Chinese buyers will now be able to purchase cheaper overseas products and also enjoy faster logistics as the direct cross-border e-commerce transaction via shipping began in Yantai, Shandong province, on July 29.

Yantai is the second city in Shandong that has launched such kind of a service, the first being Qingdao.

The first shipment, arriving at Yantai free bonded area, carried a total of 1,116 items worth 400,000 yuan ($64,400) from South Korea.

All the commodities were purchased via Yantai's cross border e-commerce platform http://www.jck315.com/. It offers products from South Korea, Japan, the US, Australia, France and Spain.

The platform highlights one-stop services including regulated transactions, quicker customs clearance and delivery.

Cross border e-commerce has become the biggest driving force of Yantai's foreign trade. This platform enables locals to purchase quality overseas goods with just a few clicks. The website currently allows customers to buy consumer goods within a purchase limit of 1,000 yuan ($163.54) during a single transaction.

Yantai's close geographic proximity to South Korea has given a boost to this business. The Yantai port is only 260 nautical miles (481 kilometers) away from the South Korea's Incheon port.

Also, Yantai customs have upgraded clearance facilitation for better logistics.

After the commodities land and are checked by customs, they are transferred to the domestic logistics companies for delivery.

Customers in China can now have their ordered goods delivered from overseas countries within two or three days of placing their orders.

Currently, direct cross-border e-commerce transactions mainly relied on air transportation and postal services in China.

Edited by Shahnawaz Akhtar