From Single’s Day to the largest global online shopping feast: Stories of China’s Black Friday (5)

Vegard Person, 25

Oslo

Norwegian freelancer, Double Eleven fan and frequenter

Phrase: Taobao has a lot of bizarre and interesting stuff; it's a whole new world to me. The online shopping industry in China is growing fast, and I think it’s more regulated than before.

The first time I used Taobao, I was traveling in China. When my Chinese friends showed me Alipay and Taobao, I was amazed. It was like a whole new world just popped up in front of my eyes, and since then, I’ve bought many small things on Taobao, like socks, clothes and stationery. I later learned about the Double Eleven Festival, and every year I asked my Chinese friends to search for what I wanted and help me buy it.

My take on Taobao is that the platform has a lot of bizarre and interesting stuff. For ex-ample, you can find a range of creative Halloween outfits and decorations. I am a big fan of Pokémon, and on Taobao, you can find cheap Pokémon themed T-shirts, which is awesome!

As a foreigner living outside of China, though I want to do more shopping on Nov. 11, my poor knowledge of the Chinese language makes it hard for me to understand all the complicated discount rules. Plus, I don’t have Alipay, which means I can't buy stuff by myself on Taobao. Though for foreigners, Taobao has a global version called Aliexpress, it has far fewer options compared to its Chinese version. In Norway, most people have no idea what Taobao or Double Eleven is, so I wish online shopping platforms in China could do more to help us join in the festivities.

I think the online shopping industry in China is growing fast, and is more regulated than before. I saw a Spanish artist on Instagram complaining that an online seller in China had stolen her pictures and sold them illegally. Many Chinese fans helped her to report the seller, who was later punished. Though fake goods and intellectual property infringement still exist on these shopping platforms, authorities have made efforts to tackle such issues, which should be encouraged.