Stricter Regulation: After Alibaba, JD.com Also Suspends U.S. E-Cigarette Sales

In response to the increasingly strict regulation of e-cigarette products in the United States, two major Chinese e-commerce platforms, Alibaba and JD.com, have decided to suspend sales to the U.S.
 
According to a report from the Beijing News on Tuesday, October 9, due to the increasing control over e-cigarette categories in the U.S., starting from October 10, Alibaba's international platform will implement traffic blocking and order blocking for all e-cigarette products and accessories destined for the U.S. Specifically, e-cigarette products and accessories listed on Alibaba's platform will not be displayed to U.S. buyers, and products shipped to the U.S. will no longer be able to draft order guarantees, covering not only products listed under the e-cigarette category but also other categories.

On the same day, Alibaba's international customer service informed The Paper that starting from October 15, it will no longer be able to draft order guarantees for shipments to the U.S., but ongoing orders to the U.S. can still be fulfilled.

JD.com also stated that in response to the latest regulatory policies for e-cigarette categories in the U.S., JD Global Sales will block all related e-cigarette products on its U.S. site and suspend orders for related products shipped to the U.S.

Before the actions taken by Alibaba and JD.com, traditional U.S. retail giant Walmart announced on September 20 that it would stop selling e-cigarettes in its stores across the U.S.

These actions stem from recent bans imposed by the U.S. government on the e-cigarette industry.

In June, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale of e-cigarettes. On September 11, the White House announced a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also announced that measures would be introduced in the coming weeks to remove flavored e-cigarettes from the market.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on September 26, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that multiple states across the U.S. had cumulatively reported 805 cases of lung injuries related to e-cigarettes, with 13 reported deaths.

Currently, investigators are still unable to determine which e-cigarette products or chemical substances are responsible for these lung diseases. The CDC temporarily recommends that individuals with concerns consider avoiding e-cigarette products. Additionally, no one should purchase e-cigarette products from unregulated sources or alter e-liquid compositions by adding prohibited substances.

The Chinese government has also begun to implement policies regarding e-cigarettes. On October 1, Shenzhen officially implemented the newly revised "Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Smoking Control Regulations." E-cigarettes have been included in the smoking control list, and the outdoor smoking ban has been expanded to include bus stops and subway entrances.

While suspending e-cigarette sales to the U.S., Alibaba's international platform stated that it will continue to monitor relevant policy changes in various countries and adjust its platform management policies accordingly.