New postal limits in Kazakhstan not to affect online purchases?
By Trend
Gradual reduction of the limit on duty-free import of goods from
foreign stores to Kazakhstan will not affect the volume of online
purchases. This was stated at the forum on cross-border e-business
between China and Kazakhstan in Almaty, Kazinform reported.
The concept of gradual reduction of limits, adopted because of
Kazakhstan's membership in the EEU, includes goods, the delivery of
which to the buyer from abroad is carried out through international
mail or by the carrier, including also purchases in foreign online
stores.
Now, it is possible to get the parcel weighing 31 pounds in a month
without the payment of a fee amounting to 1,000 euros. In 2019, it
is planned to reduce the limit to 500 euros, 31 kilograms, and in
2020, the limit will be 200 euros and 31 kilograms, but without
limitation on the time and number of imports. For everything that
will exceed these limits, it will be necessary to pay a fee.
"Now 97 percent of the goods purchased through online stores, which
pass through our postal office, cost less than 200 euros, so the
new standards will not affect the volume of online purchases,"
Executive Director for e-commerce of "Kazpost" JSC Company Askarbek
Alshanbayev said.
He added that 75 percent of people in Kazakhstan use internet, but
only 11 percent make purchases online.
"The share of e–commerce in total retail sales is 2.6 percent, in
China this figure is 14 percent. Every year, Kazakhstan buys
through online stores goods worth of about half a million dollars,
and 50 percent of those goods are phones and electronic devices.
According to our data, the volume of cross-border parcels increased
by 57 percent in 2017 and amounted to 11.6 million parcels. In
2018, we plan to grow to 20 million parcels. Some 47 percent of
parcels are coming from China, and it is followed by Singapore,
Hong Kong, but these same countries deliver Chinese packages," said
Alshanbayev.
He went on to add that today the declaring of parcels is done in a
simplified way, and it takes less than 24 hours and does not
require payment of fees from the recipient, the cost of delivery is
180 tenge per piece in Kazakhstan.
Alshanbayev said that more than 95 percent of all goods purchased
abroad, have passed through the "Kazpost" postal office.
Meanwhile, President of the Association of Kazakhstan Internet
Business and Mobile Commerce Konstantin Gorozhankin is sure that
the reduction of the limit will not affect consumers, but also will
not simplify the life of Kazakhstan's business sector.
"Kazakhstan spends about $12-15 million on AliExpress per month.
This is the largest online store in the country's market.
Officially, the trade turnover with China is $4 billion a year, but
it does not take into account online trading," Konstantin
Gorozhankin explained.
Among the difficulties hindering the development of domestic online
trade, Gorozhankin mentioned the low level of urbanization
(slightly more than 50 percent) and small density of
population.
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