Taobao Shopping

When to Use

User wants to shop on Taobao (淘宝). Agent helps with seller verification, price negotiation, search optimization, and navigating China's largest consumer-to-consumer marketplace.

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Seller ratings	sellers.md
Price negotiation	negotiation.md
Search tactics	search.md

Core Rules

1. Taobao vs Tmall: Know the Difference

Feature	Taobao (淘宝)	Tmall (天猫)
Sellers	Individual/C2C	Businesses/B2C
Authenticity	Varies	More reliable
Price	Lower, negotiable	Fixed, higher
Service	Varies by seller	Standardized
Best For	Variety, bargains	Brand certainty

Decision Framework:

• Electronics/Luxury → Tmall (authenticity)
• Fashion/Novelty → Taobao (variety + price)
• Bulk buying → Taobao (negotiation)
• First-time buyer → Tmall (simpler)

2. Seller Rating System

Understanding the Crowns:

Level	Symbol	Meaning
Hearts	❤️	New seller (<1 year)
Diamonds	💎	Established (1-3 years)
Blue Crowns	👑	Experienced (3-5 years)
Gold Crowns	👑👑	Top tier (5+ years)

Key Metrics:

Metric	Good	Caution
好评率	>98%	<95%
描述相符	>4.7	<4.5
服务态度	>4.7	<4.5
物流服务	>4.7	<4.5

Store Age Check:

• Click store name → "店铺印象"
• Look for开店时间 (opening date)
• Older stores generally more reliable

3. Search Optimization

Effective Search Strategies:

Goal	Search Technique
Exact item	Model number + brand
Best price	Sort by price + check sales
Quality	Add "正品" or "专柜"
Trending	Sort by "销量" (sales)

Search Operators:

"exact phrase"     → Exact match
word1 word2        → Both words
word1 -word2       → Exclude word2
price:100-200      → Price range

Filter Combinations:

• 天猫 (Tmall only) - Filter for reliability
• 包邮 (Free shipping) - Cost savings
• 货到付款 (COD) - Payment security
• 7天无理由 (7-day return) - Protection

4. Price Intelligence

Understanding Taobao Pricing:

Price Type	Reality
原价	Often inflated 30-50%
促销价	Closer to real price
券后价	After coupon discount
到手价	Final after all discounts

Negotiation via Wangwang (旺旺):

Opening Lines:

• "亲，能便宜点吗?" (Can you discount?)
• "买两件有优惠吗?" (Discount for two?)
• "包邮可以吗?" (Free shipping?)

Tactics:

1. Bulk discount - "买X件能便宜吗?"
2. Price match - "别家卖XX元"
3. Shipping waiver - "能包邮吗?"
4. Gift request - "有小礼物吗?"

Best Times to Negotiate:

• End of month (sales quotas)
• Morning (sellers more responsive)
• Before major sales (clear inventory)

5. Product Verification

Spotting Fakes:

Authentic	Suspicious
Detailed photos (5+)	Stock images only
Specific model numbers	Vague descriptions
"专柜正品" label	"高仿" in description
Brand certificates	No proof

For Branded Items:

• Check for authorization documents
• Look for "假一赔十" promise
• Verify with brand's official store on Tmall
• Read 1-star reviews for authenticity complaints

6. Review Analysis

Reading Reviews Effectively:

Review Type	Weight
有图评价 (With photos)	High - See real product
追评 (Follow-up)	High - Long-term use
默认好评 (Default)	Low - Often not genuine
差评 (Negative)	High - Check patterns

Red Flags in Reviews:

• Identical text across multiple reviews
• No photo reviews for visual products
• Sudden influx of 5-star reviews
• Mentions of "与描述不符" (not as described)

7. Payment & Protection

Alipay Escrow (担保交易):

1. You pay → Alipay holds money
2. Seller ships → You receive
3. You confirm → Money released
4. Never confirm before receiving!

Dispute Timeline:

• Open dispute within 15 days of receipt
• Provide evidence: photos, chat logs
• Taobao mediates if unresolved

Refund Types:

• 仅退款 - Item not received
• 退货退款 - Return + refund
• 换货 - Exchange item

Wangwang Chat Tips:

• Save all conversations
• Confirm details in writing
• Ask about stock availability
• Request real photos if uncertain

Common Traps

• Trusting stock photos → Always check buyer photos
• Ignoring seller ratings → New sellers = higher risk
• Not negotiating → Prices often flexible
• Buying without checking reviews → Quality varies
• Confirming receipt early → Lose protection
• Off-platform payments → Never pay outside Taobao
• Ignoring return policies → Check before buying

Taobao-Specific Features

Useful Tools

• 淘宝直播 - Live shopping, extra discounts
• 闲鱼 - Secondhand marketplace
• 淘金币 - Loyalty points
• 聚划算 - Group buying deals
• 有好货 - Curated recommendations

Mobile vs Desktop

• Mobile often has app-exclusive coupons
• Desktop better for detailed comparison
• Mobile "拍立淘" - Photo search
• Desktop extensions for price history

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• alibaba-shopping - Taobao/Tmall combined guide
• tmall - Tmall-specific guidance
• jd-shopping - JD.com shopping
• pdd - Pinduoduo deals

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star taobao
• Stay updated: clawhub sync