介绍:
Byron: Hi there everyone. This is Byron. And you are listening to expats "Guide to China." This is our show where we explore a problem faced by expats in China. And find out how to overcome it. Here to help me today is Sam Duckett and Li Ning Jing
Byron: Today we are talking about online shopping. We will show you how to set it up, how to buy goods and what to look out for.
Byron: Are you guys avid users?
Don&`&t get me wrong online shopping in the U.Sis common as well. I used Ebay and Amazon, and found that they were very efficient. But I would have to input my bank card every time. I feel that China is smoother in connecting your existing wechat service to your bank card. Of course many people are afraid of all their cards and apps being inter-connected. And for good reason.
Byron: How does it compare to overseas?
Now before you get started you will need to do a few things. First go to your bank and make sure your phone number and ATM card are connected. If your Chinese isn&`&t that good just make sure the bank teller hears you say "Zhi fu bao", and they will get the idea.
Let&`&s start off with WeChat Pay first. If you go to the Me section of WeChat you should notice the wallet. If for some reason the wallet isn&`&t there, it&`&s because you downloaded the useless international version of Wechat instead of the Chinese version. If this is the case, first download baidu apps on your phone, then download Wechat again.
Now once you have entered the wallet, click the top right corner to the button that says bank card. Select add a card. At this point you need to recall your full name on your bank card. If you are a foreigner it will probably be your first name followed by your middle name followed by your last name, no spaces and all caps. Input your card number and the bank. You will also need to input your phone number. You will then be given a phone verification. Before you finish you will also need to set up a 6 digit pin number that will be used in all transactions.
The most convenient thing that online payment in China offers is paying my phone bills with WeChat pay. It&`&s super simple just go to your WeChat Wallet. Then you will see a bunch of boxes. One says Mobile Top up. Click that. And each month you probably want to spend 100 kuai. So click the 100 kuai box. It will then ask you for your 6 digit number password. Input the password and your done.
Another great thing with WeChat is that you can transfer money to your friends. This is a very safe and convenient way to chip in for dinner. Just click the transfer button and then click a friend, and then input how much money you want transferred, you will have to input the 6 digit password again, of course the other party has to accept the transfer in order for it to through...Ladies out there, please don&`&t use this tool to go Dutch. Us guys want to pay!
Byron: Now I was speaking to another colleague of ours, Nilla, who has not set up WeChat Wallet, so when she wants to pay her phone bill she needs to physically go to the store and pay. And I said, you&`&re crazy. You could do all that from the comfort of your bed. But she says she likes taking the walk and speaking to the guy at the shop. Is there any danger we lose our social connections by these apps?
Now that we have gotten WeChat Wallet. Let&`&s get started with Alipay. First you want to go to the Alipay website. Once there you want to click on the option for personal account. You will see both a personal account button with a person and a business account with a person with a tie. You want to click the one that says "ge ren yong hu".
After this stage you will need to write down your nationality. Then you need to write down your phone number. Then click the button below that. You should receive a phone message with 6 digits that you can input to get to the next stage.
After this stage, you will need to write down two passwords. The first password will use letters and numbers. Copy this password twice. The second password will be a 6 digit Pin number for all alipay transactions. Hopefully this will be different from your actual ATM pin number. Then fill out a security question. Then enter your full name as it appears on your passport. If you are an American, you should put your last name first, then your first name and middle name. Then input your document type and your passport ID. You will also need to fill in your occupation and address. Then press the orange button.
Now you have already completed setting up your Alipay, but you need to link your bank card. You will need to select the bank you use, then input your name as it appears on your bank card. This should be your first name, followed by your middle name, followed by your last name. No spaces. All caps. Then enter your card number and the city of your bank.
Afterwards you can confirm and you are all done.
Now that we have your Alipay set up. It is time to set up your Taobao. Go to the registration page, and in the box where you fill out your phone number and password, you will notice a little blue box on the bottom corner that has the character "zhi" for "zhi fu bao". Click that, and you will automatically set up your taobao account through your alipay. Just create a username for Taobao and your done.
Byron: Now there are numerous places here where we have left our name, our passport information, and our phone number. Do you guys have any tips on protecting your identity online? Just recently a very dear colleague of mine had her iPhone hacked.
Now that we have set up Taobao, Alipay and Wechat. It&`&s finally time to buy stuff.
Once you have the Taobao website loaded up. Go to the Search browser and type in something you want. For the sake of argument, let&`&s say a new camera.
When you&`&re picking an item it&`&s important to make sure there are plenty of other interested parties. Next to the price there should be a number of payment parties, or "ren fukuan" in Chinese. Do not purchase an item with 0 payment parties.
Then find the one you want and then click it. Then press add to cart. In Chinese it will be "jia ru gou wu che".
At that point a new window will pop up asking for your password. Input your password. Then go to your cart. There should be an orange box that says "qu gou wu che jie suan".
Once you&`&re in your cart, click the little box to the left of the picture of your headlamp. Then press the orange box, that says check out, or "jie suan", which means confirm.
On the next page, click the orange box that says order. Or "ti jiao ding dan".
Then you will be taken to an Alipay page, once here, you need to input your 6 digit Alipay password. Then press confirm.
Now you are not done yet. On the top bar go to the words that say My Taobao or "Wo de Taobao", and go to the tab that says "Already ordered treasures".
Now you will see your headlamp has been ordered. But you are not done.
On the very right side of the bar with your headlamp, you shall see a button that asked you to confirm receipt. or "Que ren shou huo". click that.
They will lead you to a page. And you will need to input the 6 digit password once more. Then it shall be on its way.
Byron: Now my dad bought a few things on Taobao, and strongly suggested against buying IC Computer Chips. I think I would avoid buying food, because it might spoil on the way. Nowadays, if you look around malls, it seems like malls are dying. People order clothes and electronics online. People get the kangaroo delivery service for meals. Even Netflix has hurt cinemas somewhat. Is there anything you would not shop online for?
Now you can keep track of the progress of your delivery by clicking the "check the progress button" or "jian cha wu liu" in Chinese.
Once the package actually arrives, hopefully you set your address to your office, because they will arrive in the middle of the day. Just remember to bring your phone down with you when you meet the delivery guy, because your phone number will be your best chance of communicating with him.
Byron: Wow, that is a lot to get through. Do you guys have any horror stories in online shopping. Perhaps something we can learn something from?
