How will the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) benefit e-commerce?

The Shanghai FTZ officially launched the country’s first cross-border e-commerce platform called buyeasi.com on December 28, 2013, in a move to develop the country’s cross-border e-commerce industry. The website is positioned to provide mid to high-end products and presents six categories of popular commodities, including clothing, accessories, baby products, 3C electronic products, cosmetics, and luggage and handbags.

The platform was created with the intent to bring order to the currently chaotic cross-border e-commerce market. All vendors on Buyeasi.com, for example, are required to conduct record filing with Shanghai Customs and issue proofs of tax payment to customers, thereby ensuring that all products sold on the platform are genuine.