To open a shop on AliExpress

[Video Vocabulary]

Yesterday I tried to open a shop on AliExpress and this is where I stuck:

"从2016年4月1日开始，新卖家（真人发类目暂停新卖家入驻）在入驻时需要有企业身份、不再允许个人（包括个体工商户）卖家入驻。同时，类目准入也需要企业身份的账号才能申请；"

 

So I asked AliExpress Customer Service about registering an offshore company in Hong-Kong, and this is what they replied to me: 

"您好，因为香港的离岸公司（大陆人在香港注册公司）目前政策上不支持入驻类目经营，所以，您升级企业账号时，也建议您使用大陆注册公司升级，避免将来出现无法入驻类目经营的情况 "

 

Apparently, the only way to open a shop on AliExpress is to register a company in Shenzhen first.

But many shops on AliExpress are from Hong-Kong, so may question is - is it still possible to do it without registering a company in Mainland China?

As far as I know, registering a company in China is a very complicated business.

[vellocet]

Yes, you need a mainland business license to open a shop.  Why would it need to be in Shenzhen?  It can be anywhere.  I would suggest Shanghai as the laws are most favorable there.  Hire a consultant to guide you through the paperwork maze.

[Video Vocabulary]

Why would it need to be in Shenzhen?

Simply because I live and work in Shenzhen.

[onebir]

They just killled Aliexpress, I suspect. Does Taobao, Ebay etc have the same ridiculous company-only policy?

[vellocet]

Taobao has a low bar to entry: only 3000 per year or so fees.  For Tmall.com, a 150,000 yuan deposit and 3000-6000 annual fee.  For JD.com: 500,000 yuan deposit.  You can clearly see why people don't trust Taobao and do trust Tmall. 

 

I wouldn't call the policy ridiculous.  China is clearly erecting barriers to enter their markets.  If the world wants to come to China and sell, it will have to play by China's rules.  China isn't exactly hurting for online shops to buy from.  If these policies give advantage to Chinese people and disadvantage to foreign companies, so much the better.  Why would China want foreign companies to make all the money and then export the money to their own countries?  Better it stays in China where it will be spent on Chinese products.  China first, you know. 

[Video Vocabulary]

Is it complicated to register a small trade company in China?

[roddy]

"China is clearly erecting barriers to enter their markets.  If the world wants to come to China and sell, it will have to play by China's rules."

Vellocet, this isn't a foreign-China issue. Our man here happens to be foreign, but anyone Chinese would face the same requirements. The government has let online shopping develop as it likes for several years, now they're tightening up to make sure they're getting their tax and that everyone as far as possible has a 主管部门 of one form or another. 

 

The policy, which is quite new, will affect at a guess one foreigner for every 10,000 Chinese people. If the Chinese government wanted to cause problems for foreigners with shops on Taobao, they'd come up with a much more efficient way of doing it.

 

Which is not to say there aren't barriers targeted at foreign firms and traders in China. But this ain't one. 

[onebir]

^^This. This is 'make it considerably harder for individuals to export Chinese products on a retail basis for no obvious reason'. (I would like to hear the stated reason for the change.)