A trio of American expats in Shanghai has found the solution for foreigners frustrated by language barriers when shopping on Taobao or Tmall, online shopping platforms run by China's e-commerce giant Alibaba.

In July 2015, Charlie Erickson, Jay Thornhill and Tyler McNew developed Baopals, an English-language website that helps foreigners in China navigate and buy items on Taobao or Tmall.

Charlie Erickson (left), Jay Thornhill (middle) and Tyler McNew (right), who founded Baopals to help foreigners shop online in China, pose for a group photo in Shanghai on Aug 9. [Photo/VCG]

After always bothering his Chinese colleagues or friends to help him search for a product, make payments and track deliveries on Taobao or Tmall, Charlie thought to himself that it must have happened to many foreigners living in China.

China is one of the world's biggest markets for online shopping, and products purchased online can even be delivered on the same day, Charlie said, adding that it's a pity if foreigners cannot access these amazing online shopping platforms due to language barriers.