Tmall Global is Alibaba's cross-border import marketplace, launched in February 2014, on which brands based outside mainland China sell directly to Chinese consumers without setting up a Chinese company or holding stock in the country. It runs under China's rules for cross-border e-commerce retail imports, which treat each purchase as goods bought by an individual for their own use, and almost everything that makes it different from selling through ordinary import channels follows from that one classification.
How it differs from Tmall#
Tmall and Tmall Global share a name and a parent, and since mid-2025 both sit in Alibaba China E-commerce Group, but they are built for different sellers. Tmall is for businesses selling goods that have already been imported, registered and labelled for the Chinese market, whereas Tmall Global is for merchants based outside mainland China whose trademark is registered outside it too, and whose goods reach the buyer either from abroad or from a bonded warehouse inside China where they wait, uncleared, until someone orders them.
For a foreign brand the practical difference is what has to happen before the first sale. On Tmall the product has already crossed the border under general trade, with the registration, labelling and duties that involves, while on Tmall Global it can be listed before any of that has been done, which is why the marketplace is so often the first route into China for a brand that wants to test demand before committing to a Chinese entity and a distributor.
Two ways in#
There are two broad ways to sell. In the first, the brand, or a distributor it authorises, runs its own store on the platform and decides its own assortment, prices and promotions, and carries the stock and the risk that comes with it. In the second, which began in 2016, Tmall Global's self-operated arm buys the stock from the brand and acts as the importer, so the brand sells wholesale and gives up control of retail price and presentation in exchange for handing over the import itself. Since September 2020 there has also been an official direct-mail service shipping from overseas warehouses.
The rules it runs on#
The cross-border retail import regime sets the tax, the limits and the goods that qualify, and it applies to every cross-border marketplace in the same way.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Tariff | 0% within the limits |
| Import VAT and consumption tax | Charged at 70% of the statutory amount within the limits |
| Who pays | The buyer is the taxpayer; the platform or logistics company collects the tax |
| Per-purchase limit | RMB 5,000 |
| Annual limit | RMB 26,000 per person |
| Above the limits | A single item over RMB 5,000 can still be bought, but pays full duties and counts toward the annual total; purchases beyond the annual limit are taxed as general trade |
| Which goods | Only goods on the positive list of cross-border retail imports, last revised in 2022 and covering 1,476 tariff lines |
| Resale | Not allowed; the goods are for the buyer's own use |
The tax concession and the limits were set in 2016 and raised to their current levels from 1 January 2019, and no later document has replaced them. A brand should check its product's tariff code against the positive list before anything else, because a product that is not on it cannot be sold through this route at all.
Registration and labels#
Because cross-border retail imports are regulated as items for personal use, the licensing, registration and filing that a first import normally needs do not apply to them, except for goods from areas under an epidemic ban or goods subject to an emergency safety response. For cosmetics this means a product can be sold without registration or filing with the National Medical Products Administration, and without the testing that route can involve.
The goods also need no Chinese label. The buyer instead accepts a notice that the product may carry no Chinese label and may have been made to another country's standards, and the product page carries a Chinese electronic label. This is much of what makes the route attractive to a brand that is not yet sure of the market, since under general trade the registration and the Chinese labelling have to be done before the first sale.
How the goods reach the buyer#
Customs recognises two routes. Under bonded stock (customs code 1210) the brand ships in bulk to a bonded warehouse in China and the goods stay uncleared until an order is placed, so they are already in the country when someone buys them, delivery is quicker, and the stock can travel ahead of demand in bulk, which lowers the cost of transport. Under direct mail (9610) each order ships from abroad as a parcel, which ties up no stock in China. Since 2021 bonded stock has been allowed in every city with a free-trade zone, a comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, a comprehensive bonded zone or a type B bonded logistics centre, so the choice now turns on cost and speed rather than on where a warehouse may be.
Cross-border or general trade#
Cross-border retail and general trade are the two main routes for consumer goods into China, and a brand's choice between them is a trade-off between speed and reach.
| Cross-border retail (Tmall Global) | General trade | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese company or importer | Not needed | Needed |
| Product registration | Not needed for personal-use imports | Needed where the category requires it, such as NMPA registration for special-use cosmetics and filing for ordinary ones |
| Chinese label | Not needed; electronic label on the product page | Needed; for pre-packaged food it must also name a domestic agent |
| Duties | 0% tariff, VAT and consumption tax at 70%, within the limits | Full tariff, VAT and consumption tax |
| Who can buy | Individuals, for their own use, within the limits | Anyone, including businesses and physical retailers |
| Where it can sell | Cross-border marketplaces and stores | Domestic marketplaces, physical retail and wholesale |
The cross-border route is quicker and cheaper to start and lets a brand learn what sells before it spends on registration, but it keeps the brand inside the limits, inside cross-border channels and out of physical retail. General trade costs more and takes longer, but it is the only route to the whole market, so the decision usually comes down to how sure the brand is of demand and whether its category needs physical retail to grow.
What it costs#
Tmall Global sets its own deposits, annual service fees and commission rates in a published fee schedule, and they vary by category and by type of store. They change from time to time, so a brand should read the current schedule, or ask its partner for it, rather than rely on a figure quoted elsewhere.
Where to look next#
For how the main Chinese marketplaces differ in structure, see Tmall vs JD vs Douyin. For selling inside short-video content, see Douyin E-Commerce. For the festival that concentrates much of the year's online volume, see Singles' Day (Double 11). For working out what price a category will bear once duties are added, see Price Band Analysis.
Common questions#
What is the difference between Tmall and Tmall Global?#
Tmall is for businesses selling goods that have already been imported into China under general trade, registered where required and labelled in Chinese. Tmall Global is for merchants based outside mainland China, with a trademark registered outside it, whose goods ship from abroad or wait in a bonded warehouse until they are ordered. That lets a foreign brand sell to Chinese consumers before it has a Chinese company, registrations or Chinese labels, which is why Tmall Global is so often the first route into the market.
Do products sold on Tmall Global need Chinese registration or labels?#
Generally not. Cross-border retail imports are regulated as items for the buyer's own use, so the registration and filing a first import normally needs do not apply, and cosmetics, for example, can be sold without registration or filing with the National Medical Products Administration. The goods need no Chinese label either: the buyer accepts a notice that the product may lack one, and the product page carries a Chinese electronic label. The exceptions are goods from areas under an epidemic ban and goods under an emergency safety response.
What are the purchase limits and taxes on Tmall Global?#
Shoppers can spend up to RMB 5,000 per purchase and RMB 26,000 a year on cross-border retail imports. Within those limits there is no tariff, and import VAT and consumption tax are charged at 70% of the normal amount, collected by the platform or logistics company. A single item over RMB 5,000 can still be bought but pays full duties, and anything beyond the annual limit is taxed as general trade. Only goods on the official positive list, which covers 1,476 tariff lines, can be sold this way.
Should a foreign brand start with cross-border e-commerce or general trade?#
It depends on how sure the brand is of demand and on whether its category needs physical retail. Cross-border retail is faster and cheaper to start, because it needs no Chinese company, registration or Chinese labels, so it suits a brand that wants to learn what sells before investing. General trade costs more and takes longer, but it is the only route into physical retail and wholesale and has no per-shopper limits, so it suits a brand that already knows the demand is there.