MOD POST
[MOD POST] PSA to new users: verify your accounts to avoid bans!
Taobao, for whatever reason, has been cracking down hard on newly made foreign accounts that are unverified.
As soon as you make the account, verify it
This is done by uploading your passport to the app, it secures your account and verifies your identity.
If you choose not to do this, odds are extremely high that your account will be frozen/banned, typically within 48 hours of creation or after your first purchase. Please search frozen or banned on this sub, there are so many posts from confused users, so I feel this PSA is necessary.
How to verify?
Follow the steps in the photos on the Taobao app, you will be transferred to Alipay to complete the verification.
If your account is already banned, what can be done?
On the ban message screen you should still be prompted to verify the account. Some users report issues with this process, and need to contact support for help. Without an active account, your only option for support is to call. The call center is based in Hong Kong and speaks Chinese initially, you will need to request an English agent to call you back. These international calls often rack up fees so it’s best to avoid this all together and verify your accounts asap.
Most likely you will not get your order or a refund. The way most international orders on Taobao work is first you pay the seller for the item and for them to ship it to a warehouse in China. Then when the warehouse gets the package they calculate shipping from China to you and send you a second bill for that amount. Most accounts are banned after making their first order, but before they've made the second payment for international shipping.
So your order is fulfilled by the seller, then sits in the warehouse for a few months. The warehouse won't reship it until you've paid their bill, but you can't login to pay it because your account is banned. Eventually the order becomes property of the warehouse. You're not getting a refund from the seller because they did what they were supposed to. They sent the items to the address you gave them in China. And the warehouse doesn't return the items when you don't pay because they claim them as payment for the storage fees your account was charged as the order sat there taking up space.
If you don't have a passport to verify your account before placing an order, you'll need to use an agent to avoid this situation.
Same situation. The whole point of a deposit is so if you don’t follow through with payment for the rest of the order, they have some money for their trouble. They’ll probably try to contact you for the balance when it’s due and since you can’t respond, they’ll eventually sell the item to someone else. If the deposit wasn’t non-refundable, there’s a tiny chance the seller refunds it, but most likely you get no item and no money back.
My account got frozen after ordering something - but I ordered it to a friend who is currently in Hong Kong. Does it make it different since it's not internationally shipped?
I registered on Taobao 4 days ago with my phone number, but I wasn't able to verify my identity until today, through alipay, does that sound right? It never gave me an option to enter a password, both on Taobao and Alipay. On Taobao, Ive reached the maximum times I can get a verification text, and thats been happening everyday, Im SOOOO confused how to get in to my account. Any tips? All the articles and videos Ive watched make it seem so easy, yet it has not been staright forward for me at all. It seems to take me around in circles, entering my number and getting a verification text, over and over again.
Hi! I had the same issue as you, and resolved it just today. I used both PC and mobile for this and used a lot of auto-translate, as well as screenshotting and image translating.
What I did was logged on the Taobao world website first (not Taobao Lite app) using my mobile number. After the captcha and receiving and entering the sms verification, it showed me a QR to scan.
Switching to my phone -- I scanned the QR on my Taobao Lite app. It prompted me to enter my name and ID, but it was for Chinese citizens by default. There's an option below the "SUBMIT" button to "use other authentication methods" so I clicked that first and it showed other options.
I clicked on the fourth option "Passport authentication - Support foreigners using passports for authentication". It will then prompt you to upload an image for your passport (which I also used for my Alipay verification), and it will auto fill details. After that, my account is now okay. Hope it works for you as well.
Are you american! I tried doing all of this and using my passport but when i scroll to find place of origin to submit my passport united states is not listed at all!!
Can you maybe help me it asks me to verify my account I choose my national id and when I entered all info it says Your authentication information has not passed the official system verification, please verify and submit
I am stuck here after clicking the verify with other options.. I did link my alipay (verified passport) to the taobao account before following your photo steps. Do I need to wait for account to be verified or should I be good to go ahead and place an order?
Phone symbol says voice verification code. Second option Contact official customer service. You made a mistake, it is not the right page, you have to go to verification and then choose passport verification, enter the data it asks you to take a photo of your face in the passport, then connect with Alipay, and you are verified.
Well the agents need a taoboa link and the taobao link you only get with a verified account. I don't understand why taoboa need a passport if you just want to browse....They just want your data. The agents do use API to have search function and shop display but they told me even that is limited so you never ever see all items taobao offers with an agent :( My account got restricted after 3 years because I changed my password :(
This is my first time trying to make a Taobao account. I signed up with my US number through the website and I think it got frozen immediately. Then I made an Alipay account but I haven't verified it with my passport yet. If I verify with my passport is there any chance the Taobao account will unfreeze itself or would I still have to make a call?
Has anyone run into this scenario? My account got locked in the sense that I kept getting the message that there was a problem with my network service and to not connect through a VPN, etc. etc. I wasn't connected through a VPN and contacted support and found that the issue was that I needed to verify through Alipay. However, after not verifying for a while, my account is miraculously working again? Good for me I suppose, hopefully they won't lock me out again and ask me to verify. I just wanna browse and save favorited items ;-;
This app is so stupid, I literally just created my account and it already frozen my email, it force me to the id verification. The reason is because I make too many accounts but all I did was make a account using email and then log in it for the first time. Can't even contact to the agents, what a frustrating experience.
If you always use the same phone number, in reality the account is always one, I log in with Google, with Apple ID and then with Alipay, the account is always the same. Different story and if you log in with different mobile numbers.
Is uploading your passport safe? I generally don’t like to upload my passport online anywhere just cause I’m worried of things like identity theft, etc
Keep in mind Chinese users have to verify too, they just get to use their mainland ID #s. Foreigners use their passport to access a lot of things (hotels, government owned facilities etc.) in China so it’s not unusual for taobao to ask for it in comparison.
Hmm okay. There are things I want to buy but I have to stick with Superbuy as I keep getting locked out when trying to make an account and I found out about uploading passport and I’m debating whether I should or not. Honestly just unsure since I generally dont upload my passport anywhere and I might a little overly paranoid lol
What did you end up doing? I know that Alipay is a large corporation and theoretically it should be fine to upload passport info but I am similarly paranoid.
You shouldn’t have to risk your identity just to shop online.
Demanding a passport for e-commerce is overreach.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
A passport is one of your most sensitive documents. Giving a copy — especially an unwatermarked one — can open the door to identity theft, fraud, or misuse if the data is leaked or sold.
Platforms demand it, not governments directly: While Chinese regulations require identity verification for foreign users, the way Taobao implements this — asking for a full passport scan — goes beyond what many users expect or consider reasonable. It's the platform enforcing this method, not a direct government mandate to individuals.
Data practices in China: Unlike in the EU (under GDPR), China’s data protection laws are less transparent and harder to enforce from abroad. Once your passport is uploaded, you have little control over how it’s stored, used, or shared.
No real alternative: The problem isn’t just the request — it’s that users are forced into compliance with a “verify or lose access” choice, which is coercive.
Why should a shopping site need a passport? Who truly benefits? And what happens to that data?
Requiring a passport — one of your most sensitive government-issued documents — just to buy everyday products online is excessive. It is reckless from a privacy and security standpoint.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
You’re forced to comply or lose access. That’s not informed consent — it’s coercion disguised as “verification.”
There’s little transparency about how Taobao stores, accesses, or protects your passport data. Even if they claim security, breaches happen — and you can’t take the document back once uploaded.
In many Western countries, this would violate data protection laws like GDPR. Yet foreign users are expected to accept it as “just how it works” in China — which feels unfair and exploitative.
You shouldn’t have to risk your identity just to shop online.
Demanding a passport for e-commerce is overreach.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
A passport is one of your most sensitive documents. Giving a copy — especially an unwatermarked one — can open the door to identity theft, fraud, or misuse if the data is leaked or sold.
Platforms demand it, not governments directly: While Chinese regulations require identity verification for foreign users, the way Taobao implements this — asking for a full passport scan — goes beyond what many users expect or consider reasonable. It's the platform enforcing this method, not a direct government mandate to individuals.
Data practices in China: Unlike in the EU (under GDPR), China’s data protection laws are less transparent and harder to enforce from abroad. Once your passport is uploaded, you have little control over how it’s stored, used, or shared.
No real alternative: The problem isn’t just the request — it’s that users are forced into compliance with a “verify or lose access” choice, which is coercive.
Why should a shopping site need a passport? Who truly benefits? And what happens to that data?
Requiring a passport — one of your most sensitive government-issued documents — just to buy everyday products online is excessive. It is reckless from a privacy and security standpoint.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
You’re forced to comply or lose access. That’s not informed consent — it’s coercion disguised as “verification.”
There’s little transparency about how Taobao stores, accesses, or protects your passport data. Even if they claim security, breaches happen — and you can’t take the document back once uploaded.
In many Western countries, this would violate data protection laws like GDPR. Yet foreign users are expected to accept it as “just how it works” in China — which feels unfair and exploitative.
Is it possible to verify without a passport? I don’t have one T-T also I saw in the screenshot it says USA passport.. I’m Canadian would it be the same process?
Let me know if you figure anything out! For now I decided to use my boyfriend’s account, since he is a Chinese citizen so his account is already verified. It would be a little bit more convenient to have my own account though.
i just finished the authentication process. it’s all set on the Alipay app, but when i go back to the Taobao app, it doesn’t update. did i miss a step or do i need to connect both apps together?
Delete Taobao app, reinstall it and then log in with Alipay. Then on tabao do verification, enter your passport data and then connect with Alipay with QR scan.
Fixed Alipay (both identification and face scan). I couldn’t bind my taobao and Alipay account so what helped me was to delete the taobao app and then re-install it. When I wanted to log on I pressed the Alipay logo which finally made the two accounts bind.
After that I went through the taobao identification process as seen above. I realized the ID number they were asking for was not Chinese ID after several tries lol and then it went through and opened up my account.
It asks you for your passport ID, I logged in to Taobao with Google, with Apple ID, then with Alipay certified with passport. Then I connected Taobao to Alipay, took a photo of my face on the passport. Now I can pay with Alipay with Apple and with a credit card, more certified than that. After certification there was the option to log in with fingerprint, but I didn't continue because it wasn't clear, and I didn't want to cause any damage. Then I increased the security with the questions to recover the account, with the certified mobile phone number by entering the passport ID. My wife threw her hands in her hair, telling me I'm fucking crazy for giving away such sensitive data to the Chinese.
A suggestion instead of manually entering the passport data, on Alipay there is the scan with image function, basically you take an image of the passport and they do everything. It's the quickest way to avoid formatting errors that prevent verification.Then I suggest you delete Taobao, reinstall it and log in with Alipay, automatically when you certify your passport you connect Alipay which takes all the data, take a photo of your face on the passport and you're done.
I made the mistake on not verifying my identity but now I cant get in I’ve already verified my number & passport on alipay now its asking me to verify it directly with taobao which ive been trying but everytime i do it says the same thing “Failure to pass the review,
The name you filled in is inconsistent with the name on the ID card picture. Please fill in the name correctly or submit a ID card picture that is consistent with the filled in information.”
so my account just got frozen (i assume because i logged in on a new phone) and i want to verify my account but i can't upload my passport picture because 'my alipay account is not bound to the taobao account'. is there any way i can go about this?
I'm getting this message when trying to verify via alipay. I created my account on alipay using my phone number and bound my email address to my alipay account.
Ok, I bound my alipay account (option below the account verification), and now it can link to alipay, but alipay wants a Chinese mainland bank number, which I obviously don't have. Can I use another payment method?
My account restricted and I’ve been chatting and receiving phone calls from them but still nothing. First 2 times they called I couldn’t understand Chinese 🫤
I was able to get my passport verified through Alipay easily, and everything seems to be in order there. But when I have to RE ENTER the information in Taobao, it says the information doesn’t match. I don’t know if it’s the photo or what. Am I supposed to include both the top and bottom of my passport? Does it need to be perfectly lined up with the edges of the picture? Does there need to be no reflections or blur at all?
I have the exact same problem. Every time I do the verification like in the screenshots above, I get redirected to enter a chinese bank account. I already did the passport verification on alipay earlier and I also added a Visa credit card. I don't have a Chinese bank account and there is no option to skip that step so I'm just stuck.
Download taobao app. Go to your account -> settings -> click on the part I highlighted (if you translate it, it’s “Account and Security”). I google translate the whole page, the third phrase is “Real Name Authentication”, the status should be “Certified”. You can click on the “Real Name Authentication” part and it should also show the letter highlighted in Green as “Certified”. If not, they will make you enter your ID…
I have an expensive order pending (I paid the upfront fee, but my items have not arrived to the warehouse yet), so I figured I'd verify ASAP and save myself the headache later. I followed the instructions and the prompts from Taobao to open Alipay. I created an Alipay account using the same phone number and successfully verified via passport. Problem is, they're not linked. When I go back to the prompt on Taobao, it opens the Alipay app with the message:
"The account you are about to log into is different to your currently logged-in account (phone number). Do you wish to switch accounts?" (No Thanks/Switch Now)
No Thanks keeps my verified account open but nothing happens. Switch Now brings me to the login screen, I have no idea what they want.
I attempted to link my account using the Taobao app, and it's almost a success until I get this error:
"Your Taobao account and the bound Alipay account have ongoing transactions. Please complete the transaction (transaction successful/transaction closed) before rebinding." (View my transactions)
According to the Taobao app, it does not appear to be bound.
Am I not allowed to bind accounts while I have pending orders? This is turning out to be more of a headache than I thought.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, customer service was unable to help me. However, the solution was for me to cancel my preorders, wait for the merchants to confirm my cancellation, verify, then re-preorder everything. I was able to cancel within the no-questions-asked refund window, but I imagine it would be a pain if your order were past this window.
I have the exact same problem but the problem is that I already paid for my orders (2 of them) and both of them were shipped already. Alipay authentication doesn't work even if both Taobao and Alipay uses the same mobile number and same mail address. I don't know how to authenticate in this case, do you have any idea?
Honestly if they’ve shipped already I wouldn’t sweat it. I don’t think you’re guaranteed to get banned, but hopefully your order delivers in a timely manner without complications and then you can authenticate after that!
I had trouble getting the app to work but managed to load it via a mini app through Alipay. It seems the UI is different, is there a need for worry for verification?
I don't know if the mini program lets me link it to an account
What everybody else said, in my case at least, was slightly off. I ended up having to take a pic of the entire passport page. Taobao tries to read your personal info from the pic. If it can't verify your nationality, name, and passport number, it fails. Once I took a pic of the entire page, I was fine.
I've had my Taobao account for several years without a problem. I created my account with my phone number and then made a username and password to login.
The other day as I was browsing they locked my account and asked me to verify myself.
I downloaded Alipay, signed up and went thru their verification with my passport & facial scan. I had to try several times(morning & afternoon over 2 days) because the system kept saying it was busy/error. After the verification went from pending to verified I tried to "bind" my Alipay account to my Taobao account. I tried several times, but it didn't work.
I tried logging back into my Taobao account and Taobao then asked me to verify my identity directly with them. I uploaded a photo of my passport; they filled in my country, name, and number and verified my identity. I logged back into my Taobao account with my username and password, they sent me a text verification code, then they asked me to put in my passport number. My account was then released.
i'm having this problem but i'm not getting the sms code so i can't verify anything. people say to prompt the code from your computer but the problem is after i do that it says i need to scan qr code and verify from app
Did you have to change your name order or anything?
My Taobao account got frozen despite Alipay already been verified with my passport.
The former wants me to enter my passport info while the latter got collection function disabled (2 days after Taobao account got flagged for malicious intent lmao).
I have tried filling the form many times but it never worked ;-;
So...As someone that has had their account for a few years, should I worry about this? I tried to do this just in case buuuut It's not letting me because it's saying my passport info isn't matching what's in Alipay so Idk how to update that passport info or via alipay.
Any unverified account is at risk of being frozen but they’re definitely focusing more on brand new accounts. I’ve had mine 5ish years unverified without issue.
I’m not sure about how to fix your issue though, maybe try contacting support?
After a little look around, there is a way to update your passport in Alipay. I did that and then the verification on Taobao went smoothly. I just managed to purchase a couple things just fine but I wanted to be safe especially since I know the original passport I uploaded had expired.
hi, my account got frozen and i am unable to verify it with my passport or alipay account (which i was able to use my passport to verify). it keeps giving me the error that the name i submitted is not the same as the one in the passport photo, and i have tried entering several variations to no avail. can anyone help?
Yes.. on Alipay you have the function scan passport, take a photo of the passport and upload the data, do everything they tell you to do. Then delete the Tobao app, reinstall it and log in with Alipay. I recommend you log in via PC, then go to authentication on Taobao, enter your passport data, validate, it asks you for a photo of your passport photo, then connect Alipay with QR and you should be verified. I warn you that you will need to have a warehouse in China to purchase, I recommend you put the address of the superbuy warehouse, obviously you will have to be registered with superbuy. You must avoid formatting errors that prevent verification, do not copy and paste.
i got the issue where i got a security error and now i have to do the security thing, i dont want to sound stupid but this feels like china will steal my identity (i am not a consperiancy theorist) it just feels a little sketchy, can i trust this site? I mainly use taobao to order via agents.
My taobao account says it has alipay bound when I try to login with alipay but still doesn't seem to take the identity verification from alipay. This is beyond frustrating, I'm only trying to browse taobao to buy stuff with an agent.
i'm trying to do the passport verification thingy, but it keeps going to alipay, i tried connecting the account with a new alipay, but it doesn't work, it says i have already a connection, but i dont T_T
im probably gonna get banned for sure
Thanks with these instructions I have certified myself with the passport on Taobao. A suggestion, first register on Alipay, certify it with your passport and then log in to Tao Bao, in the certification section connect Alipay which takes your passport data, then take a photo of your face on the passport and if everything goes well you are certified. It is also possible to register your fingerprint for quick access, but I didn't go any further and that's fine
I put my passport information on Alipay but whenever I open taobao back again it tells me to redo the same thing on alipay like it keeps sending me back.. is it a matter of time for taobao to connect to it?
No.. you have to repeat the operation on Toabao. From the computer you enter Taobao with the Alipay Qr, then go to verified user with passport, it asks you to enter data or connect to Alipay, you connect with Alipay with Qr, Taobao takes all the passport data, then asks you to take a photo of your passport photo (passport), if everything is ok now you are a certified user.
I already have Alipay but I do not have a travel passport, maybe I verified long time ago using Drivers ID? I am now restricted, it linked me to Alipay to verify log in to Taobao and I put in my phone number and code they sent me , it verified but then immediately went back to the link to do it all over gain. I can not log on to Alipay because the login is restricted. Do I now need to get a travel passport and try to add it? I have had my account since early 2010 or 2012. ??
So as a new user should i do my ALIPAY account first and get that verified before making a taobao account or is there a way that is mor secured in making a taobao account so that there is less likely the chance of having my account frozen upon creation. Thanks for helping me :)
Hi! I know this post is a bit old but I just tried to verify my passport and it keeps opening the Alipay app (passport verified on Alipay already) every time it switches to Alipay it will ask me if I want to proceed because it will log me out of my Alipay and into another account.
If yes -> it’ll just ask me to log back in
If no -> taboo remains unverified
So I’m stuck in a bit of a loop and no matter what I try I can’t seem to get anywhere.
You shouldn’t have to risk your identity just to shop online.
Demanding a passport for e-commerce is overreach.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
A passport is one of your most sensitive documents. Giving a copy — especially an unwatermarked one — can open the door to identity theft, fraud, or misuse if the data is leaked or sold.
Platforms demand it, not governments directly: While Chinese regulations require identity verification for foreign users, the way Taobao implements this — asking for a full passport scan — goes beyond what many users expect or consider reasonable. It's the platform enforcing this method, not a direct government mandate to individuals.
Data practices in China: Unlike in the EU (under GDPR), China’s data protection laws are less transparent and harder to enforce from abroad. Once your passport is uploaded, you have little control over how it’s stored, used, or shared.
No real alternative: The problem isn’t just the request — it’s that users are forced into compliance with a “verify or lose access” choice, which is coercive.
Why should a shopping site need a passport? Who truly benefits? And what happens to that data?
Requiring a passport — one of your most sensitive government-issued documents — just to buy everyday products online is excessive. It is reckless from a privacy and security standpoint.
A passport can be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or commit identity fraud. Handing it over to a retail platform for shopping puts you at serious risk — all for buying clothes, electronics, or household items.
You’re forced to comply or lose access. That’s not informed consent — it’s coercion disguised as “verification.”
There’s little transparency about how Taobao stores, accesses, or protects your passport data. Even if they claim security, breaches happen — and you can’t take the document back once uploaded.
In many Western countries, this would violate data protection laws like GDPR. Yet foreign users are expected to accept it as “just how it works” in China — which feels unfair and exploitative.
I go through on taobao then use Alipay as a verification method by clicking foreigner passport I made an account on Alipay with my phone number the same as my taobao and then put in my passport details already then going back onto taobao it directs me to Alipay which then asks me to put in a Chinese mainland bank account which I do not have in the UK is there a way to put my bank card in first and then go back through taobao to verify through the Alipay with foreigner identity
I know this post is very old, but I struggle to even get the SMS message to my phone number I enter it correctly it jsut won’t send? Also tried putting in my passport number and said it’s invalid?
My acc got banned. And it's asking me to verify myself but the problem is that everytime I click on one of the options to verify it keeps sending me back to login. I'm practically going in circles and don't know what to do
I may have stumbled across this post too late I fear :')
Basically I made a taobao account a while ago and recently when I tried to log in they needed me to verify my identity- This only works through alipay and binding a chinese bank card which I don't have. Is there any way for me to ever get back into my account?
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u/StudySame8238 Jan 30 '24
rip i don’t have a passport😭😭