Agents help foreigners navigate Taobao

Buyers should study sellers' reputations, says Lai Xin, co-founder of the Singapore-based SGshop.com. Taobao ranks merchant levels, discloses sales volumes and includes customer feedback. That said, some vendors manipulate these metrics by, for instance, buying their own wares to inflate their numbers.

"Generally, sellers with higher levels and better sales volumes would be more reliable," Lai says.

"If there's any uncertainty before we order, we contact the vendor to avoid disputes."

Smith says the agents are shields against Taobao's buyer-beware nature.

"You get what you pay for," he says.

"Don't believe it when you see extremely cheap items. They're either fake or of poor quality. Read item descriptions carefully to detect tricks. And learn from shops' ratings and customer comments. This can give you a general idea."

Insiders point to industry transformations. Rates are dropping in concert with increased professionalism, competitiveness and value-added services.

"Frankly, we Taobao agents need to improve," Lai says.

"We need to work more as agents and less as retailers."