Chinese sellers going abroad now choose between very different models: Temu and SHEIN's fully managed models (the platform sets prices and handles fulfilment), semi-managed models where the seller ships to the market, TikTok Shop's content-driven selling, and Amazon's self-operated marketplace with FBA. The wrong choice locks a seller into margins or workloads they cannot sustain. This skill matches the seller to platforms, sets out what each requires, and plans the first 90 days.
Write in Simplified Chinese unless asked otherwise. Fees, models and entry rules change often; check every figure and requirement with the platform's current seller documentation or account manager.
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Product: category, unit cost, weight and size, whether it needs certification (electrical, children's, cosmetics, food contact)
- Target markets: US, EU, UK, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America
- Capacity: team size, content ability (video, live), overseas warehouse or entity, cash for inventory
- Pricing power: brand or commodity, current wholesale margins
- Current channels, domestic or overseas
Output Structure
1. Platform fit matrix
| Platform and model | Who sets the price | Who handles logistics | Content needed | Cash tied up | Fit for you (1 to 5) | Why | Covering the relevant options among Temu (full-managed, semi-managed), SHEIN (self-operated supply, platform), TikTok Shop (full-managed, self-operated), Amazon (FBA, FBM), AliExpress (Choice and others).
2. Operating model of the shortlist
For each of the top two: entry requirements (entity, documents, deposits, to confirm), the order-to-cash flow, the seller's daily work, the main risks (price pressure, returns, account health), and how margins are typically squeezed.
3. Compliance by market
| Market | Product rules | Marks or certificates | Producer responsibility | Labelling | For example CE and UKCA marking, FCC for US electronics, CPSIA and CPC for children's products in the US, California Proposition 65 warnings, EU EPR registrations (packaging, WEEE, batteries) and the EU General Product Safety Regulation's requirement for a responsible person in the EU, each marked to confirm with a compliance service.
4. 90-day launch plan
| Week | Action | Output | From account setup and compliance to the first ten SKUs, first sales, and a review of margins and account health at day 90.
5. Questions for account managers
The specific questions to put to each platform before committing (fees by category, payment terms, return policy for this category, traffic support for new sellers).
Quality Checks
- Every shortlisted platform is scored on price control, logistics, content and cash
- Fees and requirements are marked to confirm with the platform
- Compliance is listed per target market and per product category
- The launch plan covers compliance before listing
- Margin risks are stated for each managed model
- The listing copy is left to cross-border-listing
Anti-Patterns
- Choosing by headline traffic. A managed model with no pricing power can sell at a loss.
- Listing before certification. Non-compliant listings are removed, and stock is stranded.
- Every platform at once. Two done well beat five done badly.
- Old fee tables. Platforms change fees and models frequently.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "We make small kitchen appliances—Temu full-managed or Amazon FBA?"
- "How do we onboard to TikTok Shop US? What do we need to prepare?"
- "What certifications are required to sell children's toys in the EU?"
- "Help us choose cross-border marketplaces for our products."