Although cross-border e-commerce is basically the same as general e-commerce in terms of technology, it is still significantly different from domestic e-commerce.
(I) Differences in business links
Domestic e-commerce belongs to domestic trade, while cross-border e-commerce is actually international trade. Compared with domestic e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce business links are more complicated, requiring chartering and booking, insurance, customs clearance, inspection and quarantine, foreign exchange settlement, taxation and tax refund, etc., involving more participants, longer lines, wider areas and greater risks.
(II) Differences in transaction subjects
Domestic e-commerce is domestic enterprises to domestic enterprises or consumers, while the transaction subjects of cross-border e-commerce refer to enterprises or consumers in different customs territories with different consumption habits, cultural psychology and living customs. This requires traders to have a deeper understanding of foreign trade, the Internet, consumption behavior, cultural cognition, etc., which is much more difficult than domestic e-commerce.
(III) Differences in applicable rules
Cross-border e-commerce needs to adapt to more and more complex rules than general domestic e-commerce, including international trade rules, import and export controls, tariff systems, industrial policies, intellectual property protection and trade agreements. In addition, from a micro perspective, the rules of e-commerce trading platforms in different countries are different, and targeted operational skills are required.
(IV) Differences in transaction risks
For example, policies and laws in different countries (regions) have different understandings of e-commerce taxation, the effectiveness of e-commerce transactions, the protection of consumer privacy, the legal liability of trading platforms, the legal issues of spam and online advertising, and the patentability of links and software licenses, so it is difficult to resolve disputes once they arise.