Upper Intermediate - Buying on Taobao

Great topic and great dialogue.Is tao2bao3 part of ebay ,or is it the same concept but separate from ebay altogether?

On ebay you can't buy/sell 2nd hand underwear [who would want to anyway? ],but is this tao2bao3 for new clothing also ? I usually think of ebay as being for 2nd hand dongxi but I know you can buy some stuff new.

Taobao is definitely not part of eBay. It waged war with eBay in China and won.

Not sure about underwear, but yes, you can buy clothing on Taobao.

淘金 (tao2 jin1) pan for gold in a river

对于二手货或者旧衣服，我想中国人和美国人的态度是不大一样的。

在美国，我看到有专门卖旧衣物的店，但是，在中国，没有这样的店。

Thanks John.I'm starting to wonder about Amber's Ayi;it's not the first time she's mentioned her Ayi messing up her clothes situation.I love listening to these much higher levels.I think there is a lot for someone on a lower level to gain from the exercise.I liked listening to your conversation with Jenny as there were no cheat sheets for me to go with.Speaking of cheat,I was sure I heard the word for cheat in your convo ;pian4;and more sure because of the context of the topic.

Speaking of ebay I can recommend a very funny send up of ebay by Weird Al Yankovic on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYokLWfqbaU

Hard to get the tune out of your head when you hear it.

Henning may be interested because it refers to Shatner's old toupe;hilarious.

wxgcathy,

Thanks for letting me know.Now that you say it ,it doesn't surprise me.So do the Chinese just ditch their old clothes then? I have a feeling for the reason behind this knowing of some Chinese beliefs,but I'd love someone to elaborate on this.

bababardwan

right, just "ditch their old clothes", or giving them away , 但，仅限于关系很好的亲戚朋友，otherwise, they will be offended.

wxgcathy,

I wondered about giving them away.I think the same principle would apply in the west in that regard.But what about the poor? I presume there are similar systems in place with regard to recycling old clothes.

I love Taobao ever since I've arrived in China 3 years ago. The tip to buy anything in Taobao is to look for the "Diamond" sellers who  tend to have longer and good track record even though their price may not be the cheapest one there. Happy shopping ;-)

I remember thinking 'it's suicide' when taobao first launched. Ebay had already begun its operation in China and was the undisputed global leader. There were a lot of doubts and cynicism towards taobao. But time after time, China's internet market proved to be a very different place. Home grown websites seem to triumph over global guggernauts in all categories, be it online shopping (taobao vs. ebay), search engine (baidu vs. google), social networking (xiaonei or kaixin vs. facebook and myspace). Maybe it takes Chinese to know how Chinese interact. But with more experience in China and the right mix of technological capacity with local talent and market insights, foreign players are catching up. 

Thanks Jenny for those other website references.Very interesting.Will have to check them out.Ta.

Of course, demographics is an important factor in choosing Chinese or foreign sites. Age, education, occupation and exposure to global culture largely determine user's choice.    

Speaking of making expensive purchases, I recently bought an Appletv on taobao, but it turned out to be out of stock. A bit of oversight on the seller's part, but he approved my refund request and Alipay gave me my money back in no time. And even if the seller doesn't approve your request, taobao will release the money after 7 days. Quite good for the buyer.

我喜欢在当当网等中国网上书店购买书，因为商品种类很丰富，发货也迅速，而且价格都有优惠。不过网络书店也有一个缺点，就是库存管理很差劲。网站虽然表示有货，顾客汇款后却往往有缺货通知，退款很麻烦，简直是受不了。不管有没有短处，但是网上书店的优势越来越明显，都起因于传统书店提供的服务不周到。我在网上只买书籍，从来没买过比较贵的东西。我这个胆小鬼很担心，卖家万一会”逃跑”！

hi changye,

我基本上同意， 国内的书店服务水平并不到位。但我们上海有一家很不错的二手书店，我在复旦念书的时候去过n次。

其实，谈到这个话题我有些想家的。 美国的大部分小城市至少会有一家很不错的二手书店。 虽然我在网上买过很多书但我总是特别喜欢看一下实体店，闻闻旧书的脆弱页面，跟老板聊聊天。

日本的二手书店如何？ 去过吗？ 据说东南亚到处都有，但我没亲眼看过。

Thanks Jenny, John, for these interesting conversation and dialogue. You both are such a delight to listen!

I only have a problem with the last sentence :  你太不像话了！拿我当试验品 How would you translate it?

大部分是一个挺好的课程！可是后面的一成解释得还没完... I found that the explanation of the dialogue seems to have been stopped rather abruptly to make way for the 2nd playing of the dialogue. Some of the phrases explained towards the end were also not included in the key vocab list, instead there were some other phrases in that list that were not touched upon at all, i.e. after the Alipay bit. I got the feeling that there was some sort of distraction in that last bit of the broadcast. Did someone walk in with food or something?

Hi sido,

你太不像话了！拿我当试验品 means

You're too much, using me as a guinea pig! (i.e. someone to experiment on).

太不象话 basically shows outrage or disbelief. Sometimes it is used seriously, but often, like here, it is a bit jokey.

Please note that 当　is a 多音字 duo1yin1zi4 meaning that it can be read in different tones with different meanings. Here we want the fourth tone, for the sense of "to treat as."

Great question, keep asking.

日本人古来非常重视读书，爱惜书籍，所以古籍旧书行业自然就成为了有代表性的日本产业之一。东京神田神保町有日本规模最大的旧书街。据说这条很热闹的街道一共有大约二百多家二手书店，其中有的是延续好几代的老铺子，有的是专卖与中国有关书籍的老字号店，甚至是全国连锁公司分店。

我家乡的人口只有十万多，可是城里有好几家比较大的旧书店。其中最大的还是全国连锁分店叫做BOOK-OFF，商品种类很丰富，服务周全，而且不管原价多少，半年卖不出去的书都是一百日元(六元人民币)。虽然是个二手书店，但是商品和店铺既干净又很漂亮。我对国人爱书籍的美德总感到很骄傲。

http://www.bookoff.co.jp/en/index.html

http://www.bookoff.co.jp/webmagazine/walker/vol01/index.html

Ooooh, I loved this lesson. One of my favorite so far because of all the ethics-related vocabulary (trust; trustworthy; cheat, safe, guarantees, etc.).  Also liked it because I buy stuff on ebay--I don't really care if someone has worn a skirt suit once or twice. After all, some "new" clothes are tried on 7 or 8 times in the store before they are sold!  In America, a lot of well-made, high end clothing is sold on ebay by socialites ("social x-rays" as Tom Wolfe termed them) who wear a dress or jacket once and then ask someone to sell it for them because they wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same thing twice.  I've read that starlets have friends and family search ebay for good deals on clothes.

Most chinese websites  are cluttered with too many adverts all over the place,especially the ones like taobao ,ctrip, tom etc.

I personally would prefer buying at a store and hone my 讨价还价 skills than click away on taobao and wait fot stuff to be delivered at my doorstep...unless it were something like an apple tv :)

Jenny, was the appletv priced cheaper on taobao as compared to the apple store?

对话中的男人很有说服力。我从来没有在ebay或者淘宝买东西，让我感到自己很落后。

Hi changye,

听起来东京的书籍文化他妈的不错， 真让人佩服。 也许西方最优秀的二手书店都在英国牛津吧，英国人跟日本人一样很讲究文学。A population that loves reading is a treasure to cherish.

Pinkjeans is right.  We only got two thirds of a lesson on this one. What happened to John and Jenny's breakdown of the last third of the dialogue.

Did you guys hit a wall or something? The lesson wasn't overly long at 14:10.

Please don't leave us hanging like that. There is some very good dialogue near the end that could have used some 'splaining', as John like to say.

Cheers,

Lao Bi

Ive bought several item from china off youtube

& have had Good Transactions, Wierd to think

some sellers or Buyers would limit them selves

Selling worldwide usually gets Better results

其实在国外买国内的东西可以找国内的代购，我之前用过北京的一家代购公司，他们的服务就很不错，而且服务费只有10%，他们付款方式和物流都很不错的，通过第三方可以省掉我们很多麻烦，虽然要支付服务费，但是还是很值得。下面是代购公司的网站：www.yoybuy.com ,拿出来和大家分享，希望能对各位同学有帮助。

Hello! I got some questions..

1) Here are the sentences from the dialogue:

还是到店里买比较保险

店里差不多要卖六千

还是到店里买省事

Why is it always just 店? Can we say 商店 or it wouldn't sound natural? :)

And how else can we express "到店里买.."? Do Chinese say "到店里买" only when they compare online shopping and physical shops or it's a usual expression?

2) Are there some official characters for G and i-phone yet?

thanks!

hi jiaonen,

到店里买  (Dào diàn lǐ mǎi)
到商店里买  (Dào shāngdiàn lǐ mǎi)

Both are OK.  You can use 店 (diàn) or 商店 (shāngdiàn).

And these expressions can be used for physical shops, or online shops.

3.G and iphone don't have any Chinese translation yet, as far as we could find.

我也从来没有在淘宝网买过东西，因为觉得网购有风险！有时候觉得自己还挺土的！

Hi cassie

我经常在当当网买书。网上书店商品丰富又很便宜。比较贵的书，我绝对不在新华书店买！

哈哈，uncle changye,

我大学的舍友就经常上当当网买书哦！

你是不是经常买一些关于中国历史和文化的书呢？

Hi cassie

哈哈，没错儿。我在当当网主要买历史和语言方面的书。中国不愧是汉字王国，网上书店“书架”上摆满各种词典字典和工具书。不过，网上买书也有个不方便的地方，就是说，货到了之后才能知道字体大小。这对中老年人来说是一个很关键的问题！

我经常上淘宝买东西，就非常方便，因为他们会送过来。这样没有必要花时间和钱去外面找找买。

Here are some of the words in the discussion to the best of my ability:

用户 yòng hù user / consumer / subscriber / customer
专用 zhuān yòng special / dedicated
仔细 zǐ xì careful / attentive / cautious
淘金 táo jīn panning (for precious metals)
淘米 táo mĭ wash rice
好玩 hǎo wán fun (to do) – amusing
店家 diàn jiā proprietor of a shop or restaurant / landlord
背景 bèi jǐng background / backdrop / CL: 種｜种
方言 fāng yán dialect
值得信赖 zhí de xìn lài trustworthy
作假 zuò jiǎ to counterfeit / to falsify / to cheat / to defraud / fraudulent / to behave affectedly
卖肉 mài ròu butcher / meat merchant
正当 zhèng dāng honest / reasonable / fair / sensible / timely / just (when needed)
仅仅 jǐn jǐn barely / only / merely / only (this and nothing more)
代替 dài tì instead / to replace / to substitute (X for Y, or a number in an algebraic expression)
管理 guǎn lǐ to supervise / to manage / to administer / management / administration / CL: 個｜个
贪污 tān wū (political, moral) corruption
行为 xíng wéi action / conduct / behavior / activity
自私 zì sī selfish / selfishness
上瘾 shàng yǐn to get into a habit / to become addicted
月底 yuè dǐ end of the month
一分钱 yī fēn qián cent / penny
中小企业 zhōng xiǎo qǐ yè small and medium enterprise
采购 cǎi gòu make purchases for an organization or enterprise / purchase
品牌 pǐn pái brand name / trademark

At about 8:20 Jenny said 'buxuyuni' or something.  I think this must mean - doesn't belong to you, but I am not certain about the hanzi.

hey mike

8:20

这个钱不属于你

miantiao

I should have realised!  I am even mixing up xu and shu now....

Thanks

no worries mate! 加油！

there have a lot of good things and bad things.The key lies in how you choose.

hey丽丽

这个淘宝，据你说的，听起来跟人生活一样。就是，有的人拿不到选择。

那个A看上去像东北人，说了句“不靠谱”。呵呵

我的IBM本本就是在淘宝上买的，用起来还不错。

There is some risk involved in buying things online. No doubt. That said, life is also a risk. Taking some risk in life makes our lives more colourful....don't you think? 

My gf was pondering over a dress on taobao for ages. She would go on and on about it but still not carry out the purchase. I would be asked countless times to check out the dress to the point of annoyance. The dress was gorgeous, classy and chic. The way I like my woman to dress. I gave her my "risk makes our lives more colourful" bit and she relented. Bought the dress,absolutely loved it and now she is a loyal customer of that taobao shop. http://roeyshouse.mall.taobao.com/ 

She's now an expert on taobao. She knows how to watch out for fake pictures. The korean style pics are often fakes. Their dresses sell for RMB20-50. You are likely to get crap eventhough the pictures are absolutely gorgeous. By the way, this was the dress that she bought. http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_detail-0db1-571e4c9e683cda69baa17d867b119efc.htm

My point..... sometimes in our lives, we forget the excitement of putting ourselves out on a limb. Pity cos that's when we really experience this beautiful world.

比较赞同楼上的观点。

去淘宝商城购物风险相对小点，拍下宝贝前最好和卖家联系，商定具体事宜。