How Chinese gangs exploit the price differences between handbags sold in Europe and China, and inflate profit via VAT refunds.

Do a government crackdown and luxury and beauty groups’ adjusted travel retail strategies spell the end for Chinese buying goods overseas and selling them at home to circumvent taxes?

Hainan's booming duty-free sales, rising by 25.4% to 43.76 billion RMB in 2023, have made it a hotspot for ‘daigou’ operations.

The resurgence of ‘daigou’ shopping disrupts sales and brand equity of luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermès, as small-scale operators exploit global price gaps, impacting China’s luxury market.

La Prairie’s parent company and L’Oréal are steadfast in their quest to halt gray market activity and preserve brand equity, even if performance suffers as a result.

China's gray daigou market may be the biggest threat to luxury brands in the next five years. The market for the nation's 'shopping agents' has grown by 40% since 2019.