Chinese E-commerce Product Search

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

• 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

• productId

  : The product's ID

• platform

  : "taobao" or "aliexpress"

parse_product_link

• url

  : Any product URL or text containing one

get_product_from_url

• url

  : Product URL from any supported platform

Platform Guide

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

1. Chinese keywords get better results on Taobao/1688
2. English keywords work well on AliExpress
3. Sort by

   SALE_QTY_DESC

   to find popular/trusted products
4. Compare the same product across Taobao and AliExpress to find price gaps
5. 1688 often has the same product at 30-70% lower price than Taobao (wholesale)