Since developing an all-out taobao shopping addiction, I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Initially, I thought buying things on Taobao was as straightforward as finding what you want, clicking buy, paying and waiting for the package to arrive. While this is true in many instances, it’s not the case for all situations, as I’ve recently found out.

You see, items listed are not always in stock, especially in the size and colour you want. However, quite often these sellers don’t update their page so when you find an item that says there are still 3 in stock, it may in fact already have sold out. You obviously don’t want to pay for something that doesn’t exist anymore. This is where communication with sellers comes in. To avoid disappointment and potential hassle down the line, it’s a good idea to send the seller a private message via taobao before you actually pay for the item to get them to confirm whether the item you want is actually in stock. You can tell if they’re online if a blue icon (looks a bit like a smiley face) is visible beside their seller info.

But it’s not only stock inquiries that you can send to the sellers. If you’re about to purchase something expensive you can ask them about their return policy, and whether or not they do adjustments to clothes. Sometimes, in the case of wedding and evening dresses, sellers can order a clothing item according to their specific measurements. This usually costs a few RMB extra especially if you order large-sized shoes. Usually an extra 20-30RMB is added to the price.

Another good idea is checking out the ratings of the seller and reading the comments from other customers. The highest rating a seller can have is 5. Anything above 4 is pretty good. To read the comments by customers, look out for the “累计评论 ” tab beneath the photo. Obviously, these will all be in Chinese as will your communication with the sellers. Don’t expect to get by using English on Taobao. If you’re not sure of something, make sure to ask a Chinese person to help you.

In most cases, if you see that the seller has already sold dozens of the same item, then you can rest assured that the product is most likely okay. However, for items where there’s only a handful in stock, or where there are many but no sales yet, make inquiries before you pay.