Agents help foreigners navigate Taobao

Ideally, such amenities as translation should be free, Kwok says. And after commissions customers should still get better deals than they would on international sites such as eBay.

"EBay provides a direct platform to seller and buyer without third-party inspections before shipping," Li says.

"There's no immediate assistance in case of damage or mistakes. But Taobao agents provide assistance without delay."

"Some items you can buy on Taobao but not eBay," he says.

More than 90 percent of his company's customers come from Europe, the United States and Asia.

Kwok says about 35 percent of Obook's clients hail from Southeast Asia, while about 30 percent are from the US and Canada, and 20 percent are from Europe.

Foreigners are generally less circumspect and conscious of the prospective hazards of the relatively unregulated site, agents point out.

"Don't judge the seller or product from simple feedback," Smith suggests. "Do small sample orders to test before committing to large orders."