In recent years, with the rapid growth of overseas consumer demand, online purchasing agents, which are in a regulatory "gray area", have attracted a large number of fans with their low prices. Due to the low entry threshold and lack of legal and regulatory constraints, online purchasing is becoming more and more common.
Starting from January 1 this year, the "E-Commerce Law of the People's Republic of China" (hereinafter referred to as the "E-Commerce Law") was officially implemented. From now on, all e-commerce activities must be registered and pay taxes in accordance with the law.
After the implementation of the "E-Commerce Law", what changes have taken place in Nanchang's cross-border e-commerce market? Is it more convenient for consumers to buy overseas goods? After New Year's Day, the reporter conducted a survey on the provincial capital's cross-border consumer market and found that: the e-commerce industry has ushered in behavioral norms, many online purchasing agents have actively transformed into regular e-commerce companies, many physical stores have joined forces to explore business opportunities and are ready to make a big splash, and at the same time consumers are looking forward to buying more high-quality and reliable imported goods.
Online purchasing agents: Consider changing careers or actively transforming
It is understood that most online purchasing agents purchase goods abroad, bring them back in person, and then sell the goods through social apps such as .
"The profit margin of luxury goods such as watches and brand-name bags is around 25%, while the profit margin of cosmetics and health products is around 15%. You can earn 70,000 to 80,000 yuan by leading a tour group to Europe," said Wang Bin, an overseas tour guide for a large travel agency in Nanchang.
With the new regulations, will online purchasing agents go or stay?
"After the release of the E-commerce Law, about half of my peers have decided to change their careers, and those who want to continue in this business are preparing to apply for certificates according to regulations." Wang Bin said, "To continue to do overseas purchasing business, you must hold business licenses from both the purchasing country and China, and pay taxes according to the law. This not only increases the difficulty of work, but also reduces profit margins. However, the market potential is huge, and many people hope to take this opportunity to transform into formal cross-border e-commerce."
"The profits of 'human' purchasing agents come from taxes and exchange rate differences. The E-Commerce Law has stopped us from making money just by moving our fingers. I want to set up a cross-border trading company and engage in overseas purchasing in accordance with regulations," said purchasing agent Han Shanshan.
Cross-border e-commerce physical stores: Welcome the favorable situation and join forces to explore business opportunities
In the past three years, Nanchang has seen the emergence of thirty or forty cross-border e-commerce physical stores with an area of more than 200 square meters. The reporter learned that most of them are in a loss-making state, and less than 10 are still in operation.
Why are cross-border e-commerce physical stores not satisfactory? Zhu Liang, general manager of Nanchang Australia Asia Cross-border E-commerce Store, admitted that the operating model of cross-border e-commerce physical stores is basically to cooperate with foreign trade companies in the purchasing country, and the other party purchases goods through bulk trade and regular customs clearance channels. Because of the need to pay commodity taxes and operating costs, the pricing of goods in physical stores is about 15% higher than that of online purchasing.
"Many customers think our prices are much higher than those of purchasing agents, so we have not been able to make a profit since we opened. After the E-Commerce Law was introduced, some peers proposed to cooperate with us to expand our business scale and jointly explore business opportunities," said Zhu Liang.
Ms. Chen, head of Nanchang Shipinhui Imported Goods Experience Center, holds the same view as Zhu Liang. "Due to the 'grey area' in the past, competition in this industry is very fierce. Physical stores can basically not compete with online purchasing agents." Talking about the future, Ms. Chen said with great expectations: "The store is being renovated. During this period, we have applied for relevant certificates as required. I am also contacting more regular suppliers and partners, preparing to open after the New Year, and strive to make the business 'hot'."
Consumers: Regulating the market to improve shopping experience
Zhong Fei, a resident of Nanchang, is keen on buying all kinds of overseas products and has 8 purchasing agents on . "Although purchasing on behalf of others is affordable, some popular products often have to be booked a month in advance. The most annoying thing is that there is no way to complain if the products are damaged. Now that the purchasing agent market is regulated, shopping costs have increased slightly, but it is more reassuring to buy overseas products," said Zhong Fei.
"The same product has a very different price at different purchasing agents, and consumers often cannot tell whether the product is real or fake. Now that there are legal constraints, consumers' shopping experience will be better." Nanchang resident Zhang Wenxin said, "In the future, when shopping at regular cross-border e-commerce stores, you can buy authentic products at fair prices, which is very convenient."
Xiao Jie, a lawyer at Jiangxi Yuzhang Law Firm, believes that the introduction of the "E-Commerce Law" means that individual overseas purchasing agents who were previously in a legal blind spot will be restricted and included in the scope of supervision. The E-Commerce Law has increased consumers' shopping costs accordingly, but it has also made corresponding penalty clauses for sellers, platforms, etc. that do not comply with the law, urging market players to win consumers' trust and recognition with high-quality services, providing consumers with more protection.
With the implementation of the "E-Commerce Law", the cross-border consumer industry is facing a reshuffle. The head of the relevant department of the Provincial Department of Commerce believes that whether it is a physical store or an online purchasing agent, they should provide sales services in accordance with the requirements of the "E-Commerce Law". At the same time, the implementation of the new regulations also encourages market operators to innovate business models, promote commercial technology research and development, and maximize the potential of the cross-border consumer market, so that consumers can purchase overseas products more conveniently and with confidence.
