Russia’s cross-border e-commerce market continued to expand in the first half of 2026. According to an Infoline estimate, the value of online orders from abroad reached RUB 320 billion, up 40% from the same period a year earlier. The cross-border segment accounted for around 4.1% of Russia’s total e-commerce turnover, which analysts estimate at RUB 5.9 trillion.

The Association of Internet Trade Companies offers a different estimate: from January to May, cross-border trade amounted to RUB 202 billion, up 18.8% year on year. The difference partly reflects different calculation periods and methodologies.

Categories and consumer demand

Cross-border orders are concentrated primarily in non-food categories, including clothing, footwear, electronics, home goods, and home-improvement products. According to CDEK.Shopping, the number of international orders placed through its service increased by 71.2% year on year in January–June. The average order value declined by 12.2% to RUB 14,800.

The service also reported stronger demand for home-related goods. Revenue from deliveries of furniture from abroad increased almost fourfold, demand for tableware rose 4.5 times, and demand for textiles doubled.

Conditions for overseas sellers

Growth in cross-border trade may slow in the second half of the year. Market participants link this risk to the gradual maturation of certain categories, changes in marketplace operating conditions, and constraints in logistics infrastructure.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service had previously required marketplaces to remove differences between the operating conditions offered to Russian and foreign sellers. In the context of aligning these conditions, Wildberries increased commissions for some overseas sellers. Changes in fees may affect the economics of cross-border deliveries and final consumer prices.

Another source of uncertainty is the Ministry of Finance’s proposed phased introduction of value-added tax on imported goods purchased via online platforms: 7% in 2027, 14% in 2028, and 22% in 2029. At the time of publication, the proposal had not become an effective rule. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has publicly supported an alternative approach: applying a 22% VAT rate from 2027.

For Chinese sellers using a cross-border model on Russian marketplaces, these changes mean that platform commissions, tax conditions, and logistics costs will need to be considered when planning deliveries. For food products, beverages, and food ingredients, certification, product marking, shelf-life requirements, and transport conditions are also relevant.