisfied with a particular product. Buy the product only if you see the most positive reviews from previous customers.
Selecting the correct shipping terms
When you buy on Taobao, You can choose a secure shipment of your items through various trustworthy shipping firms, despite their service fees. This expenditure guarantees the safe and punctual delivery of your furniture, providing you with confidence in the value of your investment. When it comes to choosing the correct method of shipping, Taobao.com gives you three options to pick from. They are:
- Direct Shipping – As the name indicates, you get the products from the official warehouse of Taobao.com in China. This is the most popular shipping method of all.
- Consolidated Shipping – If you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative, you can consolidate shipping. Your furniture will be repackaged and transported to your address after it arrives at the China warehouse. In this scenario, you won’t communicate with the seller at all.
- Seller’s Shipping – Here, you will coordinate with the seller and then agree on his suggested shipping methods. However, you should know Chinese/Mandarin to opt for this method.
Paying for the product and knowing the status
If you’re buying directly from Taobao.com, it’s expected that you already possess an Alipay account, through which you can conveniently opt for payment modes such as credit cards. The system might take a day to update your payment, so patience is greatly appreciated. However, when you track the status, you will find some phrases written in Chinese. It would do you a lot of good to search for Chinese words for English terms, such as “Waiting for payment,” Waiting for shipment,” “Delivery on the way,” and more. You can then compare these words on the website to track your order.
What to do if I need help to shop from Taobao directly in my country?
Currently, you can shop directly from Taobao only in 15 countries. You can check on Google for the updated list of these countries. If the website is unavailable in your country, you can look for reputed Taobao agents who make Taobao products available for a nominal fee.
Now that you are clear on buying furniture from Taobao, here is good luck with decorating your home just the way you want!
