2015 Year in Review: Incredible Things We Bought Online this Year
This year, many Chinese online shopping platforms became even more accessible for foreigners, and I personally also got involved, ordering plenty of great things on the Internet and getting passionate about WeChat wallet. Here’s a review of the things we discovered we could buy online in 2015, which doesn't include that dress. Oh, that dress ...
A fan
When things started getting a bit steamy in the office, and the air conditioning units failed us as many Chinese office buildings' units do, we turned to JD.com to solve our problems. They managed to deliver a fan on the same day. It was magical, romantic almost. The fans still serve us well now, when the air pollution is too high to open the windows, but the office is just too damn hot.
Train tickets
We experienced the intense joy of not having to queue up at the train station for hours, days in advance, to get that ticket to Shanghai or Hohhot. Now, you can just buy your train tickets on WeChat, meaning you don’t have to get out of bed, nevermind get your elbows out in a rowdy queue.
Polaroid cameras
We got extremely excited about Polaroid cameras, and snapped away for the second-half of the year. Even for this we turned to the Internet, where there were some incredible deals on cameras, film, and accessories. As Beijing's markets are disappearing and getting moved further and further out, the Internet will soon be the only way.
Winter wear (read: fluffy leggings)
JD.com and Taobao had plenty of items available to help those of us commuting on two wheels stay toasty, whether that be fluffy leggings, thermals, electric blankets or blankets for e-bikes. The Internet keeps us warm and fashionable... Not.
Air purifiers
When the pollution got us down, we checked the Classifieds for some air purifiers. Our Classifieds section is full of secondhand machines that are still in great condition, and will get you a much better deal.
And finally … Christmas trees
Yup – pretty self explanatory, but we didn’t have to venture far for our Christmas trees and decorations. Even if you’re looking for a Santa outfit, the Internet has it. We had to be careful though, as not all trees available on the Internet were ... lusciously green.
If you’re not quite there yet: here’s another reminder on how to set up Alipay as a foreigner.
More stories by this author here.
Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
Instagram: s.xuagram
Photos: abclocal.go.com, Margaux Schreurs, JD.com, Taobao
