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There are several points in your comment that don't match up with my experience. > Majority of sellers on Lazada were just dropshipping from Chinese wholesaler

There are several points in your comment that don't match up with my experience. > Majority of sellers on Lazada were just dropshipping from Chinese wholesalers Before Alibaba acquisition this was not the case. In fact, it was the Alibaba integration that facilitated this. Secondly, as far as I know it's not drop shipping but they're actual Alibaba sellers that've been onboarded to Lazada. > There is great profit incentive/arbitrage Not sure what you mean by this exactly but there's little incentive for arbitrage because because they were Alibaba sellers but also because Alibaba delivers directly as well. So it was more of a marketing move rather than arbitrage. The integration did speed up shipping times however. > High Tariffs. High Customs/Customs issues. Physical customs inspection. High shipping times. I have only limited experience with import and that's with tobacco which was time consuming but orderly. For Alibaba goods however, the only one that applies is the high shipping times. Furthermore for the vast majority of goods below a certain value none of these apply. > last mile of fulfillment is the issue Overall true, but there are other issues rather than just being spread out. Specifically traffic, bad infrastructure and operational inefficiencies that impact last mile delivery efficiency even in urban centers. > consumer base being very spread out Of course heavily depends on the country with Singapore and Malaysia being far ahead, but Indonesia and Thailand being ~50-60% in urban areas. > bike courier is still most common way of delivery If you mean bicycle, that's definitely not the case. If you mean motorcycle, again heavily dependent on the country as well as the use-case. For instance in Vietnam and Indonesia motorcycles are used frequently, but in Malaysia and Singapore less so. Bicycles are only a gimmick. Motorcycles are also frequently used for more ad-hoc fulfillment. > Postal Mail does not work/will not deliver. 1. This might have been true ~5+ years ago but isn't any longer. 2. Even if it was, the post wasn't as developed here as in other parts of the world so a lot of third party logistics providers sprung up to fill the gap and they've better service.

rootsudo 6y ago
Bike as in Motorcycle. Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Philippines/Vietnam/Thailand. I can speak more accurately to Philippines, where parts in Luzon will not get serviced/it gets cosigned to a local carrier, LBC and even then they rely on the package having a reliable phone number/email address as they'll have to contact the receiver and pay for the service. Metro Manila is pretty much okay, but, even down south of Visayas (including Cebu, Ilo Ilo/Bocold) and especially Mindanao - Philippine Mail is not used at all, packages are cosigned to LBC to be picked up at their place, which ususally is a landmark like a Mall or town center. But usually Mall, if that area has it. The Philippines Mail system is a bit of a fun system, being founded by Spain, then USA take over (but not per se the USPS.)
- peteretep 6y ago
  > Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Thailand Where do you believe Thai post won’t deliver to, exactly?
- rognjen 6y ago
  The Philippines are the most extreme example of logistics difficulties. Even so the issue isn't the spread out population but the fact that ecomm penetration in the Philippines is significantly less per capita therefore the profits simply aren't there yet. Compare that to Indonesia where infrastructure is similar but penetration is much higher and 3PL deliver literally to the middle of Borneo.
- wyclif 6y ago
  Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Philippines/Vietnam/Thailand. Absolutely true in the Philippines; I'm in the Visayas. Cosigned to LBC or JRS Express. As for a "fun system" it's also true that if you are having anything delivered to your home, you had better have a clearly printed phone number on the package. Too many Filipino couriers fail to find your address because of the way many barangays are numbered (for instance, 'Block 15, Lot 48, Barangay X'.
  - rootsudo 6y ago
    100% correct on block/lot BS. This is why it becomes easier to just deliver to a Mall, or having to include your number all over the package, on the info slip and trying to wrap it up in plastic tenfold to check if it was "inspected" or contents removed.

rootsudo 6y ago

Bike as in Motorcycle. Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Philippines/Vietnam/Thailand. I can speak more accurately to Philippines, where parts in Luzon will not get serviced/it gets cosigned to a local carrier, LBC and even then they rely on the package having a reliable phone number/email address as they'll have to contact the receiver and pay for the service. Metro Manila is pretty much okay, but, even down south of Visayas (including Cebu, Ilo Ilo/Bocold) and especially Mindanao - Philippine Mail is not used at all, packages are cosigned to LBC to be picked up at their place, which ususally is a landmark like a Mall or town center. But usually Mall, if that area has it. The Philippines Mail system is a bit of a fun system, being founded by Spain, then USA take over (but not per se the USPS.)

peteretep 6y ago
> Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Thailand Where do you believe Thai post won’t deliver to, exactly?
rognjen 6y ago
The Philippines are the most extreme example of logistics difficulties. Even so the issue isn't the spread out population but the fact that ecomm penetration in the Philippines is significantly less per capita therefore the profits simply aren't there yet. Compare that to Indonesia where infrastructure is similar but penetration is much higher and 3PL deliver literally to the middle of Borneo.
wyclif 6y ago
Postal Mail absolutely will not deliver to some parts in Philippines/Vietnam/Thailand. Absolutely true in the Philippines; I'm in the Visayas. Cosigned to LBC or JRS Express. As for a "fun system" it's also true that if you are having anything delivered to your home, you had better have a clearly printed phone number on the package. Too many Filipino couriers fail to find your address because of the way many barangays are numbered (for instance, 'Block 15, Lot 48, Barangay X'.
- rootsudo 6y ago
  100% correct on block/lot BS. This is why it becomes easier to just deliver to a Mall, or having to include your number all over the package, on the info slip and trying to wrap it up in plastic tenfold to check if it was "inspected" or contents removed.