What is Tmall Global and how to get started

Tmall Global, also known as 天猫国际, is a cross-border marketplace and the global version of Tmall for foreign brands and merchants without requiring a legal entity in China to sell directly to Chinese consumers.

About Tmall Global

Alibaba first introduced Tmall in 2008 as a dedicated B2C platform operated besides Taobao within its consumer e-commerce website. The critical difference between Tmall and Taobao is that Tmall is a B2C platform, but Taobao is C2C. However, only China-registered brands can open stores on Tmall.

Hence in 2014, Alibaba launched Tmall’s global version, “Tmall Global,” as a cross-border marketplace for foreign brands and merchants to sell directly to Chinese consumers, which does not require merchants to have a legal entity in China. Most major foreign brands now have flagship stores on Tmall Global, ranging from old brands like Costco to new brands like Lululemon.

Canadian yoga clothing brand Lululemon's store on Tmall Global

How To Get Started On Tmall Global

Sell on Tmall Global

Tmall Global is available to all overseas businesses and merchants that do not have a business license or legal entity in China.

There are four types of stores on Tmall Global:

Tmall Global Store(平台开店)

Merchants can choose their team or a third-party service provider team to operate and manage their Tmall Global Store.

Tmall Direct Import(官方直营)

Get a one-stop service from Tmall Global and enter the bonded warehouse.

Tmall Global Ministore (直营品牌站)

Suitable for Small and medium-sized brands, with low-cost, fully managed brand incubation.

Tmall Overseas Fulfillment (海外直购)

Suitable for non-standard commodities, with flexible inventory and settlement model.

Different ways to get started on Tmall Global

There are 4 steps to open a store on Tmall Global:

Step 1. Select store type/brand/category and submit the brand/corporate information.

Step 2. Wait for approval from Tmall, which usually takes 7 working days.

Step 3. Once approved, complete your store’s information and pay a security deposit and Tmall’s annual fee.

Step 4. List your products and launch your store.

Cost To Sell On Tmall

The fees charged by Tmall Global mainly include three parts: deposit, annual technical service fee, and real-time deduction of technical service fee (commission).

Security deposit: Typically, the deposit is RMB 150,000.

Annual fee: The annual fee amount is based on the first-level category, divided into 30,000 yuan or 60,000 yuan. If the store operates across categories, it will be charged according to the highest annual fee, not superimposed.

Commission: Merchants operating on Tmall Global need to pay a technical service fee based on a certain percentage of their sales, ranging from 2% to 5%, depending on the category.

Please refer to the commission standard for each category here.

Do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese phone number or Chinese ID? We can help!

If you do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese ID, or Chinese phone number, which is essential to get onboard with Tmall Global, 21YunBox is here to help.

We can provide the necessary supporting documents to use Tmall Global and walk you through the process. Meanwhile, we will also bring your company, product, and service into full compliance with Chinese law.