eBay Unlocks China Cross Border Trade With Alipay

Liz Morton
Liz Morton


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eBay is partnering with Alipay to offer buyers in China more ways to shop and pay on the site, unlocking cross border trade opportunities with Alipay's over one billion strong user-base.

Alipay is Now Accepted on eBay
What You Need to Know about Alipay on eBay: Reaching New Customers in China Simplifying the checkout experience is a powerful way to enhance your buyers’ journey on eBay. That’s why we’re excited to announce eBay’s partnership with Ant International’s Antom to bring Alipay—one of China’s most truste…

What You Need to Know about Alipay on eBay: Reaching New Customers in China

Simplifying the checkout experience is a powerful way to enhance your buyers’ journey on eBay. That’s why we’re excited to announce eBay’s partnership with Ant International’s Antom to bring Alipay—one of China’s most trusted and widely-used payment methods—to our platform.

Starting in November, Chinese buyers will have the option to check out with Alipay, enjoying a seamless, convenient, and familiar payment experience. This integration unlocks new opportunities for you, as it provides access to one of the world’s largest online consumer markets, boosting conversions and helping drive more sales.

Reach Alipay’s Massive Customer Base
With over one billion users, Alipay gives you an unprecedented opportunity to tap into an enormous and highly active pool of Chinese shoppers. Integrating Alipay means you can meet the demand of Chinese buyers looking for exclusive products in categories like collectibles, luxury goods, fashion and electronics.

Effortless Cross-Border Payments
Once a buyer selects Alipay at checkout, they can complete the transaction in just a few steps. They sign in to their eBay account, choose Alipay as the payment method, and authorize the payment. This streamlined process opens up opportunities for more convenient international transactions, helping you reach new buyers and increase sales globally.

With this new addition, eBay is committed to helping sellers succeed in international markets, making it easier to connect with millions of Chinese shoppers ready to discover unique products from across the globe.

Sellers do not need to do any additional set up or take any action to receive these payments, they will be processed and settled through the normal Managed Payments process just like other payment methods available to buyers.

FAQs

  • Do I need to setup an Alipay account? No, eBay sellers don’t need to create a Alipay account. You’ll continue to receive your payouts through your preferred payment method.

  • If I have an Alipay account, can I link it to my eBay account to receive my payouts? No, you currently can’t use an Alipay account to receive your funds.

  • Is Alipay available in all countries? Alipay is currently available only to buyers located in mainland China, using USD as the listing currency on eBay.com.

  • Is Alipay available as the default payment method for offers and auctions? Yes, Alipay is now available as a preferred form of payment for offers and auctions.

eBay appears to be kicking off the partnership with a coupon to try to entice buyers in China to make a purchase - but confusingly the offer was also shown to US based users, with one seller reporting they saw this pop up when looking at their own item on the eBay app, raising concerns about possible technical issues or that the pop up may chase US buyers away.

Translation provided by ChatGPT:

Coupon Information

  • Coupon Code: ALIPAY24
  • Coupon Usage Frequency: Each eBay buyer is limited to using one coupon, with a maximum of two uses per coupon.
  • Start Time: Beijing Time, November 5, 2024, 17:00
  • End Time: Beijing Time, December 3, 2024, 23:59

Coupon Discount Amount
You can use the discount coupon at checkout to enjoy a price discount (excluding shipping, packaging, and related taxes) for eligible promotional items. The transaction must include one or multiple items (up to ten items).

The final discount amount will be determined based on the total payment amount in the cart upon order completion, following the discount tiers below:

If the payment amount is between $1 and $79, you can enjoy a maximum 5% discount, with a discount limit of up to $4.

China has become an increasingly important market for eBay, both for bringing more buyers with new payment methods and bringing in more sellers - particularly in Motors Parts and Accessories categories.

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eBay's latest earnings report shows sales attributed to accounts that are registered in China continue to increase year over year, going from $264 Million in Q3 2023 to $293 Million in Q3 2024 - with the vast majority of those sales being cross border trade going to buyers in the US and other markets.

And while CEO Jamie Iannone has publicly downplayed the competitive threat from Chinese apps like Temu, eBay's actions and financial reports show they're clearly focused on growing their business in the region on both the buyer and selling side of the marketplace.

eBay Quietly Grows China Sales As CEO Downplays Temu Competition
eBay CEO Jamie Iannone downplays Temu competition while quietly growing sales from China - are cheap Chinese apps a threat to eBay GMV forecasts?

And for those who might not be familiar, it may be important to note that Alipay/Ant International are part of the Alibaba Group, which of course is synonymous with cheap Chinese goods often sold on eBay and other marketplaces, drop shipped from AliExpress.

What do you think of eBay adding Alipay for buyers in China to use for purchases on the main eBay.com US site? Let us know in the comments below!

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Liz Morton is a 17 year ecommerce pro turned indie investigative journalist providing ad-free deep dives on eBay, Amazon, Etsy & more, championing sellers & advocating for corporate accountability.


Recent Comments
Avatar PlaceholderOngoing issue8 hours ago
Should we all form a letter of demand with a class action lawsuit. This issue has been ongoing for many years without resolution till this day in 2025. We as sellers pay for our listings with a fee, if they are not shown in a listing, this is auction manipulation where buyers get it at a cheaper price. Those who can view the listings are on your saved sellers list only.
Avatar Placeholderterry552 days ago
Sales down 40% from last year, this is gonna be a small business killer
Avatar PlaceholderJaeLynn3 days ago
I've had this happen a few times, and it confused me. One seller alleged that they had to use Amazon's services to make sure I got my item in time. I recently bought something simple, and the seller made a mistake. They'd sent me 3 different messages, one of them too early, telling me they hoped my item arrived in perfect condition. The next day, the item was marked as shipped, and I got an official Ebay shipping email. The seller was using direct messages to give me item updates. If I wanted Amazon, I'd have used them myself! lol