Taobao seems like some insurmountable mountain to jfashionistas who haven't ordered from it before. While it is in Chinese, and while most shops don't ship internationally, ordering from Taobao doesn't have to be painful.
There are a few tutorials out there on how to navigate Taobao and buy from stores directly if you happen to have a Chinese bank/address to ship to, but the easiest way to order from Taobao is through resellers or shopping services.
I've used both and want to share the pros and cons that I've seen with both. I'll let you make the decision what you want to use when you decide to buy, but it's good to get the full picture on your options.
Taobao Resellers
At first, the only resellers of cute clothes from Taobao lurked around on Storenvy. Those still exist, but now there are more legitimate companies that stock and order lolita from Taobao.
One great company is
Devil Inspired. They do both pre-orders and stock items from popular Taobao lolita brands.
Devil Inspired recently sent me a dress from Soufflesong - ordering through Devil Inspired is super convenient for ordering a single item or items from different shops at the same time.
I chose the
Rose Mary onepiece in pink in size large. If you have a larger bust, you know the struggle of sacrificing a boobloaf for ordering a size up and hoping it doesn't look to baggy. This is what I did, and I don't regret it. This dress is super comfortable and easy to move around in. It's lined with thin cotton, which makes it nice for the summer even though it has long sleeves.
The
downside to using a reseller is you are paying a bit more for your items than you would be from using a shopping service. The
upside is that you don't have to calculate fees and shipping based n weight for your budget - the reseller does this for you in the listing price. Everything is in English so you don't need to use a translator to figure out sizes and such, and they might have some items already in stock.
Taobao Shopping Services
The shopping service I use is
Spreenow, which I also recommend. What I like about them in particular is their convenient shopping cart system and really friendly customer service. They ask for full payments for pre-orders at the beginning, but they do all the work.
The
downside to using a shopping service is that you have to go out into the wild of Taobao yourself and tell them what you want. You also have to remember to add in their fees and calculate shipping when you decide to make an order. The
upside is that shopping service fees are often less than markups from resellers and you have more freedom to order whatever you want - even if it isn't lolita fashion related.
Conclusions: Taobao Resellers or Shopping Services?
I'm not here to tell you which is the better option for ordering from Taobao. That's up to you. There are upsides and downsides to both, and you should definitely weigh your options.
What do you use when you shop on Taobao? If you haven't ever ordered from there before, what are you waiting for?! Just kidding... let me know below what you think!
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