You could use forwarding services in the seller's country that receive
your orders, carry out basic tests, and then forward the item on to you
if everything is good. Does cost a bit more but could save you some
grief.
You can't go wrong with the Schiffer reference books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=schiffer+pottery