Take A Look At China’s Biggest Re-Commerce Platform

Do you have a lot of clutter in your house… or even expensive items that you have never used? Thankfully, China’s Alibaba company has created a perfect platform for you to distribute and sell your items.

Xianyu, or Idle Fish, is a platform and an app that allows its users to sell their pre-owned products. The Chinese name itself means “leisure and extra.” Users have the luxury of selling almost anything (except illegal or dangerous items), such as cosmetics, home utilities, tech, clothing and more.

Many consumers believe that re-commerce is a solution to our fast-fashion habit and a positive pursuit towards sustainability. Others simply want to declutter their household and earn an extra buck at the same time. Either way, the three-trillion worth platform Xianyu has been a successful host for communities of people that want to resell and share their secondhand products.

To hop on Xianyu, it is important to note that this app is connected directly to Taobao, one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms. As soon as you download the app, make sure to log in with your Taobao account. Immediately, you will be able to see possible items that you have bought on Taobao and recommendations for which items you should sell on Xianyu.

In the home page (center button), there are four options for distributing your used items. The main option takes you directly to your photo album/camera, where you can take a photo of the product that you want to sell. Then, you can add details about this product listing, such as its brand, age, date of purchase, pricing, quality of product and more. After the information is inserted, you can release the product listing and your item is for sale!

Usually, before a buyer purchases a product, they will ask questions about the product via the chat function. The buyer may ask you to take a video of the product or ask if the product has any issues. They might even negotiate prices with you. If the buyer finally decides to purchase, they will “take a photo” or “pai xia” the listing. Then, you will just have to arrange for the mailing and make sure that the buyer confirms receiving the product.

Simply put, Xianyu is the ultimate platform to cut costs during shopping, learn some valuable sales skills, and contribute towards sustainable re-selling.