Post A7DItF3l1ebC1Z3Rbc by Wildebeest@spinster.xyz
(DIR) More posts by Wildebeest@spinster.xyz
(DIR) Post #A7DAXl94Fh5xX2meVU by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:24:14.558151Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
It’s random magazine time! This month, I have a copy of Open Sesami, which seems not to have a website. It’s a Beijing based, semi-illegal publication that presents a view of China based on the things you can buy on Taobao. There are going to be sex dolls, aren’t there?
(DIR) Post #A7DAXlecMOKf6tXqgS by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:28:53.441340Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
It’s not back to front like manga is. Not sure if that’s edgy or normal in China, but it does mean I took a photo of the back cover not the front!
(DIR) Post #A7DAXm48pUkUO3UET2 by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:30:09.029843Z
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(DIR) Post #A7DAXmQ7VmKVUDlmj2 by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:40:12.114810Z
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Ok, this is actually pretty good. Article about trying to buy the Twelve Core Socialist Values on the most capitalist site in China.
(DIR) Post #A7DAXmlkDNcwZHt3Qm by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:44:43.438900Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I’m not sure if it’s a (cultural?) stylistic thing, or careful compliance with the rules, but this is walking a beautiful line between taking the piss, actual criticism and innocently reporting the facts. Quiz results: which of these things is banned on Taobao?
(DIR) Post #A7DAXn98oOLHjqpjto by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:51:19.833558Z
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This woman makes a decent living helping foreigners use Taobao!
(DIR) Post #A7DAXnThZwmylcS9wm by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T15:56:26.987902Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
Maybe I should hire her to buy me one of these to stick on @Rogue_Koala’s car?
(DIR) Post #A7DB2OOesev1xJgPxI by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:01:42.608143Z
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I was going to post the duck leads, but then I saw the punk squirrel harness!
(DIR) Post #A7DE7TtSAfpeJWCnEO by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:06:44.348913Z
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This is quite heartbreaking: one of the services that you can buy is having prayers/ceremonies performed to help your deceased pets find peace. The user reviews are often addressed to the pets. Here, the owner is referring to herself as “older sister”.
(DIR) Post #A7DE7UIGgPgJYTobuS by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:35:32.393423Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
You can buy some surprisingly attractive clothes made from recycled materials:
(DIR) Post #A7DHxitrvBplmF0C6i by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:49:13.246920Z
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What kind of shopper are you?
(DIR) Post #A7DHxjO079w9Hh6G4e by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:54:11.807175Z
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Just in case you need some help finding a reason to shop, Taobao has invented over a hundred shopping festivals. I’m very curious about the Thomas Mobilisation festival on 26th February.
(DIR) Post #A7DHxjlOiAeUSG2wXg by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:07:41.134111Z
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This is fascinating, and a bit terrifying. The author talks about how much she hates paperwork and bureaucracy, never bothering to ask for refunds because she doesn’t want to deal with the paperwork.She then gives some background on how Alibaba revolutionised online shopping in China — back when “the marketplace was rife with bait-and-switch scams and counterfeit Chanel” — by launching an escrow service, which eventually became Alipay, China’s largest digital wallet. She goes on to describe another spin off app for selling second hand goods, and being sent the wrong item by someone who is completely unrepentant. For the first time, she raises a complaint, and has to go to CRAB COURT….
(DIR) Post #A7DHxkADDuV9hDelDk by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:13:04.463153Z
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Expectation vs reality! Buying tat and then seeing what you actually get is always fun, especially when one of them is a cat toy.
(DIR) Post #A7DHxkaReNU90Zvi6q by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:19:07.599829Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Random selection of other things you can apparently buy on Taobao. Presumably the price doesn’t include pissed off cats, long suffering dogs, dead-eyed children and… yes, that is a baby elephant. Surely it’s not legal to wander around China, towing your baby elephant along behind you?! Well, maybe it is if you’re Cyber Immortal?
(DIR) Post #A7DItF3l1ebC1Z3Rbc by Wildebeest@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:30:23.642372Z
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@Flick Oh my god 🤣 Thankfully that's not a baby elephant, but a sculpture... babies don't have tusks like that.
(DIR) Post #A7DIvHWqoejoGHdSRk by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:24:31.039982Z
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So, that was Open Sesame. Refreshingly sex toy free (apparently they did sex toys in issue one)! The print quality wasn’t the greatest (especially on the glossy pages), and some stuff got lost in the gutter, but I’ll forgive a lot in that department for a grey market magazine. The layout was occasionally a bit busy, but then having everything in two languages can’t have helped. The content was a good mix of light-but-serious social / economic commentary and wtf. Very well written but a bit of a quick read. Another 8/10, as I’m forgiving the printing issues.
(DIR) Post #A7DJPTtbOtFLIwg3o8 by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:31:15.146408Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@Wildebeest Oh, thank god for that! Although I’m not sure that doesn’t raise more questions, tbh.
(DIR) Post #A7DJSEtrbw3pfH7BSK by Wildebeest@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:36:43.218742Z
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@Flick She's just moving and its one of her most valuable and cherished possessions, duh. Wouldn't it be yours, if you had it?
(DIR) Post #A7DJmRYaGMY8i7nNkO by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T16:44:09.634320Z
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More on religion on Taobao. (That fuzz around the white is printing bleed, not camera. All of the articles on glossy paper with white text on dark backgrounds have it.)
(DIR) Post #A7DJmS1IXbWC9BEJVI by Flick@spinster.xyz
2021-05-13T17:37:32.685836Z
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I’ve just now noticed the combined Star of David / Swastika design…. I know the SoD is meaningless there, and the Swastika has a different meaning, but ouch.