Parcels that used to take around 30 - 45 days to cross the China-Russia border and be delivered there could now take as much as a week less thanks to a new Chinese warehouse in Moscow, which is also expected to improve efficiency and the customer experience.

Harbin’s Ruston logistics company opened its warehouse in the Greenwood International Trade Center, in Moscow, on July 15, local media reported on July 10, quoting Yu Hang, Ruston’s GM, as saying that Russia is the most attractive cross-border e-commerce market in the world with average per capita spending expected to be worth more than $1,200 in two years, and total turnover at $50 billion by 2020.

Qi Ying, the company’s head of branding, said that the warehouse is a cooperative venture with Russia’s state-owned Greenwood, and can handle about 10,000 parcels daily. It will also be able to handle bulky or high-value items, which air freight services usually refuse to handle because of their size risk concerns.

A Ruston representative said that they can deliver bulky cargo in containers by various means and store them in the warehouse for future distribution and there are after-sales services that are guaranteed.

The number of Chinese e-commerce warehouses in Russia has been growing fast, with many cross-border logistics companies, such as the Wangji Group, the first of its kind, and Lefoxmail.com, in Harbin, taking part.