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anonymous
Q: Do you enjoy the use of "Taobao"as a foreigner here?
It's so difficult to buy things esp I am here in NE China. I enjoy using Taobao with a local help.
Using Taobao could be fun (and I will use it even more) if they ever become wise enough to have other languages available. Funny no one has realized how many foreigners do live in China yet, and all could be potential customers.
Things are easy to find if you speak the lingo, and prices are very acceptable too. The only difficulty seems to be getting the "local friend" to be available when you want to search Taobao. And afterwards, of course, is setting up an account to be able to purchase with your "local friend" knowing all the details........
Otherwise, as I already said, it is fun in a way. 
No, not 'fun'.. but certainly useful!
As Happy said, no English, so it's a pain in the...
But, I have had occasion where I've wanted something, and a chinese colleague or friend was quite willing to get it for me on their account, or help me with mine 
Which means, while not fun, definitely something to use!
i always use a friend's account to buy stuff and do the mobile payment so that it is safer on my end without being present at his computer to enter the details.
Hell's yeah. You can get so much good stuff on there. Even NHL sweaters. I got a Vintage Trevor Linden for 105 kuai.
I used Taobao once to buy something. When I got my stuff, it did not look like the picture showed. I did not use taobao later. I like use amazon.com. At present, I have not received fake stuff.
nevermind:
Did you report the fake one to Taobao? They usually fix that.
blah:
NO, I did not report. It was so troublesome. I think taobao is full of fake stuff, if you want to buy branded goods. If you just feel free to buy something, that is fine.
For me, taobao is just great. Blah raises a good point but I am not enough of a connoiseur to be able to determine if the things that I bought were fake or not. I have purchased items supposedly by Haier, by Phillips, by Proctor & Gamble, etc., etc., by Giant and by Dahon, and they have all arrived timely and in perfect shape.
I did have one problem and that was with peanut butter and it was not taobao's fault at all. The local courrier helped himself to some of it; he was caught and reprimanded and I received a new order, albeit from a different courier.
Re the language, if you know the brand name, you can type that in in English and it will throw up suggestions. Otherwise, use google chrome with the translation feature engaged.
