Taobao a challenge that's well worth a foreigner's effort

When I decided to throw an extravagant birthday party for my girlfriend in Shanghai, I underestimated how much work it would require, without a party planner. I needed balloons, decorations, cake, candles, and so on. But I also underestimated the far-reaching power of Taobao and other e-commerce sites in China if you can read Chinese.

To most foreigners in China, Taobao is akin to a great mythical creature. We have all heard of its great prowess but most of us are too afraid to go near it. After all, the entire site is in Chinese and the payment system is quite complex and nearly impossible without a local bank account.

In the West, we're accustomed to the likes of Amazon and eBay where, with only a few clicks and a major credit card, your order is shipped in three to five business days.