News Center

Seeing that the Spring Festival is approaching, it seems that this year is not very easy for professional purchasing agents.


On January 1, China's first e-commerce law came into effect, and overseas purchasing agents were included in e-commerce operators and were required to register and pay taxes in accordance with regulations.


Under the New Deal, the purchasing agency circle ushered in a major reshuffle: some people refurbished their routines and wanted to make another profit when the details were not clear; some people withdrew sadly and did not want to bow down for thinner profits; some people wanted to take this opportunity to "wash white". Hope to win new opportunities in a fairer market environment.


Once the scenery unlimited personal purchasing industry, seems to have finally come to the turning point of development. Is this silence, into the long winter? Or first break after stand, usher in a new spring? Many people are waiting for the answer.


"Winter"


On the evening of January 4, walking out of the undeclared passage of the Capital Airport, Wu Jie breathed a sigh of relief.


Three full suitcases, plus carry-on luggage, cosmetics with a total price of 120,000 to 30,000 yuan have reached the penalty standard of the "Electricity Commercial Law.


"If you hadn't promised old customers long ago, you wouldn't have taken the risk". Recalling that a "unfortunate" purchasing agent on the same plane was sampled and detained, Wu Jie felt a moment of fear.


The "Electricity Commercial Law" stipulates that e-commerce operators shall register market entities in accordance with the law and fulfill their tax obligations in accordance with the law.


As for e-commerce operators, the definition of the E-commerce Law is: natural persons, legal persons, and unincorporated organizations that engage in business activities that sell goods or provide services through information networks such as the Internet, including e-commerce platform operators, platform operators, and E-commerce operators who sell goods or provide services through self-built websites and other network services.


This means that whether it is selling goods in WeChat Moments or opening a purchasing agent store on Taobao, they will be listed as e-commerce operators and included in supervision. Violators will be fined up to 2 million yuan. The days when individual purchasing agents got rich by "earning the difference and not paying taxes" may never come back.


In Wu Jie's view, with the tightening of customs inspection in the past two years, the "winter" of purchasing on behalf of others has already begun. Last year, a Taobao shopkeeper was sentenced to 10 years for suspected smuggling and tax evasion of purchasing clothes on behalf of others, which shocked the industry even more. The introduction of the new law may become the last straw to crush many individual purchasing agents.


Once upon a time, red-eye flights from South Korea's Jeju Island to Beijing were often full, and most of the passengers were "human flesh purchasing". According to Wu Jie's observation, there were very few purchasing agents on the flight she took this time.


"Under the New Deal, most purchasing agents are watching". Wu Jie said that after finishing this order, she will also have a temporary rest. On the one hand, she does not want to go through the customs in fear, and on the other hand, she has to weigh whether to continue in the future.


countermeasures


Sun Luyun, who is mainly engaged in accounting and part-time purchasing on behalf of others, has one more "hobby" this year: painting.


"It is spread in the circle. Using hand drawings instead of commodity drawings to send circle of friends can avoid WeChat inspection". Sun Luyun showed his slightly rough works and said with a smile that although the brushwork was not good, the guests were all old users and understood in seconds.


At the beginning of the publication of the "E-commerce Law", some people once asserted that this sentenced the "death penalty" to informal channels such as purchasing agents in the circle of friends ". But some purchasing agents soon found that the new rules were not perfect in some details.


For example, the definition of "sporadic small transactions" mentioned in it is vague, and the main body of e-commerce in this category falls within the scope of exemption from registration.


In addition, from the current point of view, the supervision of relevant departments is still unknown.


These have become the "buffer" in the eyes of the purchasing agents, and they have become the reliance for their frequent routines and continued operations.


"Please take a screenshot to place an order for the style you like. Do not involve sensitive words such as bank, transfer, payment, order placing and brand name when sending WeChat inquiries. If possible, please try your best to communicate by voice". From January 1 onwards, purchasing agents began to spread such "friendly tips" in the circle of friends and soon reached a tacit understanding with the guests.


Sun Ludi's old customer, Li Xiaoning, who often buys cosmetics on his behalf, is already familiar with these. Seeing a cosmetic described as "a brown bottle, especially moisturizing, using water before using it, with an ingredient called" two-split yeast lytic extract ", she almost did not hesitate to name the name" a brand of small brown bottle essence ".


As for other purchasing agents to evade supervision, specially published in English commodity information, as long as there are hand drawings, Li Xiaoning can also instantly understand.


Sun Ludi said frankly that she knew very well that after the implementation of the "E-commerce Law", informal business was not a long-term solution, but the high returns of purchasing agents far exceeded those of office workers of the same age, making it difficult for her to give up.


What's more, after a round of promotion at the end of the year, the remaining amount of goods hoarded last year was still enough to support half a year. It is also unacceptable for her to abandon it.


"There are always countermeasures at the meeting and countermeasures at the bottom". Sun Ludi said unwillingly that he had promised the guests anyway that I would stick to the last second anyway.


Farewell


"I can't bear to say goodbye, I have to say goodbye again". A few days ago, Li Muzi took off all the goods in Taobao store, leaving only such a sentence on the front page of the store.


In the past five years, her store has mainly purchased popular goods from local Italian shopping malls and buyer's shops and returned home by mail.


According to Li Muzi, purchasing agents like her who ship more usually choose qualified import and export trading companies or professional customs clearance companies, so that goods can pass through the customs quickly and smoothly with tax-free or less tax as much as possible, in order to pursue greater profits.


However, since the second half of last year, customs inspection efforts have continued to increase, customs clearance companies have become more and more difficult to get out of the warehouse, many purchasing agents are difficult to deliver goods to China, and her own shops are becoming more and more difficult to sustain.


At most, there were more than 20 Chinese friends around Li Muzi who were doing purchasing on behalf of others. Now nearly one third of them have decided to give up.


"In the long run, as the" E-commerce Law "becomes more and more perfect, even if you cooperate with a customs clearance company, there will be more and more cases where you will be inspected when entering the customs and need to pay taxes in full." Li Muzi said that the price of goods after tax payment is almost the same as that of domestic counters, which makes purchasing agents meaningless, not to mention other legal risks.


"Instead of taking risks, it is better to change your career. If you have time to help friends or old customers buy something casually, you should be obligated to help."


In the second year of studying in France, He Shanshan was introduced by a friend to start a purchasing agent. In 2018, the monthly running water reached more than 700,000, enough to maintain her life in a foreign country.


Unexpectedly, since November last year, four orders of goods she brought back to China through "human flesh" have been detained by the customs and paid taxes. Recently, I asked a friend to help me bring it back, and even the goods were deducted. Luxury goods and a small amount of cosmetics worth more than 50,000 yuan will be taxed nearly 10,000 yuan.


According to He Shanshan, in the above situation, if the cargo owner has no criminal record, the first time is to make up the tax, and the second time is to confiscate. However, it is not clear whether she will have to bear more legal consequences after the implementation of the new policy.


A few days ago, after much deliberation, He Shanshan announced his withdrawal from the purchasing circle among his customers. The implementation of the "Electricity and Commercial Law" made her dare not find friends to bring goods again, for fear that the other party would be held responsible for breaking the law. Under frequent customs inspections, the profits have become even meager, making her feel thankless.


"The big deal is to find a job or be a buyer on some cross-border platforms. You can always support yourself anyway." He Shanshan said.


Transformation


Some people left the scene in disgrace, while others unloaded the burden on their backs and moved forward lightly.


Xu Mingkai, the owner of Taobao, has been looking forward to the landing of the E-commerce Law. In his view, although this will reshuffle the purchasing agent industry and cause some small purchasing agents of scattered households to gradually leave the market, it will also provide opportunities for purchasing agents with a certain scale, prompting them to transform into small and micro enterprises engaged in cross-border e-commerce, so as to achieve greater development.


What he looks forward to more is the normative role of the new policy on the entire purchasing industry.


Like many consumers, Xu has an aversion to fakes. Watching helplessly that in some shops, the goods purchased by agents with abnormally low prices and obviously doubtful authenticity are sold in full swing, while the goods in his own store are not paid by anyone, he is both heartache and helpless.


"The living space of real purchasing agents is extremely limited by the" purchasing agents "who sell real and fake goods together or all fake goods." Xu Mingkai said that if the "fake purchasing agent" is restricted by the new policy and the industry environment becomes clear, then it is also a good thing for us.


Recently, Xu Mingkai has been consulting with the industrial and commercial departments, decided to formally set up a company, taxes and fees to bear their own. "It is better to get out of the' gray area', at least not to be afraid."


Zhang Jing is the peer in the eyes of the "doorway" of the purchase. Having worked in the United States for more than four years, she has signed a price agreement with a local buyer's shop to purchase at a lower price.


Zhang Jing believes that the "e-commerce law" does not "kill all the purchasing agents" as some people in the circle deliberately spread ". Eliminating the irregular "small purchasing agents" in the industry, in her view, is conducive to the healthy development of the market.


Now, Zhang Jing has registered a company and applied for a license locally, and will continue to operate after the relevant domestic procedures are completed.