What’s Douyin (Tik Tok) Cross-border Store and Why You Should Care
by Karen Zhou
Douyin, the Chinese version of Tik Tok, has released an announcement to support cross-border e-commerce merchants in last December. Merchants who sell cross-border imported products are now being invited to launch on the platform and leverage short videos contents, advertisement, and live-streaming campaigns to promote their products and brands – without having a Chinese entity.
In this article, you will find some detailed information of how overseas merchants open an e-commerce store on Douyin. Azoya will continue to update this document, and please bookmark the article in your browser.
How do customers purchase on MakeUpForEver's Douyin Store
Categorical permission
Liquor | Food | Health food/nutritional supplements |
Nourishing nutrition | Household item/home textile | Kitchen appliances |
Home appliances | Fashion apparel and accessories | Watches |
Shoes/clothes/luggage | Sportswear | Beauty and personal care |
Fragrance | Infant milk/formula | Baby supplies |
Toys | Pet food & supplies | Sanitary/paper |
Smart device | 3C accessories | Audio & visual equipment |
Musical instrument | Travel-sized products | ... |
Four types of Douyin Store
Type | Introduction |
Brand’s Flagship store Store 品牌旗舰店 | A store operated directly by a brand to sell its products. |
Retailer’s Flagship Store 卖场型旗舰店 | A store operated by distributors or retailers with authorized trademark. |
Specialty Store 专卖店 | A store operated by a reseller of a brand that has been given distribution authorization. |
Franchise Store 专营店 | A store operated by a reseller of brands with distribution authorization. Franchise stores must represent at least two brands in operation. |
Entity qualification
Overseas Entity | Registration certification | Yes |
Authorized representative Statement | Yes, in both English and Chinese | |
Authorized representative’s ID | Yes | |
Company’s overseas bank account opening certificate or bank statement | Yes | |
Domestic Entity | Business license | Yes |
Declaration of entrusted cooperation between the overseas company and domestic agent | Yes | |
The registration certificate of China’s customs declaration unit or the receipt of the consignee and consignor of the customs import and export goods | Yes | |
Screenshot of China Customs Enterprise import and export credit information publicity platform | Yes | |
Legal person's ID | Yes | |
Domestic agent verification of public payment | Yes |
Cost of operating a Douyin store
Deposit
· 100,000 RMB deposit for most of the categories.
· 200,000 RMB deposit for nutrition/health supplements, Infant milk/formula
· 400,000 RMB deposit for bird’s nest
Technical services fees
First category | Cross-border fee | Second category | Cross-border fee | Third category | Cross-border fee |
Skincare | 4% | ||||
Beauty equipment | 5% | ||||
Cosmetics/perfume/beauty tools | 4% | ||||
Infant milk/formula | 2% | ||||
Baby diapers | 2% | ||||
Baby supplies | 2% | Strap/toddler belt/travel supplies | 5% | ||
Car seat/safety harness | 3% | ||||
Crib/crib/cradle/ bed guardrail | 5% | ||||
Baby stroller/toddler | 5% | ||||
Others | 2% | ||||
Children and baby’s wear/ shoes | 5% | ||||
Maternity clothes/ Maternity supplies/ Nurturing | 2% | ||||
Toys | 5% | ||||
Anime supplies | 5% | ||||
Musical instrument | 2% | ||||
Pet food/pet supplies | 5% | Dog staple food | 2.5% | ||
Cat staple food | 2.5% | ||||
Others | 5% | ||||
Apparel/shoe | 5% | ||||
Luggage | 5% | ||||
Underwear/leggings | 5% | ||||
Fashion accessories | 5% | ||||
Sportwear | 5% | ||||
Outdoor/travel products | 5% | ||||
Clocks and watches | 5% | Watches | 5% | Swiss watches | 2% |
Others | 5% | ||||
Others | 5% | ||||
Fashion accessories | 5% | ||||
Liquor | 2% | ||||
Coffee/oatmeal | 2% | ||||
Health food/ nutrition supplies | 3% | ||||
Snacks/nuts | 2% | ||||
Cooking oil/rice/noodles/ condiment | 2% | ||||
Tea | 2% | ||||
Detergent/sanitary napkins/paper/ home fragrance | 3% | ||||
Personal care | |||||
Healthcare appliances | 5% | Shaver | 2% | ||
Others | 5% | ||||
Kitchen appliances | 2% |
The requirement for products and services
Mandatory service guarantee
· Genuine Guarantee – if goods are deemed as fake or non-original, merchants should compensate customers at ten times of the good’s actual price, as well as the taxes and postage.
· Damaged Goods Return – if the goods are damaged, and customers can offer valid evidence, merchants should arrange the refund, including customer’s actual payment for goods, taxes and postage.
· Local Return Service – merchants should provide customers with local return service. After negotiation with merchants, customers can return goods to a designated location. For example, merchants who sell goods to China should provide a selected return location in China.
Delivery time requirement
Shipping model | Delivery Time |
Bonded importing | Customers can check the logistics information on the official website of the corresponding express company within 72 hours after payment. |
Direct shipping (inventory) | Customers can check the logistics information on the official website of the express company within 120 hours after payment |
Direct shipping (pre-sale) | Merchants can set a delivery time accordingly, and the products should be shipped within 30 days. |
Above are the main policy for merchants to set up a Douyin store for cross-border e-commerce. This rule will take effect on December 22, 2020. Please contact Azoya Sales Team if you are launching your own flagship store via Douyin.