澳洲代購生意的黃金時代正走向終點

Alongside her day job, accountant Jane Li runs a lucrative export business. A recent Chinese migrant to Sydney, she sells baby formula and other products to a network of friends and acquaintances back home who pay a mark-up of up to 50 per cent for products from the trusted shelves of foreign supermarkets.

除正職以外，會計師Jane Li還經營着一宗獲利豐厚的出口生意。新近從中國移民至悉尼的她，向國內的朋友和熟人銷售嬰兒配方奶粉及其他產品。這些人加價最多50%，從她手上購買來自可靠的外國超市貨架上的產品。

One of a group estimated to number more than 100,000 in Australia, Ms Li is a “daigou” or “buyer on behalf”.

Jane Li是一名“代購”，在澳大利亞，代購這一羣體的人數估計超過10萬人。

This “suitcase trade” in luxury and health goods has become a global phenomenon, accounting for Rmb34bn-Rmb50bn ($5bn-$7.5bn) globally in sales last year, says consultancy Bain & Co. It has thrived because of the relatively higher cost of these products in China, a perception that western brands have higher safety standards following a string of food scandals in China, and a surge in interest among middle-class Chinese consumers for products perceived to feed a healthier lifestyle.

諮詢公司貝恩(Bain & Co)表示，這種轉賣奢侈品和醫療保健品的“行李箱生意”已形成一種全球現象，去年在全球佔了340億到500億元人民幣（合50億到75億美元）的銷售額。這門生意的繁榮有三方面原因。一是這類產品在中國的價格相對較高；二是在中國發生一系列食品醜聞之後，人們覺得西方品牌的安全標準更高；三是對那些貌似有助於一種更健康生活方式的產品，中國中產消費者的興趣大大增加。

The trade has become so big that Australia’s biggest supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, were last year forced to limit the number of tins of infant formula they would sell to individual customers amid concerns of a shortage sparked by a surge in daigou buying.

這門生意的規模已增長到如此之大，以至於由於擔心代購購買激增引發缺貨，去年澳大利亞大型超市Coles和Woolworths不得不限制每位顧客最多能購買的嬰兒配方奶粉罐數。

But a change to Chinese customs and ecommerce rules introduced in April and a desire by some luxury goods companies to take control of their supply chains is denting the trade. “The market has started to cool down,” says Ms Li, who along with her mother sells up to Rmb20,000 of products every month.

然而，中國4月份實施的海關及跨境電商新規，以及部分奢侈品公司控制供應鏈的意願，正在對這門生意造成打擊。Jane Li表示：“市場已開始降溫。”Jane Li和母親每個月售出價值最高達2萬元人民幣的商品。

Swisse, one of Australia’s biggest vitamin and supplements companies, says the number of daigou buying and selling its products has fallen from more than 100,000 to about 20,000 in the past year. “New cross-border ecommerce rules introduced in China created uncertainty for daigou and we saw resellers sell off stock to reduce risk,” says Michael Howard, Swisse sales director.

澳大利亞最大的維生素及營養補充劑公司之一Swisse表示，過去一年裏倒手其產品的代購已從逾10萬人降至約2萬人。Swisse銷售總監邁克爾•霍華德(Michael Howard)表示：“中國實施的跨境電子商務新規爲代購帶來了不確定性。我們見到一些轉賣者爲降低風險拋售庫存。”

In April, the Chinese government targeted daigou, raising import taxes on postal items, consumer goods brought into the country by air passengers and foreign ecommerce transactions.

今年4月，中國政府將目標對準了代購，提高了郵遞物品和入境旅客行李物品的行郵稅，以及跨境電商零售進口商品的進口稅。

Beijing is also introducing stricter food safety rules, which from next year will require overseas companies to obtain certification for products they wish to continue selling on cross-border ecommerce websites.

中國政府還推出了更嚴格的食品安全規定，從明年開始，境外企業要想繼續在跨境電子商務網站上銷售產品，就必須爲這些產品取得許可文件。

Windeln, a German online retailer of baby and children’s products, said sales to Chinese customers had declined since the new regulations were introduced.

德國嬰兒及兒童商品在線零售商Windeln表示，自新規實施以來，對中國客戶的銷售已經下滑。

Meanwhile more foreign brands are seeking to establish direct sales channels into China. In March, Swisse set up a dedicated store on Chinese ecommerce site Tmall and has plans to launch bricks and mortar stores over the next 18 months. “We want the consumer to have a place to go where they can have a direct relationship with our brand,” says Mr Howard.

同時，更多外國品牌正尋求建立直接進入中國銷售的渠道。今年3月，Swisse入駐中國電商網站天貓(Tmall)，並計劃在未來18個月開設實體店。“我們希望消費者有一個能與我們的品牌發生直接關係的去處，”霍華德說。

KPMG expects the number of daigou to dwindle over the long term as the price differential for luxury goods between China and western countries reduces. “It only lasts while there is an arbitrage opportunity,” says Doug Ferguson, KPMG Australia’s head of Asia & International Business Practice.

畢馬威(KPMG)預計，從長期來看，隨着中國與西方國家奢侈品的價差縮小，代購的數量將會減少。“只有存在套利機會，代購纔會持續下去，”畢馬威澳大利亞的亞洲和國際商業實踐主管道格•弗格森(Doug Ferguson)說。

Chanel is among several luxury brands to have slashed prices in China. Along with regulatory change, Mr Ferguson expects the daigou business to be hit as Chinese businesses snap up foreign consumer brands and overseas companies take greater control of their product distribution.

香奈兒(Chanel)是幾個在中國降價的奢侈品牌之一。除了監管方面的變化以外，弗格森預計，隨着中國企業搶購外國消費者品牌，海外公司加強對其產品分銷的控制，代購業將受到打擊。

However, the phenomenon is far from dead. In Sydney and Melbourne last week special “China ecommerce expo” events targeting daigou were held to coincide with the Chinese holiday period. And for some Australian companies, these sellers still represent a new route into the vast Chinese market.

然而，代購這種現象還遠未消亡。上週在悉尼和墨爾本舉行了面向代購的“中國電子商務展”特別活動，活動時間特意選在中國的國慶假期。此外，對一些澳大利亞企業而言，代購依然代表着進入廣闊中國市場的一條新途徑。

“What they definitely do is offer a different network to the one that we would be able to access,” says Laura McBain, chief executive of Bellamy’s Australia, which sells organic food and formula for babies and toddlers. Ms McBain estimates a “significant proportion” of the company’s more than 300 per cent surge in revenue from China and Hong Kong in the financial year to June 30 came from sales to daigou.

“他們的確做到了一件事情，那就是提供了一個不同於我們原本能夠觸及的網絡，”銷售嬰幼兒有機食品和配方奶粉的Bellamy's Australia的首席執行官勞拉•麥克貝恩(Laura McBain)說。在截至6月30日的一個財年中，該公司來自中國和香港的收入激增逾300%，她估計其中“相當一部分”來自對代購的銷售。

The growth of a daigou supply chain into China is a throwback to the personal network-style selling that characterises Tupperware parties or Avon ladies offering make-up, daigou offer the security to their clients of a product bought overseas by someone they trust.

供應中國的代購供應鏈的發展是過去那種人脈式銷售的再現，這種銷售方式的典型就是特百惠(Tupperware)派對或者銷售化妝品的“雅芳(Avon)小姐”。受到自己客戶信任的代購從海外購買商品並提供給客戶，這讓客戶們感到放心。

But while Australian groups recognise daigou as a significant source of sales, efforts to court them have been patchy.

但是，儘管澳大利亞企業認識到代購是一種重要的銷售來源，迎合代購的努力依然寥寥無幾。

“I would like to see more events held by companies, such as seminars on product and marketing, as well as new product releases targeting only daigou,” says Coco, a full-time daigou shopper who did not want to use her full name.

“我想看到企業舉辦更多活動，比如產品和營銷研討會，以及僅面向代購的新產品發佈，”不願透露全名的全職代購Coco說。