How to Buy from China’s Taobao Website

How Outsiders Can Buy from China’s Taobao Website

With the e-commerce website Taobao constantly filled with busy entrepreneurs posting and selling goods, it has become a treasure trove of goods made in China. Taobao.com is the world’s top 12th website, according to Alexa.com, and for people in Chinese-speaking countries and regions, including mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan the website is the ultimate source of affordable products.

Problems When Shopping on Taobao

Buyers from non-Chinese speaking country may find it difficult to purchase items on Taobao, however. Aside from Chinese as the default language of the website, there are a few more obstacles the buyers have to face when purchasing on Taobao. While virtually all pages of the e-commerce website can be translated into another language by Google Translate or Baldu, some product details, especially if they are part of an image uploaded by a Taobao business seller, will remain in Chinese.
There are Taobao business owners and sellers who do not know how to transact in languages other than Chinese, and the language barrier presents a problem when getting specific details about a product. Another obstacle is the website’s lack of PayPal integration. Add to that the reluctance of most sellers to ship internationally, and shopping can turn into a negative experience. And if a buyer ever overcome these obstacles and be able to find an acceptable payment method in the website, they will then be put off by the expensive international shipping fee that is necessary to send the product their way.

Addressing the Problems

The situation however gloomy has a solution. For a Taobao business seller and a foreign buyer to have a successful business transaction, there is now a demand for a middleperson or a Taobao agent that can solve the logistic and payment problems. Those who are interested in how to become Taobao agents can find a way to help buyers and sellers through Taobao PHP-based e-commerce solutions or system-syncing websites such as OpenTopCart.com.

How Taobao Agents Help in the Buying and Selling Process

People who want to be in the Taobao business need to put up their own website, which can be provided by system-syncing websites that allow for a website to mirror another website’s content, particularly the product pages. A Taobao PHP-based solution OpenTopCart, for example, has a smooth buying and selling process which is crucial when knowing how to become Taobao agents.
A buyer outside mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan visits the website of a Taobao agent to shop for Taobao products. Alternatively, the buyer can copy a product link directly from Taobao.com and send it to the agent, who in turn does the purchasing for the buyer. As the Taobao agent is from a country where the buyer is also located, the agent and the buyer can transact in their own currency. Nonetheless those who aim to understand how to be Taobao agents should know that buyers from other countries can just choose from a number of payment methods available via the agent’s website.

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Through the Taobao PHP-based solution OpenTopCart, the Taobao agent sends the order to a Taobao business owner or seller, who then ships the product to a warehouse in China where product inventory and inspection, taking QC photos, and repackaging are done to ensure that the product quality is consistent with its online description. The product is finally shipped directly to the buyer, or, if the Taobao agent processed multiple orders of one product, the agent would receive the batch from the warehouse and then distribute them to each buyer. Having a good grasp of the buying and selling process is crucial to those seeking knowledge on how to be Taobao agents.

How to Become Taobao Agents

The Taobao website has an inconspicuous language setting, so it is easier to use Google Translate to understand the content of the website. However, those who want to know how to become Taobao agents are at an advantage if they know how to read Mandarin Chinese characters. Also, familiarity with how e-commerce websites work allow Taobao agents to effectively incorporate Taobao APIs into their website so buyers can get as much information as they can about a product.
Having a basic understanding of the buying and selling process in Taobao prepare the agents for the tasks ahead of them. Taobao PHP-based ecommerce solutions or system-syncing websites offer different fees, charges, and payment methods, and those looking for information on how to be Taobao agents should learn beforehand the policies of system-syncing websites in terms of payments and shipping. When it comes to logistics, buyers will certainly ask the question, “When can I receive the product?”, so it does not hurt to know early on the estimated time for items to be processed by a Taobao business owner or seller, to arrive at a warehouse and finally, to reach an agent or buyer. As the agents’ website is patterned after a template from a system-syncing website, including Taobao APIs, those who want to know how to be Taobao agents must gauge the level of ease of access and navigation of their future website.

OpenTopCart Websites for Taobao Agents

System-syncing websites such as OpenTopCart provides Taobao agents with a hassle-free way to set up their own website and sell Taobao products to customers without having to search for payment methods, take care of logistics in China, and ship products on their on their own. OpenTopCart.com offers two types of Taobao agent websites, and knowing the specifications of each website, including its Taobao APIs, allow those who want to know how to become Taobao agents to make an informed decision.

Taobao Agent Shopping Cart System V2.5

The eye-catching exclusive feature of the agent website or the cart system is the no sales commission charge as a policy of the system-syncing website. People who want to know how to become Taobao agents should look for such feature. The cart system makes it possible for agents to get lower charges both for new add-on modules which otherwise would range from 5 to 49 US dollars per module, and for custom development which may cost 18 US dollars per hour with other companies.
The cart system V2.5 itself features a responsive design and has a mobile and tablet version. Additionally, the customers of the agents will have access to accurate weight information of the product on the website. As the website features an OTC logistic management system, Chinese sellers can easily process orders, and for efficiency, the website’s auto core system is updated for free every week.
The agent website supports many languages besides English and Chinese, with Google and Baldu as its auto translation options. Visitors of the website can easily find a product by using the keyword filter feature or by sorting products by brand. Buyers can also view Taobao customer reviews of a product on the agent website. The cart system V2.5 allows for many buyer conveniences, including email notifications, access to online tracking for domestic and international transactions, submission of support tickets, and selection of preferred payment currency because of the options offered on the website, including PayPal-for-Taobao API integration. Those who want to know how to be Taobao agents would be glad to know that as agents they could enjoy the following benefits:
Customization of shipping methods and rates
Implementation of a price markup by percentage or a fixed charge for products and service fee
Access to the latest discounted price from products on Taobao
Charging extra for product and shipping
Customization of recommended products shown on their homepage
The Taobao PHP-based solution OpenTopCart even gives agents the freedom to choose the colours and fonts for their website.

Taobao/Tmall Agent Bulk Import System

Agents who are looking to upgrade their cart system or gather more seller stores and products from Taobao and another e-commerce website may find the need for the bulk import cart system from the Taobao PHP-based solution OpenTopCart. Conversely, those who want to know how to be Taobao agents can also have the bulk system as their first purchase. Upgrading or switching to the bulk import system allows agents more customization options and more product selection control as well. All OpenCart 2.2 themes and extensions work seamlessly with the bulk import system. Moreover, URL writing becomes easier as agents can set their preferred language.
With the Taobao/Tmall Agent Bulk Import System, agents enjoy the benefit of searching and downloading Taobao products by keyword, category, location, price range, Taobao seller name, and brands. Usually, the default image for Taobao products has Chinese promotional text, so agents are given the freedom to choose the default image for the products on their website.
Bulk-updating is a feature of the cart system so agents have a fast and systematic way of changing product information on their website. Agents can bulk-update the following:
Tax class for products by categories, sellers, and other options
Markup price by product weight
Product information, which includes stock, price, and etcetera
And as for the agent’s website, the Taobao PHP-based solution OpenTopCart has created many attractive design themes and powerful extensions to give customers more reasons to buy from the online shop of the agents.
Taobao agents are very useful in bringing Chinese-made products to the world, but for agents to begin selling they need to build a website from the ground up and address problems outsiders encounter when getting product information, making payments, and shipping products. System-syncing websites such as OpenTopCart remove the burden from the agents’ shoulders so they can efficiently help both buyers and Taobao sellers while earning money in the process.

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