i am like unreasonably offended at shit a friend spotted on bird hellsite

i get that nobody is owed your time, and your time is money. however, if you show off "look at what i got on taobao for only 4 dollars!!!", you should probably expect people asking where you got it

and if your gig is using your patreon to show off the work you've done finding cool shit on taobao - for god's sake market yourself better than being rude to people interested in your product

like, i may be coming from a very western lolita fashion point of view here - which is that taobao is the thing we all tangle with from time to time, and because we are all passionate about the fashion, we're happy to exchange information

if the idea is that you're trying to discourage the pain in the ass that is delving through your browsing history - fair dues. but just say that instead of "bitch sign up for my patreon, smh you guys expect shit for free?"

like if it's just an excuse, don't pull this backhanded catty run-around. also it shouldn't exactly be a shocker if you show off something cool you bought for cheap, your audience might go "oh wow! where'd you get it?"

however if this person's already posted the info on patreon... then there's no need for a catty run-around! that's a potential customer! for god's sake! sell them shit! sell them the shit you have already made! the content you have produced! INSTEAD OF INSULTING THEM!

like i know capitalism isn't very popular around here and for good reason, but sometimes i just get rather FOR GOD'S SAKE IF YOU'RE DOING THIS, DO IT WITH AT LEAST THE BARE MINIMUM OF TRYING TO DO IT RIGHT

also there is no need to be rude to people asking a question you should expect (and in fact did expect, thus your policy)

either that or this person on twitter is actually the Dick's Last Resort of kawaii tat, who knows

@wigglytuffitout this thread has left me with a burning question

what is taobao

@InspectorCaracal taobao is a big online storefront in china!

it's sort of like the ebay marketplace, or aliexpress shops, in that there are many different little storefronts and taobao is the bazaar they all are located in, so to speak.

it is... AMAZING for getting specialty items cheap, ESPECIALLY if you are looking at fashions or interests outside of normal western ones (like lolita fashion, ball jointed doll clothes, etc).

the main catch is that taobao sellers are largely China-only >

@InspectorCaracal and so if you're not in mainland china, you'll have to use a shopping service. these range in experience and price from the full white glove treatment of "personally email one of our staff a list of what you'd like, and we will converse with you and do all the rest of the work" to "we've automated shit and you don't have to speak to a real person if you don't wanna". see https://www.sweetdisabled.com/sweetdisabled/guide-shopping-on-taobao-with-yoybuy to plug my own writing lmfao

it looks intimidating but is actually not so much

@InspectorCaracal mainly the struggle is overcoming the language barrier to find what you want to buy. hence why it's so important in lolita fashion circles to just... share. share stores that are good, share the right search terms to look up, stuff like that.

it also sounds like it's going to be incredibly expensive, but honestly... even if you just say "shipping this to me is going to take 50% of my total", you can still get absolute fucking steals because you are your own middleman lol

@InspectorCaracal example: i have a lot of necklaces i love and have worn a lot. cheap costume jewelry, yeah. but i mean, sometimes the heart wants what it wants and what the heart wants is a t-rex skeleton necklace.

most of them were one yuan specials.

using the current conversion rate, which i think is not as favorable to me as it once was since the dollar has been weakened, that is: fourteen cents.

even saying i spent another fourteen cents in shipping, that's way under other prices LOL

@wigglytuffitout holy shit

@InspectorCaracal also since i mentioned it, it's a pretty baller necklace that i feel may be on brand for you somehow

here's the same thing on aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32690374860.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.42c629b0hvJO8S&algo_pvid=66ca9a4d-bffe-4136-b9aa-ceee2fc14903&algo_expid=66ca9a4d-bffe-4136-b9aa-ceee2fc14903-0&btsid=46302a03-aca2-4b71-ab88-1bfe814b1828&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4,searchweb201603_52 (which honestly i've been using more of lately bc i'm ok with paying a bit more for not using spoons to go hunt down stuff in a different language then use a shopping service etc)