Taobao Tips: How To Get a Refund/Exchange

It’s happened to us all before. We get lured in by the call of Taobao and purchase what we think will be a great product, but when it shows up it’s either not what we expect, broken, or in a hundred more (or less) pieces than we thought we were getting. However it happens, we’ve all ended up making a purchase before that we’ve regretted on Taobao. So how do you go about getting an exchange or refund?

In the Taobao app, go to your account by clicking the bottom right option.

You can see all your orders here.

Click on the order you want to request a refund/exchange for. Then scroll down and choose the rightmost option, which refers to “after-sales service” 申请售后 (shēnqǐng shòuhòu).

This brings up a few options, from left: “merely refund” 仅退款 (jǐn tuìkuǎn), “return the goods and get a refund” 退货退款 (tuìhuò tuìkuǎn), and “exchange” 换货 (huànhuò).

Click on the option you prefer and you’ll be given a list of options for expressing your reasons for requesting this service. Depending on the goods and services provided by the seller, there are a litany of options here, ranging from even “I don’t like it” to “It’s fake.” It’s best to use screen capture and a translation service to help you pick the option that best fits your case. After that, you just have to hit submit.

With a return/exchange, you will also have to choose the option of having a courier come and pick up the goods from you or for you to mail them back yourself. But who would really choose the second option, right? Do note, however, that returns and exchanges are usually subject to a delivery fee you usually have to pay. Expect a call from the courier within the day for them to arrange a pick-up time.

Most refunds and exchanges are performed promptly within a day or two, but some may take up to seven days. You can check on the status of your refund by going to your Taobao account and clicking the option which reads “refunds/after-sales service” 退款/售后 (tuìkuǎn/shòuhòu).