Shop in China: bargain at the market, return on Taobao
Stores, online shopping, bargaining and returns.
Editorial: Javier Garcia Floriano · Contact
Founder of Chinese Trainer. These lists come from the app's HSK inventory (hanzi, pinyin, band), not from an official exam PDF.
Shopping in China is two languages. At the 菜市场 you talk 便宜一点 and 斤. On Taobao you talk 退货, 七天无理由 and 运费. HSK 2 already lets you ask 这个多少钱; what traps the order is 尺码, 颜色, 包邮 and the 申请退款 button. Keep high-street shops, discounts, second-hand (闲鱼) and the 网购 flow; drop gym 会员 that matching sometimes drags in. Chinese Trainer tags each row with HSK, and those rows feed SRS. Save 买, 贵, 便宜, 退货 and 大小 first, then add 发票 and 保修 once you can send back a shirt that does not fit. A stall holder hears 太贵了 long before a paragraph on consumer law. Photograph the tag before you post anything back. Keep the chat polite; the button does the work.
Key takeaways
- At a stall, 太贵了 and 便宜一点; in the app, 申请退款 and 退货.
- 七天无理由 covers many Taobao orders if you have not wrecked the tag.
- Chinese 尺码 is not European sizing: measure, or ask 小一点 / 大一点.
- 包邮 is not always truly free: check 运费险 on the return.
- This list is this site's inventory, not an Alibaba manual.
How to use these words
Start at the 菜市场, not in a cart. Point, ask 多少钱一斤, and if the number hurts say 太贵了，便宜一点. The seller may drop 最低 or 不行. 这个 and 那个 dodge vegetable names you do not have yet. Pay by QR. Bargaining often dies if you smile and take two steps — sometimes they call you back.
Then the phone. On Taobao or 京东 the order lives in 待发货 / 待收货 / 待评价. If the size is wrong, do not argue in chat as if it were a stall. Open 申请退款, pick 退货, and wait for the 寄回 address. 七天无理由 is the shortcut if the listing has it; if not, argue 质量问题 or 不合适. 运费 sometimes lands on you. Ask for 发票 when you buy, not a week later. Photograph the tag and the parcel before 寄回: chat wants proof, not a long paragraph.
Second-hand (闲鱼, 二手) uses 自提 and 当面. Meet at a 地铁站. Do not memorize 供应链 in month one: nobody will say it at a tomato stall or in a 29-kuai T-shirt chat. The dialogue below splits both scenes: a price push-back and a 退货. Practice two voices; the stall does not type, and the Taobao seller will not hear you bargain 便宜一点.
How this list was built
The published count is 61 rows for this situation after exclusions, not the raw keyword match. We checked this inventory against the HSK bands on chinesetest.cn. HSK is the level tagged on each row. Chinese Trainer is the app whose SRS uses the same rows. Chinese shopping vocabulary is the situation this page teaches.
Word list
61 words in this topic (cleaned list) · HSK 2–4
Buying and price
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 买 | mǎi | to buy |
| 3 | 价 | jià | price |
| 3 | 值 | zhí | price |
| 3 | 标 | biāo | mark |
| 3 | 价格 | jiàgé | price |
| 3 | 价钱 | jiàqián | price |
| 3 | 票价 | piàojià | ticket price |
| 4 | 购 | gòu | to buy |
| 4 | 打折 | dǎzhé | to give a discount |
| 4 | 特价 | tèjià | special price |
| 4 | 购买 | gòumǎi | to purchase |
| 4 | 降价 | jiàngjià | to cut the price |
| 4 | 高价 | gāojià | high price |
| 5 | 涨 | zhǎng / zhàng | flood tide |
| 5 | 涨价 | zhǎngjià | to appreciate |
| 5 | 采购 | cǎigòu | to procure |
| 6 | 定价 | dìngjià | to set a price |
| 6 | 房价 | fángjià | house price |
| 7 | 沽 | gū | to buy and sell |
| 7 | 贾 | jiǎ | merchant |
| 7 | 赎 | shú | ransom |
| 7 | 买不起 | mǎi bu qǐ | cannot afford |
| 7 | 低价 | dījià | low price |
| 7 | 供不应求 | gōngbùyìngqiú | supply does not meet demand |
| 7 | 供求 | gōngqiú | supply and demand |
| 7 | 售价 | shòujià | selling price |
| 7 | 平价 | píngjià | reasonably priced |
| 7 | 应聘 | yìngpìn | to accept a job offer |
| 7 | 廉价 | liánjià | cheaply-priced |
| 7 | 折扣 | zhékòu | discount |
| 7 | 拍卖 | pāimài | to auction |
| 7 | 收买 | shōumǎi | to purchase |
| 7 | 申办 | shēnbàn | to apply for |
| 7 | 行情 | hángqíng | market price |
| 7 | 身价 | shēnjià | social status |
35 words · Practice them in the app
Shops and market
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 场 | cháng / chǎng | field |
| 1 | 馆 | guǎn | public building |
| 1 | 商场 | shāngchǎng | shopping mall |
| 1 | 商店 | shāngdiàn | store |
| 2 | 市 | shì | city |
| 2 | 酒店 | jiǔdiàn | wine shop |
| 3 | 市场 | shìchǎng | marketplace |
| 5 | 柜 | guì | cabinet |
| 6 | 商城 | shāngchéng | shopping center |
| 7 | 帐 | zhàng | tent |
| 7 | 棚 | péng | shack |
| 7 | 专卖店 | zhuānmàidiàn | specialty store |
| 7 | 便利店 | biànlìdiàn | convenience store |
| 7 | 夜市 | yèshì | night market |
| 7 | 市场经济 | shìchǎng jīngjì | market economy |
| 7 | 帐篷 | zhàngpeng | tent |
| 7 | 招牌 | zhāopai | signboard |
| 7 | 菜市场 | càishìchǎng | food market |
| 7 | 连锁店 | liánsuǒdiàn | chain store |
19 words · Practice them in the app
网购: Taobao and 京东
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 配送 | pèisòng | to put together an order and delit |
1 words · Practice them in the app
退货 and refunds
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 保修 | bǎoxiū | to promise to keep something in good repair |
| 7 | 抵押 | dǐyā | to provide as security for a loan |
| 7 | 返还 | fǎnhuán | restitution |
3 words · Practice them in the app
Second-hand
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 二手 | èrshǒu | indirectly acquired |
| 7 | 二手车 | èrshǒuchē | second-hand car |
2 words · Practice them in the app
Other words in this topic
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 会员 | huìyuán | miembro |
1 words · Practice them in the app
Example sentences
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个多少钱？太贵了。 | Zhège duōshao qián? Tài guì le. | How much is this? Too expensive. |
| 便宜一点，行吗？ | Piányi yìdiǎn, xíng ma? | A bit cheaper, OK? |
| 我要退货。 | Wǒ yào tuìhuò. | I want to return this. |
| 可以七天无理由吗？ | Kěyǐ qī tiān wú lǐyóu ma? | Does the seven-day no-reason return apply? |
| 尺码不合适，有小一点的吗？ | Chǐmǎ bù héshì, yǒu xiǎo yìdiǎn de ma? | The size doesn't fit. Got a smaller one? |
| 包邮吗？运费多少？ | Bāoyóu ma? Yùnfèi duōshao? | Free shipping? How much is postage? |
| 我要申请退款。 | Wǒ yào shēnqǐng tuìkuǎn. | I'll apply for a refund. |
| 有发票吗？ | Yǒu fāpiào ma? | Can I have an invoice? |
| 这是二手的吗？ | Zhè shì èrshǒu de ma? | Is this second-hand? |
| 颜色可以换吗？ | Yánsè kěyǐ huàn ma? | Can I swap the color? |
Dialogue: stall bargain and a Taobao 退货
Two beats: morning at the 菜市场, night in the seller chat.
| Speaker | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stall | 买什么？ | Mǎi shénme? | What are you buying? |
| You | 这个多少钱一斤？ | Zhège duōshao qián yì jīn? | How much per jin? |
| Stall | 八块。 | Bā kuài. | Eight kuai. |
| You | 太贵了，便宜一点。 | Tài guì le, piányi yìdiǎn. | Too expensive — a bit less. |
| Stall | 最低七块。不行再走。 | Zuìdī qī kuài. Bù xíng zài zǒu. | Seven floor. If not, keep walking. |
| You | 好。晚上：你好，尺码不合适，我要退货。 | Hǎo. Wǎnshang: Nǐ hǎo, chǐmǎ bù héshì, wǒ yào tuìhuò. | OK. At night: hi, the size is wrong, I want to return it. |
| Seller | 可以七天无理由。你申请退款。 | Kěyǐ qī tiān wú lǐyóu. Nǐ shēnqǐng tuìkuǎn. | Seven-day no-reason applies. Apply for the refund. |
| You | 运费谁出？ | Yùnfèi shéi chū? | Who pays postage? |
| Seller | 你出运费。寄回这个地址。 | Nǐ chū yùnfèi. Jì huí zhège dìzhǐ. | You. Post it back to this address. |
| You | 好。有小一点的吗？不，先退。 | Hǎo. Yǒu xiǎo yìdiǎn de ma? Bù, xiān tuì. | OK. A smaller one? No — return first. |
Measure words for this topic
件 for clothes (一件衣服). 双 for shoes. 条 for trousers. 个 for generic objects. At the market, 斤 weighs; do not count tomatoes one by one if they are on the scale.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Regatear 便宜一点 in a 便利店 | Pay the tag / use 会员价 | A 便利店 price is not a debate. A stall price is. |
| Chat-arguing instead of 申请退款 | Open 申请退款 in the app | The refund lives in the button, not in a polite paragraph. |
| European M on a Taobao size chart | Check 尺码表 in cm | Chinese M often runs narrow. Measure chest and shoulders. |
| Asking for 发票 a week later | Ask 有发票吗？ at checkout | Ask for the invoice at payment, especially in a physical shop. |
| 七天无理由 after washing the item | 质量问题 / keep tags on | No tag and a wash, and the seven-day shortcut falls over. |
FAQ
Can you bargain everywhere in China?
At a 菜市场 and some 批发 stalls, yes. In a 超市, 便利店 and branded 商场, no. On Taobao the “bargain” is a coupon, not 便宜一点.
What is 七天无理由?
A seven-day return without inventing a defect, if the listing offers it and the item is still sellable.
How do I return on Taobao with little Chinese?
Order → 申请退款 → 退货. Paste 尺码不合适. Wait for the 寄回 address. Chat is support, not the procedure.
Is HSK 2 enough to shop?
For a stall, yes. For 退货 and 发票, HSK 3–4 helps, but the app buttons already carry the words on this list.
How do I practice shopping words?
Save 退货, 便宜 and 尺码 in Chinese Trainer SRS and run the dialogue in two voices: stall and chat. Do not add 供应链 the same day.
Practice in the app
The same shopping rows feed Chinese Trainer SRS. Start HSK 1–2 free, save 退货 and 便宜, and run today's deck before the next order.