If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ”my Chinese teacher asked me one day.

　　With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.

　　Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is second to consumer buying. Chinese retail buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall. com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.

　　What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U. S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big—box retailers especially—in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.

　　I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how wide the marketplace is.

　　Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese—language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.

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