Write@Home
Winter 2015

Shopping

selective focus of decorative packages in toy cart on wooden desk

I am a loyal customer of shopping online. Here I will explore some similarities and differences between two e-commerce shopping platforms based on my own online shopping experience, Taobao and Amazon.?

Taobao is my first choice for online shopping in China. First, there are a variety of products. Almost as many as you can think of, and you can buy them there. Second, the price of the products is very low, and customers can compare the choices among many product suppliers. Third, Taobao's delivery service is very convenient and cheap. Almost all suppliers provide free shipping and the nationwide longest delivery time will not exceed 5 days. In addition, Taobao supports free pick up for customers if they need to return the goods, and some suppliers even provide postage insurance. Fourth, Taobao's payments can be paid through its own Alipay software. Any problem in logistics that requires a refund and the money will be quickly returned to the buyer's account. Honestly, what I have to say is you get what you pay for, so many goods are probably of poor quality.

Amazon is a good choice after I moved to Canada. In my opinion, Amazon also has a large range of products. However, the delivery time will depend on the suppliers. For example, the goods supplied by Amazon usually could be got in three days or even on the same day you pay the order, but for the goods by other suppliers, you may wait for a month or longer. The return and exchange service are very convenient. Although some packages have been opened or have been used for a period of time, they can be returned normally, but the return charge is inevitable.

Anyway, I’m not going to imply which one is better. Taobao and Amazon both are good choices to shop online, and it just depends on where I am. I want to say online shopping is really convenient, and that is why I like it.