Don't Know What to Buy During the Singles' Day Sales? Here Are a Few Suggestions
Singles' Day (known in Chinese as 双11) may have started off as a simple celebration of singledom at Chinese universities in the 1990s, but since Tmall started using it as a marketing ploy a couple of year's ago, the "holiday" (we use the term loosely) has exploded into a rampant celebration of consumerism, with all the major online shopping platforms – Amazon, Jingdong etc. – getting involved. In 2015, Singles' Day saw a record breaking USD 14.3 billion in sales and Alibaba's (parent company of Tmall) gross merchandise volume is already up 69 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2016. If you and your credit card feel like getting in on the action, we've rounded up some of the top deals on Tmall.
Related: Net Savings: How to Search Taobao Like a Pro
Before you get started, here are a few tips to make sure you get the best possible deals:
- The best deals are usually to be had during the first hour (midnight-1am), when merchants who are offering fixed sales totals will still have the good stuff up for offer, or alternatively, during the last hour (11pm-midnight) when vendors competing for the best sales records will drop prices as they jockey for the top slot in their category;
- Some items will simply be marked down on 11.11 – add them to your shopping cart and check out on November 11;
- Most shops also offer a "spend RMB 1,000, get RMB 100" kind of arrangement;
- For some deals, you'll have to be waiting with your finger on the buzzer to grab one of the lowest priced items, or enter a lucky draw in advance to win shopping coupons;
- Check our guide for navigating some of the sales day lingo here or how to shop on Taobao here.
Decathlon unisex 21-speed mountain/road bike RMB 699 (was RMB 899)
Decathlon make legit bikes (watch your back Giant), and everyone knows cycling is warmer than taking a scooter in winter (just mind that ice!).
Zara women's waterproof down jacket RMB 499 (was RMB 999)
If you've been putting off buying that Beijing winter essential – the down jacket – now's your chance.
Topshop Jamie women's skinny jeans RMB 299 (was RMB 439)
Topshop's Jamie jeans are the best skinny jeans in the world and I won't hear otherwise.
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion RMB 295
No discount on this one, but if you grab Clinique's popular moisturizer on 11.11, you'll get seven free gifts (plus more if you reserve your stock).
Blueair Classic 270E Slim air purifier RMB 2,779 (was RMB 3,680)
A good deal on one of the more upmarket air purifier brands, this will get your home ready for the winter airpocalypse.
Pack of 24 assorted Belgian beers RMB 346.5 (RMB 799)
Be the sort of host who always has a drink in stock for house guests (or, you know, drink them all yourself).
Six bottles of Marks & Spencer Las Falleras Tinto red wine RMB 293.7 (was RMB 408)
Marks & Spencer have a number of half-case deals for 11.11, maybe as a way to get rid of some stock before closing, including this Spanish red which comes to less than RMB 50 per bottle (stock up for Christmas party season).
Uniqlo men's down vest RMB 199 (was RMB 249)
You'll have to be quick off the draw on this one – I tried to pick one up at 6am on 11.11 last year and they were already sold out.
Bear intelligent home 4-liter capacity humidifier RMB 99 (was RMB 345)
I'm not exactly sure what makes this an "intelligent" humidifier, but I do know it's intelligent to use a humidifier during the extra-dry Beijing winter.
More stories by this author here.
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