Store build and listings
Store design, product pages, the price structure, and the Chinese copy on every one of those pages.
Finding a TP
ScrollHow to find aTmall Partner (TP) in China
A Tmall Partner, or TP, runs your store day to day: listings, customer service, campaigns, and paid traffic. Pick one that already runs stores in your category, and whose work you can open on Tmall and judge for yourself.
The short answer
Pick the TP whose stores you can already see
The 30-second version
To find a Tmall Partner, ask each candidate for the stores it runs in your category right now, then open those stores on Tmall and judge them the way a shopper would. Before you sign, meet the people who’d actually run it and read the exit terms twice. The store itself should stay in your company’s name.
Alibaba certifies TPs and rates them in its own service marketplace. Start there if you like. Just know the rating says very little about whether a TP has ever sold a product like yours.
Big listed operators run stores for dozens of global brands. A smaller specialist might run six stores, all in one category. Either can work. What matters is how much of the team’s week your brand will get.
Last reviewed , by TheChinaPath’s Compass team
The job
What a Tmall Partner runs for you
TP began as Taobao Partner, Alibaba’s label for the outside agencies it certifies. Brands now use it for any agency running Tmall or Tmall Global stores on their behalf. Some also run bonded-warehouse fulfillment for Tmall Global, while others hand that to a logistics partner, so ask which.
Customer service
Pre-sale and after-sale chat in Chinese. During festivals that often runs past midnight.
Campaigns
618, Double 11, and the platform’s category events, planned months ahead with Tmall’s category managers.
Paid traffic
Search and display ads through Alimama, Alibaba’s ad platform. You fund the ad account directly and the TP runs it.
Where to look
Five places to find TP candidates
Building a long list takes an afternoon. Cutting it down to the two or three you’d meet in person takes longer. Short on time? Skip ahead to the checks.
Alibaba’s service-provider marketplace
What you getCertified partners you can filter, with platform ratings.
What it missesRatings measure general service quality. They tell you little about the categories a TP knows well.
The Tmall Global onboarding team
What you getNames suggested during the merchant application.
What it missesA short list, weighted toward the partners the platform works with most. Their books may already hold your competitors.
Industry events
What you getPitches from a lot of TPs in one room.
What it missesEvery TP sounds the same on stage. Results only show up in the store backend.
Other brands
What you getThe best reference going: a brand manager who has lived with a TP through two Double 11s.
What it missesCompetitors won’t talk. Brands outside your category can’t tell you how the TP does in yours.
- Our route
Compass
What you getTPs we have worked beside, filed by the categories they run.
What it missesWe only file companies we have met, so coverage runs deep in our eight categories and thin outside them.
Checking a TP
Seven checks before you hand over a store
Tmall stores are public, which is lucky. You can judge a TP’s work more easily than almost any other agency’s, and most of these checks need nothing more than a laptop and an hour.
0 of 7 checkedCheck each one off as you go. Your progress stays in this browser.All done. On to the terms.
- A real answer
Three or four store names you can open today.
Red flag“Client confidentiality.” Every TP runs public storefronts.
- A real answer
Clean pages and current campaigns. Message customer service as a shopper, and the reply should come within minutes.
Red flagStale banners, half-translated copy, replies that take hours.
- A real answer
Business Advisor (生意参谋) screenshots from a comparable store for 618 or Double 11, names removed if they must be.
Red flagHeadline GMV (gross sales) only, with no view of discounts, returns, or ad spend.
- A real answer
Return on ad spend by campaign type, and a clear view of what they would cut first.
Red flagA promise to “buy traffic” with nothing to measure it by.
- A real answer
A named store manager, designer, ad operator, and service lead, and how many other stores each of them carries.
Red flagA senior pitch team you never see again after signing.
- A real answer
Stores they grew in your category, and a working grasp of the registration and claims rules that come with it.
Red flagA “similar” category. Cosmetics experience does not carry over cleanly to supplements, or the other way around.
- A real answer
The store registered to your company, its data and content with it, and a handover plan written into the contract.
Red flagA store opened under the TP’s own company, or content they say belongs to them.
The money
How Tmall Partners get paid
Most TPs charge a monthly retainer plus a commission on sales. Our Tmall Global and JD Worldwide calculators start from 35,000 RMB a month (roughly 4,900 USD) plus 10% of GMV. Use those as a yardstick for real quotes, which move both ways with store size and scope.
Term sheet
| Model | How they are paid | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Service (代运营) | A monthly retainer plus a commission on GMV. You own the stock and fund the ads. | You want control of price and brand, and can finance the inventory. |
| Distribution (经销) | The TP buys your stock and earns the margin when it resells. | You’d rather not hold stock in China and can live with less control over price. |
| Consignment (代销) | The TP sells your stock and pays you after the sale, keeping a share. | A test phase, when neither side wants to tie up capital. |
Paid media runs through an ad account you fund directly. Partners who offer to front the ad spend tend to fall over. Many brands also set aside a yearly co-fund for big moments like Double 11 or a launch. And put the handover in the contract: content, customer data, and ad accounts should move with you when it ends.
Run your own numbers in the Tmall Global calculatorWhat goes wrong
How TP contracts go sour
When a brand calls us to replace its TP, the story tends to follow one of these lines.
The TP that never ran your category
The pitch promised flagship-level operations. By month four it was clear the team had never sold the category, and the listings (pricing, reviews, search rank) were already damaged.
GMV at any price
Targets set on GMV alone push a TP toward deep discounts. You hit the number and teach shoppers to wait for the next coupon.
A store you don’t own
If the store was opened under the TP’s company, leaving means starting over with a new store, no reviews, and no sales history.
How we do it
We shortlist TPs we have watched run stores
Compass files each Tmall Partner by the categories we’ve seen it run. Next to that go our notes on the platform teams it works with and how its stores held up through recent festivals. We take no commission from partners. We cover eight consumer categories: beauty, food and beverage, fashion, home, wellness, mother and baby, pet, and supplements.
- Shortlists usually take two to three weeks from the brief.
- We’re paid by the brands we work for, and only by them. Nobody on your shortlist bought the spot.
The brief
A call of half an hour to an hour. Your category, your stage, the channels you want, and whatever has already been tried.
The match
We search Compass for TPs already running your category. You get the three to five worth meeting, each with a short note on what they do well and where they fall short, plus where to push on fees.
The introductions
Most of these companies already know us, so you walk in with a relationship behind you. That usually puts the senior team in the room instead of the pitch team.
Questions brands ask
Finding a Tmall Partner: FAQ
Got a question we missed?
Ask it on the first call, and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Get a TP shortlistWhat does TP mean on Tmall?
TP stands for Taobao Partner, the name Alibaba gave the outside agencies it certifies to run stores for brands. In practice it now means any agency running a Tmall or Tmall Global store for a brand.
How much does a Tmall Partner cost?
Most charge a monthly retainer plus a commission on GMV. Our calculators start from 35,000 RMB a month (roughly 4,900 USD) plus 10% of GMV, and real quotes move both ways with store size and scope. Paid media comes on top, funded by you.
Can I run a Tmall store without a TP?
Yes, with a team in China that knows the platform. Most foreign brands start with a TP and bring some roles in-house once the store is stable.
Does the same TP handle Tmall Global?
Many run both. Tmall Global has its own rules for cross-border stock and fulfillment, so ask to see stores they run on each.
How long does it take to switch TPs?
Plan for a handover of several weeks. Store access, content files, ad accounts, and customer service scripts all have to move. If you can, avoid switching in the run-up to 618 or Double 11.
Who pays for Compass?
Brands do. We take no commission from distributors or platform partners, ever, so nobody on your shortlist paid to be there. Our work is project-based and quoted after the first call.
Keep reading
More on finding a partner in China
GuideFinding a distributor in ChinaThe distributor worth signing sells your category to the retailers you want. Where brands find candidates, eight checks before signing, and which terms to settle.Read the guide 
GuideFinding a Douyin Partner (DP) in ChinaA Douyin Partner runs your shop and live rooms. What DPs cost, how to judge one from its streams, and which accounts must stay yours.Read the guide 
Insight · Sep 2026Changing your cosmetics responsible person in ChinaRead the article 
Insight · Sep 2026China distributor margin and imported product priceRead the article 
Insight · Sep 2026China distributor price control: a clause that heldRead the article - InsightsAll articles on finding a partnerEverything we’ve published on finding a partner in China.See them all
Get in touch
Tell us about your store
Opening a first store, or replacing a TP that has gone quiet? Send us the store link, or just the category if there’s no store yet. You’ll know after one short call whether we have the right partner on file.
- Shortlists usually take two to three weeks from the brief.
- Three to five names, each with a note on what it does well and where it falls short.
- Introductions to companies that already know us.