{"id":24420,"date":"2020-04-07T02:00:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T01:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/?p=24420"},"modified":"2020-09-11T04:47:02","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T03:47:02","slug":"open-online-shop-on-taobao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/open-online-shop-on-taobao\/","title":{"rendered":"Open an Online Shop on Taobao: Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Open<\/p>\n

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Open an Online Shop on Taobao – Index<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. What is Taobao?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Who can open a Taobao shop?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. What do I need to open a Taobao shop?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. What is the procedure to open a Taobao shop?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. What are some popular products on Taobao?<\/a>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    China. 1.4 billion people with a huge consumer market that get an increased appetite for foreign products. In the past years, we\u2019ve seen increasingly more foreign brands that want to enter the Chinese markets thanks to the many opportunities offered.<\/p>\n

    Many companies prefer selling online via cross-border eCommerce and on websites like Kaola.com, JD.hk, and Tmall.hk. That said, you shouldn\u2019t neglect Taobao.com where entry requirements are lower and where sellers pay substantially lower fees. <\/p>\n

    Today, we review Taobao<\/a>, how you can sell there, what you need, and more. <\/p>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is Taobao?<\/h2>\n

    China is the biggest eCommerce website in China and was launched as early as 2003. The website was acquired by the Chinese giant, Alibaba, and started to evolve into becoming a major platform after that.<\/p>\n

    At the moment, there are more than 8 million stores registered on Taobao, including everything from cheap locally produced products to expensive Western brands. Major brands like Nike and Adidas have shops on the site.<\/p>\n

    That said, it\u2019s primarily used by customers who want to find products in the low to medium price segment. Over the years, Taobao has struggled with sellers that sell counterfeit products, something that the Chinese government has forced eCommerce websites to start clamping down on.<\/p>\n

    If you look for a more high-end solution, you should take a look at Tmall (tmall.com) and Tmall Global (tmall.hk) instead. These have more foreign products, modern interface, and are popular among customers in larger cities.<\/p>\n

    Who can open a Taobao shop?<\/h2>\n

    Anyone who has a China-registered company or has the opportunity to work with a partner who has a registered company in China can register to sell on Taobao. The requirements are significantly lower to the more high-end eCommerce websites, such as JD Worldwide and Tmall Global.<\/p>\n

    That said, entering the Chinese market requires much planning and that you have sufficient knowledge about the market. Besides, many foreigners have to work with so-called Tmall Partners or other eCommerce agencies, due to the complexity of entering the Chinese market.<\/p>\n

    What do I need to open a Taobao shop?<\/h2>\n

    First of all, you have to register a company or work with another company that is registered in China to get access to Taobao. You must have a physical address and using a postbox company with the help of a virtual office is not possible.<\/p>\n

    If you want to know more about how you can open a company, I recommend you to read this article<\/a>. Some of the most important documents include your business license, China
    \noffice rental contract, and passport copies.<\/p>\n

    Setting up a company in China is fairly easy and cost you around USD 3,000 – 5,000. The time can take up to 6 months, which is comparatively long to set up a Hong Kong company, which takes a week or so.<\/p>\n

    That said, you\u2019re unfortunately not able to sell on Taobao by simply having a Hong Kong company<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    One of the issues of setting up a Chinese entity is also that you need a Chinese office address before you\u2019re able to apply for your Chinese business licenses. Thus, you have to pay a deposit month of rent upfront before you even know that you\u2019re capable of opening the Taobao shop.<\/p>\n

    Taobao requires that you have a Chinese bank account as well and connect it with your Taobao store. Some of the most popular options are the Bank of China (BOC), ICBC, and China Merchants Bank (CMB).<\/p>\n

    Finally, don\u2019t forget that selling on Taobao will require that you import the products into China. Thus, you have to register the products with the China customs, the AQSIQ, and other authorities before importation.<\/p>\n

    For more information, I recommend you to contact a distribution management company or eCommerce partner that can help you with such registrations.<\/p>\n

    What is the procedure to open a Taobao shop?<\/h2>\n

    You can set up a Taobao store by following seven steps:<\/p>\n