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FYI alipay for utilities and poo poo is not always available. For stuff like phone/internet is is since unicom/telecom/mobile are pretty standardized, but I can't pay my electricity or water via alipay since my complex doesn't swing that way yet. I can pay gas, though.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:23
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Also I hate how JD takes their own version of Alipay which I think is unavailable for laowai atm, but they do offer COD so that's always an option.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:24
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Yes and the only option they gave me to pay was cash up front. Basically everything in my life involves talking to someone and getting the runaround for four hours, and maybe half the time I will actually get what I wanted. And now I remember the Alipay problem, I could sign up but I can't add any money to the account. It wants a verification code but there is no indication where that is supposed to come from and no button to get one sent or anything, I have no idea what it's referring to. 
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Mar 31, 2015 09:25
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fart simpson posted:You can go through a huge portion of your life here in urban China barely talking to anyone, just doing everything online or with a mobile app. This explains so much why you like living in China lol
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Mar 31, 2015 09:40
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goldboilermark posted:This explains so much why you like living in China lol 呵呵
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Mar 31, 2015 10:03
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Not interacting with people would definitely improve things around here. Nothing will allow me to link my bank to Alipay and it won't accept a passport as ID and nobody in my office can figure out anything so this is yet another thing that is going to be multiple days of me being angry and nothing ever being accomplished. This is the top thing I hate about China. More than the pollution, more than the driving, more than the zombie staring. Basic tasks that take five minutes in a real country are rendered as difficult as humanly possible.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:15
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Magna Kaser posted:Also I hate how JD takes their own version of Alipay which I think is unavailable for laowai atm, but they do offer COD so that's always an option. Yes I just pay for stuff on JD with an online bank transfer. Grand Fromage posted:Yes and the only option they gave me to pay was cash up front. Basically everything in my life involves talking to someone and getting the runaround for four hours, and maybe half the time I will actually get what I wanted. You're doing it wrong. You can just link your bank account directly with Alipay and you'll never need to worry about manual money management again. https://certify.alipay.com/foreign/applicantInfo.htm You'll need to upload a picture of your passport and visa and wait a day for verification first. e: Grand Fromage posted:Not interacting with people would definitely improve things around here. Alipay will accept a passport as ID if you use the link above. Don't listen to coworkers, they're dumb and have no idea how to do things without a mainland ID card. It's like when FPR's girlfriend told him to forge bank documents to say he was Japanese because she didn't know what she was doing and he assumed she did. fart simpson fucked around with this message at 10:19 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 10:16
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Okay, I'll try that once immigration gives me my passport back. Thanks for the help. I have a scan of the main page but not my visa. They've been working on it since September so I'm sure I'll have it any day now.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:20
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Grand Fromage posted:Okay, I'll try that once immigration gives me my passport back. Thanks for the help. I have a scan of the main page but not my visa. They've been working on it since September so I'm sure I'll have it any day now. Wait, they take and keep your passport for 6 months?
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Mar 31, 2015 10:23
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  You're probably working here illegally.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:24
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Nah they're just slow as poo poo and kept loving up the paperwork so the whole process restarted like four times. I have a Z visa and it's at immigration, I was down there last week to fill out paperwork. I am actually supposed to have it soon.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:26
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It's supposed to take 2 weeks iirc, so it sounds like the process has restarted at least 13 times.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:28
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They say up to 30 days in Sichuan. It's almost 30 days since we applied for the residence permit and when I was down there I saw the actual permit booklet thing, but they weren't finished with whatever.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:31
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Online shopping in China is really cool & good and if you don't take advantage of it then you deserve your misery in this goon's opinion.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:37
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I really don't think it's a coincidence that the most China-positive people in the thread (me, Magna Kaser, gbm I guess?) either all seem to know a lot about & be comfortable with taobao, alipay, etc (or in gbm's case he's a high-functioning literal autist, but the happy kind) and the people that seem most China-negative like Arglebargle post stuff like "well after living here for 4 years I guess it's time for me to try to figure out how to get an alipay account". I see the same divide amongst expats I know irl here, too.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:43
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My Taobao experience wasn't great since half the stuff was never delivered and only one seller gave me a refund. But maybe it was a delivery man problem, I got a Chinese person's phone number on my account now to try again. I was having it delivered to a gigantic multiple thousand student school on literally the only main road in the area so I can understand how someone whose entire job is to deliver things couldn't manage it.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:47
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Grand Fromage posted:My Taobao experience wasn't great since half the stuff was never delivered and only one seller gave me a refund. But maybe it was a delivery man problem, I got a Chinese person's phone number on my account now to try again. I was having it delivered to a gigantic multiple thousand student school on literally the only main road in the area so I can understand how someone whose entire job is to deliver things couldn't manage it. Taobao Tip Of The Day #34 Did you know? All Taobao purchases automatically go through an escrow system to protect both the buyer and the seller.
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Mar 31, 2015 10:52
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Instead of being condescending. Add me on Skype and we can set up some screen cast to set up alipay. See guys, I was the one who taught meram jert about transferring money through alipay. It was a bit tricky to initially set things up but we got everything working once I was in his house. And use escrow
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Mar 31, 2015 12:10
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fart simpson posted:I really don't think it's a coincidence that the most China-positive people in the thread (me, Magna Kaser, gbm I guess?) either all seem to know a lot about & be comfortable with taobao, alipay, etc (or in gbm's case he's a high-functioning literal autist, but the happy kind) and the people that seem most China-negative like Arglebargle post stuff like "well after living here for 4 years I guess it's time for me to try to figure out how to get an alipay account". I see the same divide amongst expats I know irl here, too. That's hosed up especially when you can speak Chinese. Grand fromage being new to China I can understand.... Bloodnose doesn't like living in China too much but even he manages to set up taobao.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:12
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I have some amazing fantabulous alipay setup where I never had to install any shady rear end software and it bills my HK credit card. I have no idea how I managed to set this up. I remember being really frustrated with it and I've since heard from other people how they installed a spooky alipay.exe or something and couldn't find any other way, but I'm posting this to let people know that you can definitely use a non-Chinese credit card to pay for things on Taobao without running any executables.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:26
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Every time I've tried to setup taobao I've run into one problem or another. Last one was liveposted in this thread, where I was trying to link it to my bank account and there was some sort of six-digit code that it wanted me to enter with no hint as to where I should get the code! I remember MK said he didn't know what that code was supposed to be either. Maybe meramjert's link will work in which case that's great, but in my experience alipay doesn't work, JD works just fine, and I never find myself thinking "wow I wish I could buy X on taobao that I can't get on JD" so it doesn't really impact my life. I dunno maybe life would be better if I could buy stuff on taobao but I live in a convenient neighborhood where I can get pretty much anything a 2 minute walk away. Like there's no reason I would ever order a cable or USB drive or I dunno lamp or food something on taobao. I got some stuff on JD but never browse it. Maybe I could use taobao for clothes shopping come to think of it? Right now the thing irking me about China is my landlord's "we'll fix it after you leave." It's not gonna be cheaper to fix later!  Washing machine that looks like it was made in east germany in 1968 has finally crapped out. Sounds like either the motor or a drive belt has died. Rear panel is rusted onto the frame and will not come off.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:35
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Lol they're not planning to fix it for the next tenant, either!
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Mar 31, 2015 12:42
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caberham posted:Instead of being condescending. Add me on Skype and we can set up some screen cast to set up alipay. You didn't teach me anything about it, you just found that foreigner verification link I posted earlier on the page (thanks btw, also it had nothing to do with being at my place. You sent me the link over gchat.). I was already using alipay to transfer money and buy stuff for years, I just had to manually bank transfer the money instead of having it automatically pull from my bank account. I just created an imgur album to walk through the entire process of ordering & paying for something on taobao once you have it set up. This is how nice things can be if you can spend the up front time setting up Alipay: http://imgur.com/a/zgUmH
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Mar 31, 2015 12:53
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Arglebargle III posted:Every time I've tried to setup taobao I've run into one problem or another. Last one was liveposted in this thread, where I was trying to link it to my bank account and there was some sort of six-digit code that it wanted me to enter with no hint as to where I should get the code! I remember MK said he didn't know what that code was supposed to be either. The thing about buying stuff on Taobao is that the selection is much greater than what you probably can find in your 2 minute walk. Like you say you'd never buy food on taobao, but you can find stuff like a much greater selection of herbs, cheeses, spices, and things that aren't very common in China for much, much cheaper prices than you'd get if you even managed to find that stuff in a real store. Want some smoked cumin flavored gouda for literally 20% of the price that it is in that one fancy, expensive import supermarket across town? How about asafoetida powder? Good luck finding that in your neighborhood at all. A few years back I wanted an s-hook to hang a lamp and I could not find one anywhere in actual stores for whatever reason, but you can buy any s-hook you could ever want for 0.2 RMB or whatever on Taobao.
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Mar 31, 2015 12:59
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The squeeze tube of condensed milk I bought in HK finally ran out yesterday. Need to find a source for these in the UK because they make good gag gifts.
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Mar 31, 2015 13:12
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Bloodnose posted:I have some amazing fantabulous alipay setup where I never had to install any shady rear end software and it bills my HK credit card. I remember this being easy, I've been using my US card on Taobao up to now. I figured it out with Google Translate so it can't be hard. E: Also the cumin gouda is one of the things I have bought on Taobao and I have to vote against it. The cumin was just overwhelming. I think it would be nice melted and blended with other cheeses, or maybe on a sandwich, but on its own it's too much. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 13:55
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GF, you're having like the worst luck at all this. Even when I paid my bills with cash, I had an easy time. Edit: lol cumin gouda sounds awful
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Mar 31, 2015 14:05
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Taobao international charges minor but annoying fees whereas alipay is slightly cheaper and more convenient on your phone. It's weird however mobile shopping leap frogs desktop shopping. Sometimes Taobao do awesome Beertopia specials and food specials
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Mar 31, 2015 14:17
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Cumin gouda is pretty good, it's supposed to be a subtle flavour and definitely shouldn't overpower the cheese. And yes you should put it on a sandwich. Can you post a picture?
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Mar 31, 2015 14:20
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I eat my cheese by the brick like an apple
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Mar 31, 2015 14:26
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Sacks of cheese
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Mar 31, 2015 14:34
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Can't you nerds find a girlfriend to do all this poo poo for you?
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Mar 31, 2015 14:36
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fart simpson posted:The thing about buying stuff on Taobao is that the selection is much greater than what you probably can find in your 2 minute walk. Like you say you'd never buy food on taobao, but you can find stuff like a much greater selection of herbs, cheeses, spices, and things that aren't very common in China for much, much cheaper prices than you'd get if you even managed to find that stuff in a real store. Oh that reminds me I have an American credit card and an Alipay account so now I can buy things on Taobao I guess! I dunno it never occurred to me. But now I think I will buy some Japanese coffee. Oh wait it's on JD lol so I could have ordered it at any time. Really I just don't feel a need to shop online for a lot of stuff. I have a few hardware stores, a computer shop, and a couple supermarkets within a 5 minute walk. I have a great 200￥ duvet from the bedding store three shops down from the coffee shop and two down from the dumpling place where I get breakfast. The duvet is good enough that I would take one home with me to the US if it wasn't so bulky. When I do need to buy something online I use jd.com. Now I guess I can use taobao because I don't have to use my ICBC account to pay? And I find I don't care at all. I've been using online shopping in China for two years now though, it's just taobao specifically that didn't work. Of all the things I complain about in China my neighborhood isn't one of them. There are two parks and a lake within a 10 minute walk and a bus terminal and a bunch of services. I get my teeth cleaned about four shops down from the place I get breakfast most days and there's a clinic down the other way. I pay my internet bill ~in the meatspace~ because it's three shops down from the ATM and also within a 2 minute walk of my apartment. It'd be nice to live closer to the city center but that's it, otherwise this little four-block area has a surprising density of services. It does not have a pulled noodles shop or a 南京汤包 place, but you can't get those from taobao. Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 14:46 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 14:36
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Jimmy Little Balls posted:Can't you nerds find a girlfriend to do all this poo poo for you? My girlfriend hated her ex for not even trying or giving up too easily.
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Mar 31, 2015 15:05
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Jimmy Little Balls posted:Can't you nerds find a girlfriend to do all this poo poo for you? I strongly suspect this is how MeramJert got most things set up.
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Mar 31, 2015 15:09
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Also why would you want to buy asafoetida powder?
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Mar 31, 2015 15:27
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Arglebargle III posted:I did this but it was called volunteering??? Did you pay for this? I paid for the education and the time spent in Beijing and I get the money back + then some via my monthly wage. Especially if I do another semester as I get paid significantly more then. It's possible there's cheaper stuff out there but I heard good things and I had the money. It was worth it. a7m2 fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 15:30
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a7m2 posted:I paid for the education and the time spent in Beijing and I get the money back + then some via my monthly wage. Especially if I do another semester as I get paid significantly more then. It's possible there's cheaper stuff out there but I heard good things and I had the money. It was worth it. I read up on the program you linked. It sounds interesting, but I'm legitimately looking at being back on the streets in a month, the way things are going. I just don't have the money. I wish I had known about it six months or a year ago. I was in plenty good shape to take advantage, then. If it were, "we're desperate for teachers, help us non-degreed white man," I'd be dusting off my passport, right now. Thanks for the information, though.
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Mar 31, 2015 15:49
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I don't use taobao or alipay or anything. I have no phone and neither does my wife. We aren't autistic(at least fully), we just both know how to go outside and buy things in real life as actual human beings in a society with other moving living humans. I like China for a lot of reasons. My wife has been here two and a half years longer than me (almost 8 years for her) and we share the same views. We are not living in China because of alipay and taobao lol, although I can understand how some goons would enjoy not going outside ever to interact with anyone and have literally everything brought to your doorstep as a plus in China My wife used taobao to buy Dunkin donuts coffee and a yoga mat but that's pretty much it. There's probably a market around the corner from your apartment, go outside and look, you'll see it.
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Mar 31, 2015 15:51
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Dunkin donuts coffee, eww
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Mar 31, 2015 16:00
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