1. Third-party cross-border e-commerce platforms
Third-party cross-border e-commerce platforms are mainly divided into B2B platforms, B2C platforms and C2C platforms.
1. B2B platforms
B2B platforms help manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and partners to transmit information about goods or services and realize bulk transactions. Such platforms generally provide some additional services, such as search and advertising, to help buyers and sellers complete transactions. The platforms earn revenue by charging membership fees, certification fees, marketing and promotion fees, etc. Commonly used B2B platforms include:
(1) Alibaba International Station. The first website of Alibaba Group, it is the earliest B2B cross-border e-commerce export platform in China and the preferred foreign trade platform for many foreign trade companies to expand overseas markets.
(2) Dunhuang.com. One of the world’s high-quality online foreign trade transaction platforms, it can provide a series of financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises.
(3) Global Sources. A multi-channel B2B media company that provides B2B integrated promotion services through resources such as Global Sources, including comprehensive B2B export promotion services and one-stop services from design to export.
(4) Made-in-China.com. Founded in 1998, it brings together Chinese enterprise products, targets global buyers, and focuses on export promotion.
(5) Self-service Trade.com. Formerly known as China Business Network, it has a personalized self-service website building function and can provide personalized technical services such as instant submission of enterprise information to major global search engines.
(6) ECVV.com. The world’s first B2B e-commerce website that pays for results. (7) Yitong.com. A comprehensive B2B cross-border e-commerce platform with a transaction model similar to B2C. (8) World Business Network. It has the largest number of local trade stations in the world.
(9) Asian Product Network. It provides integrated solutions for international trade export products in Asia.
(10) Speed Trade World. It provides B2B2C services and is the fastest foreign trade electronic online trading platform in my country.
2. B2C platform
As an independently operated third party, the B2C platform generally does not participate in payment, logistics and other transaction links. The B2C platform mainly charges commissions, supplemented by membership fees and advertising fees. Its characteristics are low threshold, short cycle, flexible payment methods and high profits. Commonly used B2C platforms are:
(1) AliExpress. Alibaba’s only foreign trade online trading platform that integrates orders, payments and logistics for the global market, and is the world’s third largest English online shopping website.
(2) Amazon. The largest e-commerce company in the United States and one of the earliest companies to operate e-commerce. It has become the online retailer with the most product varieties in the world.
(3) Wish. The largest mobile cross-border shopping platform in North America, 95% of orders come from mobile terminals, and 60%~70% of merchants are from China.
3. C2C platform
C2C platform is open to all individuals for registration. It charges sellers a display fee and transaction service fee for goods. The platform provides payment guarantee and generally does not participate in the negotiation and logistics and other transaction links. Its characteristics are a wide variety of goods, low threshold and high profit. Commonly used C2C platforms are:
(1) eBay. An online auction and shopping website that allows users around the world to buy and sell goods. It has now developed into the world’s largest online retail market. Among eBay’s global transactions, about 20% are cross-border trade, and transactions are paid using PayPal.
(2) Etsy. A social cross-border e-commerce website that sells handmade crafts online. It is considered to be a retro and creative e-commerce website that brings together a group of influential and appealing handmade art designers. Everyone can open a store on Etsy and sell their own handmade crafts. Its model is similar to eBay and Taobao. It was listed in the United States in March 2015.
II. Cross-border e-commerce independent website
An independent website is a website with an independent domain name, sometimes called a “self-built website” or “brand official website”. The earliest independent website in China appeared around 2004. At first, it sold game coins online with the help of Google SEO traffic dividends, and then gradually expanded to other categories, slowly forming some fixed product sales and operation models. The main difference between a cross-border e-commerce independent website and a third-party platform is whether the platform is open to sellers. If all kinds of sellers can sell independently on the platform, this website can be called a cross-border e-commerce third-party platform website. In the future, the cross-border e-commerce industry will continue to have more innovative models to provide consumers with high-quality products and a good shopping experience. For example: grafting the mature domestic micro-business model into the cross-border e-commerce field through WhatsApp, Line, and Facebook Group to form an “overseas micro-business” model; using the “live broadcast e-commerce” model of AR/VR shopping; and so on.