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Selling cross-border on Lazada gives you access to as many as 6 nations, all located in ASEAN. Starting on Lazada is also comparably easy and won’t set you back more than a few hundred dollars.
But, not only does Lazada has requirements due to internal policies. As a matter of fact, ASEAN countries are not equally developed, have different customs processes, import regulations, religions, and cultures.
In this article, I explain about product restrictions when selling cross-border on on Lazada.
A comment before we start: Keep in mind that regulations change frequently and you should contact Lazada, or sign up to become a seller, for up-to-date information.
Topics covered:
- General prohibited items in all ventures
- Country-specific prohibited items
- Counterfeit/replica goods
- Second-hand/used goods
- FAQ
What products are not allowed to be sold on Lazada?
I’ve divided the sections into generally prohibited items by country, country-specific prohibited items, counterfeit/replica goods, and second-hand goods.
This is for us to have a better overview and the same structure Lazada uses when presenting their requirements. Let’s have a look.
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- Selling on Tmall & Lazada
- Logistics & fulfillment options
- Payment gateways
- Incorporation & trademarks
1. General prohibited items in all ventures (not exhaustive)
As explained above, there are so-called ‘generally prohibited items’ that you cannot sell cross-border on Lazada.
First, let’s have a look at the product categories that are prohibited, then I’ll share my thoughts:
| General prohibited items |
| Certain food products, food supplements and health supplements as indicated in the country specific lists |
| Telecommunication equipment |
| Drugs |
| Tobacco, cigarettes and alcohol |
| Medical products including traditional medicines and medical equipment |
| Weapons, including knives, guns, rifles, firearms or any of its components, ammunitions, rounds, cartridges, laser guns, knuckle dusters, gas sprays, bulletproof vests, corrosive substances and acids, nuclear technology and weapons of mass destruction |
| Fireworks and explosives |
| Gold jewelry, platinum jewelry and diamonds |
| Adult publications, goods, newspapers, films requiring censorship and adult toys |
| Seditious material |
| Children and baby products and toys that contain dangerous materials. Please refer to FDA standards for more detail |
| Pirate or duplicated goods |
| Animals and plants |
| Food supplements |
Notice: Keep in mind that Lazada updates this list from time to time so some product categories might have been added or removed.
My thoughts:
First of all, these are general guidelines covering six ASEAN countries that are not equally developed. Nor do these countries have the same national laws, import regulations, customs clearance processes, or cultures for that matter.
When checking the list, I don’t pay much attention to the import restrictions for adult publications, cigarettes, and fireworks.
The product categories that I’m more concerned more about are:
- Food products, food supplements, health supplements
- Alcohol
We see a great demand for these products in many parts of Asia. Health supplements such as protein powders, vitamins, and minerals are not only suitable to sell cross-border thanks to the low product-weights compared to the higher price points.
Foreign companies also tend to sell these kinds of products to Asian markets.
Food and health supplements
When it comes to food products, Times Logistics (Lazada’s fulfillment centre in Hong Kong) doesn’t have any refrigerated storage.
Hence, perishable food and frozen food are not suitable to ship through Hong Kong and when using Lazada’s FBL (Fulfillment by Lazada) and LGS (Lazada Global Shipping) services.
For other food products, like crackers and canned food, I recommend you to contact Lazada as the regulations can differ, especially between ASEAN countries.
Lazada states that certain food products and health supplements are banned, as indicated in the country specific lists.
When looking at the country-specific prohibited items in the Philippines, for example, I merely found a couple of products that are prohibited. And it’s not the kind of products I normally see when selling cross-border…
Alcohol
Alcohol is rarely accepted by any fulfillment centers and shipping companies. I know this from my own experience when collaborating with fulfillment centers in Hong Kong and China.
Times Logistics (Lazada’s fulfillment center in Hong Kong) currently doesn’t allow alcohol products.
It’s strictly prohibited to sell alcohol on Lazada and you’ll not be able to sell products like wine, beer, or whiskey. Countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia are more regulated when it comes to the sale of alcohol as well.
2. Country-specific prohibited items
As it speaks, each country has its own list with country-specific prohibited items.
The page is updated on a weekly basis by Lazada and you can reach it when becoming a seller.
3. Counterfeit/replica goods
Alibaba is based in China and owner of both Tmall.com and Tmall.hk (Tmall Global).
Tmall and other Chinese marketplaces have been bashed on quite badly recently as the Chinese government pushes these websites to remove counterfeit products.
Alibaba has learned its lesson and we see stringer requirements when listing products on Lazada as well.
Products that don’t follow the below regulations related to counterfeit products or replica goods cannot be sold on Lazada.
- Items that apply a trademark (e.g. a brand or character logo) on the product or the product packaging without authorization by the trademark owner
- Items that contain specific design elements (e.g. cartoon characters or colorways) protected by a trademark without the authorization by the trademark owner
- Items that bear such similarities with other products that they can deceive buyers into thinking they are made/sold by the owner of the actual product’s brand (e.g. a replica of a branded item with or without altered logos
4. Second-hand/used goods
Second-hand or used goods are not allowed on Lazada.
Thus, if you have a vintage shop or want to resell cars, then Lazada is probably not the best option for you.
FAQ<
Below I have included some commonly asked questions and our replies. If there’s anything else you wonder about, feel free to write a comment below.
Can I sell digital products on Lazada?
Yes, digital products are sold in great numbers on Lazada. Samsung, LG, Oppo, Huawei, Xiaomi, Philips, and Sharp sell everything from TVs, smartphones, and more here.
What is the difference between Lazada and LazMall?
LazMall only has a dedicated section on Lazada websites and leading international and local brands. Only top-rated online brands and authorized brand distributors can sell their products here.
If you sell cross-border on Lazada, on the other hand, you should have a look at LazGlobal which is the dedicated section for cross-border sellers.
LazGlobal is similar to Tmall Global and where foreign products are shipped primarily from Hong Kong into ASEAN.
Does Lazada sell fake goods?
While Lazada doesn’t allow the sales of fake goods, it’s hard for any website to keep control of whether fake goods are sold.
You will be able to find fake goods for sure. You can look at the prices and see if these are unreasonably low. Besides, you should also check the comments to see what previous buyers say.
A good way of avoiding fake goods is also to buy from brand owners only, such as the official Nike store on Lazada.
There are also buyers who look for fake goods on Lazada, a reason why sellers tend to continue selling there.
