Taobao Furniture Shopping Regrets: 2 Homeowners share their bad experiences

Oops! Are you buying your entire home from Taobao too? I know of friends who have ordered the toilet bowl, bathroom fittings, bidets, and even fluted panels and floor laminates from Taobao.

Anyway going to sell the HDB after 5 year MOP, might as well go cheap and DIY!

Now, some of them had to change their sofas after a year, some of their stick on wallpapers fell off.

Buying all your home furniture, furnishings, and even appliances from Taobao is a massive cheap thrill. It's cheap, it looks amazing in pictures, and it's DIY.

Here, two Singaporean homeowners share their Taobao furniture shopping regrets:

Mistake 1: Getting everything at the lowest price from Taobao 

For A and her husband, Taobao was always going to be the way to go when it came to their new BTO.

They were avid shoppers on the platform already for clothes and the prices that they could get on Taobao were just too irresistible.

“What we liked about Taobao was that we were able to even customise certain pieces of furniture in terms of the size to fit our place. So we ordered our sofa and table from Taobao which we were able to save quite a sum than if we were to purchase from brands in Singapore.”

There’s no question that the cost of some designer furniture can be stratospheric, and we can count on one hand the number of people who have bought a genuine Eames chair.

Even so, it’s best to keep this warning in mind: Buy cheap, buy twice.  It’s advice that the couple wishes they heeded early on, as it was a complicated journey. 

“The first issue came about when we received the furniture. The colour looked slightly off from the photos that we saw online, but that I could still deal with. The biggest problem was that the dimensions for the table was not what we requested for. 

The table length was shorter, the width was shorter, and the height was lower as well. When we communicated this to the seller, they said that they checked but now that’s in Singapore they can’t do anything about it.

Read Also: How to Ship Bulky Taobao Furniture to Singapore?

We escalated the issue to Taobao, and thankfully they said they would get us the refund. Even so, disposal of such a big piece of furniture is not cheap and we had to wait for so long to just get a new piece from another vendor.” A and her husband shared that the stress of back-and-forth communication, and just the logistics of it all was more trouble than it was worth. And it got worse, as the sofa started to peel at spots where it had the most use.

So for those looking to get products online, here’s what you need to know. If something is just an ornament, like an umbrella stand, it will probably last long enough.

But cheap items subject to constant wear – such as sofas, rugs, or frequently opened cabinets – tend to need replacing after a short while.

Probably the most common culprit here is cheap shelving; leave your books or items on it for any length of time, and you’ll see the shelves start to sag or bend into a U-shape (this is from using cheap laminates, or wood that isn’t properly treated/dried). 

Mistake 2: Buying fittings from Taobao

R shared that she wanted to incorporate sleeker bathroom fittings, but the ones from reputable brands like Kohler seemed overpriced when she compared them to the prices on Taobao. 

“I was a newbie that didn’t know anything about these brands other than they were expensive. I was more interested in achieving the look, rather than to ensure that the products could also last long.”

Given the lower prices, she was naturally suspicious as to the quality of the products, and asked the seller whether the products would rust after time.

Products claimed base on China's climate

“He seemed very confident, and kept saying that it would confirm not rust. It did look nice when it was new, but it wasn’t long before parts started to rust. I learned after digging more that when Taobao sellers say it won’t rust, this is based on the climate in China, not Singapore, which is just less humid.”

But the worst thing for R is that the insides of her kitchen taps started to rust as well later on. No one wants to drink rusty water, and while it apparently doesn’t cause immediate harm, it is definitely a cause for concern when there are bacteria ingested over a long time. 

“That was the last straw for me, and beyond the ugliness of the taps after a few months, and even drinking water, there was additional cost when I had to remove and install the new taps. I should have just paid for the more expensive taps in the first place!”

All that said, while the price of the product is usually an indication of the quality, that isn’t to say that Taobao is all bad – you just need to look in the right places.

There are sellers there that are the OEM of other brands, and you are just buying these products without the proper warranties or any service recovery, hence the lower prices. 

8 Taobao Furniture Shopping Tips

Need something? Chances are that Taobao has it. The Chinese shopping platform is massive, housing everything from men and women’s apparel, to homeware and furnishings, and even electronics!

But the site is harder to navigate than you would think. Besides the language barrier, there are also enough buttons and numbers to get one confused.

1. Look at the seller’s rating

All sellers are rated based on the number of past transactions and reviews. There are four icons available – golden crowns, silver crowns, diamonds and hearts – to indicate this rating.
Sellers with golden crowns have the most past transactions, followed by those with silver crowns, then diamonds. Those with hearts have the least number of transactions.
Associate Professor Chu Junhong, 45, from the National University of Singapore Business School, advises: “In general, sellers with golden crowns are safe to buy from as they would have sold many items before. But as with all online deals, you buy at your own risk.”

2. How long has the seller been on Taobao?

In general, sellers who have been on Taobao for a longer time are more reliable and trustworthy. Says Prof Chu: “Those who have been selling for a long time have more to lose from a mistake and so they care more about their reputation.”

3. Read negative reviews

Assistant Professor Hannah Chang, 34, from Singapore Management University, whose research interests include consumer behaviour, judgment and decision-making, says: “All reviews can be ‘manipulated’. But by looking through negative reviews, potential buyers can see the problems that past buyers have encountered.”

4. Chat with the Taobao seller first

Taobao allows you to chat with the seller via instant messaging. There, you can ask for more details on the item or bargain.

Prof Chang says: “Of course, make sure your Chinese is good as it is likely the only language the sellers will understand.”

5. Use Chinese furniture keywords

Google Translate is your best friend when it comes to getting keywords for browsing Taobao. But if you’re looking for something more specific, check out this cheat sheet that 65Daigou has provided, complete with useful keywords for searching! 

Didn't do well in Mandarin at school? More Taobao keywords here.

6. No warranty for items bought on Taobao

In general, there is little recourse if an item stops working after it is delivered safely to you.

7. Taobao Prices Don't Include Shipping Fees

Sometimes, the cost of a product isn’t inclusive of the shipping fees.

Charges for shipping your buys over to Singapore depends on the actual or volumetric weight, whichever is higher.

On certain occasions, shoppers might might have to pay a higher fee for the shipping costs as compared to the price for the product itself.

Here's the cheapest way to ship in bulky Taobao items.

However, here are some points worth mentioning to your seller before they ship your products:

1. Use wooden boxes for shipping heavier of fragile items
2. Refrain from using damaged boxes or containers
3. Fragile items should be well cushioned

Alternatively, you can utilise Ezbuy's shipping "daigou" services for an easier time.

They can help with your purchasing process, as well as inspection, shipping and repacking of your parcels. 

8. Be cautious of disputes

If there is a dispute, note that overseas transactions are difficult to pursue as the laws that apply in foreign countries are usually different from those in Singapore.

Mr Seah Seng Choon, 62, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore, says: “Pursuing a case in a foreign jurisdiction is costly and time-consuming.”

Part of this article first appeared in The Straits Times, Stacked.