How to shop on Taobao in Malaysia: Guide for shopping, changing language, and shipping

Open to residents with a registered address in the following countries: United States of America, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia or New Zealand.

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If you love to shop online you’re going to love Taobao¹. Home to everything from fashion and furniture to health products, electronics and cosplay costumes, you’ll find great bargains available.

Use this guide as a good place to start your Taobao journey. You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your ringgit when paying in foreign currencies.

Table of contents
Is Taobao available in English? How to change language in Taobao Shopping on Taobao: 6 simple steps Taobao fees Best Taobao agents Use the Wise card to make seamless payments in Chinese Yuan Frequently asked questions

Is Taobao available in English?

Taobao is a Chinese site, and it used to be the case that all website and app services were only available in Chinese. The good news now is that Taobao is available in English as well - ideal if your Chinese reading skills aren’t all that.

Moving to Taobao English on their main site is as simple as toggling from one language to another - although some site features such as FAQs and help topics may still not be available in English translation. In this case, use Google Translate to automatically translate the page content. It’s not a perfect solution, but it does make it far easier to navigate if your Chinese isn’t up to scratch.

How to change language in Taobao

On Taobao’s main international landing page there’s a button on the top left menu bar, which reads “Language”. All you need to do it tap it, to be shown the option to move from the Chinese landing page to the English, and visa versa.

Shopping on Taobao: 6 simple steps

1. Set Taobao’s language and location

Once you’re on the main Taobao international landing page, you can select English as your language if you’d like, by tapping the “Language” button. Remember to also select your country from the dropdown list in the top left of the screen, to see localised content for Malaysia.

2. Register for a Taobao account

If you’re not a registered Taobao user you’ll now need to register your account. If your account is already set in English, you’ll see a button asking you to register or log in, on the menu bar close to the country button.

To register:

1. Enter your phone number to receive a verification code by SMS
2. Read through the terms and conditions before clicking to agree and create your account
3. You’ll now be able to enter your shipping address so you can receive goods

3. Browse and select items

You can now use the search bar on the Taobao website to search for specific items - or navigate using the menu on the left of the page. Add items to your shopping cart as you go, ready to check out later.

It’s good to know you can search in both Chinese and English, although English language searches may not pull up as many results as Chinese. Most often though, the problem is too much choice rather than not enough - Taobao has filters available to narrow down your search.

4. Verify goods and sellers

Taobao is a treasure trove of cheap goods. Inevitably this means that alongside great bargains and honest sellers, you’ll find products and stores which are not so good. This may mean poor service, low grade goods, or issues with delivery - so it’s well worth checking the sellers you’re considering have good reputations before you spend any of your hard earned money there.

Some helpful steps to verify your sellers include:

1. Check seller details which you can find on the product page
2. You’ll be able to see how long the seller has been in business, and the score they’ve been given by other Taobao buyers
3. You can message the seller if you have specific questions

5. Check out and pay

Once you have your final basket, you can head to the check out to complete the process. Making your payment will usually involve using either a Malaysian bank debit or credit card or an international credit card - and you’re guided through the step by step payment process by prompts on screen.

It’s helpful to know that there are different Taobao fees depending on whether you choose to use an eligible Malaysian bank account and card² for your payment, or an international credit card³. As well as costs incurred from Taobao, you may also have to pay fees to your bank or card issuer, so make sure you consider all the possible fees carefully. More on that later.

6. Await delivery

Taobao shipping can be arranged directly, or through a consolidated service offered by Taobao itself, or a third party provider. The delivery time depends on the items you’ve selected, the shipping method you prefer and the specific provider.

Taobao direct shipping can offer a 5 day shipping guarantee for some item categories⁴. We’ll cover some great Taobao agents to consider later.

Taobao fees

Taobao payments are made through the Alipay payment gateway, and always in CNY. If you’ve never used Alipay you’ll be asked to enter a password and create an Alipay account before you get started. However, paying is then fairly simple and can be done using your preferred credit or debit card.

Taobao shipping fee to Malaysia

You have a few different options when it comes to shipping. Items can be sent direct or in a consolidated shipment. Consolidated shipments involve collecting all the goods you order in a warehouse in China before sending them together in a single shipment by air or sea. This method is typically slower, but cheaper.

If you use a third party to arrange your shipping, their own fees will apply. If you choose Taobao for direct shipping, your shipping costs are from 32 CNY (about 19 MYR) to West Malaysia, and 41 CNY (about 41 MYR) to East Malaysia.

Consolidated shipping costs are around 22 CNY (13 MYR) for the first kilo, then 10 CNY (6 MYR) for every 0.5 kg after that to West Malaysia, or 33 CNY (19 MYR) and then 15 CNY (9 MYR) to East Malaysia.

Are there any extra fees when using certain payment methods?

We mentioned earlier that there are options to pay Taobao using a Malaysian bank or an international card. Fees vary depending on the option you select.

If you choose to use the Taobao service for Malaysian bank payments, your payment is routed through a third party service, which charges a 1.5% handling fee. The exchange rate used to convert your MYR payment to CNY will be shown on screen when you arrange the transaction. Bear in mind that fees may apply within this rate, so comparing it to the mid-market rate before you agree could ultimately help you avoid unexpected charges.

Your alternative is to use an international credit card payment. Taobao adds a 3% fee for use of an international card - your card issuer may also add a fee which you’ll want to be aware of. The currency exchange rate in this case may be set by your card or by Alipay, depending on how the transaction is processed.

Best Taobao agents

If you want to buy from Taobao but you have reservations about using the site directly, you can also use a Malaysian based agent to make the process more straightforward. Using a local agent has a few advantages. You’ll often be able to access an English language website to browse and select products, with support offered in English if you need it. Additional services are also available such as package checking to inspect the goods before they are shipped internationally from China. This can ultimately save time and make sure your items are correct before you pay for them to be shipped to Malaysia.

Shopping Taobao using an agent will typically cost you more than using the Taobao site directly - but can offer some peace of mind and cut down the hassle. Here are a few agents to consider if that’s the way you decide to go:

Lazada

Take a look at the Lazada Taobao⁵ collection for convenient shopping with a familiar interface, and handy local resources to pay. You can spend on Lazada easily with most local banks, select local e-wallets and at 7Eleven stores in some cases.

Buy Mall

Buy Mall⁶ offers 45 days free storage while items consolidate and fast order processing. You can have your goods checked and delivered to your door, or you can arrange to pick up your things at a Buy Mall location if you’d rather not pay the delivery fee.

Boxku

Boxku⁷ offers a great range of Taobao products and lets you pay using Malaysian preferred methods like local e-wallets for convenience. Parcel inspection service, insurance and shipping of sensitive items available, including items other couriers may not be able to manage.

Buy 2

Shop Taobao using the Buy 2⁸ app, with a simple to use shipping calculator to work out the costs. You can also get 60 days of free parcel storage, free repackaging and parcel consolidation, with a range of top quality couriers to get your goods to your doorstep when they’re ready.

Use the Wise card to make seamless payments in Chinese Yuan on Taobao or through agents

The Wise card is a simple and cheap way to make online payments in 40+ currencies. All you need to do is to sign up for a free Wise account and top-up in MYR to get started. You'll be able to order up to 3 free virtual Wise cards with unique card details, so you can make convenient and secure online payments whenever you need. Manage, freeze, and delete your virtual cards using the handy Wise app.

Choose to spend directly in MYR and let Wise's auto conversion do the trick, or convert to your desired currency in advance. Either way, you’ll get the mid-market rate, with low, transparent fees from 0.77%.

💳 Get your Wise card today

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Frequently asked questions

How long does Taobao take to ship to Malaysia?

Taobao shipping times depend on whether your parcels are arriving directly, or through a consolidated service. Taobao direct shipping can offer a 5 day shipping guarantee for some item categories, while third party and consolidated services are likely to take a little longer.

How to check Taobao tracking in Malaysia?

Use the Cross-border logistics option on the Taobao website to track your shipment. Simply log into your account, and click to see where your goods are and when they’re likely to be in Malaysia.

Does Taobao have a physical store in Malaysia?

Yes. You can visit a Taobao physical store at the MyTOWN shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur to check out the services on offer.

Is there a Taobao promo code for first time users in Malaysia?

Taobao offers promotional codes - but the exact details do change, so you'll need to check what’s available when you sign up. Look on the Taobao website and also social media to find the best codes live at the time you’re shopping.

How do I contact Taobao customer service?

You can log into your account to access 24 hour online support directly from Taobao. If the issue you’re experiencing is with the payment rather than the Taobao site itself, get in touch with the Alipay contact for payment problems: Malaysia Service Hotline ( 60 ) 392125564.

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Sources:

1. Taobao
2. Taobao FAQ - Malaysian bank payments
3. Taobao FAQ - international credit card payment
4. Taobao shipping to Malaysia
5. Lazada Taobao Malaysia
6. Buy Mall
7. Boxku
8. Buy 2