Taiwan Shipping and Selling eCommerce Guide

Taiwan is one of the main trade hubs of Asia, including for eCommerce. It’s also one of the most connected markets of Asia in terms of the digital economy. All this progress in eCommerce is largely because of the country’s robust digital infrastructure and the steps the Taiwanese government has taken to promote eCommerce, making shipping to Taiwan a great way to grow your online business!

Before shipping to Taiwan, it’s crucial to better understand it’s economy and eCommerce market. Here’s a closer look at some market insights, import restrictions and more!

Strong Mobile eCommerce in Taiwan

By area, Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, is a small island with a population of just over 23 million, but the impact it has on the global eCommerce market is huge. It also boasts a very high percentage of Internet penetration and smartphone usage, both of which have helped to power its eCommerce market into the 21st century.

Taiwan has a very favorable online marketplace and a window of great opportunity for sellers. Taiwan's economy is one of the four “Asian Tigers” and boasts a strong export sector. It’s one of the largest suppliers of computer parts and electronics in the world too.

Although Taiwan’s market has seen ups and downs in terms of growth, it’s current economic landscape has been steady and positive with solid GDP growth in recent years.

Recent surveys show that Internet penetration is promisingly high, with total penetration at 88 percent. Mobile device usage is also high in Taiwan at about 79 percent. In fact, more than 70 percent of Taiwan’s online shoppers have used their mobile devices to purchase products! This means it's crucial to optimize for mobile eCommerce if you’re looking to sell in the country.

In addition, about 80 percent of Taiwanese use social media regularly while online shoppers have shown an increasing appetite for products imported from abroad - good news for cross-border online retailers!

These figures indicate that users are already accustomed to buying online. You can plan your marketing strategy around the fact that a large number of Internet users are also using social media networks and buying on mobile devices. Your market research, customer outreach and shipping to Taiwan should all be planned accordingly.

Unique Online Marketplaces Thrive in Taiwan

Taiwan has many selling platforms; you can evaluate the one that suits your business best. You can judge by seeing which platform gives you the kind of support you need for shipping parcels to Taiwan, currency conversion and payment methods you want and the like.

The popular and trusted online marketplaces in Taiwan include:

• Ruten.com.tw
• Shopee.tw
• Taobao.com
• Momoshop.com.tw
• Books.com.tw

Fashion, Food Top Items for Online Shopping

The top product and service categories for online commerce in Taiwan include:

• Fashion items and accessories
• Food
• Beauty and skincare products
• Tourism and travel

Various Payment Methods Used in Taiwan

The most commonly used methods of online payment in Taiwan are cash on delivery, credit cards and mobile payments. Be sure to include multiple payment options for customers if selling online in Taiwan, otherwise they might abandon their cart without completing the order!

Holidays Offer Great Selling Opportunities in Taiwan

There are many holiday and seasonal festivals in Taiwan. Internationally celebrated holidays are also observed in Taiwan, but officially, the Chinese calendar is followed. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated event, a national holiday typically observed in January or February and celebrated with food, shopping and parties with friends and family.

Other than that, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Single’s Day and Valentine’s Day are also celebrated in Taiwan.

Shipping to Taiwan

Shipping to Taiwan from the U.S. and elsewhere in the world requires a solid understanding of the country’s import regulations, duties, tax thresholds and the like. Here’s a closer look at just that!

Like all countries, Taiwan has its own set of import regulations that restrict what can and can’t enter its borders.

Prohibited items in Taiwan:

• Ammunition
• Animal products
• Communist material
• Gambling products
• Illicit drugs

Restrictions in Taiwan:

You would need permits for items exceeding the permissible amounts of certain items like:

• Over 1,000 cigarettes
• Over 250 cigars
• Cut tobacco over five lbs.
• Liquor over 5 liters

Other restricted items in Taiwan:

• Medicine
• Plants
• Seed
• Currency and gold
• Pets

You can find a more complete list here.

Local and International Couriers Available in Taiwan

USPS shipping to Taiwan is available, as are other major international couriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, SF Express, GlobalPost and more.

Local couriers also available for shipping to Taiwan are:

• Taiwan Pelican Express
• Lalamove TW
• Royal International Group Taiwan Company Limited

Easyship provides a combination of different couriers for simple and affordable shipping. You can use our shipping rates calculator to get rate quotes for different couriers so you can compare and decide which one suits your business and offers you the best possible shipping solution!

Additionally, understanding Taiwan’s import duties, VAT rates and the like is also very important.

Taiwan uses CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) as a valuation method for tax and duty calculations. Its tax and duty threshold is currently 2,000 TWD and has a VAT of five percent.

Many items, such as computers, mobile devices, cameras, jewelry and health and beauty products, face no import duties when shipped into Taiwan. However, fashion items face a 12 percent import duty while watches and dry food and supplements face import duties of five and 10 percent, respectively.

Taiwan: One of East Asia’s Premier eCommerce Opportunities

Taiwan offers a great opportunity for cross-border retail thanks to its flourishing eCommerce market, population receptive to international products and advanced economy.

Shipping to Taiwan is very simple with Easyship. Sign up today for free today to take your online store to this thriving East Asian eCommerce market!