The concept of cross-border e-commerce
Cross-border e-commerce refers to an international business activity in which trading entities in different countries use e-commerce to digitize the display, negotiation and transaction links in traditional import and export trade, and deliver goods and complete transactions through cross-border logistics and remote warehousing.
my country’s cross-border e-commerce is mainly divided into two models: cross-border retail and cross-border B2B trade.
Cross-border retail includes two models: B2C (Business-to-Customer) and C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer, or Customer-to-Customer). Cross-border B2C e-commerce refers to an international business activity in which enterprises in different customs territories directly sell products and services online to individual consumers, reach transactions and make payment settlements through e-commerce platforms, and deliver goods and complete transactions through cross-border logistics. Cross-border C2C, or Customer (Consumer) to Customer (Consumer), refers to the online sales of products and services by individual sellers to individual buyers in different customs territories. Individual sellers publish product information, prices and other content through third-party e-commerce platforms, and individual buyers screen and finally reach transactions, make payments and settle accounts through e-commerce platforms, and deliver goods and complete transactions through cross-border logistics. Under the B2C model, Chinese companies directly face foreign consumers, mainly selling personal consumer goods. In terms of logistics, they mainly use postal logistics, commercial express delivery, professional and overseas warehousing, etc. The customs declaration entities are postal or express delivery companies, and most of them have not yet been registered with the customs.
Cross-border B2B (Business-to-Business) trade refers to international business activities in which enterprises in different customs territories reach transactions, make payments and settle accounts through e-commerce platforms, and deliver goods and complete transactions through cross-border logistics. It has now been included in the general trade statistics of the customs.
2. The process of cross-border e-commerce
From the perspective of the cross-border e-commerce export process, the producer or manufacturer will display the goods produced on the platform of the cross-border e-commerce enterprise. After the goods are selected, ordered and paid, the cross-border e-commerce enterprise will deliver the goods to the logistics enterprise for delivery. After two customs clearances and commodity inspections (in the exporting country and the importing country), they are finally delivered to consumers or enterprises. Some cross-border e-commerce enterprises also directly cooperate with third-party comprehensive service platforms to let the third-party comprehensive service platforms handle a series of links such as logistics, customs clearance, commodity inspection, etc., so as to complete the entire cross-border e-commerce transaction process. The process of cross-border e-commerce import is basically the same as that of export except that the direction is opposite to that of export process.