China, one category at a time.
Skincare doesn’t sell like sneakers in China, and neither sells like a hotel room. Pick yours and read what we learned selling it.
- articles
- 31
- industries covered
- 13
- updated
Written by the team that has run brands in China for 15 years, from the stores we operate on Tmall, JD, and Douyin.
What do you sell?
Costs, channels, and case studies for your category. Type it in and we’ll send you to the right section.
Covered now
Beauty & Personal CareSkincare, make-up, fragrance, and hair care. China rewrote its cosmetics rules in 2021, and the route you pick decides which ones apply to you.SkincareMake-upFragranceHair care4 articles
Fashion & LuxurySneakers, clothes, bags, and watches, plus the luxury houses still working out how to sell online here.FootwearApparelBagsWatches4 articles
Food & BeveragePackaged food, coffee, wine, spirits, and dairy. Labels and customs checks come before anything else.Packaged foodCoffeeTeaWine2 articles
Health & WellnessSupplements, sports nutrition, and medical devices. Registration sets your route, so start there.SupplementsSports nutritionMedical devices2 articles
Mother & BabyFormula, baby care, and maternity. Parents check where a product comes from before they check the price.Infant formulaBaby careMaternity2 articles
Home & LivingBulky goods come with a freight bill that decides the whole plan. Furniture, lighting, kitchen, bedding, and cleaning live here.FurnitureLightingKitchenBedding2 articles
Electronics & AppliancesConsumer electronics and appliances, where JD’s delivery and installation network carries real weight.Consumer electronicsSmall appliancesHome appliances3 articles
Sports & LeisureOutdoor gear, sports kit, toys, and hobbies. Sales follow the seasons and the school calendar as much as the festivals.OutdoorSports gearToysStationery4 articles
PetsPet food, accessories, and hardware for China’s city pet owners.Pet foodAccessoriesHardware1 article
AutomotiveEVs, parts, and accessories. Most of the work happens on Dongchedi and Douyin, well before a buyer walks into a dealer.EVsAuto partsAccessories1 article
Travel & HospitalityHotels, destinations, and how Chinese travelers pick them.HotelsDestinationsLuxury travel3 articles
B2B & IndustrialBuyers find you through spec sheets, distributors, and trade shows, rarely through ads. Equipment, components, and building systems.EquipmentComponentsBuilding systems2 articles
Financial & Professional ServicesLicensing decides what a foreign firm can offer at all. Insurance, consulting, and training start from that question.InsuranceConsultingEducation1 article
Every article, by industry. Newest first.
Beauty & Personal Care
Skincare, make-up, fragrance, and hair care. China rewrote its cosmetics rules in 2021, and the route you pick decides which ones apply to you.
Read this firstE-CommerceWhat it costs to sell beauty devices and tools in China
Beauty devices pay Tmall Global 5% plus a 30,000 RMB fee and Douyin up to 10% a sale. RF devices now need Class III registration. Fees, rules, costs.
Fashion & Luxury
Sneakers, clothes, bags, and watches, plus the luxury houses still working out how to sell online here.
Read this firstMarket StrategyHow Allbirds entered China, and what it cost them
Allbirds ran China itself for five years, opened six stores, then sold the Shanghai entity for $2.1 million and licensed the market to Belle.
Food & Beverage
Packaged food, coffee, wine, spirits, and dairy. Labels and customs checks come before anything else.
Read this firstMarket StrategyHow Oatly entered China, and what it cost
Oatly entered China through Shanghai coffee shops in 2018. Its filings show fast growth, then a $25.1 million write-off on an unfinished plant.
Health & Wellness
Supplements, sports nutrition, and medical devices. Registration sets your route, so start there.
Read this firstCompliance & SetupTelehealth in China: patient acquisition costs
How foreign telehealth and wellness providers reach patients in China, with licensing limits, channel costs, and a worked acquisition budget.
Mother & Baby
Formula, baby care, and maternity. Parents check where a product comes from before they check the price.
Read this firstE-CommerceWhat it costs to sell baby care and hygiene products in China
Baby care and diapers open at 80,000 RMB on Tmall Global, 35,500 on JD Worldwide and 5,000 on Douyin. Then the children's rules and reorders decide it.
Home & Living
Bulky goods come with a freight bill that decides the whole plan. Furniture, lighting, kitchen, bedding, and cleaning live here.
Read this firstE-CommerceWhat it costs to sell lighting and decor in China
Lamps open on JD Worldwide for a US$5,000 deposit and 4.9% a sale. Tmall Global asks 50,000 RMB, 30,000 a year and 5%. Douyin lists no lighting rate.
Electronics & Appliances
Consumer electronics and appliances, where JD’s delivery and installation network carries real weight.
Read this firstE-CommerceJD's New Subsidy Plan Is Really a Supply Chain Play
JD.com and 100 brands put RMB 10 billion behind appliance trade-ins. Why the Double Subsidy plan is a supply chain and loyalty play, not a price war.
Sports & Leisure
Outdoor gear, sports kit, toys, and hobbies. Sales follow the seasons and the school calendar as much as the festivals.
Read this firstCompliance & SetupChina toy CCC certificates must move to GB 6675-2025 by November 2027
China's new toy standard took effect Nov 1. Every CCC toy certificate needs a gap test and a reissue by Nov 1, 2027, or CQC suspends it.
Pets
Pet food, accessories, and hardware for China’s city pet owners.
Read this firstE-CommerceWhat it costs to sell pet food in China
Cat and dog food opens on JD Worldwide for US$5,000 and 2.5% a sale. Tmall Global wants 80,000 RMB. First, China has to register your factory.Automotive
EVs, parts, and accessories. Most of the work happens on Dongchedi and Douyin, well before a buyer walks into a dealer.
Read this firstMarket StrategyHow automotive and EV brands actually reach buyers in China
Cars can't be sold cross-border in China. What Douyin, RedNote, Autohome, and Dongchedi cost per lead, and how dealers close the sale on WeChat.Travel & Hospitality
Hotels, destinations, and how Chinese travelers pick them.
Read this firstMarket StrategyExplosive Growth in the Chinese Luxury Travel Segment | 2024 Insights
China's luxury travel market has boomed over the past decade, driven by rising wealth and a taste for culturally immersive trips over status displays.
B2B & Industrial
Buyers find you through spec sheets, distributors, and trade shows, rarely through ads. Equipment, components, and building systems.
Read this firstMarket StrategyHow building systems and HVAC brands actually reach buyers in China
No cross-border store can sell a boiler or a chiller in China. What each channel reaches and costs, and who owns the customer.
Financial & Professional Services
Licensing decides what a foreign firm can offer at all. Insurance, consulting, and training start from that question.
Read this firstMarket StrategyHow insurance and financial services reach customers in China
Insurance has no cross-border route into China. How agents, banks, WeChat, Douyin and Hong Kong reach customers, and the license each one requires.Don’t see your category?
Ask anyway. Chances are we’ve run it. If not, we know who has.