Amazon Launches Prime In China (usatoday.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from USA Today: Amazon is bringing its popular Prime service to China. Chinese Prime is different from that available in other nations, with no video offering but instead a focus on no minimum, unlimited free domestic and international shipping. That is a nod to Chinese consumers' growing desire for products from the West, which they perceive as often being of better quality. Chinese Prime members will be able to shop for over 4 million international products from the Amazon Global Store, a storefront the company launched in 2014 to cater to that interest in international goods. The most popular products for Chinese consumers to buy on Amazon are apparel, shoes, baby, toys, home, kitchen and beauty, the company said. The Prime China orders from Amazon's Global Store will be processed at Amazon fulfillment centers in the United States, then flown to China and delivered to the customer's door via Amazon's global logistics network. Amazon says it will deliver the packages to 82 Chinese cities within five to nine days. Amazon has an extremely tiny footprint in China, where it is estimated to account for 1.5% of the online commerce market, according to iResearch. In China, online sales are dominated by Alibaba and JD.com. Last year Amazon quietly launched a store on Alibaba's Tmall site as a way to reach the Chinese market. The Prime service will cost 388 yuan a year, about $58.

Comments

What a coincidence!

[Gravis Zero]

That is a nod to Chinese consumers' growing desire for products from the West, which they perceive as often being of better quality.

Consumers in the West have the same perception! When do we refer to it as a global consensus?

Re:What a coincidence!

[SeaFox]

That is a nod to Chinese consumers' growing desire for products from the West, which they perceive as often being of better quality.

Consumers in the West have the same perception! When do we refer to it as a global consensus?

I want to know where these Chinese are finding products made in the West -- so I can get them, too.

lololo

[fubarrr]

I remember, back in 2010 or so: i was reselling cheapo $1.4 Chinese plastic sunglasses on eBay for around 100 to 200 USD each. Every weak at least one guy was making a purchase.

Some of the biggest volume buyers who requested shipping abroad were Chinese. I wonder, did they think that those sunglasses were made in Canada where I was living back then?

Re: lololo

[fubarrr]

omg, im beginning to forget English...

Western products

[manu0601]

products from the West, which they perceive as often being of better quality

You mean the western products made in China?

Re:Western products

[tlhIngan]

You mean the western products made in China?

Here's the thing - the Chinese factories are all able to produce to quality. You pay for the quality you want, and China will deliver that quality to you at the price.

The problem is in China the lack of IP protection has created a bunch of knockoff products, typically sold under Chinese labels. The Chinese themselves are smart - they know these knockoffs are just that - low quality POS made to be as cheap as possible and therefore low quality.

So there's a belief that the quality of western-made goods is higher - and they want to pay for that quality.

Essentially, the Chinese don't want cheap crappy low quality knockoffs, they want higher quality goods, and the local market is just not supplying them focusing instead on low quality crappy knockoffs.

Re:Western products

[adolf]

What Western-made goods?

Other than some rather high-end audio components, I don't see much around me that wasn't of Asian origin other than a Bic lighter and an old Craftsman screwdriver.

Re:Western products

[piojo]

It's not the US that has better QA, it's the importer. If the item isn't purely generic (if it has a brand), nobody wants to bring a shoddy product into the market and tank their own business. If it's generic, then the global marketplace means it's very, very hard to get good quality from any source.

Fantastic news

[Zibodiz]

This is really fantastic news. One of the environmental problems the world is facing relates to all the miles of empty travel back to China, for exporters. More export from the USA to China means planes & ships with cargo going both ways; it costs the shippers next to nothing, and it puts the fuel to better use. The other benefit that stands out to me, is the fact that this could help with the USA's trade deficit. Every dollar of goods Amazon exports is a dollar into our economy that wouldn't be here otherwise. I hope this does well.

Canadian Prime

[CanEHdian]

How interesting.... here in Canada we also don't get video. And this post sums everything else up quite nicely: http://youngandthrifty.ca/amaz...

Re: Canadian Prime

[corychristison]

I am Canadian and am a Prime Subscriber.

I signed up simply for being able to order basically anything I need and get it quick. No "standard" shipping. Everything comes in 2 days or less. That I find valuable, others may not. Our shipping options in this Country suck for the most part.

I used to deal pretty extensively with NCIX.com for computer parts and peripherals, and would always pay extra per order for 2 day delivery. With Amazon, I can usually find what I need via Prime Eligible products, and have it shipped at all around lower cost, even if I factor in the yearly fee.

Re: Canadian Prime

[corychristison]

While I agree, and do wish we had Prime Video here, it doesn't bother me. I place value in the expedited shipping and cam justify the yearly cost.

Others may not. Everyone's situation is different.

Where are these Western products they speak of?

[ayesnymous]

I am not aware of any.

Re: Western standards

[Dogtanian]

I'll draw your attention to what the OP said:-

Chinese products that can be legally imported into the US or EU have met standards that aren't required at home.

Emphasis on the word "legally". Just because they're getting away with it doesn't mean it's legal to import and sell blatantly "fake" and "sub-standard.. fire starting lethal crap" here.

OTOH, if they *are* getting away with it, that does admittedly negate the benefit of buying somewhere with all these regulations if they aren't enforced...