Question for otakus from China

[qmish]

Is there a website similar to japanese mandarake or rakuten, but in China? Also needs to be available for browsing without chines IP/proxy, and without qq/whatever login.
Long story short, my friend might voyage there in the future, so I would like to browse such site to see items like music CDs or artbooks, so I tell friend to buy when in China.

[nZero]

Taobao is the big one

[DenimDemon]

I used tabao all the time. You can even order and pick up at some local shops.

[GaijinPunch]

Sadly, the delivery balloon was shot down so expect delays.

[qmish]

Thanks for replies...

Though looks like it requires an account (?!) to vew actual items (which is crazy for marketplace, imho).
So now the question if I can register or not (because it's for me to preview and see items, which I later ask my friend to get in future trip).

[DenimDemon]

I can surely browse and see the items without log in. But if you’re buying you will need an account, like everything else.
There’s also an app as well.

[qmish]

It doesn't allow me.

I get this when trying to go on item page or even onto specific category.
https://i.postimg.cc/NGzrCq3z/taobao1.png

Also I tried to register and it's so freaking broken... switching to "english" interface of registration didn't work in my main browser, so i went to other browser and inputted my phone number, got activation code and it made me login, however that browser was bad for actual website so i went back to my main browser (where switching to english language registration didnt work) and tried to login with my phone number and then I got error (which googletranslates to "your account frozen" or something like that), then i thought about just trying again (maybe i did smth wrong) and used 3rd browser (where perhaps both switching to english interface works AND main site works fine too) and when trying to register i was greeted with "buddy, too many confirmation codes.. try tomorrow".

Jesus, this is infuriating.

edit:
About browsers unlucky stuff - my main is Edge, but for some reason button to switch to english when doing registration didn't work in it. I also keep (outdated) Firefox, where that button did work (?!). but actual website doesnt load anything except empty spaces etc. And third time i decided to go with Opera and they said i ask confirmations too much (wtf).

Really, what da hell. But the main what da hell is why i cant view items without account ofc.

edit2
Looks like im not the only one. What the actual hell. Why something like amazon never gives such troubles to people, but this does?

https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... _does_not/
https://old.reddit.com/r/FashionReps/co ... bao_login/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... nt_frozen/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... nt_frozen/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... in_issues/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... is_frozen/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... _to_login/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... ozen_help/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... o_account/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... nt_please/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... so_i_send/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... o_sign_up/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... e_a_login/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... t_sign_up/
https://old.reddit.com/r/FashionReps/co ... t_logging/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... t_logging/
https://old.reddit.com/r/taobao/comment ... se_stores/

yeah, pretty damn impressive.

[DenimDemon]

I’m not on my desktop right now but have no problem browsing in my phone browser.



Good luck!

[qmish]

Thanks
I don't have a modern smartphone and don't use "apps". I know, i'm dying breed.

Anyway, I guess I should find something like https://buyee.jp/ but dedicated to Chinese marketplaces instead of Japanese (in terms of being able to VIEW items, not as proxy buyer, I mean).

I’m not on my desktop right now but have no problem browsing in my phone browser.

If you are physically there, perhaps they allow that for "local customers"
And all those troubles and broken experiences is mostly for "overseas folks".

[qmish]

My friend is in China again, so that opens possibilies for me.

Which means I'm back with question... Any recommendations for where to search shmup-related goodies?
City-wise, he is often in Shanghai.

And as I said, I can't really direct him using e.g. taobao (as after many many failed attempts to register it just never worked to me). But even that, when my friend himself looks for the stuff I ask to check out, not always anything is findable, sometimes nothing at all.

So any of you have know a stable marketplace or shop something that is somehow healthy with shmup goodies, please tell!
Same with "used" items as well, like Cave artbooks or smth.

[Sengoku Strider]

I feel like there must be a gold mine of old mainland 70s & 80s kung fu movies I don't know about waiting out there to be discovered. All the CG-splattered new stuff that ends up on Netflix does nothing for me.

[Lemnear]

oh no they want to steal our secrets!

Spoiler