Alibaba’s China-focused marketplace Taobao has joined the wave of Chinese e-commerce platforms launching cross-border operations with a plan to ship clothing globally for free. The program will look to attract Taobao merchants selling not only men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, but also sports and outdoor clothing, as well as shoes and bags. Apparel merchants on Taobao can directly sell items to “billions of consumers worldwide” by joining the plan without the need for complex procedures, according to Taobao and Tmall Group. Context: Taobao sells items from numerous local clothing brands that its domestic rivals have no access to. Previously, people living outside China needed third-party transit resources to get items they bought from Taobao.