find_tools, describe_tool, execute_tool at each hop — and
which marketplace supports which step.
The research loop
1
2
Shortlist
Keep the item IDs (or ASINs) worth a closer look, plus the brand and
model: IDs do not travel between marketplaces, names do.
3
Open details and SKUs
Pull the product detail for each shortlisted ID. Where variants matter,
Shopee exposes the SKU matrix and observed SKU models and
Douyin Shop the SKU information;
JD.com has a price-only lookup for when the
full listing is more than you need.
4
Read the reviews
Amazon returns the top reviews; Shopee adds review tags and the rating
split per SKU model; Taobao / Tmall
pairs reviews with buyer questions; JD.com and Douyin Shop return paginated
comments. Use a rating filter where one exists to go straight to complaints.
5
Check what is already selling
Amazon’s Best Sellers for a category path and its products-by-category
listing show the incumbents; Temu’s homepage feed shows what that platform
pushes today. Shop product lists on Shopee, Taobao, JD.com and Douyin Shop
show what a specific competitor carries.
6
Compare across platforms
Repeat search and detail on the other marketplaces with the brand and
model, then line the listings up — converting currencies first.
Which marketplace supports which step
The table reflects the catalog tools. Some platforms have Scenario Methods
that go further — each platform page lists them.
Worked examples
“Find me something to sell: what is moving in kitchen gadgets on Amazon US, what do buyers complain about, and can I source it wholesale?” Amazon Best Sellers for the category path → product detail for the top ASINs → top reviews for each → search 1688 with the product’s generic name → open the most promising wholesale listings. “Is this Shopee Taiwan item cheaper than the same product on Taobao?” Shopee item detail and SKU matrix → Taobao search with the brand and model, Tmall-only if you want official stores → Taobao detail for the best matches → convert New Taiwan dollars and yuan to one currency, then compare per SKU. “Audit this JD.com shop.” JD shop product list by shop ID → current price for each item → comments for the items you care about → a table of price, rating signal and recurring complaints.Comparing one product across Amazon, Shopee and Taobao
The three biggest comparison targets behave differently; expect it:- Identify the product by name, not by ID. An ASIN means nothing on Shopee or Taobao. Search each platform with the brand and model, then confirm the match from the detail page.
- Pick the region first. Amazon takes a country marketplace, Shopee a site, Taobao none. The same product on two Amazon marketplaces is two listings with two prices.
- Normalize the currency yourself. Prices come back as each platform shows them — the marketplace’s currency on Amazon, the site’s on Shopee, yuan on Taobao. AgentKey does not convert.
- Variants are not aligned. Shopee’s SKU matrix, Taobao’s item page and Amazon’s listing can split one product into different options; compare at the option level when price per unit matters.
- Review and ranking signals differ in shape. Amazon gives top reviews and Best Sellers; Shopee gives reviews with tags and a per-model split; Taobao gives reviews plus buyer questions, and a seller’s list sorted by sales is its closest thing to a ranking. Summarize each in its own terms first.
Building it in code
Every step above maps to a Scenario Method with a fixed contract and automatic provider failover —product.search,
product.get, product.reviews, product.rank, shop.products — each
scoped to one platform and returning a normalized Product or Review page, so a
pipeline can send one request shape to Amazon, Shopee and Taobao and merge the
results without per-platform parsing. Each platform page lists its methods.