Chinese E-commerce Product Search

Search and retrieve product information from Taobao, Tmall, 1688, and AliExpress.

When to Use

• User asks to find a product on Taobao, 1688, or AliExpress

• User shares a product link and wants details

• User needs to search Chinese suppliers for a product

• User asks about prices on Chinese platforms

• User provides a product URL that looks like it's from a Chinese e-commerce site

MCP Server Setup

{ "mcpServers": { "cn-ecommerce-search": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@shopme/cn-ecommerce-search-mcp"], "env": { "TAOBAO_APP_KEY": "your-key", "TAOBAO_APP_SECRET": "your-secret", "TAOBAO_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token", "ALIEXPRESS_DS_KEY": "your-key", "ALIEXPRESS_DS_SECRET": "your-secret" } } } }

Available Tools

search_products

Search products by keyword across platforms.

• keyword : Search term (Chinese or English)

• platform : "taobao", "aliexpress", or "all" (default)

• sort : PRICE_ASC, PRICE_DESC, SALE_QTY_DESC

• pageNo , pageSize : Pagination

get_product_detail

Get detailed info about a specific product.

• productId : The product's ID

• platform : "taobao" or "aliexpress"

parse_product_link

Parse a product URL to identify the platform and product ID.

• url : Any product URL or text containing one

get_product_from_url

One-step: parse URL + fetch product details.

• url : Product URL from any supported platform

Platform Guide

Platform Strengths Price Range Typical Buyer

Taobao Largest selection, consumer goods ¥ Low-Mid End consumers

Tmall Brand flagship stores, higher quality ¥ Mid-High Quality-focused

1688 Wholesale/factory direct, bulk pricing ¥ Lowest Resellers, businesses

AliExpress International shipping, buyer protection $ Mid International buyers

Supported URL Formats

• item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=123456

• detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=123456

• detail.1688.com/offer/123456.html

• aliexpress.com/item/123456.html

• aliexpress.com/i/123456.html

• mall.xiaohongshu.com/goods-detail/xxx

• Short links: e.tb.cn/xxx , m.tb.cn/xxx

Price Understanding Guide

• Taobao/Tmall prices are in CNY (¥). Rough conversion: 1 USD ≈ 7.2 CNY

• AliExpress shows prices in buyer's currency (usually USD)

• 1688 prices are factory/wholesale prices in CNY, often much lower

• Always consider shipping costs when comparing prices

Search Tips

• Chinese keywords get better results on Taobao/1688

• English keywords work well on AliExpress

• Sort by SALE_QTY_DESC to find popular/trusted products

• Compare the same product across Taobao and AliExpress to find price gaps

• 1688 often has the same product at 30-70% lower price than Taobao (wholesale)