Tens of thousands of links removed overnight! Russian platforms are rapidly purging Chinese sellers. What's the reason? How can we respond?

With Russia's e-commerce market projected to exceed 15 trillion rubles (approximately $160 billion) by 2025, OZON holds a solid second place position with a 34.4% market share, becoming a core channel for Chinese sellers expanding into Eastern Europe . Recently, the OZON platform launched a compliance crackdown, removing tens of thousands of product links from Chinese sellers overnight. What are the underlying reasons behind this? Which domestic categories are most severely affected? How should domestic sellers respond?

1. Background and Reasons for the OZON Crackdown

• Return of European and American brands : After the Russo-Ukrainian conflict subsided, European and American brands flocked back to Russia. For example, on July 11, 2025, Adidas submitted multiple trademark registration applications to Russia. To protect their image and intellectual property, these brands pressured platforms to rigorously review brand authorizations and crack down on counterfeiting, substandard products, and fake brand authorizations. To consolidate its position and avoid disputes and reputational risks, OZON took proactive action and implemented strict brand management.

• Platform development needs : As a local Russian e-commerce platform, OZON needs to enhance its brand image and reputation and attract more high-quality brands to settle in order to achieve long-term and stable development. Strictly cracking down on violations is an important means to achieve this goal.

• Strengthened government regulation : The Russian government has revised relevant laws, such as the Consumer Protection Law, to impose stricter requirements on platform operations, including regulating product information and combating counterfeit goods. Meanwhile, a draft of the Platform Economy Law, currently under review, requires platforms to rigorously review product information and combat counterfeit goods, raising compliance standards across the entire market.

• Malicious competition has emerged : some sellers have exploited platform loopholes and used malicious reporting and other means to use high-authority local stores to complain about problems with their peers' brands, resulting in a large number of product links of Chinese brand sellers being removed from the shelves. This has also intensified the platform's emphasis on and crackdown on brand management.

2. New Regulations for the OZON Platform in 2025

1. New Brand Compliance Regulations (Effective July 7)

   • For categories such as shoes, clothing, and electronic products, EAC certification, Customs Union safety test (CU-TR), Russian labels, and brand authorization letters notarized by the Russian embassy or consulate are required. .

2. Category sales restrictions (effective June 26)

   • Cross-border sellers are prohibited from selling electronic products, auto and motorcycle parts, DIY tools and other categories, but local sellers can still sell .

   • Exceptions : Categories such as fashion, home furnishings, children's products, and pet products are encouraged to develop .

3. Order Cancellation Policy (Effective July 1st)

   • Allowing buyers to cancel orders without reason before shipment, during transportation, or after delivery and unpacking increases the seller's operational risks. .

4. Commission structure adjustment (effective August 5)

   • The commission rate for coats has been reduced from 20.5% to 10%, and for large furniture items by 5%. A new tiered mechanism for sellers with a price range of 1,500-5,000 rubles has been added to reduce costs for small and medium-sized sellers. .

Impact on Chinese Sellers

1. Direct losses

   • Tens of thousands of product links were removed, and after restoration, the weight and comments were reset to zero, requiring re-posting of high-priced ads (the starting price for template ads is approximately RMB 1,225) .

2. Category impact

   • Hardest hit areas : Electronic products (EAC certification required), branded shoes and clothing (authorization required), auto parts and tools (sale prohibited) .

   • Low-risk categories : fashion, home furnishings, and pet supplies (platform support areas) .

3. Rising costs

   • Increased compliance costs (certification fees approx. $1200-$ product), advertising costs increased, and the order cancellation policy pushed up the return rate .

4. Categories Most Affected

1. Electronic products : Laptops, mobile phones, etc. require EAC certification and localization modification (such as pre-installed Russian system), otherwise they are prohibited from sale .

2. International brand shoes and clothing : Links without formal authorization will be removed .

3. Auto parts and DIY tools : Cross-border sellers are prohibited from selling in all categories .

5. Chinese Sellers’ Response Strategies (Practical Suggestions)

1. Compliance transformation

   • Brand authorization : Obtain formal authorization from the brand owner, or cooperate with Russian local brands .

   • Certification : For electronic products, EAC certification is completed through local agents (cycle 15 working days) .

2. Adjust product selection direction

   • Shift to supporting categories : focus on developing fashion, home furnishings, and pet products, and take advantage of platform traffic. .

   • Small and light items : Take advantage of Ozon's new logistics policy (shipping fees as low as $0.5 for items under 250 grams) to reduce costs .

3. Localized operations

   • Logistics : Use Ozon Fulfillment's overseas warehouse (Moscow warehouse turnover is only 3 days) to reduce delivery risks .

   • Service : Russian-speaking customer service, access to local payment methods such as QIWI and YooMoney .

   • Marketing : Promote through local social channels such as Telegram and VK .

4. Opening up new markets

   • CIS market : Entering newly opened markets of 80 million consumers such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan .

   • Local store layout : Registering a Russian company to open local stores to circumvent cross-border sales restrictions .

5. Take advantage of platform bonuses

   • Commission discount : Starting from August 5, the commission for outerwear will be reduced to 10%, with priority given to high-profit categories. .

   • Training resources : Participate in Ozon University seller training to learn compliance operation skills .

Summarize

OZON's crackdown is an inevitable trend toward compliance in Russian e-commerce. While it will cause some short-term pain for Chinese sellers, it will also drive the industry towards branding and localization. Key immediate actions include verifying the compliance of existing products (focusing on brand authorization and certification), shifting to platform-supported categories, leveraging logistics and commission incentives to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and actively exploring new markets in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Compliance is the bottom line for survival, and localization is the core of competition. Seizing the window of opportunity presented by platform policy adjustments can turn crisis into opportunity.