Xianyu is the third billionaire platform created by Alibaba after Taobao and Tmall. In Chinese “Idle fish” has same pronunciation with “leisure”- Xianyu, so this platform named “Xianyu”. “Leisure” is idle time, while “surplus” is idle goods and space. Xianyu is not only an idle trading platform, but also a community based on a new lifestyle.
In this community, people can share goods, their personal time and skills, hobbies and experiences, and even space. Xianyu is committed to changing leisure into idle fish and waste into consumption.
Not only Chinese people, but also more and more overseas people choose to buy from Xianyu. To people who doesn’t know well about Chinese language, it may be hard to understand some terms on Xianyu. Therefore, I would like to share some Tips and Rules for buying from Xianyu.
What should I do before buy the item?
- Fisrst of all, download Xianyu APP. Search “Xianyu” in Chinese “闲鱼” in your App Store:

- Login Xiany. It is the same username and password with Taobao. So you don’t need to register again if you have an Taobao account.
- Check the seller’s sesame credit and whether he makes real name authentication or not.
Click the seller’s user name:

Look his sesame credit and whether makes real name authentication or not. “芝麻信用极好” means the seller’s sesame credit is good. “已认证” means the seller has made the real name authentication.

- Have an idea for the rough price of the item you want.
Xianyu is a platform to sell & buy second hand items, but always remember that there is no pie in the sky. You should have a rough idea for the value of the item you want to buy.
For example, this below item. It doesn’t mean the price is 8yuan, you need to tell seller what you want and ask him how much.

- Find a forwarder in advance to get their Chinese warehouse address or find an agent to help you buy. Most Xianyu sellers can only ship to domestic address (in China), so if you are in abroad you need to find a forwarder or agent at first. (PS: 42agent.com is an forwarder as well as a shopping agent, you can contact service@42agent.com for any question.)
10 Tips for choosing item on Xianyu
1. When you see the title or description which has words “求” or “收”, you can quit it and look for another one. Because it means the person wants to buy the item instead of selling it.
2. The title or description which says “可直拍” means the item is available and list price is the actual price, you can buy it directly.
3.The title or description which has “已预留” or “专拍” means the item has been reserved by other people, you can quit it.
4. The title or description which has words “打包出” or “捆” means the seller wants to sell some other items bundle, he doesn’t want to sell the list item separately.
5. The title or description which has words “可排” or “暂挂”, means the seller doesn’t have stocks on hand or she not decides to sell it yet. You need to leave a note “排” in message area.
When the seller is ready to sell & ship, she will contact the people who leaves message “排” before. If the ones who is ahead of you don’t want to buy any more, you have the chance to buy it.

6. The title or description which has “需提前确认” means the seller can’t ship it in a short time. And he wants you to click “received the item” before he ships it. The reason why some sellers require this because of they don’t want customer to cancel the order white waiting to ship. After customer clicks “received the item”, the payment will go to seller’s account.
This way is safe to seller, but not safe to customer. Because if the seller never sends the item, your money can’t get back any more, you have to undertake the loss by yourself. So please consider well before buy.
7. The title or description which says “带价私” means the seller doesn’t sell it as the list price, you need to offer a price by yourself and contact the seller. Some people don’t know how much the item values or he hopes someone offers price than he expected will list the item like this way.
8. The title or description which says “换” or “交换” means he wants to exchange with other people instead of selling it. However, some sellers also have plan to sell it except exchange. So, it is better to check with him first.
9. For the item list which has many items, such as below case, please contact the seller to tell him what you want, he will open a new link for you to buy.

10. When you buy expensive items from Xianyu, especially big brand items, it is better to ask the seller provide detail photos before you buy.
The last, most Xianyu sellers do not allow to return after the purchasing, so please consider well in advance.
Hope this artcile can provide help when you purchasing from Xianyu(2taobao.com). Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, hope you and your family have a good time and please stay safe!