Taobao Shopping

Help users shop smarter on Taobao with expert strategies, seller verification, public product search, reviews, price comparison, SKU risk checks, and cart-ready guidance.

When to Use

User wants to shop on Taobao (淘宝), China's largest C2C/B2C marketplace. Agent helps with product discovery, seller verification, price negotiation, and leveraging Taobao's vast variety while managing quality risks.

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Marketplace guide	references/marketplace-guide.md
Output patterns	references/output-patterns.md
Browser workflow	references/browser-workflow.md

Capabilities

Supported Operations (v2.0)

Operation	Auth Required	Description
Search	Optional	Search products, filter by price/rating/brand
Browse	Optional	Browse categories, trending items, recommendations
Product Detail	Optional	View specs, images, pricing, promotions
Compare	Optional	Compare prices across sellers/variants
Cart Guidance	User-controlled	Explain how to add the confirmed SKU manually or stop before changing cart state.
Visible Coupon Notes	No	Summarize visible coupon/promo terms; account-only coupons are user-only.
Address / Checkout / Order Preview	User-only	Do not select address, enter checkout, submit order, or generate private order state.
Payment	User-only	User must complete payment manually.

Important: Default operation stops before login, cart changes, checkout, address selection, order submission, and payment. User retains full control over private account state and purchase execution.

Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery (Agent-Assisted)

1. Search - Agent searches Taobao for target product
2. Filter & Sort - Apply filters (price range, rating, brand, 天猫优先)
3. Compare - Agent compares top 3-5 options across sellers
4. Reviews - Agent reads user reviews, extracts common pros/cons
5. Price Analysis - Agent checks current price, promotions, coupon availability

Phase 2: Selection (Agent-Assisted)

1. Product Detail - Agent opens selected product page
2. Variant Selection - Confirm color, size, configuration
3. Seller Verification - Confirm 天猫/企业店/个人店 status
4. Final Price Check - Calculate 到手价 after all discounts

Phase 3: User Handoff

1. Cart-ready guidance - Agent summarizes the confirmed SKU, visible price, seller risk, and promo caveats.
2. Manual checks - User verifies final payable amount, address-based delivery, coupon eligibility, stock, return policy, invoice/warranty, checkout, order submission, and payment.

Agent Boundary: Stops before login-required account state, address selection, checkout, final order submission, and payment.

Core Rules

1. Taobao Store Types Decoded

Understanding Taobao's ecosystem is crucial for safe shopping:

Store Badge	Chinese	Trust Level	Best For
Tmall	天猫/天猫旗舰店	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Brand authenticity
Tmall Global	天猫国际	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Imported goods
Enterprise	企业店铺	⭐⭐⭐⭐☆	Verified business
Personal Crown	个人皇冠店	⭐⭐⭐☆☆	Experienced seller
Personal Regular	普通个人店	⭐⭐☆☆☆	Price hunting

Priority Order: 天猫旗舰店 > 天猫 > 企业店 > 皇冠店 > 普通店

2. The Tmall Advantage

Why Tmall Wins:

Factor	Tmall	Personal Store
Authenticity	Brand direct/authorized	Varies
Return service	7-day no-reason	Varies by seller
Customer service	Brand handles	Seller handles
Fees transparency	Clear	May have hidden costs
Price protection	Available	Rare

识别天猫:

• Look for "天猫" red badge
• URL contains "tmall.com"
• Higher commission = better service

3. Price Optimization

Understanding Taobao Pricing:

Price Label	Meaning	Strategy
原价	Listed "original"	Often inflated
券后价	After coupon	Real baseline
满减价	After threshold discount	Stack with coupons
到手价	Final after all discounts	Real cost

Best Deal Formula:

Final Price = 标价 - 店铺券 - 平台券 - 满减 - 淘金币 - 支付优惠

Timing for Best Prices:

• 618 (June 1-18) - Mid-year mega sale
• 双11 (Nov 11) - Singles Day
• 双12 (Dec 12) - Year-end clearance
• 38女王节 (Mar 8) - Women's categories
• 99划算节 (Sep 9) - Autumn sale

4. Seller Verification

Check Before Buying:

Metric	Green Flag	Red Flag
Rating	4.8+	Below 4.6
Reviews	Recent positive	Old or negative
Sales	High volume	Zero or low
Store Age	3+ years	New store
Return Rate	Low	High
Description	Detailed	Vague/copy-paste

5. Returns & Protection

Taobao Consumer Protection:

Feature	Coverage	Notes
7-day return	Most items	Unused, tags on
运费险	Optional	Buy for return shipping
假一赔四	Tmall	Counterfeit protection
极速退款	High credit	Instant refund
晚到必赔	Some items	Late delivery compensation

Agent Execution Guide

When User Says "帮我买..."

Follow this escalation path:

User: "帮我买 iPhone 手机壳"
  ↓
Step 1: Confirm Intent
  "我来帮你搜索 iPhone 手机壳，对比选项，核对店铺和规格。
   登录、加购、结算、提交订单和支付需要你手动完成。"
  ↓
Step 2: Discovery Phase (No login required)
  - Search Taobao for "iPhone 手机壳"
  - Filter: 天猫优先, sort by sales
  - Compare top 3 options
  - Read reviews for each
  - Present comparison table
  ↓
Step 3: Selection Phase (No login required)
  - User picks one option
  - Agent opens product page
  - Confirm variant/specs
  - Show final price
  ↓
Step 4: Handoff (User-controlled)
  "我已经整理好下单前检查项：
   [商品/SKU/店铺/价格/风险摘要]
   
   👉 请手动完成：
   1. 打开淘宝 App
   2. 核对规格、券后价和库存
   3. 核对地址、运费、退换和发票/保修
   4. 自行决定是否加入购物车、结算、提交订单并支付"

Browser Automation Rules

Always announce before action:

• "正在搜索..."
• "正在打开商品页面..."
• "正在读取用户评价..."
• "正在整理公开信息..."

Snapshot key information:

• Product title, price, promotions
• Store type badge
• Rating and review count
• Available variants
• Visible coupon information
• Delivery estimate

Stop conditions:

• Before any payment screen
• When CAPTCHA appears (hand to user)
• When login or account state is required
• When price differs significantly from expected

Login Handling

Manual mode (default, no login)

Agent provides:
- Exact search keywords
- Product links
- Visible coupon/promo notes
- Step-by-step manual instructions
User executes manually

Quality Bar

Do:

• Focus on seller verification and store type
• Explain trade-offs clearly (variety vs. consistency)
• Stay honest about not doing account-state operations
• Always announce before browser actions
• Snapshot key information for user review
• Stop before any payment screen
• Stop when login, cart, address, checkout, order, or payment appears

Do Not:

• Pretend to log in or use account-state data
• Claim to retrieve orders, coupons, or account data without login
• Store cookies or user data
• Present heuristics as guaranteed outcomes
• Complete payment for user
• Enter checkout, address, final order, or payment flows

Common Traps

• Assuming low price = best deal → Check seller rating first
• Ignoring store type → 天猫 vs. personal store matters
• Not checking reviews → Photos reveal quality issues
• Missing coupon stacking → Multiple discounts available
• Buying from new sellers → Higher risk, less protection
• Forgetting 运费险 → Cheap insurance for returns
• Rushing without comparison → Same item, different prices
• Agent overstepping → Never complete payment for user

Taobao vs Competitors

Factor	Taobao	JD	Tmall
Variety	Best	Good	Good
Price	Lowest	Higher	Medium
Authenticity	Varies	Best	Good
Shipping	Varies	Fastest	Good
Electronics	Riskier	Best	Good
Fashion	Best choice	Limited	Good

When to Choose Taobao:

• Fashion and accessories
• Hard-to-find items
• Price-sensitive purchases
• Custom/handmade goods
• When variety matters most

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• jingdong - JD.com shopping
• jd-shopping - Alternative JD guide
• tianmao - Tmall shopping
• pdd - Pinduoduo shopping
• vip - VIP flash sales

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star taobao-shopping
• Stay updated: clawhub sync