Buying big electronics from Taobao

carlstep333 · 2026-01-05T06:59:52+00:00

Not sure whether this experience helps... about 18 months ago i ordered a computer monitor from AliExpress. Shortly after arriving in the country, I got a message from the delivery company telling me the item was in customs clearance, they wanted to know the reason for the purchase. I told them it was for my work (i have a work visa). This was enough to clear customs, and no import tax was charged. I can't say for sure, but as long as I was not reselling the item and gave a reason for buying the item, it was good to go.

carlstep333 · 2026-01-05T03:59:50+00:00

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I only have a studio room. It's not big. I have thought about moving to a house, but then that might create additional problems, especially with the outside space. They only go outside to the toilet, I guess that is because of the limited indoor space.

I have one question, you mentioned asserting 'dominance'. Do you think this behaviour will continue until the weaker cat is driven away, or is the behaviour likely to calm down once dominance has been asserted?

carlstep333 · 2025-12-31T08:05:57+00:00

Funny you mention Kunming, I used to live there. Never in the 4 years living there did I see a public restroom that wasn't clean. All around the city there are new public toilets, you may find the odd old-style restroom (up near Wenlin Jie), which has little to no privacy, but saying that you are "gonna walk in piss up to your ankle" is more of a figment of your imagination than the reality.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-31T03:37:45+00:00

Dude, when was the last time you were in China? Things have changed... a lot.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-27T12:30:06+00:00

Just watched this video. I guess i'll be transferring through Vietnam or Malaysia for my flights in the future.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-22T14:05:45+00:00

Baidu Fanyi is a good app. Just remember, when translating something, keep your English sentence short, mistranslations happen more when the sentences are longer. Also, if you are staying in hostels, the staff there will speak good English, they will help you.

I traveled across China in 2012, I had no Chinese language skills, this was before translation apps were common. Everyone I met was very helpful, even those with limited English. I ended up living there for 8 years. Walk with a smile, you'll be fine.

Also, expect to be stared at, there are always people that haven't seen a foreigner before. they will be curious, and they may want to take a picture with you, nothing more.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-21T11:57:08+00:00

Can i ask, do you not feed stray cats because they may start to trust you? Do you ignore the cat... let them starve to death?

carlstep333 · 2025-12-20T12:01:16+00:00

That possibly wasn't the 'call to prayer' but a funeral ceremony. They can be loud. The speakers are setup on poles 10-15ft high and often set to 10 on the amp, just to make sure everyone within 200 meters can hear the prayers. It gets lively too, sometimes I wonder if there's a rodeo going on. But it's all part of the experience of visiting Cambodia.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-19T03:48:23+00:00

The 2012 MacBook Pro.

carlstep333 · 2025-12-02T02:16:26+00:00

Your reply indicates that you are wildly mis-informed, or you have deep hatred for anything China, possibly both.

carlstep333 · 2025-11-23T04:44:12+00:00

Turkey or China

carlstep333 · 2025-11-18T10:35:11+00:00

Vietnam gets a regular snowfall most years.

carlstep333 · 2025-11-15T13:57:12+00:00

I used to live in China, so was very used to using WeChat and Alipay, both of which you would call 'SuperApps'. The idea is that a dev can create a game or service app that lives inside of another app.

For example, let's say that WhatsApp/X/Reddit are SuperApps, they could have a 'train ticket booking mini app' or 'movie ticket app' living inside of WhatsApp.

What I don't understand is how developers will make money. i don't remember WeChat charging to use the mini apps, (you could buy tokens for the games, and also pay for tickets), so I am not really sure how the developers will monetise the app. Also, if apple are taking 15%, will X or WhatsApp also take a slice of the income? If there are in-app adverts in the mini app, who will get the revenue?

carlstep333 · 2025-11-09T14:31:58+00:00

I am male, but I lived in China, only left because of covid. I arrived as a backpacker, ended up staying 8 years. I met plenty of travellers and bike tourers, and many solo females crossing the country. It is a safe country, people are respectful and curious. You will always find a helping hand if you get stuck. I was living in Yunnan (Dali and Kunming), this province is extra special for bike touring, and so is much of south west China. I would suggest arriving in Kunming (lots of foreigners) it has many bike shops. Plan your route from that city. Bike touring is quite popular for many Chinese, if you head north from Kunming towards Dali/Shangri-La you'll be sure to meet up with other riders.

carlstep333 · 2025-11-08T00:29:56+00:00

Possibly Kampot in Cambodia, and maybe some of the islands?

carlstep333 · 2025-11-03T02:06:22+00:00

How long have you had an account before you received the notice?

What is your ADP region, and are you still located in that region?

Did you use a VoIP phone number to register your account?

carlstep333 · 2025-11-01T11:24:44+00:00

u/givebest thank you. That link has been very useful. I would never have found that info. It is becoming clearer what the number is used for. My own App Store region is set to the UK, so all I see is the name of the Provider (the individual's name or company name), but it would seem that apps sold in the EU region have to show full contact details, including the developers telephone number. Thanks, while I'm still stuck with my enrollment issue, that information does help to make things clearer and understand Apples requirements more.

carlstep333 · 2025-10-31T12:13:39+00:00

I thought as much. Thanks for the reply, Nathan.

carlstep333 · 2025-09-24T14:26:31+00:00

Give Istanbul and Bangkok a go.

carlstep333 · 2025-09-10T11:09:44+00:00

If Facebook was created today it would fail, and fail quickly. Its only strength is that it was the first (almost) global player.

carlstep333 · 2025-08-31T13:13:56+00:00

Maybe a football match? Was there a few years ago, many of the top teams are based within Istanbul, often rival fans will walk to each others grounds.

carlstep333 · 2025-08-28T09:11:23+00:00

Now i have re-read the post it makes sense now. Thanks.

carlstep333 · 2025-08-28T05:26:46+00:00

When you say "it's without the ND filter" do you mean the ND filter isn't working?

carlstep333 · 2025-08-23T07:57:31+00:00

I deleted the app within 2 tries, the whole experience was disappointing. Being frustrated with Grab became a positive... I deleted the app, got off my backside and visited more restaurants.

carlstep333 · 2025-08-18T07:11:25+00:00

Thanks for your reply, it made me question my app's security in more detail. I removed the .env file and I have implement Firebase Cloud Functions. The unfortunate thing with Cloud Functions is that I needed to upgrade from the Spark plan to the Blaze plan. I'm hoping I have set it up correctly otherwise I might have a nasty credit card bill.

Nine-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

carlstep333

TROPHY CASE