Online shopping trend these days saw a rise in purchases of sex dolls and sex toys, according to site Alibaba.com.

In a statement, the buyers and suppliers website Alibaba.com said it has been swamped with enquiries for sex dolls, vibrators and dildos in the months leading up to Valentine's Day, with searches for plastic partners alone increasing by 240 percent year on year.

Sex dolls were the most searched for sex toy on the site by Australian buyers, accounting for 44 percent of enquiries within the category between July and December 2011.

Searches for dildos rose by 142 per cent rise compared to the same time last year, while interest in vibrators increased by 98 per cent.

The search terms "sex toys for men" and "bondage" were also popular among Australian users.

"Valentine's Day doesn't spell romantic dinners and moonlight walks on the beach for everyone," Alibaba.com director of international business development and marketing Asia-Pacific, Daphne Lee said.

"For some Aussies, it means celebrating solo in the bedroom with a pumped-up or battery-operated playmate. Sex toys are now mainstream and for many retailers who sell them, Valentine's Day is the busiest day of the year," she added.

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Australians accounted for 4 percent of global searches for sex dolls on Alibaba.com, behind America which accounted for 28 percent and the UK with 5 percent.

The statistics also showed searches for "sexy underwear" by global buyers peaked in November 2011, rising 36 percent between the third and fourth quarter.

Founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, Alibaba.com connects businesses with customers and suppliers from around the world for every imaginable good - from laptops to wedding dresses to auto parts and accessories. Almost 700,000 Australians use the site.

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