This China ecommerce partner glossary covers the 40 Chinese terms you’ll hear when you hire a distributor, a Tmall Partner (TP) or a Douyin Partner (DP). Each one comes with its characters, the pinyin, a plain meaning and the reason it matters to your contract. Most show up in the first proposal. A few don’t come up until there’s a dispute.

Sources quoted here were checked November 11, 2026.

Partners in China slide between Chinese and English in the same meeting. The Chinese word is usually the one with the legal weight. Take 经销商 and 代理商: a translated deck turns both into “distributor”. One buys your stock. The other may never own a carton of it.

So the tables run by theme rather than A to Z. Partner types first, then stores and import routes, money, Douyin, channel discipline and the paperwork.

Want it on the desk at your next partner meeting? The printable China partner glossary fits all 40 terms on two pages, with a column for your own notes.

China ecommerce partner glossary: who does what

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
代运营	dài yùnyíng	Outsourced store operation: a partner runs your Tmall or Douyin store for fees	This is what a TP or DP sells. The store itself should stay in your company’s name
代理运营商	dàilǐ yùnyíngshāng	Agent operator, Tmall Global’s word for the TP declared on a store	The TP goes on record as your operator. It isn’t the owner
服务商	fúwùshāng	Service provider, the platforms’ word for accredited partners, Douyin Partners included	The word alone proves nothing. Ask which platform accredited them, and at what level
经销商	jīngxiāoshāng	Distributor that buys your goods and resells them	It owns the stock, so it carries the risk and sets the shelf price
代理商	dàilǐshāng	Agent; in trade talk it often means a distributor as well	Ask whether they take title to the goods. The word won’t tell you
总代理	zǒng dàilǐ	Master agent for a whole country or region	It usually comes with a request for exclusivity. Tie that to targets
进口商	jìnkǒushāng	Importer in general trade, clearing customs in its own name	It holds the import paperwork for your goods. Plan the handover before you switch
境内代理人	jìngnèi dàilǐrén	Domestic agent a cross-border seller appoints for customs	It shares civil liability with you. Vet it like the TP
境内责任人	jìngnèi zérènrén	Domestic responsible person for imported cosmetics	It files your products in China and helps with recalls. Agree in writing how you’d replace it

The split that shapes a partner contract sits between the first word and the fourth. A 代运营 partner runs your store and earns fees. A 经销商 buys your stock and earns a margin. How the two compare is in TP, DP or distributor: who to hire first in China.

Tmall Global merchants must truthfully state who operates their store, including the agent operator (代理运营商), and give 15 days’ written notice of a change. Source: Tmall Global (天猫国际), Merchant Acceptance Standards, in force March 1, 2025. https://rule.tmall.hk/?type=detail&ruleId=11003210&cId=624#/rule/detail?ruleId=11003210&cId=624

The domestic agent is a customs role, and it’s easy to hand to whoever offers first.

An overseas cross-border retail seller must appoint a company registered in mainland China to register with customs and declare truthfully, and that company bears joint civil liability. Source: Ministry of Commerce (商务部) and five agencies, Shangcaifa 2018 No. 486, November 2018. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2018-12/31/content_5437823.htm

Customs has its own name for that company.

The overseas cross-border seller’s appointed mainland company is the cross-border ecommerce enterprise’s domestic agent (跨境电子商务企业境内代理人), which registers with customs and declares truthfully. Source: General Administration of Customs (海关总署), Announcement 194 of 2018, December 2018. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2018-12/31/content_5447414.htm

Cosmetics add one more role.

An overseas cosmetics registrant or filer must name a Chinese enterprise legal person as its domestic responsible person, which files in its name and assists with monitoring and recalls. Source: State Administration for Market Regulation (市场监管总局), Order No. 35, article 8, January 2021. https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2021/content_5595926.htm

Stores and import routes

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
跨境电商零售进口	kuàjìng diànshāng língshòu jìnkǒu	Cross-border retail import: goods sold to shoppers in China as personal imports	No first-import registration for goods on the list, but every order is capped
一般贸易	yìbān màoyì	General trade: an ordinary import with full duty and paperwork	Needed for supermarket shelves, and for items priced above the cross-border cap
保税仓	bǎoshuìcāng	Bonded warehouse where cross-border stock waits with duty unpaid	Cash sits here before the first order
旗舰店	qíjiàndiàn	Flagship store: the brand’s own, or run under the trademark owner’s exclusive authorization	If a partner opens it, ask whose company holds it
专卖店	zhuānmàidiàn	Authorized store selling one brand under an ordinary license	Fine for a reseller. Check the dates on its authorization
专营店	zhuānyíngdiàn	Multi-brand store inside one category	Your brand shares a page with others the operator picks
品牌授权书	pǐnpái shòuquánshū	Brand authorization letter	It’s how you decide who sells you online. Put an end date on every one
商标注册证	shāngbiāo zhùcèzhèng	Chinese trademark registration certificate	China is first to file. Register before a partner sees your brand plan

Price decides the route before any partner does.

A single cross-border retail import order is capped at 5,000 RMB and a shopper’s annual total at 26,000 RMB, in force since January 1, 2019. Source: Ministry of Finance, General Administration of Customs and State Taxation Administration (财政部海关总署税务总局), Caiguanshui 2018 No. 49, November 2018. https://policy.mofcom.gov.cn/claw/clawContent.shtml?id=65769

The trademark rule is blunt.

When two applicants file identical or similar marks for the same or similar goods, the earlier application is approved and published. Source: China National Intellectual Property Administration (国家知识产权局), Trademark Law, 2019 amendment, article 31, July 2019. https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2019/7/30/art_95_28179.html

Money: fees, deposits and credit

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
保证金	bǎozhèngjīn	Security deposit, held by a platform or asked for by a partner	Refundable in principle. Read the conditions for deductions
年费	niánfèi	Annual fee charged by the platform	On Tmall Global it’s 30,000 or 60,000 RMB, set by category
扣点	kòudiǎn	Points: the share of sales a platform or retailer keeps	Ask whether it’s taken on GMV or on settled sales after returns
服务费	fúwùfèi	Service fee, usually the partner’s fixed monthly retainer	Pin it to a written scope, or it will grow
提成	tíchéng	Commission on sales paid to the partner	Define GMV in the contract before you agree the rate
账期	zhàngqī	Credit period between delivery and payment	Large retailers must pay suppliers within 60 days of receipt
返利	fǎnlì	Rebate paid back to a distributor on volume	Rebates on sell-in reward stock pushing. Pay them on sell-out
买断	mǎiduàn	Buy-out: the partner buys stock outright	It takes the stock risk, and the pricing power with it
寄售	jìshòu	Consignment: you keep title until the goods sell	You carry unsold stock and the wait for cash

The platform’s own numbers are public.

Tmall Global charges an annual fee of 30,000 RMB or 60,000 RMB, set by first-level category, plus a software service fee taken from each sale. Source: Tmall Global (天猫国际), Merchant Acceptance Standards, in force March 1, 2025. https://rule.tmall.hk/?type=detail&ruleId=11003210&cId=624#/rule/detail?ruleId=11003210&cId=624

The partner’s numbers aren’t. For a sense of scale, TheChinaPath calculator data, November 2026, models a Tmall Global store with a 50,000 RMB deposit, a TP retainer of 35,000 RMB a month and a TP commission of 10% of GMV. Another 400,000 RMB goes into the bonded warehouse as a deposit and tax prepayment before the first order ships. Those are our model defaults, not a market rate, and you can change every one in the Tmall Global setup and running cost calculator.

Douyin: creators and live rooms

A DP brings creators as much as store work. Three words come up in the first meeting.

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
达人	dárén	Creator who sells through short videos or livestreams	A DP’s creator list is part of what you pay for. Ask for past sales, not follower counts
精选联盟	jīngxuǎn liánméng	Douyin’s affiliate marketplace, matching products with creators	You set the commission rate, and creators compare it before they pick you
坑位费	kēngwèifèi	Slot fee: an upfront payment for a place in a creator’s livestream	It’s paid whether the product sells or not. Cap it, or pay on commission alone

On Douyin’s affiliate marketplace, a commission open to all creators runs from 5% to 50% of the order; one set for named creators runs from 5% to 80%. Source: Douyin E-commerce (抖音电商), affiliate fee settlement rules, section 2.3.1, October 2026. https://school.jinritemai.com/doudian/web/articlev0/112620

Channel discipline: the words behind partner disputes

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
窜货	cuànhuò	Goods leaking out of their assigned territory or channel	It undercuts the partners who stayed in their lane. Write territories and remedies into the contract
乱价	luànjià	Price disruption: sellers dumping below the going price	Shoppers on Tmall and Douyin compare prices in seconds, so it spreads fast
控价	kòngjià	Price control by the brand	Fixing a reseller’s minimum price by contract is illegal. Use channel rules and authorizations
压货	yāhuò	Stock pushing: loading a partner with more than it can sell	Sell-in looks healthy for a quarter. Then the discounting starts
动销	dòngxiāo	Sell-through: stock actually reaching shoppers	Ask for it monthly, by channel. It’s the number that tells the truth
刷单	shuādān	Fake orders that inflate sales and reviews	Illegal. The store’s owner answers for it, so ban it in writing
进场费	jìnchǎngfèi	Listing fee a supermarket charges to take a product	Some entry charges are restricted by national rules. Ask what each fee buys

控价 is where brands most often trip.

An operator may not agree with a trading counterparty to fix its resale price or set a minimum resale price, with narrow exceptions the operator must prove. An implemented agreement draws a fine of 1% to 10% of the previous year’s sales. Source: Anti-Monopoly Law (反垄断法), 2022 amendment, articles 18 and 56, in force August 1, 2022, via the Ministry of Commerce (商务部). https://policy.mofcom.gov.cn/claw/clawContent.shtml?id=97047

刷单 is spelled out in the ecommerce law too.

Ecommerce operators may not mislead consumers by fabricating transactions or inventing user reviews. Source: E-Commerce Law (电子商务法), article 17, adopted August 31, 2018, via the Cyberspace Administration of China (国家网信办). https://www.cac.gov.cn/2018-09/01/c_1123362506.htm

And supermarkets have had their own rulebook since 2006.

The rules cover retailers with annual sales of 10 million RMB or more. They restrict barcode and other entry charges and require payment for goods within 60 days of receipt. Source: Ministry of Commerce (商务部) and four agencies, Order 17 of 2006, in force November 15, 2006, via the Beijing Municipal Government. https://www.beijing.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengcefagui/qtwj/200611/t20061115_780748.html

Paperwork: seals and company records

Term	Pinyin	Meaning	Why it matters
公章	gōngzhāng	Company seal, the official chop	Check that the name on the seal matches the business license
营业执照	yíngyè zhízhào	Business license	Shows the registered name, business scope and legal representative
统一社会信用代码	tǒngyī shèhuì xìnyòng dàimǎ	Unified social credit code, the company’s registration number	Search it before you sign. One code, one company
法定代表人	fǎdìng dàibiǎorén	Legal representative named on the license	Signs for the company. Anyone else needs a written authority

A written contract forms when the parties sign, seal or put a fingerprint on it. Source: Civil Code (民法典), article 490, in force January 1, 2021, via the Ministry of Commerce (商务部). https://policy.mofcom.gov.cn/claw/clawContent.shtml?id=70524

Plenty of Chinese companies seal and never sign. Ask for both, on every page that matters.

FAQ

Is a Tmall Partner the same as a distributor? Usually not. A service TP runs your store for a retainer and a commission, and the stock stays yours. A buy-out TP buys your goods first and resells them, which makes it a distributor in all but name. Ask the TP which model it proposes, in Chinese: 代运营 or 经销.

Can I set the price my Chinese distributor sells at? You can recommend one. Fixing a distributor’s resale price, or setting a floor under it, breaks the Anti-Monopoly Law unless you can prove a narrow exception applies. Brands that hold their prices do it by choosing who gets stock and for how long, through dated authorization letters, and not through a minimum price clause.

Which of these terms should a proposal spell out? Ask for the Chinese term next to every English one. In particular: whether the deal is 代运营 or 经销, what the 保证金 covers and when it comes back, how the 提成 base is counted, and who pays any 坑位费. If a partner won’t write the Chinese down, ask why.

Our guides to finding a distributor, a Tmall Partner or a Douyin Partner cover what to check once you have names, and Compass holds the partners we have met in person.

Get a Compass shortlist of China partners.