In April this year, China began imposing a consumption tax on luxury goods like cosmetics and wine, pushing prices for such goods beyond the already high range.

 Fiona said shopping through online agents had become much more popular since then.

"The prices we pay the agents are still 30 to 50 per cent lower than the local prices, even after the 10-per-cent service charge," she said.

"I used to ask friends who went abroad to shop around for me, but now I can buy through agents any time I want."

Fiona said that many of her colleagues and friends had also adopted this new shopping trend.

A recent search on taobao.com, a major online auction website, found more than 260,000 advertisements from shopping agents offering their services.

A manager at taobao.com said shopping through online agents had contributed a big share of the 40 million yuan (US$5 million) worth of transactions that take place each day on the website, according to a report in Youth Daily.

Agents generally post advertisements that state clearly where they can shop or what brands they can get discounts on. The popular fashion website onlylady.com is one such an example.

Shoppers simply choose what they want and send their orders to the agents. The two parties then finish the deal by making payments through online auction websites like ebay or taobao to ensure security.

"Agents receive money only after shoppers have received their products and approved the website to transfer the money," said Fiona. "This ensures the quality of the goods. So far, I have not encountered any trouble with shopping agents."

Fiona said her agents paid regular visits to the United States, Japan or Hong Kong, where fashion name brands and cosmetic products are cheaper. Her agents are also connected with local stores and therefore receive special discounts.

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