eBay Heads East

This is a really good article about the coming wave of e-commerce via China’s 100million+ internet users. The amount of money some of these people are raking in is simply astonishing. We used to only get “Made in China” merchandise from retail giants, but now we can simply email a person on the other side of the globe for that new iPod case or custom made handbag.
A really interesting section of this article deals with how China is one of the most entrepreneurial societies in the world, which obviously makes eCommerce a natural move for net-savvy Chinese exporters. Their behavior as a whole will expand the global market in a massive way. I think there is going to be a massive impact from this country on the global economy. Only 100million people are online in China. Can you imagine if even a quarter of the population logged on? Plus, with no middleman there will be a huge impact on retail chains like Wal-Mart (I can hear the Waltons’ banjos playing a nervous tune down in Arkansas).

"I actually prefer to sell to Americans and Europeans," says one 24-year-old in
a cream corduroy jacket. "Because then you're sure the money will arrive! With
Chinese, you never know,"

http://www.fastcompany.com/subscr/107/ebay.html