First Time Buying on Xianyu! (Taobao Secondhand)

**Edit Sept. 29th 2019: Read my second experience buying from Xianyu with a different proxy

I have seen multiple articles about people buying from Taobao, but none regarding Xianyu.
A few research attempts weren't conclusive: I did find two individuals on Quora and on Reddit (here and here) inquiring about buying from Xianyu, but the answers rather gave arguments to discourage OPs buying from Xianyu.

Since it was my first time with Xianyu (AFAIK there's no English version except if you use Google Translate), I was excited but also really confused and stumbled a bit on the website/app.

This post is a review of the stuff (Bobon21 clothes) I bought and as well includes specific info I would have liked to be aware of when first using Xianyu
Note that there may be unexact info since I'm relying on my first and only experience to write this post, and I apologize for that in advance.

*Except for the red sukapan that was bought on Mercari, the three other items were bought on Xianyu using the proxy service Yoybuy (I chose to include the red sukapan in this post because I thought it went well with its counterpart in grey bought on Xianyu.)

What is Xianyu?
Xianyu is an online marketplace for people to sell and/or buy secondhand goods. It belongs to Taobao (Alibaba) hence its URL "2.taobao.com". I'm certainly no expert on Xianyu, but it's basically the same as Fril, Carousell, Depop, or any other online secondhand marketplace, except that it's in China. This means that anyone with an account can post goods for sale, buy from other users, leave a rating, and so on. There are of course variations from platform to platform, but you get the point.

I found out about Xianyu in this article, while looking up for online secondhand websites in China. Xianyu appeared to me as the answer to my troubles when scouring for Bobon21 clothes from past collections, as few Japanese secondhand sellers sell Bobon21, and when they do, usually price the clothes higher than (I assume) it should be.

These are the sections addressed in this post:

• Buying on Xianyu: Computer or app?
• Buying on Xianyu without a proxy service?
• Getting the product URL *OBSOLETE SECTION—SEE THIS POST INSTEAD.
• Domestic shipping fees: where to find them?
• The clothes I got
• Conclusion

Buying on Xianyu: Computer or app?

It looks like you can't buy on Xianyu using your computer; you need to buy using the app.

First, Xianyu seems to be dissuading its users to use Xianyu on their computer. I spent a good while trying to look for a search bar on the website where I could input my keywords, only to discover that there's simply no search bar on the website (while it is easily spotted in the app):

Website version

App version (Android)

Second, let's say I've found a product I like on Xianyu. Clicking on the item's page, a pop-up window shows up:

I suck with more formal and technical Chinese, but here's a rough, definitely not 100% accurate translation: "Seller has already transferred the product on Xianyu app. Download the app and immediately communicate with the seller."

Suppose you close that pop-up window and then click on the orange button that says "立即购买" (buy now).
This will show up:

First part of the first line is unintelligible to me, but second part asks me to "please download the app to carry on the buying process."

Notice the QR codes in both pop-up windows? The one in the first pop-up window redirects you to the product's page in the app (you have to scan it in the Xianyu app itself); the one in the second pop-up window leads you to a page where the app can be download.

Conclusion: Shop and buy with the app and just avoid using the computer because it probably won't work with the latter.

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Buying on Xianyu without a proxy service?

Except if you are Chinese or have been living in China long enough to have become well "settled" by now, you most likely won't be able to buy on Xianyu by yourself.

This is because of  "实人认证", which consists of verifying your identity via the app Alipay (or certifying/attesting, not sure how to properly call it):

See text in yellow rectangle

This part about verifying your identity is a bit blurry in my head because it's been a while I've attempted this step.

If I remember well, you can choose between three/four options to verify your identity. I believe these are face recognition, passport number, link/provide your card number from a Chinese bank, and something like providing your Chinese citizen card number?

Anyway, I decided to provide my passport number (most feasible option in my situation). Though after providing my passport number, Alipay asked me to provide my bank card number—which I did—but then got told Alipay didn't support my bank card... I believe that Alipay only accepts cards issued by Chinese banks for this verification service, but I can't be sure of it.

Conclusion: If you don't verify your identity, you cannot buy a product on Xianyu; considering verifying your identity implies providing info you may not possess (because you're not Chinese), you are unable to verify your identity and buy on Xianyu, therefore have to use a proxy service in order to buy goods from Xianyu.

This being said, I don't despise proxy services, but I do have reasons for wanting to buy on Xianyu by myself:

• Can chat directly with the seller (very practical if I want to negotiate the price or ask questions);
• Don't have to use the BuyForMeService from Yoybuy, can use only ShipForMe (I save on fees);
• Can leave my own rating about my transaction with the seller;

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Getting the product URL

*OBSOLETE SECTION—SEE THIS POST INSTEAD.
From personal experience with proxy services, I usually need to provide a link so that the buying agent will be able to access the specific product and buy it for me.

However, because I'm shopping in the Xianyu app, there's no link as on a website. (ಥ_ಥ)

I tried copy-pasting the product's title from my app into Google to find the product's page on the website version of Xianyu, but none of the results generated by Google lead me to the right product.

I originally thought this issue would be no big deal for Yoybuy since they must deal with Xianyu orders on a regular basis, until I addressed the problem to a Yoybuy agent in the chat, expecting her to instruct me on what to do. But instead, when I told her that I couldn't find a proper link in the app, she searched for the item and suggested me the same product from a different seller she had found herself. (●__●)
So I improvised this very sloppy method in order to fetch a link from the app:

1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner	2. Click on the chain icon (it'll copy the product URL)

Now you've got your link. You can immediately paste it into the Yoybuy order form, or test it before in your web browser:

This is an ineffective URL to provide: it stops working after a certain time and you can't buy the product from this URL. I only use it because I must provide a link (at least with Yoybuy) to send my order in the system.
Because this URL is impotent, I mention in the comment space (still in the order form) that the link doesn't work correctly, and that to ensure buying the right product (from the right seller), I strongly advise to copy the product's title and paste it in the Xianyu (app) search bar -- the exact product I want can then be found this way.

I mean, perhaps the buying agent has its own method of finding the item that is far better than mine, but I had to come up with something after that chat with the lady mentioned previously.

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Domestic shipping fees: where to find them?

Sometimes, the sellers will mention it in the item's description or someone will have already asked it in the comments section; other times, nothing will be written. I was pretty clueless at first about how to obtain this info but I eventually found out how:

1. Click on the red button (我想要 I want)	2. The shipping fee is the text in the yellow rectangle

Note: this doesn't ensure that what is written is the accurate shipping fee. The seller may put a "standard" fee, but depending on the province where the product will be shipped, it will vary (in that case, Yoybuy notifies you by email to pay the price difference -- at least that's how it went for me).

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The clothes I got

Item #1: Bobon21 Red Check Dress

I've wanted this dress since I saw it in fall 2016... unfortunately I didn't have the guts back then to use a proxy service to buy it. I've always regretted it and was delighted to see that a lot of sellers on Xianyu were selling the exact same dress.

In the item's description, the seller really insisted that the dress was brand new with the tag still on, had only been tried on and had spare buttons. Well, when I received it, the dress didn't have any tag on (except for the brand tag but that is another thing imo), had no spare buttons and definitely didn't look "brand new" as stated by the seller.

Small black and red dots that are quite noticeable

The three buttons which look used:

I know wool isn't perfect and I surely did expect lints on it, but the seller asserted numerous times (in the description) the dress to be "new condition" (+ still had the tag and spare buttons). I feel I've been duped and I'm really disappointed, because I paid more for this dress in particular, while I could have bought the same dress for a lower price (and the state would have possibly been equivalent or better). I know that's part of the game when buying secondhand online, but still, it feels good complaining (and it would feel even better if I could leave the seller a rating.)

At least the fit isn't bad.

Item #2: Bobon21 White Blouse

When Bobon21 released their fall collection in 2016, the dress above could be bought as a set with the blouse. I originally didn't intend on getting this blouse, but eventually told myself I might as well buy the blouse if I'm buying the dress and gave in (didn't really help that I thought the blouse looked nice either...)

The blouse was said by the seller to be 90% new. I noticed that a lot of sellers on Xianyu use percentages to describe the degree of newness, such as 80% new, 90% new, 95% new, etc.

It's not clear to me as to what 90% new corresponds, but the seller did tell me the blouse didn't have any dirt or damage when I asked her the question.

Dirt on the collar (fortunately disappeared after washing)

The blouse is really great. After washing and ironing, it's in pretty good condition. I was happy to see that all the heart buttons were still there. There seems to be a lot of excess threads, but I believe the blouse was always as such.

Excess threads here and there

I like it. It fits a little on the smaller side, but it's better than too big. The sleeves' length is okay, as long as I don't lift my arms...

Awkward gap I plan on sewing close

The seller also gave me this sweater and choker with the blouse, which is a nice thought (although the sweater is kind of heavy thus adding weight for both domestic and international shipping, and I don't plan on wearing it since it's not my style, but anyway.)

Item #3: Bobon21 grey sukapan

I had already bought this sukapan in size M, but thought it was too big, so I bought it this time in size S. According to the seller, the sukapan was brand new and had only been tried on.

The bows have small flaws, but nothing serious

I'm pretty satisfied with this sukapan. The state and fit are great. Only thing that first struck me was the sukapan's color, which is not the same as the one I had priorly bought in size M:

I have no idea why the color variation is so important, nor why the bows look different on both sukapans. I won't post a try on picture since I'll post two for the same one (in red) I'll talk about next.
Item #4: Bobon21 red sukapan *Bought secondhand on Mercari

Glad to see the bows look flawless

The fit when it comes to the waist is much better than the sukapan in size M. From the side, however, I don't see a big difference with size M... I think it all comes to ironing the pleats of the sukapan actually, to make sure not a pleat sticks out awkwardly.

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Conclusion

Following this first experience with Xianyu, I am not impressed at all with my purchases, especially with the dress. The prices were not astronomically high, but none were cheap (except for the blouse that was sth. like 9 bucks CAD). Add to that the other fees (domestic shipping, international shipping, Paypal fees) and it becomes a somewhat expensive order. If I lived in China, I would probably enjoy shopping on Xianyu, but with the proxy service and international shipping, it becomes way too expensive for the quality I received.

Consequently, I definitely won't be window-shopping for fun on Xianyu but will only be buying if I need something that is insanely hard to get on Japanese secondhand websites. And I shall buy the clothes when Bobon21 actually releases them (i.e. brand new), instead of hesitating and then regretting and having to resort buying secondhand.

If however, Alipay does allow users to verify their identity with a credit card that doesn't need to have been issued from a China bank, I believe that would be slightly better since I could buy the products myself (although international shipping still is expensive).

Thanks.