Taobao has almost everything, and the whole app is in Chinese. This guide walks through one real order on my own phone, from Ireland: what I could and could not change in Settings, how to search without Chinese, how to send a parcel to a hotel without losing it, and where to find your order afterwards.
Where something comes from my own account I say so. Where it comes from someone else's guide I say that too, and a few things I could not confirm are marked as such.
Quick answers
Can I use Taobao in English?
It depends on your account's region. On my account, bought from Ireland, the only language was Chinese. Third-party guides say English is available for some regions such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau, but I found no official list, so open Settings in your own app and look.
How do I search on Taobao if I do not read Chinese?
Type your search in English. It worked for me with phone case. For anything you cannot read, use your phone's own translation: Live Text on an iPhone, or Circle to Search on Android.
Can I send a Taobao parcel to my hotel?
Yes, but ask the hotel first. Message them with your name, booking number and dates, ask if they accept parcels before you arrive, and ask for their address and reception phone in Chinese. Add a Chinese note asking them to leave it at reception and not to call the guest.
How long does Taobao delivery take?
It varies. Delivery to a hotel can take up to three days, so do not order for a stay of one to three days. Read the delivery estimate before you pay.
How do I pay on Taobao with a foreign card?
Through Alipay, with your own bank card linked in the Alipay app. Set it up before you travel. Third-party sources report a 3% fee on payments over ¥200.
The 12 steps, in order
- 1
Open Settings and check your language, country and currency
Tap My Taobao (bottom right), then the small gear for Settings. You will see country, language and currency. First-hand: on my own account, bought from Ireland, Chinese was the only language on offer, and Ireland was not on the list. Taobao's English interface appears to depend on the region of your account, and the third-party guides I found only name Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau. I could not find an official Taobao page that lists the regions, so check your own Settings instead of trusting any list, including mine.
- 2
Switch the currency to euro
Even with the app in Chinese, the currency can be changed. After I switched to euro, every price showed a rough euro amount underneath the yuan price. It is an estimate, not what your bank will charge, but it is enough to see at a glance whether something is cheap.
- 3
Search in English, and translate what you cannot read
Type what you want in English, for example phone case, and results come up. Taobao's search box took English when I tried it. When a button or a product page makes no sense, use your phone's built-in translation instead of copying text into another app. On an iPhone (XS, XR or newer, on iOS 15 or later) Live Text lets you tap the text in the camera view and translate it. On Android, Circle to Search has a Translate option on supported phones. Both are official features, set up in the phone's own settings, not in Taobao.
- 4
Add your delivery address before you buy anything
Tap delivery address, then add new address. Do this first. If you skip it, Taobao will stop you at checkout and ask for it anyway (more on that in step 10). Always write your name in English, even if the rest of the address is in Chinese.
- 5
Sending to a hotel: message them first
Email them, or message on WeChat if they use it. Give your name, your booking number and your dates. Ask whether it is okay to receive a parcel before you arrive. Ask for their exact address and the reception phone number, in Chinese, so you can copy it into Taobao character for character. Do not order until they say yes.
- 6
Write the note in Chinese, and ask for it to be left at reception
Let an AI assistant (Gemini, Claude or ChatGPT) write the address note in Chinese. The point of the note: leave the parcel at reception or in the parcel locker, and do not call the guest. For example: 包裹请放前台或快递柜，请勿致电客人. That is an AI translation. Show it to the hotel in your first message so they can tell you if the wording is wrong.
- 7
Add your own phone number, with the country code
The phone field is not there for calls. Couriers and hotel staff often see only the last four digits, and that is how they match a parcel to a guest. Add your own number with your country code. In my experience this is what keeps parcels from being lost: I have ordered tens of packages this way and not one was lost. That is my own record, not a guarantee.
- 8
Check the delivery time before you order
Do not order to a hotel if you are staying only one to three days. Delivery can take up to three days, and the parcel may arrive after you have checked out. The delivery estimate is shown on the product page and at checkout; read it before you pay.
- 9
Pick your item, then add it to the cart or buy now
On the product page choose the options, such as your phone model and then the colour. Then tap add to cart, or buy now if you are sure. Not sure yet? Tap the star to save it to your favourites.
- 10
Go to the cart and check out
In the cart, tick what you want and tap checkout. If you have not added an address yet, a pop-up will ask for one first. Once the address is in, submit the order.
- 11
Pay with Alipay
Pay through Alipay with your own bank card. Set Alipay up at home before you fly; the steps are in my China travel apps guide. Trip.com and China for Travelers both report a 3% fee on Alipay card payments over ¥200, but their wording differs on whether exactly ¥200 is included, so check the fee shown in your own Alipay before paying. I did not find Taobao-specific Alipay rules for foreign cards on an official page.
- 12
Find the order under My orders
Once paid, everything lives under My orders in the My Taobao tab: to pay, to ship, to receive, and refunds. This is where you follow delivery and where you tap to confirm receipt when the parcel arrives.
Rules change. Everything here was checked on 2026-10-17 against the sources below. Before you fly, open the official page once more.
Sources
- Phone settings: Live Text on iPhone (Apple Support) (official)
- Circle to Search: translate (Google Search Help) (official)
- Alipay on the App Store (official)
- Trip.com: how to change Taobao to English
- Tianwen: Taobao in English
- Trip.com: how to add a card to Alipay
- China for Travelers: Alipay for foreigners
