"I don't think a $30 million investment is that much. Let's put aside the financial details for now. Do you have a detailed report on establishing a C2C platform?" Mavi turned to Boss Ma and asked.
The amount of investment wasn't the most important factor—the key was to get the method right.
"Yes, Mr. Mavi. The report is right here." Boss Ma signaled his assistant to bring over a document outlining the strategy and plan for entering the C2C e-commerce sector.
Mavi casually took the report and began flipping through it. The content in front of him had been put together by Alibaba's top executives after two days of intense discussions.
As a result, some parts of the plan seemed rather superficial, while others were clearly modeled after eBay's business strategies.
For example, features like "limited-time auctions" and "product listing fees" (Alibaba's listing fees were slightly cheaper than eBay's). Even the platform name—"Baobei Gou" (Baby Buy)—seemed to follow a similar pattern.
Mavi carefully read through the entire document and then closed it with an expression he wasn't sure how to describe.
Noticing his reaction, Boss Ma and the Alibaba executives grew a bit uneasy. One of them hesitantly asked, "Mr. Mavi, what do you think of the plan in the report?"
Seeing that all eyes were on him, Mavi had to dig into his past-life knowledge and respond, "Uh… about the platform's name—let's not call it 'Baobei Gou.' It sounds like a baby product store. I already thought about this before coming here—why not just call it Taobao?"
"As for the strategy against eBay, we don't need to make it as complicated as this document suggests. Their listing fee model works in the U.S., but it's not suitable for China."
"Plus, their payment system in China lacks seller protection against fraud—there's no delayed payment mechanism. So, if we make Taobao a zero-commission platform in the early stages and create a PayPal-like payment system tailored for the domestic market, we could put them in a difficult position."
"Oh, and regarding the payment platform's name—let's just call it Alipay!"
Mavi laid out all the advantages that Taobao had in his past life, sharing them with Boss Ma and the 18 Alibaba co-founders.
The executives sitting across from him were stunned. They stared at Mavi as if he were some kind of rare national treasure—like a giant panda, a snow leopard, or a spotted deer.
"Ahem! Don't look at me like that. If you have any opinions, feel free to share." Mavi coughed awkwardly. He wasn't trying to show off in front of Alibaba's top executives—it was just that their proposed plan really needed improvement.
Initially, some Alibaba partners thought Mavi's biggest strength was simply his wealth. But after hearing his insights, they completely changed their minds.
"Taobao? That name… sounds way better than 'Baobei Gou'!" one female partner couldn't help but say out loud.
"Eliminating transaction fees at the start—this idea is genius! It fits our domestic market so well! Why didn't we think of this earlier? Instead, we just copied eBay…" a male partner said, slapping his thigh in frustration.
"And Alipay—this is brilliant! eBay hasn't even introduced PayPal in China yet. We have the perfect opportunity to capture the market first!"
As Mavi listened to their enthusiastic discussions, he knew they were now on the right track. With continuous input from the executives, the blueprint for this era's Taobao was finally taking shape.
Boss Ma watched Mavi intently from across the conference table, completely baffled. How was this Russian businessman more knowledgeable about the Chinese market than they were?
From understanding the appeal of free services to proposing a dispute-protected payment system like Alipay, everything he suggested was far more suited to China than eBay's approach.
### One Month Later: Taobao Goes Live
When Taobao officially launched, it sparked a nationwide "free transaction" revolution!
Its zero-fee model successfully attracted buyers and sellers across China, especially those who had previously used eBay.
Beyond the appeal of zero fees, Taobao launched an extensive advertising campaign across major cities.
From television and radio commercials to massive billboard ads on city streets and buses—Taobao's name seemed to pop up everywhere overnight.
One slogan became deeply ingrained in people's minds:
"Taobao—Search, Search, and Search for What You Love!"
Thanks to this powerful marketing strategy, Taobao's daily traffic surpassed 80,000 visitors within just seven days of launching. That number was already outpacing some of the largest shopping malls in China!
This surge in popularity drove a wave of sellers to rush to Taobao, eager to seize the business opportunity.
With buyers and sellers in place, the next challenge was logistics and customer service. Fortunately, Alibaba had experience in this area. They quickly partnered with two reliable courier companies, ensuring that sellers could easily ship their products.
For customer service, Taobao introduced a unique rating system: positive and negative reviews, along with a store deposit system. This allowed buyers to assess a seller's reputation before making a purchase.
If a seller was caught selling counterfeit goods or scamming customers, Taobao's monitoring team would take swift action—immediately refunding the buyer's money through Alipay.
### Two Weeks Later: Taobao Crushes eBay China
Just two weeks after going live, Taobao's daily traffic exceeded 115,000 visitors, and transaction volumes steadily climbed past 450,000 RMB per day—with the numbers continuing to grow exponentially!
eBay China's market share took a massive hit as Taobao rapidly gained traction.
Beyond the numbers, user feedback clearly favored Taobao over eBay China.
A user with the ID Hjz666 commented:
"I've shopped on both Taobao and eBay. Setting product quality aside, just look at Alipay—transactions feel so much safer. You only pay after confirming receipt. That's real peace of mind."
Another user, "Dumplings Wrapped Around the Sun", posted:
"No need to ask—I've already deleted eBay from my bookmarks. From now on, I'm only shopping on Taobao! Alipay is a game-changer—I don't have to worry about getting scammed anymore!"
And just like that, Taobao was on its way to becoming China's largest C2C e-commerce platform.
(End of Chapter)