Lamborghini Starts Selling on Taobao Mall

I have saved up all my Taobao VIP points…

I have saved up all my Taobao VIP points, and am thinking about what to buy. Being the Taobao Master Numero Uno, I have millions and millions of points, which can be used on most purchases to give me a cute little discount. And I think I know what I will spend them on. Will I be the first person in history to use a coupon on his purchase of a Lamborghini? Probably. But I won’t tell that to all the chicks I pick up. I’ll tell them that I paid extra, because paying extra is cool.

Millions and Millions

Don’t have millions of VIP points? You will have to pay cash. Prices range is between 4.5 million rmb and 6.9 million rmb.  They haven’t sold one yet (not in the official Taobao system, anyways) and probably never will.  It’s not exactly about that. Lamborghini is another in the long line of big brands to realize that to exist in the minds of the Chinese consumer, you need to be on Taobao.

Lamborghini~6888000rmb

iPad 2 Hits Taobao for the Rich and Impatient

iPad 2 is out!
You might have heard about the huge iPad 2 launch in China. The one that had created massive lines in Shanghai and Beijing, and even an incident of laowai rage. The lines were reported to be mostly made up of scalpers, capitalizing on the certain scarcity of this hot item. So what kind of profits do the scalpers get for waiting in this line for hours and hours?

This is what my PTSD nighmares look like

I am happy to report that there is no scarcity on Taobao. If you want an iPad 2, you will pay about a 300rmb premium over the list price for the cheapest model, an 8% margin.  Apple’s mainland China MSRP on the 16GB model without 3G coverage is 3688rmb, compared to 3998rmb on Taobao.  (You can also get a Hong Kong model for slightly cheaper: 3820rmb.)

Rich and impatient
This iPad hoarding is a dirty twist on supply and demand.  But it seems to be working out, as the biggest shops sell them by the hundreds. I could sidestep these scoundrels by waiting until the official Apple store has fresh stock. But I am a rich SOB, and an impatient one. And you know what else? I’m worth it.

iPad 2: 3820rmb (HK model) to 3998rmb (Mainland model)

The 300rmb markup

vivienne westwood 潮爆流苏单肩斜挎包 超美蛇纹设计！

59元

EMS 30元

89 x 1.08 / 4.7 = SGD20.45

Vivienne Westwood

750元

EMS: 15元

765 x 1.08% / 4.7 = SGD185.78

Coco Jumbo

 

 

398元

EMS: 25元

423元 x 1.08% / 4.7 = SGD97.20

Grace Kelly

620.00元  

EMS: 25元

645元  x 1.08% / 4.7 = SGD148.20