Russian business is once again trying to create, if not an alternative, then at least an analogue of Western trading platforms like eBay, Amazon and AliExpress. We are trying to figure out whether it will work out or whether another attempt is doomed to failure.
The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Russian Amazon is the ever-memorable Ozon.ru, which at the moment is neither alive nor dead. And more like a zombie than a working project. We tried to copy a lot, even the name was made consonant, but it didn't take off. The reason for this was a whole tangle of problems, ranging from difficulties with payment and the inability to ensure the security of the transaction to poor logistics, which resulted for buyers in weeks and even months of waiting for delivery in Russia.
A letter from Avito made me remember this.
The letter happily announced that after the end of testing in several regions, Avito launched delivery and payment for goods within the site throughout Russia.
However, I was lucky enough to use this service even before the official launch – apparently, my city was among those in which this service was tested and run-in.
Apparently, a new attempt has been made to 'catch up and overtake'. Let's hope. But first, let's try to analyze how it all works at the moment. Boxberry is used as a delivery service. The service has branches almost throughout Russia, and in large cities there can be several such points in different regions.
On the one hand, it is convenient, as it simplifies the sending process, on the other hand, the reality is that these very points are just a 'franchise' behind which the individual entrepreneurs who have entered into an agreement with Boxberry are hiding. Based solely on my experience of the last few months, I can say that at the moment Boxberry is working even slower than the Russian Post and the waiting for the goods may take weeks. In order not to be unfounded, I will give an example from my own Avito account. Information about the same order shown above.
The purchase was made on February 28, and the next day, March 1, the seller sent me the goods from Voronezh. From Voronezh to Ulyanovsk, 871 kilometers.
Not very far. After sending, the system announced that the delivery would be completed by March 8. In fact, the package arrived in my city on Friday, March 9th. The delivery message arrived at 18:45, and Boxberry branches are open on weekdays until 19:00. As a result, I could pick up the package only on March 12 on Monday.
On the one hand, not bad, on the other hand, the Russian Post would have done it clearly faster (I didn't think I would say that).
But back to Avito. Payment is made on the website itself or in the application using the Tinkoff partner bank or the Qiwi payment system. I am glad that the bank is reliable and will not undergo a reorganization procedure in the near future. I can't say anything definite about Qiwi – I've never used their services.
Until the delivery of the goods to the buyer, the funds are blocked on the buyer's card account and transferred to the seller only after confirmation of receipt of the goods at the Boxberry pick-up point.
In fact, the system works, and there is nothing to criticize too much. However, the bottleneck is the delivery service, whose terms, I repeat, are even higher than those of the Russian Post.
At the moment, based on the personal experience of several purchases and sales, I can say that I will send the next purchases through the Russian Post, as it turns out to be significantly faster.
In addition to Avito, Youla.ru began to carry out the possibility of payment on the site and delivery through the same Boxberry. However, I am not yet at risk of contacting Yula, since this is the brainchild of mail.ru, which means that after buying, for example, a phone case, there is a risk of getting the 'Amigo' browser on the computer … It's a joke. ?
Conclusion
When comparing these two trading platforms with Western and Eastern counterparts in the face Amazon, eBay and AliExpress, the choice will tend to the latter options for a long time. However, I am glad that there is movement in this direction, and the movement is correct. It remains to wait for the moment when the sites gain momentum and pull up delivery to the deadline at least of the Russian Post. In the meantime, I prefer to place orders from the USA and China, since at the moment the waiting times for purchases from another country and from a neighboring city are comparable.
I'd love to hear about your shopping experience and your preferences when choosing online stores and virtual marketplaces. I invite you to comment.