China is cracking down on imports of consumer goods by overseas personal shoppers and seeking to replace them with imports via ecommerce websites that can be taxed, providing opportunities for foreign brands in a fast-growing $23bn market.
Chinese consumers have for years relied on compatriots travelling or living abroad to buy goods for them — from infant powdered milk to luxury handbags— due to a lack of availability at home, high tariffs and the perception that foreign goods are safer.
The scale of the “daigou”, or “buy on behalf”, trade is difficult to determine as those imports are often undeclared to avoid taxes, but analysts say it is worth tens of billions of dollars a year.