How to buy a lens on Taobao?

In this article, we will share our experience of purchasing a lens on the Taobao platform.

It is worth noting that TaoBao (淘宝） includes many divisions. （天猫，闲鱼...) Now we will talk about the most common one.

Although there are products of different quality on TaoBao. Concerning lensesthen they the real. We bought a lens from Sony FE85mm F1.8

Before paying for the goods, it will be useful to ask the seller a few clarifying questions: where the goods come from and what kind of guarantee it has, why the price may differ.

As a rule, sellers respond to requests immediately. In 99.9% of cases, they do not speak English, because the Tam Bao platform is focused on the domestic market of the country. Therefore, we conduct all negotiations in Chinese.

The main difference between the products that we identified during the purchasing process is the different warranty periods.

Products are divided into hanhuo* 行货 and ganghuo 港货.

行货 hanhuo are things made in China. With a 3 year warranty. Such products are considered more expensive due to the long warranty period.

港货 ganghuo are things from Hong Kong. With 1 year warranty. Sold at a lower price.

Another useful phrase that will definitely come in handy when communicating with the seller: is the product currently in stock? In Chinese Spot. This is due to one trick of all sellers. The fact is that if you ask if there is a product, you will, of course, get a positive answer. However, the seller may turn out to be a reseller or you may have to wait until the product is in stock and only then will it be sent to you. Therefore, it is better to find out immediately whether there is product in stock.

If you are satisfied with everything regarding the price and guarantees, then it’s time specify delivery method. One of the best and most reliable delivery services in China is 顺丰快递 (Shunfen). Delivers goods in one or two days. It is especially worth using it if you are purchasing valuable goods.

Our lens arrived within a day. The quality is excellent, it works successfully. All guarantees. Watch the unboxing video.

Before purchasing, we considered options for purchasing used equipment. However, when we walked through the electronics markets in Guangzhou in search of the right lens, almost every one had small scratches, stains, microscopic bugs and even mold. If you, like us, live in a humid climate, for example in the south of China, then be careful when buying used goods. Mold easily grows here even in the most inaccessible places.

The price difference between new lenses and used ones is not big, about 10% of the total cost. We decided that it was better to pay 200-500 yuan more, but get a new, clean product with all guarantees.

Conclusionswhich we did:

1. For a successful purchase knowledge of Chinese is requiredto correspond with the seller, clarify details and read reviews on the site
2. It is a safe transaction. Paid funds are held until you receive and check the goods
3. Better to use reliable delivery. for example Shunfen
4. Hong Kong goods are cheaper than Chinese ones (for foreigners, in many cases the option with goods from Hong Kong is suitable, but this is a topic for another article)
5. Need to check if there is one now product in stock
6. The difference between new and used equipment is approximately 10% of the cost goods.
7. It is better not to buy a product that has been used in a humid climate, as there is a high risk of mold.
8. The Chinese prefer to buy electronics on the website JD.com, because the site administrators try to monitor the quality of the product.

If you need help purchasing electronics and other goods from China, write to the chat on our website, we will try to help.

We wish you successful shopping!

*the character 行 can be read as xing or han