What do you need before opening a cross-border online store from China? A tick-box checklist
Answer
Get six things ready before you open a store: (1) entity (business licence, plus ID for the legal representative, operator or others the platform requires); (2) payouts (an account whose holder and relationship to the seller meet the platform's and payment provider's rules); (3) products (spec, rights to images, and the testing, declarations or certificates, registrations and labels your product category needs); (4) costs (a per-order cost sheet); (5) shipping (carrier, who is importer, returns process); (6) account security (dedicated email, phone, two-step verification, controlled devices). The exact list is set by the official requirements of the platform and site; this site never collects your documents.
- Applies to
- Chinese sellers opening their first cross-border store on Amazon, TikTok Shop, Temu, Shopee, their own website and similar.
Pre-store checklist
| Area | Prepare | Ready when | Related pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity | Business licence (company or sole trader), ID of the legal representative, operator or others the platform requires, business address | You have the entity type the sign-up page asks for, with consistent names | Which platform |
| Payouts | Check the account holder and its relationship to the seller under the platform's and payment provider's rules (usually the same, or a provable compliant relationship); know the withdrawal fee and FX spread | You can say how much RMB a *$100.0* sale actually becomes | Payout costs (in Chinese), Personal accounts for trade (in Chinese) |
| Products | Spec sheet, own photos (with rights), the testing, declarations or certificates, registrations or notifications and labels your category needs, brand authorisation if any | Documents match your product model and responsible party, and are valid and in scope | Certification, CQC lookup |
| Costs | Purchase price, first-leg freight, duty and VAT, commission, ads, payout fees, returns | Blanks marked "to check", never 0 | Missed fees |
| Shipping | Carrier quotes, who is importer, overseas returns address or process | You know where a return goes and who pays | DDP quotes, Returns and duty refunds |
| Account security | Dedicated store email, phone, two-step verification; controlled devices and least-privilege access for staff | No shared accounts; never buy an account to stand in for your own eligibility check | Platform appeals (in Chinese), Frozen funds (in Chinese) |
What you can do yourself
- Open the official sign-up page of the target platform and site, and copy each required item into the table.
- Tick each of the six rows; fill any gap first.
- Verify who is asking, why and with what authority, and share only necessary documents through trusted, secure official channels; never hand them over just because a stranger asks.
- List only a few products at first and make "order – ship – get paid – after-sales" work end to end.
When to use a licensed professional
- Company or sole trader, and whether you need a tax number in the target country: an accountant or tax adviser.
- Brands and trademarks: a qualified trademark agent for searches; an IP lawyer in the target market for whether there is infringement.
Check before you pay, and warning signs
- "Store opened with guaranteed approval", "store rental" or "shared accounts" are warning signs; check the target platform's rules, and note that accounts and funds can be frozen.
- If you pay for sign-up help, ask whose name the account is in, who controls the logins, and who is responsible if something goes wrong.
Unknowns
- Sign-up requirements change often by platform and site; platform-by-platform pages will give the official entry points.
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