Alibaba wants to bring China’s second-hand phone hawkers online

Used goods platform Xianyu courts vendors in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei district

In China, Huaqiangbei is where you go to buy cheap gadgets. Widely considered the world's biggest electronics market, the district located in the southern city of Shenzhen has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Now an Alibaba platform wants to help.

Xianyu, an online trading platform for used goods, says it's removing a year of commission fees for Huaqiangbei vendors who want to take their business online. An expert will inspect second-hand phones on-site and assign each a quality rating. Buyers are promised free shipping and deliveries within 24 hours.

As the viral outbreak appears to be slowing in China, Huaqiangbei malls have recently reopened with stringent hygiene measures in place. Anyone who goes inside has to register their ID and have their temperature checked. For convenience, some traders have chosen to exchange goods outdoors instead.

(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.)

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