I have never encountered any problems like this when using taobao.

One of my Chinese colleagues set up my account for me (without EVER asking for passport or other such information); he entered my address and explain to me how the payment system works with taobao.

If I don't know the vendor, I usually opt for the "payment after verification of goods" status.

Only one occasion did a vendor play a little game because he held the order for two weeks because he didn't have the item..and kept stalling and stalling. It was easy to cancel the order and that is exactly what I did.

And I gave him a sloth of pithy comments on his site...written for me in Chinese by a good colleague, too.

I use www.importbob.com

Sites in English and it searches things on taobao for you.